RIYADH: Tea aficionados got the chance to taste all manner of varieties of their favorite beverage at the Tea Colors International Exhibition, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
There was strong competition between various Sri Lankan and Kenyan teas at the event, attended by producers from the region and beyond, including Kuwait, Qatar, and local entrepreneurs.
Tea, along with coffee and dates, is one of the drinks traditionally offered as a show of hospitality in Saudi Arabia.
The four-day exhibition featured approximately 40 local and foreign enterprises specializing in producing and importing tea from all over the world. The exhibition also displayed nuts, citrus fruits, and a variety of other goodies that go with tea, the favorite drink of millions of people worldwide.
Visitors were eager to try teas without sugar in particular, because it “makes you appreciate the actual taste” of tea, according to Fawaz Al-Daoud from Al-Kharj, tea drinker since childhood and a devotee of Kenyan tea.
Al-Daoud’s colleague, Abdul Aziz Al-Muqrin, accompanied him, though he admitted he was more interested in coffee than tea, and was pleased that there were plenty of stalls that displayed coffee as well to cater to his needs.
Omar, a 30-year-old Riyadh native, enjoys drinking tea and favors it piping hot. He walked his family enthusiastically between the pavilions, featuring brands including Al-Ghada, Rabea, Abu Jabal, and Al-Munayes from Kuwaiti, Mumtaz from Oman, and many more.
The Tea Colors International Exhibition is Saudi Arabia’s first exhibition dedicated to tea and related supplies, such as baked products and nuts. According to the exhibition’s communications officer, Yazeed Al-Sarhani, approximately 13,000 people attended the event in the first three days.
The exhibition also featured live paintings and displays that shed light on the world of tea, emphasizing the significance of International Tea Day and its objectives, which is observed on May 21 of each year.
According to Al-Sarhani, the exhibition intends to showcase the cultural side of tea, one of the world’s greatest consumer markets.
“Through this show, which brings together producers, suppliers, and customers under one roof,” he said, “we hope to be the first destination for this product to develop and improve it, achieve the consumers’ taste, and match their desires.”
