7th January, 2009: Urban Tea Legends!
Legend is that tea began in ancient China 5,000 years ago. Shen Nung, a Chinese emperor issued an edict requiring that drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day some dried leaves from a bush fell into a pot of boiling water at the palace, and tea was created. Certainly sounds plausible…but 5,000 years later can you believe the urban legends about tea going around?
We’ve all heard some urban legends (no, not Keith Urban!), those sometimes plausible-sounding but false stories on your e-mail and all across the web. Well, there are several tea urban legends too, like on hot summer days you can cool off with hot tea — it makes sweat, cooling your skin. But it’s not so. For one reason the heat lost by sweating and evaporation on the skin is exceeded by the heat gained by the hot drink.
Another urban tea legend is that tea is a diuretic, which does not have to be true. Tea does not have a diuretic effect due to caffeine unless the amount of tea consumed at one sitting is more than 250–300 mg caffeine, or between five and six cups. In fact, the British Dietetic Association advises that “Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.” And the popular belief is that water is the best for hydration, but tea has additional positive benefits over water.
And the myth that tea contains as much or more caffeine than coffee? It’s the contrary; according to the American Dietetic Association, a cup of tea averages 40 mg of caffeine, compared to 85 plus mg found in a cup of brewed coffee. So enjoy that cup of tea, it’s refreshing and healthful, and that’s no legend.
Posted by David at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
6th January, 2009: Join Us in Celebrating Hot Tea Month
The Tea Association of the USA first introduced national Hot Tea Month in the early 90’s as a way to help its member companies give their marketing campaigns a single voice. “The National Hot Tea Month campaign has given smaller companies a chance to attach their marketing efforts to a national program,” says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the USA. “The result is a small, regional effort with a much larger, national feel.”
Last year, Bigelow Tea celebrated Hot Tea Month with afternoon tea parties for employees. Why not host your own tea party and join in the celebration? Or try a hot tea you’ve never tried before like Vanilla Caramel or Cinnamon Stick?
Warm up…it’s Hot Tea Month!
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
5th January, 2009: Tea is a Singer’s Best Friend for Anette Olzon
So, when you belt it out several times a week during a concert tour, what’s the best remedy? According to Anette Olzon, the powerful voice and femme fatale of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, it’s a cup of green tea with honey before the start of a show.
Photo Courtesy of Nightwish Website
If anyone would know how to soothe those vocal chords, it would be Olzon. Do you think she goes for the exotic flavors such as mango or pomegranate, or is she a stickler for simplicity? Thoughts?
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
2nd January, 2009: Water: The Other Ingredient
It’s like, Abbott & Costello, Brad & Angelina, or the Creature and his Black Lagoon. When making a great pot of tea, water quality and preparation along with the tea is paramount. In ancient China, only water from the ten most revered springs was considered for esteemed tribute teas. Since it’s not convenient to get water from ancient fabled springs today, what to do?
Remember that water represents more than 98 percent of the beverage, so even with great tea you can end up with a less-than-ideal cup using low quality water. Water sources vary from city to city and seasonally, so control your water source, using high-quality filtered water without chlorine. Tea’s fragrance and taste is vastly improved by installing a simple water filter to eliminate chlorine and diminishes the water’s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). Even filling your kettle at night and leaving for the morning eliminates chlorine in tap water for a better cup.
Heating the water is also paramount. An old Chinese proverb states “A true warrior, like tea, shows his strength in hot water.” But using water that is too hot can diminish tea quality too. The hotter the water you use, the more quickly the essential oils, which give the flavor and aroma profile, will dissipate from your cup. And over-boiling the water will diminish the oxygen needed to steep a good cup of tea.
Yet another old adage says “bring your tea pot to the water, not your water to the tea pot”. In other words, have your tea pot at the ready — and fill immediately once the kettle hits boiling — for the best steeping temperature. Taking care with the water and the tea puts you in control, and provides the teamwork for the optimum cup.
Posted by David at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
31st December, 2008: The Skinny On: Tea
For many, the new year is a time for getting in shape. For over 40 years, Weight Watchers has been helping people get active and lose weight in a healthy way. Recently, it seems that they too have taken an interest in tea and its many benefits. In one section of their site, “The Skinny On…”, they offer some wonderful information about tea.
For starters, it helps to know the basic differences between tea. There are true teas like white and green, coming from the same ‘Camellia Sinensis’ plant, and herbal teas like chamomile, which is an infusion of herbs and tea in hot water. Of course, the possible health benefits of tea are in there as well. Oolong tea has been all the rage lately and has been linked to longevity, and in keeping with the goal of Weight Watchers, green tea has been linked to weight loss.
Another benefit of tea is that it has about half the caffeine as a cup of coffee, so it won’t keep you up at night. However, for some people, any caffeine at all is too much. Check out this great video by Cindi Bigelow, President, on how to decaffeinate your own tea:
The many possible benefits of tea are constantly being discovered. For even more potential New Year Tea-lutions, click here!
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
30th December, 2008: What are your favorite holiday Bigelow Teas?
Reflecting back and looking forward…a very common occurrence this week. While doing so, contemplate what Bigelow teas you enjoyed over the holidays this year and let us know. Perhaps it was Eggnogg’n® Tea?
Or Ginger Snappish™ like this blogger, Mostly Risible?
Maybe you’re sipping one now? We want to hear from you!
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
29th December, 2008: Rachael Ray Drinks Oolong and Thinks You Should, Too!
It should come as no surprise that Rachael Ray may lose her voice from time to time. After all, the recently turned 40-year-old celebrity has her own talk show. After a doctor’s visit she learned that she had damaged her vocal cords. What’s her cure? In addition to some other treatments, “she has been…downing herbal tea”.
Photo Courtesy of Usmagazine.com
However that’s not the only reason she drinks tea. She has used her talk show as a platform to rave about new research linking oolong tea to weight loss. She admitted to drinking oolong everyday in a successful effort to shed some pounds. According to the Journal of Nutrition, a study performed showed that “oolong tea stimulated energy expenditure and fat oxidation”. They do however note that these results were based on the chronic consumption of tea and a normal diet. Oolong tea has even been associated with possibly increasing longevity. Want to try for yourself? Get your own oolong today!
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
26th December, 2008: Glad to be Back thanks to Bigelow Tea!
Okay I think for the first time I might be over “tead”….is that a word? I picked up a lovely virus last week and trying to cure it myself starting drinking 6 to 8 cups of tea a day. You name it, I was drinking it (of course of Bigelow Tea only)…herbal, green, black, sometimes two bags in one cup, combos you can’t even dream of. Did it make feel me better? Sure…it still took me several days before I was finally myself but 50 cups in 6 days is even too much for me.
I am delighted to now be back and following my normal ritual of just 3 cups a day! One thing I can say, I drank flavors of ours I had forgotten even existed! Wow, glad to be back!
Cindi Bigelow
President
Posted by Cindi at 11:14 am | Comment (0)
26th December, 2008: Historical Tea, conquering the Colonies
Just as archaeologists divide history into different periods based on the use of different materials — the stone age, the iron age, etc — you can also look at history as periods dominated by six different beverages: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, cola, and tea. All have been the defining drink during a pivotal historical period. And so it was in the American Colonies that the history of tea was key to their relationship with Great Britain, factoring into social, political and financial issues, even the development of fine art.
The practice of tea drinking arrived with colonists from both England and the Netherlands, and Dutchman Peter Stuyvesant is said to have introduced the first tea to the settlement of New Amsterdam (later re-named “New York”). Colonial settlers were confirmed tea drinkers, and in fact, Ruth Campbell Bigelow created the landmark Bigelow Tea Blend Constant Comment based on what she had learned of the practice in Colonial Times.
When tea was fully established as Britain’s national drink, maintaining the lucrative Tea trade helped drive British foreign policy. Tea production and commerce was a big part of the Empire, and ironically it contributed to the independence of the United States. Tea importation and taxation policy became an argument for independence as the British government imposed a series of taxes and restrictions on tea. Outraged Colonists took to smuggling tea and resisting the British taxes. When Parliament finally passed the Tea Act in 1773, creating a monopoly on all tea imported to the Americas, the Colonists were driven to the boiling point, and responded with the famous Boston Tea Party. A terrible waste of tea, true, but an important flashpoint in the ultimate independence of the colonies from Great Britain.
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25th December, 2008: Merry Christmas
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