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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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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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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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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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 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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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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(from a press release)

Renowned tea masters James Norwood Pratt, James Labe, Bruce Richardson, and Chas Kroll will be leading the American Tea Masters Association's first 13-week Tea Mastery Certification Course in San Diego, California, starting July 14, 2008.

The distinguished faculty will be leading the 5-day Comprehensive Tea Mastery Course, the first of the two-part 13-week Tea Mastery Certification Course™ training program. The 5-day course will be held at the Wellspring Tea Room, 4538 Park Boulevard in the University Heights section of San Diego. Ample parking is available behind the tea court.

The association's prestigious Certified Tea Master designation, along with its coveted engraved brass lapel badge, is awarded to graduates completing the training.

Additional information on the Tea Mastery Certification Course is available on the association's web site or by calling (619) 330-9017. The course is open to a maximum of 24 participants. A $250 tuition-deposit is required to reserve a place at the training.

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If you've ever been overcome with a burning desire to see what other people's tea shelves/cabinets/warehouses/whatever look like, you're in luck. Over at the TeaChat forum there's a thread underway that covers just that. I used to think I had a fair amount of tea lying around but I'm not even in the same ballpark as some of these people.

From the Strange Food/Beverage Department, comes an article about a tea composed of excrement from the larvae of grain moths that have been fed tea leaves. Yum. It's called Poo Poo Puerh - among other things - and you can read more about it in this article I wrote for the Twinings Tea Blog.

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Here are the latest additions to the Tea Blog List, which is located here. This time around I went through and weeded out the dead and inactive blogs and made things a little more readable. Also included, a few other tea blog directories.

New Additions - 06/19/2008
a Felicific life
Bearsblog
marTEA's Tea Blog
Multiple Infusions
My Steeped IdentiTEA
TeaFrog
Tea Spot NYC
The Hill Tea Bar Blog
The Voice of Tea
Uniquely Tea

Tea Blog Directories
Tea Talk: Automated tea blog directory and aggregator.
Twinings Tea: Top Tea Blogs For Tea Lovers
Multiple Infusions: Tea Blog Directory
Tea Related Web Resources
(includes Personal Tea Pages)

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Even after reading the recipe I'm still not quite sure what Frozen Iced Tea is. But if you'd like to give it a go, here's the link.

According to London's Telegraph, the tea bag turns one hundred this year. For more on its origin, evolution and all that sort of thing, look here.

This isn't the place to discuss politics and so I won't. But it's probably not a political statement to say that I don't see President Bush as the type to be taking tea. According to a recent report that's what he'll be doing when he hangs out with the Queen tomorrow.

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What's Brewing?, from Veria TV, to Debut in Fall 2008
(from a press release)

Veria (pronounced ver-ee-ah) -- a growing natural health and wellness company dedicated to bringing natural wellness to the mainstream through its television network, local wellness centers, and lifestyle-focused website -- today unveiled a new line-up of original television series scheduled to premiere on the company's television network, Veria TV, in the fall of 2008. Veria TV is currently available on Channel 9575 on the DISH Network(TM).

Veria's new programs include:

"What's Brewing?" - Jody Rudman, owner of Dallas-based Tempest Tea, explores the wisdom of some of the world's oldest cultures by highlighting ancient beverages, such as teas, yerba mate, xocoatl and herbal tisanes, which can have benefits for today's busy lives.

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New York City Breakfast
Serenity
After Dark
Organic Kama Chai Sutra
Tavalon LLC

The good people at New York City's Tavalon recently passed along samples of a few of their blended teas and tisanes. Here's the lowdown:

New York City Breakfast
"A hearty blend of the world's best black teas from India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia created for the New Yorker palate."
A new one on me and apparently a Tavalon creation. I like Assam and Yunnan black teas, but have never been much of a fan of breakfast blends. This one was better than most when served hot and even better than that iced.

Serenity/After Dark
"A relaxing caffeine-free herbal blend consisting of Chamomile, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Rooibos and Vanilla."
"A sweet & sour, caffeine & sugar-free blend of Chamomile, Blood Orange, Cranberry, Apple, Cherry and Hibiscus flowers."
Chamomile is another "tea" that's never done much for me. But both of these tisanes benefit considerably from the fresh and intensely aromatic ingredients that have gone into them. Serenity worked better for me than the very fruity After Dark, but that's a personal preference again.

Organic Kama Chai Sutra
"An organic blend of Assam tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla beans."
I've tried to come to terms with chai (Earl Grey and lapsang souchong too). I really have. But I've determined that none of these items are really my cup of tea. Once again, though, the ingredients in this one seemed to be very fresh and flavorful. If you are a chai lover it might be worth looking into.

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Steeped in Japan's Finest Tea-Making Tradition, Iyemon Cha, Premium Japanese Green Tea, Launches in San Francisco
(from a press release)

Iyemon Cha, a refreshing new premium bottled Japanese green tea from Suntory to be distributed by Calistoga Beverage Company, a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America, makes its U.S. debut this May in San Francisco, the first stop on a planned national rollout. Free of preservatives and sweeteners, this pure, all-natural organic green tea is steeped in rich tea-making tradition. Iyemon Cha (pronounced ee-yeh-mon cha) is available in two varieties: Original Green Tea and Roasted Green Tea.

The world's finest green tea or "cha" (Japanese for tea) comes from Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan and the original source of Japanese green tea. It is here that Iyemon Cha is made at the esteemed tea company, Fukujuen, founded more than two centuries ago in 1790 and today one of Japan's top three sellers of leaf tea. Iyemon Cha is the only bottled green tea from this historic purveyor of fine teas, now available in America for the first time.

Iyemon Cha is the only bottled tea in the world to add a touch of matcha, a stone-ground tea of the highest quality, for extra richness. Matcha is made from the finest, youngest leaves of the tea bush, which is covered for several weeks before harvest to slow down growth, imparting a more intense sweetness and depth of flavor when pulverized into a fine powder. Prized for its superior quality, matcha is the centerpiece of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and a unique, essential ingredient in Iyemon Cha.

Iyemon Cha is made entirely in Japan from 100% Japanese tea leaves using the purest refined water to bring out the best flavor. It is imported from Japan and bottled in a stylish, environmentally conscious glass bottle (12.2oz /361 ml) with a suggested retail price of $2.75.

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Barack Obama - perhaps you've heard of him? Now don't worry - I'm not going to wax political. This is definitely not the place for it, nor do I have the inclination to do so.

But there's an article that appeared in the Washington Post recently, discussing Obama's fondness for Honest Tea's bottled wares. Given the length of the piece, it appears that it was a pretty slow news day.

The gist of the article is that Obama once favored Honest Tea's Community Green flavor, before casting that aside for Green Dragon. When he decided to cut down his caffeine intake, Black Forest Berry became his beverage of choice.

All the thrilling details, right here.

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With iced tea weather now upon us, I took the opportunity to write a brief piece on the topic at the Twinings Tea Blog. I hope to do a few more of these over the course of the warm months.

Because the season comes so early in my part of the world, I've been drinking iced tea for a while now. One of the things I've noticed is that a tea I don't like much hot can be quite nice if it's chilled.

Most recently I found this to be the case with a loose-leaf English Breakfast blend I got from the bulk bin at a local natural food store. Served hot, it bordered on undrinkable. After I chilled it, it was surprisingly good. Ditto for the Ceylon I picked up at the same place. I have yet to run across a Ceylon I like to drink hot, but this one worked out okay in iced form.

On the herbal front, I have to admit that I've never been bowled over by rooibos, at least not when it's served hot. As an iced tea, I drink quite a lot of it everyday.

Of course, a tea that is good hot might also make a good iced tea. For example, there's Archer Farms (Target's store brand) Golden Breakfast, a surprisingly yummy loose-leaf Yunnan. Served hot, it's good most of the time, but in iced form it's almost always a winner.

As you can see, the bulk of my efforts have been focused on the more robust teas thus far. I have yet to really experiment with iced white, oolong or green, though I've had a few commercially made ones of these that were unsweetened and were very good.

The moral of the story, at least for me, is that if you're not really in love with a hot tea, try drinking it cold before getting rid of it or letting it drift to the back of the tea cabinet.

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If you haven't seen the quite fine tea documentary, All In This Tea, you should give it a look. Check out my review at the Twinings Tea Blog. If you have seen it and you're craving more, check out The Meaning of Tea, another documentary film about tea.

Have you ever wondered what kind of tea was unceremniously dumped during the Boston Tea Party? Bruce Richardson was commissioned by The National Archives to come up with an approximation of that tea. More info here.

Here's a story about some people who had their priorities straight - or maybe not. Apparently at one point British disaster planners were concerned that a nuclear attack might leave the nation short on tea. As if the giant ants and lizards running amok wouldn't be enough of a problem.

This is an older one but you might have missed it, as I did. From NPR, it's "the story of a man driven temporarily insane from drinking too much jasmine tea." I hate when that happens.

Last up is a miracle of modern technology - or maybe not. It's a tea (or coffee, one assumes) cup whose contents can be stirred without using a spoon. Because we all know how dreadfully complex and inconvenient spoons can be. More here.


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Omaha, Nebraska's The Tea Smith recently wrapped up another incarnation of their Ugly Mug Contest. The winner, pictured here, was Fred. The proud owner of this majestic piece of work was identified only as Jo Ann P.

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Explore America's Only Tea Garden During the First Flush of the Year
(from a press release)

Bigelow Tea's Charleston Tea Plantation welcomes guests to celebrate the arrival of the spring season with their Annual "First Flush" event, a day dedicated to the entrance of the 2008 crop harvest. Taking place on May 17, 2008 on Wadmalaw Island, the 2nd annual First Flush Festival will offer a full day of excitement and revelry.

Throughout the day, the "Tea Trolley" will take visitors on a special route and provide an informative and enlightening "First Flush Tour." Attendees can also observe the process of making tea in the on-site factory.

In addition to the plantation tours, food, live music and games, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase their very own supply of Charleston Tea Plantation's 2008First Flush Loose Tea. At an extremely limited availability, the First Flush Tea - produced only with tea leaves from the very first spring growth on the tea plants - has a unique taste of its own.

Tickets for the festival will be sold prior to the event at the Gift Shoppe for $8.00. On the day of the event, tickets will be $10.00 at the gate. For more details regarding the First Flush Festival, please call 1-843-559-0383 or visit the Bigelow Web site.

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Revolution Tea Blends Super Fruits, Multi-Vitamins & Premium White Tea for New Beverage Line
(from a press release)

Revolution Tea, known for its masterfully-blended whole leaf teas and innovative Infusers, announced today the launch of its new multi-dimensional beverage: Revolution 3D. Revolution 3D is a first-of-its-kind combination of antioxidant-rich super fruits, multi-vitamins, and premium white tea in an all-natural drink. Revolution Tea is releasing four refreshing 3D flavors: Green Apple, Blueberry, Mango and Pomegranate in sleek 12-ounce cans and four-packs.

Revolution 3D will be available in select Arizona retailers beginning in May, as well as online via the Revolution Tea website. For retail locations or to order online visit Revolution Tea.


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No, it's not all of the tea in China, just a few articles that I've run across recently that have to do with the subject.

Here's an article from the English language version of the People's Daily. It's about tea and tea culture in Hangzhou, probably best known for producing the Dragonwell variety of green tea.

Pu'er, China, is best known for another type of tea - guess which one. It was the topic of an article that recently appeared in the New York Times. Read it here. If you have trouble accessing that one, you can read the same article at the International Herald Tribune, here.

If you're looking to brush up on your tea knowledge, Tenfu Tea College, in Zhangzhou, might do the trick. Read more about it here.

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Guayaki Announces Opening Of First Yerba Mate Bar
(from a press release)

The grassroots California company that pioneered the spread of South American yerba mate beverages across the U.S. is breaking new ground by opening a classic Mate Bar. The Guayaki Mate Bar is conveniently located in downtown Sebastopol in the big ‘gold’ building at 6782 Sebastopol Road (Route 12) in the heart of Sebastopol, and is open from 7 AM to 2 PM Monday through Saturday.

This unique ‘jungle lounge’ blends authentic South American yerba mate culture with delicious local artisan cuisine. Although the focus is on the celebration of yerba mate and its community-oriented culture, the Guayaki Mate Bar also offers a creative food menu that features light and healthy organic fare with ‘something for everyone’ including delicious gluten-free, wheat-free and vegan options.

The Mate Bar drink menu includes a wide variety of tasty organic yerba mate beverage styles such as mate lattes, cappuccino mate, mate mocha, mate chai, java mate, spicy mayan mocha mate, mate shakes, espresso shots, iced mate (seasonal), and drip brewed mate. Since a key objective is to help others discover the joy of sharing yerba mate, it is only natural that one of the features at the Mate Bar is traditional yerba mate sipped from a gourd and bombilla. You can even bring in your own gourd and the experienced staff will provide helpful advice.

Guayaki

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Here are some more of the articles I've written for the Twinings Tea Blog. For links to some earlier articles, check the previous list.

Tea Shows Results in the Fight Against Alzheimer's

The Tea Pages: Explorations and Musings on the World of Tea

The Tea Drinker's Bookshelf 3: Another Five Essential Tea Books

Tea for Your Teeth

Breakfast Tea: Blended Black Teas Provide A Morning Eye-Opener

Tea for the YouTube Crowd: Tea Videos

Tracing Tea Team Plans 15,000 Kilometer Trip From Calcutta to London

Bringing Relief to Allergy, Cold and Flu Sufferers

Tea Leaf 101 - A Brief Overview

Watching Tea: A Guide to Tea TV and Film

Tea Drinking May Help Increase Bone Density and Guard Against Osteoporosis

Getting the Most Out of Your Tea With Multiple Infusions

Tasseography: Taking a Look at the Future By Reading Tea Leaves

The Art of the Teapot and Teapot Museums

Tea and Spirits: Specialty Products Combine Tea With Something Stronger

Green, Black and Oolong Tea May Play a Role in Fighting Diabetes

The Tea Drinker's Bookshelf 2: Five More Essential Tea Books

Yixing Teapots: China's Prized Drinking Vessels Get Better With Age

Tea May Aid in Efforts to Have a Healthy Heart

Offbeat Teas, Tea Drinks and Tisanes

Ceylon: Distinctive Black Tea From the Island Nation of Sri Lanka

Bubble Tea: Tapioca Pearls Add Substance to This Popular Asian Drink

Studies Indicate That Tea Might Play a Role in Weight Loss

Tea Taster: Tea Lover's Dream Job Involves Plenty of Hard Work

Assam: Indian Black Tea From the World's Largest Tea-Growing Region

The Tea Drinker's Bookshelf: Five Essential Tea Books


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It's been a while since I've done a proper tea review, but here are notes on a few things I've been drinking lately. What about you?

Mystery Assam
I'm always up for a good Assam. This loose leaf variety of indeterminate origin (purchased at a local grocery store) is not a great one, but it's suitable for daily use.

Saphara Premium Estate Assam
I couldn't resist trying this one, which is part of Celestial Seasoning's new line of high-end whole leaf teas. I especially couldn't resist since they sent a coupon for a free box. Would I pay for another box out of pocket? Probably not. "Premium" might be a bit too high-falutin' of a term for this one. Not bad, really, but not quite good enough that I'd go back to the well.

Two Leaves and a Bud Tamayokucha
I had high hopes for this Japanese green. Two Leaves refers to it as "extremely green" and claim that it's "incredibly full flavored." I didn't see it that way. No matter how I tweaked the brewing parameters I wasn't able to coax much flavor from it.

Sencha Shot
From Ito En - it's canned sencha. The strong sencha flavor of this one was completely overwhelmed by bitterness. Then there's the price - $1.39 for just over six ounces. That's the part that really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Archer Farms Golden Breakfast
This loose leaf Yunnan was a pleasant surprise and the best of this lot. Archer Farms is apparently a store brand for the Target chain. Which made me a bit hesitant to give their tea a shot but it turned out to be better than the average Yunnan. Perhaps not the best I've ever tasted but I would (and did) buy this one again.

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Issue two of The Leaf is now available at digital newsstands everywhere. In other words, click here to read the full issue online. Good stuff.

Can tea fight anthrax? That's the good word nowadays, according to some American and British researchers. More here from the Telegraph and a tongue in cheek response from Graeme Wood at the Atlantic, here.

The record for the world's largest tea party was upped again recently in Indore, India, where 32,000 people turned out to take their sips. More here.

We've written about Zen Green Tea Liqueur, but recently the McClatchy-Tribune News Service had their say on the matter. Read more and check out the recipe for a Zen-tini here.

While undertaking research for a project I've been working on, I ran across some unearthly teas, including Cardassian red leaf, Pyrellian ginger and more. Don't rush out looking for them, since they only exist in the world of Star Trek. More here.

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