Gretzky Signs With Bigelow

Wayne Gretzky Joins the Team to Champion Bigelow Green Tea
(from a press release)

Talk about a power play! The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, has teamed up with the Bigelow Tea Company as spokesperson for North America (Canada and the U.S.). As the embodiment of sports excellence and wholesome vitality, Wayne Gretzky is a perfect fit with the Bigelow Green Tea "story."

Gretzky, who has played pro hockey for both Canadian and American teams, earned his title as The Great One by winning 4 National Hockey League championships, 9 Hart Trophies (hockey's MVP award) and 3 NHL All-Star Game MVPs. An incredible athlete, he also holds 60 different NHL records - including a record for holding the most records! He is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the NHL, and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters, players and coaches.

"It's so incredibly exciting, and such an honor, to have a sports figure of Wayne's magnitude as our spokesperson," said Cindi Bigelow, President of the family-owned Bigelow Tea Company. "He is not only a true champion but a wonderful human being - humble, gentle and kind. When he visited our facility, he shook hands, signed autographs and took photos with everyone. No wonder they call him the Great One."


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Green Tea Preferences

Americans prefer less intense green tea. Or so says the headline for a recent article published in Food Product Design. It quotes a study, whose results recently appeared in in the Journal of Food Science. According to the study, Americans prefer green tea from tea bags versus loose-leaf tea because the perceived intensity of bitterness in tea bag teas is lower than loose-leaf teas.

The study was conducted by researchers from Drexel University and Kansas State University and looked at a selection of loose-leaf and bagged green teas from Japan, Korea and China. They also found "that U.S. consumers liked green tea samples with lower flavor intensity and lower bitterness intensity. Consumers' acceptability of green tea was negatively correlated with spinach and animalic flavor and bitterness and astringency of green teas evaluated."

Read the article here and check out the study results here.


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Lyons Tea Master Blender Commercial

By way of teadog.com.




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Tea Review 109: Dilmah Single Estate Ceylon Teas

Dombagastalawa Estate
Nilagama Estate
Lover's Leap Estate
Somerset Estate
Dilmah Watte Series
Single Estate Ceylon Teas

My experiences with Ceylon tea, thus far, have been mostly so-so, with one or two notable exceptions. I found Dilmah's Watte Series of single estate Ceylons to be an interesting notion though I liked some of the varieties more than others. While they may or may not be attempting to woo wine drinkers into trying their teas, the packaging, with notes on each estate, including altitude, and tasting notes that compare each tea to a type of wine, is obviously an attempt to present Ceylon tea as a more upscale kind of beverage.

Dombagastalawa Estate
Dilmah compares this tea, which is grown at 3,300 feet, to a Syrah wine and notes that it has a "biscuity" taste. I'm not sure what that means, but for me this one was probably the best of the bunch, with a full, rich flavor not unlike a high end Assam.

Nilagama Estate
A low grown tea, from an estate located at just 800 feet, Nilagama is "almost chocolatey and ripe tasting" and "full bodied with a big structure and fleshy." Fleshy? Really? Its analogue in the wine world is supposedly the Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd rank this one second of the bunch after the Dombagastalawa. It has a somewhat similar flavor, but lacks the richness of the former.

Lover's Leap Estate
This one didn't do it for me, but of course there's no accounting for taste. Lover's Leap is produced at 5,700 feet and Dilmah likens it to a Champagne, a comparison often made about Darjeeling tea. This variety is probably closer to a Darjeeling than any of the others, with a very light color and flavor, but I found it to be a little too thin and astringent for my liking.

Somerset Estate
From the Somerset Estate, at 4,600 feet, comes a tea with a "fruity, exotic perfume" and "ample tannins" that Dilmah likens to a Pinot Noir. For me this one was not so bad with a nice reddish brown color and a good flavor but perhaps just a bit too thin and astringent. When I think of Ceylon tea, this is the "classic" flavor profile - if there is such a thing - that comes to mind.


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Republic of Tea Creates Hibiscus Superflower Teas

The Republic of Tea Creates Five New Hibiscus Superflower Teas
(from a press release)

The Republic of Tea introduces five new Hibiscus Superflower Teas, available now. Each selection is a caffeine-free herbal bouquet of premium African hibiscus, a Superflower, that brews a full-bodied cup and features reported health benefits, including lowering blood pressure.

Hibiscus Superflower Teas are made from premium African hibiscus from Nigeria. A tropical marvel, ruby-red African hibiscus shines through in these evocatively fruity herbal teas, revealing layers of flavors comparable to cranberry/citrus and gentle hints of rhubarb and raspberry.

Hibiscus Superflower Teas are available in tins containing 36 unbleached tea bags free of strings, tags and staples, with a suggested retail price of $9.50. It is available nationwide at specialty retailers and through the company Web site and by calling 800.298.4832.


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Tea Monkeys, Weird Rooibos Facts & More

What do tea and monkeys have in common? Quite a lot, actually, if you're PG Tips, the British tea firm that's been using monkeys in their advertising for a very long time. If you're in the market for some high quality monkey merchandise (golf club head cover, anyone?) have a look at The Monkey Shop.

Did you know (or care) that Simon Le Von, singer for Duran Duran, never goes on stage without drinking a cup of rooibos? It's one of a number of Weird Rooibos Facts brought to us by TeaDotCalm.

If you're inclined to design check out the contest being sponsored by the good people over at teapigs. As they put it, "we'd like you to produce a design for a real tea print. The winning print will be displayed in cafes and delis that serve and sell teapigs real tea nationwide."

Last up, a tidbit that's not specifically tea-related, but which indicates what lengths marketers will go to to sell a product. As a New York Times article noted recently, "Nescafé has found an avid market there for coffee with collagen, a protein found in connective tissues, on the theory that ingesting it will improve skin. In Japan, collagen is added to yogurt drinks, dried fruits and other foods." Oh, please.


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Tea Social Networking Sites

Here are a few tea-related social networking sites, aside from such obvious suspects as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. And don't forget about our Tea Blog List, which currently numbers almost 300 blogs.

Hot For Tea
A Social Networking Web Site For Tea Lovers From Around The World

International Tea Sippers Society
The International Tea Sippers Society is an opportunity for tea lovers to discover fun, value and the latest trends in the World of Tea.

New Zealand Tea Lovers
A place to meet fellow tea lovers from New Zealand and beyond to exchange experiences & tips, arrange tea meetings and discuss tea

Steepster
Three dudes in New York City built this site as a way of keeping track of the teas they were drinking. Since then, it's turned into one of the liveliest tea communities on the Web.

Tea Appreciation Society
The Tea Appreciation Society was originally set up in 2007 by a small group of designers, since then it has grown into a wonderful worldwide collective of tea lovers, many of whom are artists, musicians, photographers and other creative types.


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Seven Cups to Guide Tours of China

Seven Cups to Guide Tours of China for Green Tea, Oolong Tea, and Puer Tea in 2010
(from a press release)

As featured in TIME Magazine, ("Puer Tea: China's Next Hot Commodity?") Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas of Tucson, Arizona will lead three guided tours through China’s backcountry tea gardens in 2010. This is only the second time these tours are being offered, and may be the only chance to ever tour China’s most famous and beautiful tea regions with a Certified Chinese Tea Master during the harvest and production of rare Green, Yellow, Oolong, Black, and Puer teas.

While these tours are designed to be Masters Classes for tea enthusiasts, they can be enjoyed by anyone. Participants get to enjoy rarely seen aspects of Chinese culture, breathtaking scenery, and authentic regional Chinese cuisine. Participants visit remote areas usually unavailable to foreign tourists, where they sample the best teas China has to offer, presented by Chinese tea masters in the masters’ own gardens and workshops.

more


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Tea Educational Resources & Organizations

Here are a few educational resources for anyone seeking a somewhat more formal approach to increasing their knowledge of tea. If you know of others, list them in the comments and we'll update the page from time to time.

American Tea Masters Association
International Society of Tea Science
The Tea Academy
Tea Association of Canada
Tea Association of the USA, Inc.
Tea Course
Tea4U
UK Tea Council


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Yorkshire Tea Commercial

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Interactive Tea Tasting With Tavalon

It may or may not be a first, but it's certainly an unusual notion. The gang over at Tavalon Tea are currently sponsoring an interactive tea tasting. What's it all about? Here's an excerpt from their press release:

Those who purchase a sampler of teas are eligible to participate in an “interactive tea tasting” session with the Tea Sommelier via phone conference. During the session, Tavalon’s Tea Sommelier will enrich tea lovers’ understanding of what they are drinking and help them gaining knowledge of general tea drinking. The 30 minute "flight of teas" tasting is limited to the first 20 people who purchase. Once the purchase is completed, the customer is emailed the date/time and details as to how to dial in to the tasting.

The sampler set of five medium jars from each major category of tea is the perfect way to get a little taste of a wide variety of teas. Tea selection includes Tropical Peony, Summer Fruits,Crimson Punch ,Peach Oolong and NYC Breakfast

This event ends February 11, 2010 at 5:30 pm EST and is limited to the first 20 that RSVP.

Tavalon Tea


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American Tea Masters Association Co-Hosts Tea Extravaganza 2010

Park Hyatt Washington Partners With American Tea Masters Association To Host Tea Extravaganza 2010
(from a press release)

Park Hyatt Washington, in association with the American Tea Masters Association, present Tea Extravaganza 2010, an independent tasting offering tea aficionados the opportunity to sample some of the finest, rarest and most exquisite loose-leaf teas from premier estates around the world. This two-day event, led by Chas Kroll, Certified Tea Master and Executive Director of the American Tea Masters Association, will take place at Park Hyatt Washington on Friday, March 12 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm and on Saturday, March 13 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. An intimate lunch, specially prepared by Executive Chef Brian McBride, will conclude the program.

Similar to a fine wine tasting, this experiential gathering will offer at least fourteen high-end, loose-leaf teas to be sampled. (No teas will be sold during the event). The tea menu, personally prepared by Kroll, will include the following: Melon Slice Liu An Gua Pian (China), a special top grade Liu An Gua Pian among China’s Ten Famous Teas, made of selected tender, downy, and melon seed-shaped leaves to create a fresh orchid fragrance; Tenbu 1st Flush Half-Shaded Kabusecha (Japan), an organic, partially shaded green tea that is the first picked tea of the new year and produces a remarkably subtle aroma; and Jun Chiyabari TGFOP (Nepal), produced to strict organic practices, this tea is comparable with top Darjeelings, providing an herbaceous and floral taste.

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