What Makes The Perfect Cup Of Tea?

What makes the perfect cup of tea? Well, there's a big question. London's Guardian recently reported on a survey by Waitrose Food Illustrated that tackled this topic. More here.

The makers of the BonJour FineT Gourmet Tea Machine would probably like you to believe that their space-age gadget can help make a perfect cup of tea. Read what Cnet had to say about it here.

Tea as an ingredient? You betcha. Here's a interesting post from The Tea Pages, where Katrina recounts her recent visit to the 2009 New England Culinary Tea Competition.

Social networking and tea come together at a Web site called Steepster. Yes, it's true. Here's another one from The Tea Pages, which feaured an interview with the Steepster guys a while back.

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Video: Tetley Tea Competition Winner 2007

The winner of the Tetley Tea Moving Image Competition 2007.



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Video: Tetley Tea Competition Winner 2006

The winner of the Tetley Tea Moving Image Competition 2006.



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Health Benefits & L-Theanine Followups

Getting tired of the endless hype about tea's health benefits? Marshal is, as he noted recently in a post at A Tea Addict's Journal. For more on this theme, see this post right here at Tea Guy Speaks.

Here's another recent post from Tea Guy Speaks, in which we noted that l-theanine is the latest component in tea to be heaved onto the hype bandwagon. Here's yet another link from a major press outlet examining its myriad of alleged benefits.

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English Tea Blog & Blogs.com

Here are another pair of brief articles I wrote for the Taste of English Tea blog and a roundup of tea blogs that was published at Blogs.com. For our full list of tea blogs, look here.

Tea Time Again: Multiple Infusions
Types of Tea
Top 10 Tea Blogs

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L-Theanine's 15 Minutes of Fame

Stand aside, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Make way for l-theanine. The rush to break tea down to nothing more than a series of individual components with allegedly miraculous health-giving properties continues.

L-theanine, according to an article that recently appeared in several large newpspapers, will impart to those who consume it numerous awe-inspiring health benefits, not the least of which is focus and concentration. More about this latest tea trend here and here.

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Rishi Wins Big at World Tea Championship

Rishi Tea Wins 11 First Place Awards at World Tea Championship!
(from a press release)

Competing among 41 different companies who submitted nearly 300 teas, Rishi Tea took home an unprecedented 28 awards, including a stunning victory of 11 First Place winners at the recent World Tea Championship! The World Tea Championship, organized by the World Tea Expo, is an independent competition judged by professional cuppers and buyers to distinguish the highest quality and best tasting teas available in North America.

For the second year in a row, Rishi Tea took home more than double the awards received by their closest competitors. These consecutive accomplishments have established Rishi Tea as a leader of the industry and provided a strong validation of their passion for quality.

more

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Bigelow Constant Comment Winner

Bigelow recently held an essay contest in which they invited their customers to write about their experiences with their popular Constant Comment tea. The prize - a trip to their Charleston Tea Plantation. Read the winning entry here.

Speaking of the Charleston Tea Plantation, read about their First Flush FesTEAval here. If you'd like to attend, however, you'll have to wait until next year, as it took place just a few days ago.

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Video: Mellow Monk's Tea-Buying Trip to Japan

From esteemed tea blogger and purveyor of green tea, Mellow Monk:



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Tea Review 98 - My Cup of Tea (x4)

Breakfast Tea
Darjeeling
Earl Grey
Pure Green Tea
My Cup of Tea

Breakfast
I tend to approach breakfast teas with a bit of trepidation. Most that I've tried run the gamut from so-so to downright wretched. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I was a milk and sweetener kind of guy. I'd actually rate this blend at the higher end of the range. It has a nice flavor even without anything added.

Darjeeling
While I like a good Darjeeling as much as the next person, I've found that all Darjeelings are not created equal. I've also found that they tend to be rather sensitive to high temps and oversteeping. While I wouldn't put this one at the top of my Darjeeling list it certainly was not without its charms.

Pure Green
A nice, subtle green here. Hard to tell exactly what it was, but I'd guess that it hails from China. It suffers only by comparison to the very strong sencha I've been drinking lately, which tends to deaden my appreciation for subtler varieties.

Earl Grey
This might be a perfectly nice Earl Grey tea, but since I'm not a fan of that sort of thing I'm not the person to weigh in on its merits or lack thereof. It is quite pungent, so if strong Earl Grey is what grabs you, it's might be right up your alley.

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Los Angeles Times Tackles Green Tea

Green tea was all over the Los Angeles Times yesterday, which featured a total of four articles on the topic.

Green tea is more than a way of life in South Korea
How to brew the perfect cup of green tea
Matcha's green tea powder and chocolate: a bitter-sweet combo
Recipe: Green tea ice cream


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Green Tea Factory Tour

A tour of a small tea processing factory in Shizuoka, Japan:



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Hammacher Schlemmer Introduces Southern Sweet Tea Brewer

Hammacher Schlemmer Introduces The Authentic Southern Sweet Tea Brewer
(from a press release)

Continuing its 161-year history of offering the Best, the Only, and the Unexpected, Hammacher Schlemmer introduces The Authentic Southern Sweet Tea Brewer, an iced tea brewing machine that makes up to two quarts of authentic Southern sweet tea in 10 minutes.

An iconic Dixieland refreshment that originated in the late 19th century, sweet tea is favored for its ice-cold sweetness on sweltering summer days. The Authentic Southern Sweet Tea Brewer automates the entire brewing process, ensuring a traditional taste in a perfect glass of sweet tea every time. The machine automatically steeps tea at the correct temperature (204 degrees F) for optimal flavor extraction and adds your preferred amount of sugar while the tea is still hot, producing a consistent level of sweetness.

The Authentic Southern Sweet Tea Brewer comes with a 2 1/2 -quart glass serving pitcher and a reusable stainless steel tea filter. You can hand wash plastic parts and the pitcher is dishwasher safe.

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Great Lakes Brewery Green Tea Ale

If you like your tea with a little kick - or if you like your kick with a little tea, for that matter - Great Lakes Brewery may have just the thing for you. It's their Green Tea Ale. Read more about it at the Canadian Beer News or A Good Beer Blog. Or check out the accompanying video review.

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MateVeza Releases Organic Yerba Mate IPA

MateVeza Releases Organic Yerba Mate IPA
(from a press release)

MateVeza has released Yerba Mate IPA, an organic, naturally caffeinated India Pale Ale brewed with yerba mate, source of the South American herbal tea. The much anticipated follow up to MateVeza's award-winning initial release, Yerba Mate Gold, MateVeza's newest offering combines yerba mate's earthy, herbal tones with bright hop flavor and aroma from Cascade, Centennial, and Simcoe hops.

The MateVeza line of organic craft beers is brewed with yerba mate, contributing both a unique flavor and a natural source of caffeine. The yerba mate in MateVeza's new organic IPA provides an amount of caffeine equivalent to one half cup of coffee per twelve-ounce serving.

Yerba mate is cultivated in South America, where a yerba mate infusion is as ubiquitous as a cup of coffee in the United States. Many prefer the gentle stimulating effects of yerba mate to those of coffee. In addition, yerba mate is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The yerba mate ritual has been an integral part of South American culture for hundreds of years, bringing family and friends together.

MateVeza Yerba Mate Gold and Yerba Mate IPA are now available throughout California, Oregon, and Washington in twenty-two-ounce bottles with twelve-ounce bottles arriving this summer. Visit the Mateveza Web site for details on availability.

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Video: Chinese Tea Production

"A visual journey through the making of Chinese tea."



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World of Tea 9

If the movie title Tea Fight piques your interest, here's more info from Cinnabar at the Gongfu Girl site. As nearly as I can tell, Tea Fight is an Asian project that sets an adventure type plot against a background of tea drinking and culture.

Roy Fong, of the Imperial Tea Court recently took a trip to China to buy tea. He chronicles some of his adventures at the Camellia Sinensis blog.

If India's more your speed, try this recent post at T Ching that chronicles a trip to tea-growing regions there. For more on India, try James Norwood Pratt's take on the lesser-known Nilgiri region of India.

Stay tuned for more World of Tea, an occasional feature that gathers tea-related dispatches from around the globe.

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Is Tea The Ultimate Health Drink?

What to make of all the health claims for tea and related products? Are they true? Might they be hyped up a bit in the interest of selling more products? A writer for the Montreal Gazette recently explored this question, specifically addressing the health claims made for the South African "tea" known as rooibos.

A "daily cup of special tea may combat the obesity epidemic," or so says a recent article from the Scottish press. It looks at the many and diverse wonders to be realized by those who drink this "secret" tea from China. While it's debatable how well-kept the secret of white tea really is and whether it's truly "the ultimate health drink," here's the link to the article nonetheless.

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