Tea Guy Speaks Amazon Store

Please take a moment to visit the Tea Guy Speaks Amazon Store. It just opened and the focus, as you might reasonably have guessed, is on tea, tea-related accessories and books about tea.

V8 V-Fusion +Tea Juice Beverages

V8 Juice Serves up Deliciously Refreshing V8 V-Fusion +Tea Juice Beverages
(from a press release)

Campbell Soup Company is expanding its innovative V8 V-Fusion line of beverages with new V8 V-Fusion +Tea juice beverages. These refreshing juice beverages provide a combined serving of vegetables and fruit in each 8-ounce glass*, along with the antioxidants and cool, crisp taste of natural green tea, all for 50 calories per serving.

V8 V-Fusion +Tea juice beverages are available in three delicious flavors: Raspberry Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea and Pineapple Mango Green Tea. Each meets the American Heart Association's criteria to display its heart-check mark and contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Through Sept. 30, people can visit www.facebook.com/V8VFusion, where the brand will be giving away 1,000 free samples a week before the juice beverages become available nationwide in October.

V8 V-Fusion beverages are available at supermarkets, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $3.99 for a 46-ounce bottle. For more information, visit www.v8juice.com and www.facebook.com/V8VFusion.

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Lady Gaga Does Tea

The word on the street lately is that the esteemed Lady Gaga - who is apparently something of a tea fancier - is being pursued by various tea companies to serve as spokesperson for their wares. Among the firms supposedly hoping to get in on the action - Twinings, Lipton, PG Tips and Tetley. In the sports section of one British paper they even give the odds of which of these companies is likely to score this coup - with Twinings the clear favorite.

In the interests of not getting slapped down for copyright violations I won't swipe any photos of the Lady herself clutching teacups. You can see several of these here - if you must.

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Largest Variety of Earl Grey Tea

Largest Variety of Earl Grey Tea Available at Teadog.com
(from a press release)

Although tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, behind water, many enthusiasts limit consumption to plain varieties. Few realize that Earl Grey is the second most popular type and the number one flavored variety. teadog.com, an Internet retailer, offers the largest selection of Earl Grey tea from brands around the world.

Earl Grey is traditionally a black tea flavored with bergamot, which is a small, pear-shaped sour orange that has a citrus flavor. Today, even green, white and herbal varieties are available in the flavor.

Many enthusiasts are unfamiliar with the large number of companies offering Earl Grey. These international brands offer high-quality varieties easily available in the USA.

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Salada Tea Announces Top 10 Finalists

Salada Tea Announces Top 10 Finalists in First-Ever Nationwide Consumer Spokesperson Search
(from a press release)

Salada Tea, the company that encourages tea drinkers to switch from bottled tea to freshly brewed tea made with tea bags because of the wellness, environmental and cost benefits, has announced the top 10 finalists in the nationwide search for its first-ever consumer spokesperson. The spokesperson will help spread Salada’s “Unbottle Your Tea” message through tips and suggestions for living an all-natural lifestyle, blogging, tweeting and attending health and environmentally focused events across the country. For his or her efforts, the spokesperson will earn $10,000.

Between May 3 and June 13, 2010, nutritionists, trainers, fitness instructors and tea lovers from across the country visited unbottleyourtea.com/spokesperson to submit an entry form and upload a video explaining why they are the perfect choice for the job of spokesperson.

After reviewing the submissions, Salada Tea has narrowed the field down to the top 10 finalists:
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Musical Tea Kettle

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World Of Tea 14

How much do the British pay for a cup of tea? As this article in the Guardian noted, "The consumer group Which? looked at the prices of takeaway tea at nine major retail outlets and found Britons are being charged as much as £1.65 a time to enjoy their favourite hot drink."

The Chicago Tea Garden claims to be the first to import New Zealand tea to the United States. The tea is produced by Zealong and you can find out more about the venture in this press release.

Speaking of New Zealand, if you're not sure what tea caddies are or what would motivate someone to collect more than 3,000 of them, refer to this article from the New Zealand press.

While places like China, India and Japan get more notice for being tea producers Africa also turns out a considerable quantity of the stuff. Here's a good overview of African tea production from the UK Tea Council.

Also from the UK Tea Council, a rundown of Scotland's Top Tearooms.

From Fresh Cup, a trade magazine for the tea and coffee industries, here's an article in which a "future tearoom owner talks about traveling to Taiwan to find inspiration at the source."

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

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The World's Most Powerful Green Tea

If energy drinks are up your alley and you like tea, you might be interested in Dragon Pearl Tea's new Super Natural Energy tea shots. They're produced in California from fresh-brewed organic green tea concentrate using pure whole-leaf tea and the company claims that a single 2-ounce shot is equal to drinking three cups of strong green tea. This supposedly makes it The World's Most Powerful Green Tea. Wow. More here.

In other ready-to-drink tea news, Charleston Tea Plantation, the nation's biggest tea grower (one of only a few, actually) recently announced that they will offer their American Classic Tea in bottled form. There will be three flavors in all. Nothing at the web site yet, but here's a brief announcement from their local press.

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Extreme Tea – An Extraordinary Celebration over a Brew

Extreme Tea – An Extraordinary Celebration over a Brew
(from a press release)

Lifeboat Tea, the tea brand that raises valuable funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), is launching its Extreme Tea initiative. Through partnerships with a range of extreme and unusual sporting ambassadors Extreme Tea aims to celebrate ordinary people who do extraordinary things – as is the case with the RNLI volunteers who put their lives at risk every day to save others.

The Lifeboat Tea Extreme Tea celebration will encourage people to share stories of the unusual places they drink tea. The ambassadors will be ‘taking tea’ in extreme places and situations to get people to recognise the lengths that the volunteer RNLI crew go to whilst most people are safely tucked up at home with a good brew.

Ambassadors include Cornish lifeguard and sprint kayaker Kerry Blewett, who is training with the GB sprint kayak team ahead of the London 2012 Olympics; Emily Sarsfield, the British number one ski-cross athlete; professional stand-up paddle surfer and windsurfer John Hibbard; professional windsurfer James Cox and mountaineer Geordie Stewart.

Lifeboat Tea is inviting people to follow the ambassadors and share photos via the Lifeboat Tea website, Facebook and Twitter. A bright orange Lifebot Tea van will also be on tour around the UK this summer.


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Plaza Citrus Tea-zer Recipe

As summer heats up in Boston, Pairings Restauarant is now offering two new tea infused cocktails: the Plaza Citrus Tea-zer and theJasmine Tea Sangria. These refreshing tea cocktails, created by in-house Tea Sommilier Cynthia Gold, are available now through the end of the summer on the Pairings’ patio for $12 a piece.

Makes 1
11/2 ounces Green Tea-Coconut Rum
3 ounces grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce Green Tea-zer Simple Syrup
Splash Champagne
Lemon twist for garnish (optional)
Basil leaf for garnish (optional)
Shake the rum, grapefruit juice, and syrup vigorously in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Finish with a splash of Champagne and garnish with the lemon twist or a fresh basil leaf.


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Jose Feliciano Joins Bigelow Tea

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Fava Tea Company Now Offering Franchises

Fava Tea Company Now Offering Franchises
(from a press release)

Fava Tea Company, Wisconsin’s largest specialty loose tea retailer based in North Eastern Wisconsin, has established Fava World Franchising, LLC and is now offering Fava Tea Company retail store franchises in most States throughout the United States as a part of their growth plan. Fava Tea Company provides each guest a remarkable, memorable experience without the extravagant costs or pretense with over 300 teas from leading brands like Rishi Tea Company, Harney & Sons Fine Teas, and Fava Tea Company branded tea and tea rubs.

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Shangri La Tea Company Continues Its Winning Streak

Shangri La Tea Company Continues Its Winning Streak by Capturing Prestigious Tea Awards For 3rd Consecutive Year
(from a press release)

Solidly establishing its influential position in a competitive industry, the Los Angeles-based Shangri La Tea Company has been awarded two prestigious distinctions for excellence at the North American Tea Championship during the 2010 World Tea Expo which took place in Las Vegas, June 11-13.

For the third year in a row, Shangri La Tea Co. has distinguished itself from a field of more than 80 premium teas that were submitted for the tea championship. Shangri La Tea Company received two awards in the following categories:

Category: Food Service – Unflavored Green Iced Tea

1st Place, Organic Sushi Green Iced Tea

Category: Unflavored Black Iced Tea

2nd Place, Organic Black Iced Tea

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Tea Review 111: Yunnan Roundup

Yunnan Curly Golden Buds
Yunnan Golden Tips
Yunnan Black Needle
Tea Trekker

Yunnan Top Grade
Mighty Leaf

Yunnan Golden Curls
Adagio

Let's all join hands for a moment and sing the praises of black tea - something I never waste an opportunity to do. Yes, that's right - black tea. The old warhorse of the tea drinking world. If I had to choose just one type of tea to drink for the rest of my life (assuming that it's top quality stuff) I'd probably go with black.

My point, as I've noted in these pages before, is that a great black tea, at least for my money, can easily hold its own with any of the other types. Of the black teas, my favorite is probably Assam, but lately I've been discovering the delights of the Chinese variety known as Keemun. And, of course, there's Yunnan, yet another type of Chinese black tea.

I've been fortunate enough over the past few weeks to get my hands on a number of Yunnan samples. Yeah, life's hard. Here are some thoughts.

Tea Trekker (X3)
This was the first time I had the chance to taste any tea from Tea Trekker, but I hope it won't be the last. Of the three Yunnan samples I tried, Curly Golden Buds was the least impressive, but only by comparison with the other two varieties.

Next on the list was Black Needle, which had a very smooth, rich flavor and which definitely made me sit up and take notice. But they both paled (so does everything on this page) in comparison with Golden Tips, which I'd rank right up with the best black teas I've ever tasted. To say that it was bursting with flavor is probably something of a cliché, but it's true. I can't imagine how you could top this one.

Mighty Leaf Yunnan Top Grade
A respectable entry from Mighty Leaf. As they put it, "Black tea from China, Yunnan Top Grade, is one of the finest and noble Chinese black teas hailing from the cloud-veiled mountains of the Yunnan province. Nick-named the "mocha of teas", Yunnan Top Grade black tea boasts beautiful large, golden-tipped leaves, a sensual aroma and a rich, smooth flavor with a touch of fruit and malt."

Adagio Golden Curls
Golden Curls is part of Adagio's new Maestro line and is an interesting variety. It's one of the more unusual Yunnan teas I've tasted thus far, with a mild, offbeat flavor that wasn't quite like the typical Yunnan tea and which almost had a kind of creamy taste. Good on its own but perhaps not for those looking for the standard Yunnan flavor profile.

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Chicago Tea Garden First to Import New Zealand Tea

Chicago Tea Garden First to Import New Zealand Tea to the USA
(from a press release)

Tea lovers in the United States will have their first chance to try New Zealand’s only tea, Zealong, beginning on June 29, 2010, when Chicago Tea Garden makes it available to its retail and wholesale customers.

Zealong began in 1996 when its owners planted imported Taiwanese seedlings on their New Zealand farm. Only 130 of the original 1500 imports survived the strict 10-month quarantine period, and from these hearty plants, over 1,000,000 tea bushes now grow on Zealong’s 120 acre farm.

Zealong is a fresh, floral oolong with tremendous staying power: Drinkers can expect to get 8 steeps from each pot of tea brewed. Zealong is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or sprays, and is picked and processed on a farm and tea processing facility certified as meeting the ISO22000 food safety management standard. The result is a tea that is not only delicious, but that is unmatched for purity.

Zealong Oolong will be available for sale on Chicago Tea Garden’s website beginning June 28, 2010.The Chicago Tea Garden also welcomes wholesale inquiries from retailers.

For more information on Zealong New Zealand Oolong tea and Chicago Tea Garden, click here.

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Loose Tea Company Launches Latest Teaware Innovation

Loose Tea Company Launches Latest Teaware Innovation, Steep & Chill, to Make Gourmet Iced Tea at Home
(from a press release)

The Tea Spot, Inc. announces the launch of Steep & Chill, a gourmet iced iced tea maker, the latest extension to their Steepware line of tea accessories. The Steep & Chill allows people to make and serve premium iced tea without diluting it. This modern iced tea pitcher features a borosilicate glass body, large volume loose leaf tea infuser, and a solid ice tube freezer core. Its large volume tea infuser allows the steeping of loose leaf tea (and tea bags) with ease. The solid ice tube core then replaces the infuser, and keeps your pre-chilled beverages cold for hours without diluting the flavor.

The Steep & Chill makes 1 quart (32 oz) of gourmet iced tea. All components are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. It is available in three colors: Black, Clementine, and Lemon Meringue. This iced tea maker is a summertime necessity for tea lovers. Andrea Doenges, Sales Manager at The Tea Spot, stated, “We previewed the Steep & Chill at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas two weeks ago with overwhelming response, resulting in pre-orders that will be shipping this week across the US & Canada. The timing couldn’t be better for this hot summer release.” With a suggested retail price of $44.95, it is being launched online with a limited-time promotional discount of 20% off through July 4th, 2010 at their online tea store, theteaspot.com.

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Tea Mastery, Pursuing Your Journey Into Tea

Tea Mastery, Pursuing Your Journey Into Tea - More Than Just a Book
(from a press release)

Tea Mastery, Pursuing Your Journey Into Tea, a 190-page book, has been published by the American Tea Masters Association. The book and accompanying tea samples are perfect for enhancing one’s knowledge and experience of tea in preparation for opening a tea business or expanding an existing establishment. Or perhaps one’s interest is in mastering tea for their own personal satisfaction. Either way, this book and tea samples will stimulate the reader’s passion for teas from around the world.

The expertise gained from reading this book and evaluating the tea samples may be self-sufficient. “If you want to take what you learn to the next level, you have the option of pursuing the Certified Tea Professional designation from the comfort of your home,” said Kroll. More information on certification is available in the book.

Tea Mastery, Pursuing Your Journey Into Tea is available from the association for $195, plus shipping and handling. It is being sold only in the U.S. and Canada. To order a personal copy, including the 38 tea samples and 100 extra Tea Evaluation Forms, click here.

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