All In This Tea Still Making The Rounds

All In This Tea has been mentioned in these pages before, but as the filmmakers noted in a recent email update, it's still making its way around the United States, playing in various venues. If you can't make it to any of these showings, you can also pick it up on DVD or perhaps catch it on one of the cable channels.

All In This Tea is a documentary film that follows "world-renowned tea expert David Lee Hoffman to some of the most remote regions of China in search of the best handmade teas in the world." The film is directed by Gina Leibrecht and Les Blank.

More info here.

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Free Tea At British Airports

There's no such thing as a free lunch. But if this article in the Telegraph is to be believed, everyone arriving at a British airport may soon be offered free tea and biscuits.

Here's another article from the Telegraph, this one announcing that Orange Pekoe has been named the best tea to drink with a fry-up. Which, for those not in the know, is a traditional British breakfast made up of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms and baked beans.

What does the Queen eat for breakfast? More here, including some info on royal tea-drinking preferences.

Also from the British press, an account of a visit to the tea tasting room at the Taylors of Harrogate HQ.

Finally, here's a brief piece on the importance of tea in British culture.

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Clinical Trial Shows Cardiovascular Benefits for Rooibos

Clinical Trial Shows Cardiovascular Benefits for Rooibos, Popular Antioxidant Herbal Tea from South Africa
(from a press release)

The first-ever human clinical trial on a popular traditional South African herbal tea was recently conducted, testing whether the tea can possibly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The new trial also generated the first human safety data in a controlled clinical trial environment, scientifically showing that short-term consumption of rooibos tea is safe for the liver and kidneys while keeping various blood parameters (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc.) in a normal range.

Provisional results from this study indicate that rooibos tea protects the body against oxidative damage, as seen by the approximate 21% decrease in conjugated dienes in the blood. Conjugated dienes are products formed in large numbers during the early stages of oxidation (destruction) of important cellular components such as fats (lipids). These lipid peroxidation products may be implicated in the development of vascular disease.

The trial (entitled “Modulation of blood oxidative stress markers and DNA damage by rooibos tea in volunteers at risk for coronary heart disease”) was conducted by Jeanine L. Marnewick (PhD), senior researcher at the Oxidative Stress Research Centre at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa.

More

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Guayaki Launches San Mateo Yerba Mate

Guayaki Launches San Mateo Yerba Mate
(from a press release)

Each of the yerba mates from the various regions of South America offer a unique flavor and style - just like regional specialty coffee, tea, wine and cocoa. Guayaki is celebrating yerba mate (pronounced ‘MAH-tay’) diversity with the announcement of San Mateo Loose Yerba Mate. Sourced from the rainforest in the San Mateo region of Southern Brazil, this air-dried organic yerba mate provides Guayaki customers with yet another delicious and invigorating yerba mate style to enjoy. San Mateo Yerba Mate provides “the lift of coffee, antioxidants of green tea, euphoria of chocolate and nutritional profile of wheatgrass” - all in one delicious eco-friendly beverage.

In South America, where yerba mate is a cultural phenomenon, techniques for processing yerba mate vary from country to country. In Paraguay and Argentina, many people prefer mate that has been wood dried and aged. Whereas in Brazil, “cruda yerba” (yerba mate which has not been roasted or aged) is often preferred. Guayaki’s new San Mateo blend is crafted in the Brazilian style by using an air dried, smoke-free drying process that yields a bright and lively herbal flavor and a clean finish. Unlike other brands in North America, Guayaki uses a premium cut which blends the whole leaf, tender stems and leaf powder to capture the potent ‘whole plant’ energy of the yerba mate tree.

San Mateo Loose Yerba Mate can be brewed like coffee in a French press, coffee machine or espresso maker, or it can be enjoyed the traditional way with a gourd and bombilla (metal filtered straw). Guayaki provides San Mateo in an economy sized 16-ounce bag for an SRP of $13.99.

Guayaki


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Argo Tea, BoilingPoint & Twisted Tea

Is Argo Tea poised to take on Starbucks? Well, perhaps that's overstating things a bit, but a pair of recent articles about the Chicago-based chain both dropped the name of the coffee giant. Read what the Chicago Sun Times and the restaurant trade magazine QSR had to say about Argo.

Looking for a gadget that claims to brew tea directly in the cup? Look no further than the BoilingPoint. More here.

For iced tea fans with a desire for something a little stronger, here's Twisted Tea, a "hard iced tea" that comes in a variety of flavors.

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Dilmah 'Single Origin' Ceylon Tea Expands In U.S. Market

Dilmah 'Single Origin' 100% Pure Ceylon Tea Expands U.S. Market Penetration With Availability at Major Grocery Chains and Specialty Gourmet Outlets
(from a press release)

Dilmah and Unity Brands Group have joined together to bring the splendor and quality of Dilmah Teas to the U.S. and have announced that they have expanded availability of the Dilmah Gourmet, Dilmah Single Estate and Dilmah Green Tea brands throughout the Eastern Seaboard and Southeast. Grown, handpicked, cured and packaged by family-owned company Dilmah Teas, the premium brand has emerged as a gourmet alternative to mass-produced, "blended" products and is currently the leading single origin, ethically produced Ceylon tea in over 90 countries.

The luxurious Dilmah Single Estate teas are among the most exclusive, boutique teas in the world and include Lover's Leap Estate, Somerset Estate, Dombagastalawa Estate, and Nilagama Estate. Among the traditional varieties in the Dilmah Gourmet Series are Earl Grey, English Breakfast, English Afternoon, Irish Breakfast, and Ceylon Supreme. The Dilmah Green Tea offerings include renowned Ceylon Green Tea with Real Cinnamon, Real Ginger, Natural Lemongrass, Moroccan Mint, and Natural Green Tea.

Dilmah

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Sweet Leaf Tea Growing Rapidly

Sweet Leaf Tea Named One of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies
(from a press release)

For the first time in its 10-year history, Sweet Leaf Tea, makers of premium and all-natural ready-to-drink beverages, has been named to the Inc. 5000 Index, Inc. magazine's annual list of the nation's fastest-growing, privately-held companies. Known as well for its irreverent corporate culture as its award-winning products, Sweet Leaf Tea has been ranked # 891 on the 2008 Inc. 5000 list.

According to industry reports, ready-to-drink beverages are a $2.8 billion industry with the premium segment growing at an annual rate of 25%. Sales of ready-to-drink teas are expected to top $4.4 billion in 2011.

Sweet Leaf Tea was founded in 1998 by Christopher, then 25, when he couldn't find a bottle of iced tea that tasted like the delicious, homemade tea his grandmother used to make for him when he was growing up in Beaumont, Texas. Shortly thereafter, Christopher's childhood friend, David Smith, joined the company and the two began production brewing their homespun tea in 50-gallon crawfish pots, using pillow cases as tea bags. Made from all-natural ingredients, including purified water, pure cane sugar and high-quality organic tea leaves, Sweet Leaf Tea is made and brewed based on Clayton's grandmother's recipe and technique.

Today, the company sells 11 classic iced-tea flavors as well as three lemonades, including a series of limited-edition lemonades sold in the summer months in environmentally-friendly, reusable Mason jars. Retailers who carry Sweet Leaf Tea products include Kroger, Safeway and specialty food stores, such as Whole Foods, nationwide. Retail prices range from $1.00 to $3.99.

Sweet Leaf Tea


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More on Obama and Honest Tea

As noted here previously, Barack Obama is a fan of Honest Tea, most notably the Black Forest Berry flavor. Which wouldn't be worth mentioning again if not for the fact that McCain's people have brought it up. Apparently a taste for organic tea-based beverages might be an indicator of some sort of character flaw. Well, better that the sordid truth come out now than later. For more, look here and here.

Also mentioned previously at TGS, a product known as Red Espresso. This is a rooibos-based product formulated to be made in an espresso machine. David Kiley at BusinessWeek presented an in-depth review of the product recently, concluding that it's no substitute for coffee-based espresso, but isn't so bad overall.

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Are Tea Drinkers Second-Class Citizens?

So...are tea drinkers second-class citizens? Forget about the fact that tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, after water. If you live in a coffee-centric society - such as the United States and many others - getting a decent cup of tea when you go out can sometimes be quite tricky.

Chris Mobbs elaborates further on this theme in Coffee Has Spoiled the Tea Party, an opinion piece from the Australian press. He also offers "10 simple rules for eateries" who serve tea or who might be considering it.

What do you think? Are we second-class citizens or just a bunch of whiners?

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The $7 Cup of Tea

Earlier this month, New York Times food critic Frank Bruni kicked off a new feature called That Costs WHAT?!? While the gratuitous punctuation seems...unseemly for such an august publication, it's interesting to note that first of these columns tackled the issue of tea.

Specifically, in this case, the tea served at a joint called BLT Market. While the specifics are not completely clear it seems that this was mint "tea" served in a bag, perhaps of the pyramid type. What's not so unclear is that the bill for this beverage came to $7. While there may be $7 cups of tea out there that are actually worth $7, it's highly likely that this is not one of them.

Features a pretty lively comments section, if you have the stomach for that sort of thing.

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Tea Review 90 - Portsmouth Tea Company (x3)

Irish Breakfast
Satin Oolong
Avalanche Rooibos
Portsmouth Tea Company

The good people at Portsmouth Tea Company sent along samples of a few of their teas recently. Here's my two cents worth.

Irish Breakfast
I haven't run across many breakfast blends that I really liked, but this one was a happy exception. Though they don't get as much attention as other types of tea, a topnotch Assam is a thing of wonder. This "hearty Assam blend" compares favorably with some of the best I've tasted and the tin was empty in no time.

Satin Oolong
I'm still not sure what to make of this one. It's described as a "milk-infused oolong," which means that the leaves are soaked in milk. This gives it a very strong buttery aroma. Not being a fan of butter or its awful aroma, I was put off by it and set it aside for a while. When I finally gave it a go I found that I could get past the aroma and the tea itself was quite good otherwise.

Avalanche Rooibos
Portsmouth calls this one "a delightful combination of apple bits, lemongrass, ginger, orange peels, basil and red pepper." Works for me. I don't care much for rooibos served hot, but I've taken to drinking quite a bit of it iced these days. This made for a nice change of pace from straight up rooibos, though my preference was to tone this one down a bit by mixing the two.


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PG Tips: England's Top Tea Readily Available in US

England's Number 1 Tea Now Easily Available to US Consumers
(from a press release)

Previously, fans of England's number 1 tea had to try and find their favorite brand. Now, the full selection of authentic PG Tips tea can be found at teadog.com, an Internet tea retailer.

English tea drinkers can get PG Tips in 80- and 240-tea bag boxes, PG Tips Decaffeinated in 40- and 80 tea bag boxes, PG Tips Loose in an 8.8 ounce box and PG Tips Special Blend in an 80 tea bag box. Scottish Blend, a blend of PG Tips created for the soft waters of Scotland, also is available.

PG Tips is one of the United Kingdom's top brands and still made in Manchester, England. In the UK, 150 million cups of tea are consumed daily with 35 million being PG Tips tea.

PG Tips was formerly introduced in the 1930s and quickly became one of the United Kingdom's top brands. In 1960, PG Tips in tea bags was introduced. PG Tips Decaffeinated became available in 2004 for tea drinkers preferring a caffeine-free option.

In 2005, PG Tips celebrated its 75th birthday and introduced a special limited edition tea. PG Tips Special Blend Limited Edition Tea was originally intended to be available for a short time. But the tea proved so popular it became a permanent addition to the PG Tips family of tea.

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American Classic First Flush Tea

As noted here a few months ago, the Charleston Tea Plantation ("America’s Only Tea Garden") has begun hosting a First Flush Festival around harvest time each year. This year's event has come and gone, but for now you can still get your hands on some of their First Flush Loose Tea.

The American Classic Tea that's made from leaves grown at the plantation is blended with black teas from elswhere, but the First Flush is 100% American-grown.

For ordering information, click here and scroll about halfway down the page.

Image: Charleston Tea Plantation

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Tea Forté Introduces Tea-over-Ice

Tea Forté Re-Imagines Iced Tea with the Introduction of Tea-over-Ice
(from a press release)

Tea Forté, the innovator of the contemporary tea experience, today announces the re-imagination of iced tea with Tea-Over-Ice. This revolutionary expression of iced tea begins with extravagantly blended tea infusions that are brewed fresh and then flash-chilled using the innovative, sculptural Tea-Over-Ice brewing pitcher. This unique flash-chilling technique locks in the fresh, luscious flavors and healthful antioxidants that have long been associated with hot tea.

At the heart of the Tea-Over-Ice experience are Tea Forté’s signature tea infusions, specially blended for iced tea using nature’s bounty of luscious fruits, healing herbs and flowers. Four Tea-Over-Ice blends have been developed, each delivering an extravagantly delicious taste profile that carefully balances the fruit-forward flavors that are perfectly suited for iced tea.

The Tea-Over-Ice brewing pitchers ($42.00 SRP) and specially blended iced teas ($24.00 SRP for 12 infusers) are available at specialty retailers nationwide beginning April 16, 2008. For more information or for online purchase please visit Tea Forte.

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Unhealthy Tea Drinks & Prison Tea

What's the unhealthiest tea-based drink? Men's Health magazine recently weighed in on The 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America and offered up a few thoughts on the matter.

Their nomination for Worst Tea-Like Substance went to SoBe Zen Tea. For Worst Iced Tea they gave the nod to Lipton Iced Brisk Lemon Iced Tea. Worst Chai Tea Drink? That would be Caribou Coffee Large Chai Tea Latte. The Worst Drink in America, by their reckoning, has nothing to do with tea. It's the Baskin-Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.

Speaking of tea-like substances, here's an article from a gardening expert that expounds on the question - Can Instant Tea Kill Weeds?

From the other side of the Atlantic, here's an article about a tea bar at Winchester prison that's staffed by volunteers from the local area. For more on tea and prisons, refer to this article, which discusses Russian prison tea, also known as chifir. It's a high-octane drink that's most definitely not for the fainthearted.

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