I'm on the airplane back to Vancouver (via getting to my car at Seattle's SeaTac Airport) right now, and I just realised something. I've got pretty much no schwag, no freebie product in my bags... which is quite a departure from previous years.

Instead, I'm bringing home a bunch of books (all of which I bought, save for one, which the author refused to take money for), a cupping spoon (my gift for giving a presentation at SCAA), a stack of magazines, and... that's pretty much it. In previous years, I would have had

- massive amounts of chocolate from the various allied companies that go to the show
- tea samples for those I know who like tea (there's a lot of tea at the show)
- cookie, biscotti, confectionary samples
- maybe a thing or two from the Bodum booth (I didn't even visit the bodum booth this year)
- and heaps upon heaps of coffee.

It's the lack of coffee that surprised me - I didn't get samples from anyone, and not because the samples weren't there for the taking. I just didn't ask for any. In fact, I was offered various bags on the last day, and turned them all down. What the heck is going on?

But maybe it's just that I have enough of these shows under my belt that I just wasn't into the schwag game this year. And there were plenty of other first timers at the trade show that I'm sure needed to get their schwag experience, so who am I to get in the way of that and interfere...

But I have one regret. Oral Fixation Mints had all sorts of cool new flavours this year, like mojito, mimosa, jasmine tea etc etc, and I didn't get to try any of them or pick up a few packs. Sigh.... I could use a mint right about now.