For The Love Of Tea

From time to time various media outlets "discover" the fact that a whole lot of people around the world drink tea and that Americans are finally starting to get into catch-up mode.

For example, there's the Chicago Tribune, who recently marveled at tea's "surge in sales" in this, our coffee-centric society. These articles tend to be similar in focus but, of course, this one has a Chicago slant. Read it here.

For some thoughts on where to go for a sip in the Houston area, check out this recent article - Tea: The Other Hot Beverage - from the Houstonist.

For a more in-depth look at the "social significance" of tea, try Andy Isaacson's quite interesting Steeped in Tea, which appeared recently in Utne Reader.

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Life-Saving Latte, No Milk & More

No, this is not the Weekly World News and yes, there really is a life-saving latte, at least according to a report from one of the Portland, Oregon TV stations. A quick-thinking local woman used an Oregon Chai Tea Latte to put out a fire in her car. More here.

Speaking of lattes, milk, tea and whatnot, there's a recent report first published in the European Heart Journal that warns that milk in your tea may cancel out many of the health-giving benefits of the latter. Not that I needed to be convinced that it was a bad idea. This one has been mentioned in countless publications, but you can read what Science Daily had to say here.

Did it ever occur to you that nutrition research on beverages that's funded by the beverage industry might not be all that impartial? No, duh. Here's a report from Beverage Daily that says such studies are "four to eight times more likely to report favourable conclusions for the sponsors than studies with no industry funding."

Speaking of health claims, here's an interesting quote about rooibos from the Myrtle Beach Sun News, "to judge by what's said about rooibos on the Internet, it probably cures every known illness and makes your feet smell like gardenias." Looks like
I might not be the only one growing weary of all the ridiculously inflated claims about health benefits for assorted foods and beverages. Read the article here.

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Buzz, Buzz, Buzz

If you've read my blather before, you might recall that I don't do caffeine real well. Which is kind of a pain in the butt for a tea fancier, but that's life.

So while the rather caffeinated items in this entry are not necessarily too enticing to me, they might be to some of you.

For example, there's Bazza High-Energy Tea, which appears to be another entry in the green tea energy drink category. More here.

Speaking of green tea energy drinks, the gang at Steaz, who are best known for their green tea sodas, have come out with an energy drink. They call it Steaz Energy Organic Fuel. It contains green tea, yerba mate and acai. Find out more at the Steaz site, here.

I've heard of acai, but until recently I hadn't heard of chá de bugre, which is apparently some sort of Brazilian herb. It's also a component, along with yerba mate and acai, in something called Brazilian Body Diet and Energy Shot. You can check out their site, here.

Last up is a product whose name some might consider to be in poor taste. That would be Meth Coffee, which is said to be a "super caffeinated brew." No, we're not broadening our focus to cover coffee here at TGS. I only bring this one up because it contains yerba mate.

Image: Steaz

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Some Of The Tea In China

After coming off a recent binge, of sorts, on Yunnan and Golden Monkey teas, I'm pretty well sold on the merits of Chinese tea. Not that I wasn't already.

Here are a pair of interesting articles on tea in China.

The first comes to us from Malaysia's The Star Online. It details how the country is finding it "difficult to gain a position in the world’s high-end tea market" and discusses tea firm Zhuyeqing, who are trying to do just that. Prices of their specialty teas range from $1,282 to $2,564 for 500 grams, which ain't exactly something to sneeze about.

I still have not made much of a dent in the world of pu-er tea. You know how it is - so much tea and so little time. Here's a brief piece - also from The Star Online - about pu-er tea in China and Malaysia.

While we're on the subject of pu-er, here's a link to a video demonstrating "how to clean and carefully break apart a pressed cake of Pu-erh tea."

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Red Tea, Redbush, Rooibos

Call it whatever you will, but rooibos, the South African herbal "tea" is gaining more adherents all the time. Newsweek recently favored it with a brief article, which you can read here.

The Atlanta paper recently profiled the businessman who's behind a brand of rooibos tea called 10 Degrees South. Read that article here.

While we're on the subject, read this brief bit from the Detroit Free Press on Snapple's move into the red tea arena. Check the goods out at Snapple's page, here.

Image: Snapple

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Tea Bag Art & Collections

Geert Vinck is a Belgian collector who claims to have gathered more than 10,000 teabags. He recently posted to a tea mailing list that he's on the lookout for more. If you're able to help, contact him at geertvinck@skynet.be. You can check out the tea bags and whatnot at his Web site.

Speaking of tea bags, did you know that they could be used as a canvas for (very small) paintings? Neither did I. An article from the Fredericksburg, VA paper tells of a local woman who's collecting tea bags to be used for art projects in South Africa. It's for a good cause and you can read more about it here.

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National Hot Tea Month

National Hot Tea Month is here again. I'll wait while you throw up your hands and rejoice. The observance starts today so be sure to celebrate at every possible opportunity.

As we mentioned last year around this time, January is also the month to celebrate some other foods. It's National Oatmeal Month, National Soup Month, and National Prune Breakfast Month (insert your own joke here).

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Top Teas Of 2006

So many teas...so little time. I've had the chance to taste a few teas this year and, of course, there were more than a few winners in the bunch. Here's the list of those that truly stood out.


Black:
Hattialli Estate GFBOP SPL (Assam) - Upton Tea Imports

Black, Honorable Mention:
Nahorhabi Estate FTGFOP1 SPL CL (Assam) - Upton Tea Imports

Green:
First-Flush Shizuoka Sencha "Hatsumi" - O-Cha.com

Green, Honorable Mention:
Matcha-iri Teabags - O-Cha.com

Other:
Snow Buds (Xue Ya) Organic White Tea - Rishi Tea

Herbal:
Blueberry Rooibos - Rishi Tea

RTD (Ready To Drink):
Anteadote Pure White Tea - Adagio Teas

RTD, Honorable Mention:
Honeysuckle White Tea - Inko's

Image: Rishi Tea

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Product News Roundup

Wendy "The Snapple Lady" recently appeared at the "Snapple Holiday Rejuvenation Location" in New York City to give away samples of Snapple's Green, White and Red Teas. Snapple also used the event to preview a new blueberry flavor.

Ito En is pushing their Sencha Shot as a "green tea energy boost that banishes winter doldrums, excess weight, cancerous cells and cavities, among other ailments." We'll assume that's intended to be a tongue in cheek summation of the product's merits.

Here's what else Ito En has to say about Sencha Shot:
"Each 6.4 fl oz can of Sencha Shot contains 152 mg of the cancer-fighting catechin EGCG. That's 5 times more than the average ready-to-drink green tea, according to the USDA. Sencha Shot contains simply purified water, green tea, and vitamin C. No extracts, no supplements."

You may have heard of a company called Coca-Cola. We most recently mentioned them in connection with their "calorie-burning" tea, Enviga. Coke is in more hot water over a beverage they're marketing abroad with the odd name of Ipsei. Another beverage company with a somewhat similar name is not happy about that one. Read all about the legal battle that ensued in this article from Marketing Week.

Image: Ito En

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World Tea Expo Moving To Atlanta

World Tea Expo isn't happening until June this year, but it's never too soon to start planning. Here's some info from the Expo gang:

The World Tea Expo, the nation’s premier marketplace for the tea industry, is moving to Atlanta for 2007. The event will take place June 9, 10, & 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The tea industry in the U.S. continues to skyrocket: U.S. wholesale tea sales grew from $1.84 billion in 1990 to $6.16 billion in 20051, and are expected to reach $10 billion by 20102. Keeping pace with the growth of the industry, the 2006 World Tea Expo last March in Las Vegas grew in attendance by nearly 60% and was named by TradeshowWeek as one of the “Fastest 50” growing trade shows in the US and Canada. At the 2007 Expo, 300 world-class companies from around the globe will exhibit, and will be joined by an expected 5,000 buyers.

A complete range of tea and tea-related products can be found at the event, including tea wholesalers and packers; bulk, bagged, and ready-to-drink tea; tea bagging equipment and packaging suppliers; as well as gourmet foods, giftware, tea jewelry, chocolate, and other confectionary items.

With 50 seminars and workshops, the conference program is the largest in the world on the business of tea. It continues to evolve with defined tracks for tea knowledge, sales and marketing, foodservice solutions, tea and health, and business development. In addition to workshops, special events are held throughout the day, ranging from the Tea Ceremonies from different cultures to Cooking with Tea demonstrations by leading regional chefs.

More information on the World Tea Expo, including the floor plan, an interactive directory of exhibitors, and a full listing of events and seminars, can be found on the website.

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Around The World With Tea

Here's a selection of interesting tea-related bits from abroad.

From New Zealand's Scoop, comes news of what's said to be the world's first floating tea bar. Details are a bit sketchy as to what that actually means, but you can read the brief article here.

We mentioned a while back that a Malaysian astronaut was going to attempt the not quite death-defying, but difficult, feat of making teh tarik in space. Apparently those plans have fallen through. Find out what teh tarik is and read all about it here or here.

The New York Times paints a rosy picture of leisurely travel through India's tea gardens in this recent article.

Of course, the world's never quite that simple a place, as this little bit about the ongoing turmoil in the Assam region serves to remind us.

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Where To Go For Tea

Here's a roundup of some recent newspaper articles about tea houses and whatnot.

One of the San Diego area entertainment guides puts forth four recommendations on where to go for tea. Read it here.

The Portland (Oregon) Mercury profiles the TeaZone, whose lounge serves cocktails made with tea, among other things.

If you're in the Milwaukee area, this roundup of the local tea scene, from Greater Milwaukee Today, might be of interest.

Last up, from one of the CBS affiliates, is a report on some coffee and teapots at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Tea Quotation - M.F.K. Fisher

Here's a tea quotation that somehow didn't make it into my two recent lists:

My grandmother died before tea bags. I am grateful. My mother never admitted their existence. (M.F.K. Fisher)

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Bombilla Gourd & CoffeeSlender

Ready for another bottled yerba mate beverage? How about Bombilla Gourd Mate Tea? It's available in five flavors - blueberry, pomegranate, lemon, peach, and mint and honey. Check out their Web site here. BevNet has reviews of three of the five flavors here.

Perhaps taking a page from the Coca-Cola marketing primer, the makers of a new beverage called CoffeeSlender seem to be positioning their new beverage as a weight loss aid. Lift your feet, I say. Of course, coffee is far from being our preferred subject matter around these parts, but this one caught my eye since Coke is making somewhat similar claims for Enviga, their new green tea beverage.

Read about CoffeeSlender here. And remember, dubious weight loss schemes are always a far better weight loss solution than eating right and exercising.

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Boston Tea Stuff, Tea'd Up & More

Time for a roundup of some miscellaneous bits that have accumulated lately.

The anniversary of the Boston Tea Party (12/16/1773) is almost upon us. If you're in the vicinity of Boston tomorrow you might want to check out the 233rd Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party Reenactment at the Old South Meeting House. More here.

Boston Tea Campaign doesn't have anything to do with the Boston Tea Party, as far as I can tell. They do specialize in selling Darjeeling tea - and nothing else - at an affordable price. Until now, BTC has only sold their tea in loose form. They recently began offering it in tea bags.

Tempest Tea has a new product called Tea'd UP. Billed as an Energy Power Shot, Tempest describes is thusly, "a hot new product packed with powerful green tea antioxidants, ginseng, B vitamins and OVER 20% more CAFFEINE per serving than energy drinks."

Enviga has been raising some hackles, thanks to the creative claims Coca-Cola/Nestle is making for the product. Popgadget gives it a more or less positive review here.

Last up, here's a recipe for Green Tea Panna Cotta.

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