Choosing Your Path to Tea — Asian, European, or…

Pursuing the enjoyment and knowledge of tea is a real journey, and there are several paths you can follow. There is the European path, the Asian path, the Middle Eastern path, the American path,…

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Comparing Pai Mu Tans

Trends in tea abound, and white tea is one of them. One particularly trendy white tea is a style called Pai Mu Tan (also called “Baimudan White Tea,” “Pai Mu Dan,” “Bai Mu Dan,” and oddly “White Peony”). It seems that just about every tea vendor has a version available. So how do you choose among them?

For the sake of this article, not to mention my sanity and yours, I’m going to…

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

My reviews of several Pai Mu Tans (by whatever name the vendor was calling them):

The English Tea Store’s Pai Mu Tan
Canton Tea Co.’s Bai Mu Dan
The Boston Tea Co.’s White Peony
Zhi Tea’s White Pomegranate Tea (Baimudan)

Tea — The Road to Happiness

Some roads lead to Baltimore and some lead to the sports stadium. Some are dirt roads and some are asphalt roads. Some are superhighways or speedy Autobahns or roads where they drive on the wrong side (like in England). And then there is the tea road, the one road guaranteed to lead to happiness.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Tea Chests — Ahoy!

Ahoy, tea mateys, get those sea chests loaded up for adventure. Oh, wait, that’s tea chests. Gee, the difference a letter makes. Never mind, though, you can load up that tea chest and have a great TEA adventure. No Dramamine needed.

The tea chests of today are quite different from those of yesteryear. This is mainly due to…

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Keep your tea safe in a tea chest, not spilled all over. Oops!

The Legend of the Sneaky Tea Drinker

Once upon a time there was a Sneaky Tea Drinker. She fixed tea in a sneaky way, drank it in a sneaky setting, and shared it in a sneaky manner. Obviously, this is one of those tales that the Brothers Grimm failed to collect as they traveled thru parts of Europe.

This Sneaky Tea Drinker lived in the southeastern part of a great vast country that…

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Coloring Up Your Teatime

Spring is just around the corner (March 20th, according to my wall calendar), a time when color reigns supreme, at teatime and any time. While Winter is dressed in various shades of brown and whites, with some plants retaining their green even as the rest have gone bare, Spring is always an artist’s palette.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

The Value of Tea Company Steeping Instructions

Trying a new tea? Well, dive right in and get steeping! Just boil some water, pour it over the tea leaves and let it steep about 10 to 15 minutes. No, wait, that’s not right. The tea tastes really strong and bitter. Okay, let’s try this again. Heat the water just until it’s warm and steep the tea only a minute. Gee, tastes kinda weak. Darn, this is about as tough as programming the DVR.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

More label samples:

Boston Tea Company —

Golden Moon —

Tipu’s Chai —

Royal Tea Company —

thepuriTea.com —

Knowing Your Online Tea Vendor

I’ve been hearing claims that people ordering tea from online vendors can get burned by not knowing who’s behind that vendor. Good point. Of course, it applies equally to any online vendor, but let’s focus on the tea folks.

When it comes to peeking behind the curtain of these companies, I must confess to being just as eager as anyone to do so. In fact, it’s essential. So, I have made it my task to look up the people whose teas I have been trying over the past year. (I tell them it’s a bit of extra market exposure for them — which it is, honest!) Believe me when I say that there is a wide difference in the availability of information out there. In fact, one company is completely enigmatic (Green Tea Lovers).

What I’ve found so far:

Vendor Name:	Boston Tea Company
Location:	Hackensack, NJ USA
Principal(s):	Andrew Jacobs, President
Website:	http://www.bostontea.com/
Started:	1773 — really!
Comments:	I trust this company implicitly. They stand behind their products, which I know from personal experience are of very good quality.
Vendor Name:	California Teahouse
Location:	Los Angeles, CA USA
Owner(s):	Will Bailey, Ani Bailey
Website:	http://www.californiateahouse.com/
Started:	May 2009
Comments:	I haven’t ordered from them and only tried the 5 samples they sent. However, they aren’t shy about saying who they are. And they are still around on Twitter, on their Website, etc. I don’t think you’re taking a big risk by ordering from them. They seem quite ethical and concerned about bringing you great teas. Lots of reviews of their teas are on Teaviews.com.
Vendor Name:	Canton Tea
Location:	London, UK
Principal(s):	Jennifer Wood, Founder; Edgar Thoemmes
Website:	http://www.cantonteaco.com/
Started:	2007
Comments:	Jane Pettigrew, tea consultant extraordinaire, likes ’em. ’Nuff said. But I will dare to add my own recommendation here. I’ve only tried a couple of their teas, but those teas were superb. Again, I don’t think you’re risking anything by ordering from them. Just be aware that they are in the UK, so issues in shipping overseas come up. No biggee, though. They had no trouble getting the samples to me.
Vendor Name:	Chicago Tea Garden
Location:	Chicago, IL USA
Owner(s):	Tony Gebely, Erin Murphy
Website:	http://www.chicagoteagarden.com/
Started:	January 2010
Comments:	I tried a couple of their tea samples but haven’t ordered from them. However, Tony is very dedicated to tea. I doubt strongly that he and/or Erin would be anything less than honest with you. Also, I loved both teas I tried and feel sure you will, too.
Vendor Name:	Element Tea
Location:	Denver, CO USA
Principal(s):	Rachael Hoffman, Julia Suiter
Website:	http://www.elementtea.com/
Started:	April 2009
Comments:	I’ve only tried one sample so far, but it was excellent. Their site has lots of great tea information on it. They’re not perfect (they call herbals “teas” instead of “tisanes”) but they have certainly taken the time to understand the products they present to you. Another company I would order from with confidence.
Vendor Name:	The English Tea Store (part of Online Stores, Inc.)
Location:	New Stanton, PA USA
Principal(s):	Lisa Hickey, President; Kevin Hickey
Website:	http://www.englishteastore.com/
Started:	2003 (about 2 years after Online Stores was founded)
Comments:	I test samples of their teas and have ordered from them several times. They are excellent all around. Great teas, tea-related products, and foods that they stand behind. My orders were filled quickly and accurately. And the person I spoke with when placing the order was knowledgeable and courteous. Highly recommend.
Vendor Name:	Green Tea Lovers
Location:	Woodmere, NY USA
Owner(s):	No information available on their site or elsewhere online. Possibles are Haru Urara, Daniel Palmer, and Meiji Shiners.
Website:	http://greentealovers.com/
Started:	May 2003 (at least, that’s how long the domain name has been around)
Comments:	I haven’t tested the samples they sent yet, but I cannot recommend ordering from anyone who is so adamant about hiding who they are from their customers. The people named above are also listed as employees of a company called Green Tea Weight Loss, either the company’s previous name or a previous company they worked for.
Vendor Name:	Indie Tea
Location:	Las Vegas, NV USA
Owner(s):	Carolyn Johnson
Website:	http://www.indietea.com/
Started:	April 2009
Comments:	Their concern for quality is evident in the 2 samples hubby and I have tried so far. I also know that they are concerned that you are pleased with your purchase. (Only a total dork wouldn’t care what his/her customers think.) They are very careful to assure the ingredients in their teas, both the straight and the flavored teas, are the best. I can’t even begin to imagine that you would have any problems ordering from them.
Vendor Name:	Joy’s Teaspoon
Location:	Las Vegas, NV USA
Owner(s):	Naomi Rosen
Website:	http://joysteaspoon.com/
Started:	January 2010
Comments:	Although I have never met Naomi in person, she shows herself thru her online presence, including being part of The Las Vegas/Henderson Tea Lovers. Her teas so far have been intriguing. She is truly concerned about presenting a quality product. I would recommend ordering from her.
Vendor Name:	Kusmi Tea
Location:	Paris, France (headquarters), plus locations in Europe and US
Principal(s):	Sylvain Orebi, CEO
Website:	http://www.us.kusmitea.com/
Started:	1867 (not as long as The Boston Tea Co.)
Comments:	I haven’t ordered from them. However, the company has been around awhile. I doubt they would have lasted if they jerked around their customers.
Vendor Name:	LibreTea
Location:	Gibsons, BC Canada; Ferndale, WA USA
Owner(s):	Wendy Weir
Website:	http://libretea.com/
Started:	2009
Comments:	The company’s main product line is a well-designed yet simple and straightforward steeping mug. Along with this, they offer one tea:Ming Mei (a green tea). The mug lives up to it’s reputation. However, I have no doubt that if you found that it did not live up to yours, you would have no difficulty getting the issue resolved without a lot of fuss.
Vendor Name:	Obubu Tea
Location:	Kyoto Prefecture, JAPAN
Owner(s):	Akihiro “Akky” Kita
Website:	http://www.obubutea.com/
Started:	2010 (??)
Comments:	This is a rather exciting company, since when you order from the site, you are in essence ordering directly from a tea farm in Japan. The owner is not only the chief executive but knowledgeable about tea and not at all reluctant to be out in the tea fields, both at their verdant best and in their dormancy. You can be assured of high-quality and authentic Japanese-style tea. That is the only drawback. If you like Japanese teas, you’ll love their teas. Otherwise… At any rate, their teas are gaining in popularity. You will also never need to worry about how they will treat you as a customer. Your satisfaction is their honor.
Vendor Name:	Persimmon Tree Tea
Location:	Lake Forest, CA USA
Principal(s):	Melanie Etemadi, CEO
Website:	http://www.persimmontreetea.com/
Started:	2010 (??)
Comments:	Well, Etemadi is certainly off to a very good start. She has done her homework, selecting teas that are a cut above and packaging them in useful tins. I’ve tried only one of the samples I received recently and it was excellent. If the rest live up to their Website descriptions, I will be very pleased. Again, only a total dork would found a business without understanding that you, the customer, must be satisfied. In these days of Twitter, Facebook, chat rooms, forums, etc., word gets around very quickly.
Vendor Name:	thepuriTea.com
Location:	Los Angeles, CA USA
Principal(s):	Nav Nouhi, Co-Founder
Website:	http://www.thepuritea.com/
Started:	March 2009
Comments:	Having tried 13 of the teas offered by this company, a fair percentage of the total, I can confidently state that the tea quality has been consistent and excellent. You need not fear disappointment ordering these teas.
Vendor Name:	The Royal Tea Company
Location:	Chicago, IL USA
Principal(s):	Vadim Alex Timchenko, Ashleigh Timchenko
Website:	http://www.royalteaco.com/
Started:	2009 (??)
Comments:	They are trying busily to get their teas into stores, with quite a bit of success, so I am not sure how online orders are being responded to. I have only tried a couple of their teas, one of which was excellent and the other was good.
Vendor Name:	Shui Tea
Location:	Chicago, IL USA
Owner(s):	Jim Schreiber
Website:	http://www.shuitea.com/
Started:	Unknown
Comments:	I’ve tried some of his teas but not placed an order. However, again I state that anyone with sense, which Jim seems to be, will be sure to treat your order with the degree of importance it deserves. I am sure he loves to share his love of tea with you.
Vendor Name:	Teaflection
Location:	Atlanta, GA USA
Contact(s):	Heather Johnston, Media Relations
Website:	http://www.teaflection.com/
Started:	September 2009
Comments:	Very questionable company. Like Green Tea Lovers, who is behind this company is hidden, and that troubles me. I never order from them.
Vendor Name:	Tipu’s Chai
Location:	Ronan, MT USA
Principal(s):	Bipin Patel, President
Website:	http://tipuschai.com/
Started:	2006
Comments:	Patel started this company as an outshoot of his restaurant, which he has since sold and is now no longer in business. All his time is devoted to getting his teas sold. He, therefore, responds well and quickly to any customer concerns. Highly recommend.
Vendor Name:	Tula Teas
Location:	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Owner(s):	Libby Gibson
Website:	http://tulateas.myshopify.com/
Started:	2009
Comments:	If you’re in the U.S., be patient when ordering from companies in other countries, even Canada. Other than that, Gibson runs a tight ship and makes sure the teas are of the highest quality. Highly recommend.
Vendor Name:	Thunderbolt Tea
Location:	Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
Contact(s):	Benoy Thapa
Website:	http://www.thunderbolttea.com/
Started:	Unknown
Comments:	Benoy is one of the nicest people I have dealt with for tea so far. Again, when ordering, bear in mind that the company is in India.
Vendor Name:	Zhi Tea
Location:	Austin, TX USA
Owner(s):	Jeffrey Lorien CEO
Website:	http://www.zhitea.com/
Started:	2007
Comments:	Lorien calls himself “Dr. Oolong.” Okay, whatever. I’ve only tried one tea and haven’t ordered from him but know others who have. They seem satisfied.

Are You Tasting the Tea or the Teabag?

Tea bags are widely popular in the U.S., the U.K., and elsewhere. The big question, though, is do they affect the taste of your tea more than you think? One day, I was taking out some tea bags to steep a potful and gave the bags a sniff. They smelled kinda like dried hay, with the usual black tea fragrance following weakly. At that moment, it occurred to me that the flavor of that stuff in my teacup could be at least partially the bag, not the tea. A tea taste test was definitely in order here.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Tea and a Book — “Gideon’s Sword”

Recently, I was presented the opportunity to read the first in a new series of action/adventure/mystery novels, featuring a new action hero named “Gideon Crew.” Ever the trail-blazer, I acquiesced. The book: Gideon’s Sword by writing team Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Time for a strong cuppa tea and a comfortable spot in which to take in the authors’ opus.

The novel is a pretty quick read, and Preston and Child held my interest. Well, for awhile. The pace of the action is brisk, avoiding any drag spots, and the book is chopped up into short “chapters,” some only a couple of pages long.

Gideon Crew is out to avenge a wrong done to his parents (can you say, “Batman”?) but doesn’t have a bat cave or a loyal butler named Alfred. What he does have is the gift of spinning the bull to get in places where he shouldn’t be and around rules that are often pretty nonsensical to begin with. He also has a knack for disguises (à la “The Saint”). Pursuing his goal of vengeance is sort of a prologue for when the real action begins.

Sadly, the novel is full of unnecessarily crude language and gratuitous violence, sort of like they were trying to write this to be snapped up by Hollywood for a movie. (So, why not just write a script and start shopping it around to the agents?) For example, a big crash scene with several people dying and others severely injured need not have happened, based on the fact that the perpetrator of it all was an assassin trained in killing up close, which he does twice. Causing the crash was inconsistency of character and is very common in both novels and movies these days.

I reached a point in the novel about 7/8ths of the way through where the whole issue was revealed, the reason for all the mayhem. I stopped reading there. Life is precious. Time is precious. And I had just discovered that I had wasted both on this book. That reason was trivial, asinine, and scientifically wrong. Just as with a lot of the tripe coming out of Hollywood (both movies and TV shows), spouting political and ideological nonsense, this novel is truly disappointing. Preston and Child killed off not only a bunch of people (fortunately, just on the pages of their book) but several hours of my life.

On to something worthwhile, like trying another new tea.

Oh, if you are curious, the authors have a newsletter.

It’s Russian, It’s French, It’s Kusmi Tea

Kusmi Tea is one of the long-timers (by Western standards) in the world of tea, having been founded in 1867 by Pavel Michailovitch Kousmichoff (where the name “Kusmi” comes from). Fifty years later, the company moved to France because of the Russian Revolution. Today, their headquarters is still in Paris and they have stores throughout France, as well as many in other European countries. They opened their first US store in (of course) Manhattan on June 30, 2010. You don’t have to travel to the Big Apple, though, to enjoy their products. You can go to a variety of stores in several states or to their online store.

The current (since 2003) President of Kusmi Tea is Sylvain Oberi, who was born in Cairo, Egypt, and received his college diploma in Paris. He has been injecting new life into the company and increasing its international presence, mainly by playing up to the idea that drinking tea is healthy and by expanding the offerings of flavored teas.

Branding is something that sets Kusmi apart from the crowd. Their tins, boxes, and tea-related products (such as a specially-designed shopping tote) have a very distinctive look.

The company has fans among the glitterati of Hollywood. Personally, I find this inconsequential when deciding if I want to try their teas or not, especially considering the ignorant fashion in which tea drinking is portrayed 99% of the time in films. Also, when it comes to tea, celebrities are the last people to look to for recommendations. They live a lifestyle very different from most of us. How could they possibly know what you or I would find soothing or the perfect complement for a blueberry scone?

Kusmi is a big promoter of flavored teas, something that hubby and I are finding less and less appealing as we experience the various subtleties and nuances of the flavors of quality straight teas. I had suggested some teas to send, purposely avoiding these flavored teas, especially those blended with other plant matter such as maté. What arrived were three of the “straight” teas off my list (two of them were bagged, not loose) and two flavored teas (Spicy Chocolate Tea and Detox Tea). The company Website doesn’t list what spices are in the Spicy Chocolate, so I had to ask, being allergic to some things typically put in such flavored teas. They wouldn’t say, which is quite odd considering that most tea vendors I have seen list what’s in their blends, so I see no reason to chance it.

The Detox Tea is something they’ve come up with to purportedly improve your health. I’m also waffling on whether to try this one or not. Like many tea vendors, Kusmi has lots of health claims but no links to studies to support these nor do the PR people think there is any issue there. They said that such beneficial properties were “well established.” My online research popped up only two studies, showing limited benefits mainly in the area of throat cancer. [I heard that the US FDA has ruled that tea companies cannot make such claims nor post links to medical studies on their sites.]

Sadly, the company is one of many that lumps such beverages as Rooibos in with teas. Tea is made from the Camellia Sinensis bush or one of its varietals. Rooibos (red bush) is a separate species altogether. Fortunately, none of the samples I received contain rooibos. Hubby and I have totally given up on it.

We look forward to trying the straight teas that were sent but wish they carried more premium teas and fewer teas that have everything but the kitchen sink added to them. Come to think of it, since Kusmi doesn’t list ingredients, there could very well be pieces of kitchen sink in some of these. (Kidding!)

Steeping Smackdown: LibreTea Mug vs. Little Yellow Teapot

Ever since that LibreTea steeping mug arrived, hubby and I have had to soothe the bruised ego of Little Yellow Teapot. “There, there,” we’d have to say almost daily, “you are not being replaced. And you steep much better than any steeping mug on the market.” Of course, we both had our fingers crossed behind our backs.

Well, the time has finally come to put this whole thing to rest. Time to go head-to-head: teapot to steeping mug. The WWF would be proud. This was a real smackdown!

First, the tea used in this test:

Second, I want to make clear that this is not a review of the tea. That is on the other blog. This is strictly comparing which steeping vessel did the better job.

Third, the methodology — heat water to 160˚ F, put dry tea in body of steeping mug (a full packet), put dry tea into the Little Yellow Teapot (a full packet), add water to both, set timer for 90 seconds, hum the music from Jeopardy! that’s played while contestants are deep in thought to answer that final toughie question.

The results:

• The LibreTea steeping mug put on quite a show, so it scores a point for visual appeal. 

• The Little Yellow Teapot sat there beaming its bright sun-like yellowness and adding its cheeriness to the room, so it gets a point here, too.
• As for volume, Little Yellow Teapot comes out a bit ahead (about 2 ounces).
• For usability, they tied, since both need to have the steeped tea strained out into another vessel so that the tea doesn’t oversteep.
• As for the tea, it deserves a mention here since, after all, steeping tea is sort of the point; the LibreTea mug steeped up a slightly stronger tasting brew, but both were tasty.

Well, folks, I think we have a TIE here! And, no, hubby and I are not being cowardly. We know that Little Yellow Teapot will steep up tea, even though he’s upset, and that the tea will be fine, won’t it, Little Yellow? Uh, Little Yellow? Oh, gee, now he’s not speaking to us. Sigh! Back to our placations. “There, there, Little Teapot, you are always the best!” This could take awhile. Meantime, hubby and I need more tea.

By the way, for those of you who don’t have a little teapot to worry about offending, and if you think one of these mugs would be good for you, click on my affiliate link in the right-hand column of the page to order. I could get a penny or two. Thanks!

Happy Valentine's Day

A bit late in posting this, but hubby and I had a very special lunch. Some Valentine's Day goodies:

Teas That Say “I Love You”

Roses, chocolates, and teas — things that say “I love you.” Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, it seems like a good idea to take a closer look at these and how they go together to whisper those three little words in the ear of your heart’s desire.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Pu-erh Roundup

Arguably one of the most misunderstood and yet expensive teas around, pu-erh (also spelled “puer,” “pu-er,” etc.) is well worth a try.

First of all, you can get multiple infusions out of most pu-erhs, even flavored ones. That makes them a good value. Or you can choose to do one strong infusion (lots of flexibility here) for a really…

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Some Pu-erhs I’ve tried:

California Tea House Bird's NestThe English Tea Store Young Pu-erh – Part 1
The English Tea Store Young Pu-erh – Part 2
The English Tea Store Scottish Caramel Toffee Pu-erh
Joy's Teaspoon Eternal Sunshine
Shui Tea Pu-erh

English Biscuit Roundup

English isn’t always quite the same English when you travel to different countries. This can lead to a slight bit of confusion at teatime. One puzzle is the word “biscuit.” Ask a Brit for a biscuit, and you’re not likely to get something leavened, fluffy, and ready for butter and jam or a nice sausage gravy.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Tea, Laughter, and Your Nose

Sometimes tea mouthfuls have to be timed carefully. This is especially true when drinking tea around someone with a sense of humor that is capable of producing remarks bound to evoke copious laughter. That stated, I have to say that my hubby has such a sense of humor, and my timing isn’t always so good. Thus, the tea incident.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

I keep a box of tissues ready always. Just sayin’.

Tea Kettle Philosophy — Faster Is Not Always Better

Sometimes it seems to take forever to do the simplest things. Heating water to the proper temperature for my tea is one such task. Thank goodness my hyperactive mind knows how to make good use of this time. For example, it started cogitating on the various ways our lives have gotten faster and the times when that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Snow outside sure encourages me to enjoy a slow, leisurely teatime inside:

Tea, Blogging, and Social Media

Recently, I was quoted in an article on Adagio’s TeaMuse as saying how Social Media had opened up my blog to a wider audience. While I am honored to even be mentioned in the same article with long-time tea writers like William E. Lengemann, III, of Tea Guy Speaks, and Lindsey V. Goodwin, “the” Tea and Coffee expert for About.com (a pay-per-click site — you click on articles and the writer gets paid), and while the statement attributed to me is true, it is only a small part of the impact and not necessarily the most important part.

The most important benefit I see in being on Twitter and Facebook is a much more personal connection with readers. People “out there” feel they are reading something by someone they know. I end up reading their blog posts, too, and getting a wider feel for what interests them and their views on tea and related topics. Quite a few great article ideas have been spurred by tweet exchanges, too.

Blogs started out as ways for people just to put their thoughts and ideas online to share with whomever had a moment to read them. Blogs are now outlets for writers like me whose opportunities to get their work seen would be too limited if they were totally dependent on sites like TeaMuse, which sticks to a monthly “publication” and features only a handful of carefully chosen articles, such as my review of the Heron’s Tearoom in North Carolina. (That article actually gave me the idea for launching a tea review blog: Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews.)

Blogs continue to morph, becoming showcases for subject experts like Lengemann and Goodwin. Their tweets on Twitter helps their loyal readers keep up with their latest postings, plus both Lengemann and Goodwin keep that personal touch by tweeting not just links to their posts but their own experiences with tea and replies to other tweeters.

Blogs and Social Media are also being used by companies to get closer to customers and to offer more detailed information (generally and specifically) on the products they sell. Just as companies used to tout that they had a Website, now they tout that they have a blog, a Twitter account, and a Facebook page (and an employee who is devoted to be their Social Media person). I’ll be taking a more detailed look at some of these blogs and presences on Social Media in an upcoming post.

Finally, blogs are now being used to sell products (teas, teawares, etc.) and otherwise generate income. Some, such as Lainie Sips, have quite a few affiliate links where the blog owner gets a percentage when you click on the link and buy the item at the other end of that link. I’ve dipped my toe into this by posting an affiliate link to the LibreTea mug, which I truly like.

Where do blogging and social media go from here, at least as far as tea is concerned? Well, let’s see, just need to polish my crystal ball a bit. Rub rub rub… ah, that’s better. Darn, still nothing. The future of both depend on you, the readers, and on the technology developments in the heads of techie geeks working busily on the next innovation.

As for the article, author Amy Charland embarked on an ambitious topic but, due to the word limit she was under, she was only able to fit in a little bit of the information I’m sure she gathered for it. Maybe we will see follow-ups that focus on some of the veteran tea bloggers out there. Certainly a better title would have been “Tea Blogging History: An Introduction.” It leaves the door open for more. Best wishes, Amy, on future articles.

Are You a Tea Statistic?

Tea drinking statistics abound. Have you ever wondered when you see a bunch of these statistics how you rank in relation to them? It seems to be human nature for people to do this. You might think “That statistic applies to me” or “Gee, I’m not anything like that nor do I know anyone like that.”

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Reference: Tea Fact Sheet from http://www.teausa.org/

Tea Rescues Me from Pizza

Recently, tea rescued me from the pizza I had scarfed down at a local eatery. Listen to my tale of how a queasy tummy was saved by a nice cuppa tea.

Over the past few years, my eating habits have changed somewhat. Rice and potatoes are now the starch of choice over wheat-based items like…

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Frankly, I think the Devonshire Tea box should have a little symbol on it to show how good it is at relieveing such a hot time in the tummy regions. Something like this:

Tea and the Chinese New Year

According to the Chinese Calendar, February 3rd of 2011 is the beginning of the new year (year 4708 or 4709, depending on whom you’re consulting). Each year also has an animal associated with it (there are 12 in all, with the list recycling every 12 years). This is the year of the Rabbit (in Chinese: Xin Mao). So let’s hop along and have a rousing Chinese New Year celebration — with tea, of course!

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

My reviews of some of the teas mentioned in the article:

Nine Bend Black Dragon

Keemun Panda
Lapsang Souchong

Dragonwell Green (Long Jing)

My Celtic Side and the Patron Saint of Ireland

Too many people think of St. Patrick when they think of saints and Ireland. Actually, the patron saint is St. Brigid. Yes, a woman.

She is known for her generosity to the poor, not for drunken revelry in every pub in sight, probably another reason Brigid plays 2nd fiddle to Patrick in the annals of saintdom. The name “Brigid” means “exalted one” and is used for both pagan and christian goddesses. She established a church in Kildare, that name meaning “church of the oak”. She is supposed to have done a bunch of rather unusual things: healing the sick, communing with animals, turning stones into salt, and more.

Sadly, she did not drink tea.

Small wonder there, since tea did not reach Ireland unti the 1700s and Brigid was reportedly born around 457 AD. No worries, though. Tea drinking is now very popular in Ireland, and a St. Brigid teatime is quite common. Pastries shaped like animals and lots of dark black tea with milk and sweetener are obvisous choices.

On this date (February 1st) rather than March 17th, I celebrate my Celtic side, where pagan and christian joined, where the feast day of a pagan goddess became a day to celebrate a strong-willed woman dedicated to living her life not as her father expected (by marrying a man he had chosen for her) but as she chose.

The example is a good one for young women from that perspective. As for the mythology, I leave that to you.