Archive for January, 2010
Celebrate Hot Tea Month with 25% off at Teas, Etc!
Posted by Admin in General Tea News, Tea Product News on January 23rd, 2010
Teas Etc, established in 1998, by Beth Johnston, is amongst the very best online tea stores in the US, so this is a great opportunity for those who appreciate quality tea. Teas Etc are running a National Hot Tea Month Sale, 25% off everything, with free shipping on orders of $60 or more (after the 25% discount has been applied, continental USA only).
But don’t hesitate – this special runs only until TODAY, Monday, January 25, 2010… so get in right now!
Green Tree Offers Great Tea Staples
Posted by Admin in General Tea News, Tea Industry News, Tea Product News on January 19th, 2010
Tea News Direct Exclusive Review
We’ve recently tried a few offerings from Green Tree Coffee & Tea and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of their teas. They’ve got a classic range of loose leaf teas with fine examples of many of the great tea staples from China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Their loose teas are available in bulk or by the pound. They have an attractive range of teabags, again available in bulk or smaller quantities, and great pyramid tea sachets.
Green Tree’s Loose Leaf Tea Selection is available at Buy Tea Online and we recommend that you take a look. In particular, their Darjeeling FTGFPO1 Black Tea, one of India’s most famous teas, is a product of genuine character. The Jasmine Pearls are good value, whilst the China Magnolia Oolong Tea is a high-grade tea for a very reasonable price.
The whole Green Tree range is worthy of exploration as they offer many of the world’s famous teas - the standout Chinese green and black teas, Formosa oolong, Assam, Darjeeling and Chai teas from India, Ceylon estate teas, the list goes on. Check them out for yourselves and tell us what you think. We’d love to hear your opinions.
Hugh Jackman – aka Wolverine – to be the face of Lipton Ice Tea
Posted by Admin in General Tea News, Tea Industry News, Tea Product News on January 19th, 2010
The Guardian UK by Mark Sweney
X-Men star signs up with drink firm

Hugh Jackman, the actor most famous as the testosterone-fuelled Wolverine in X-Men, is to show his softer side in a global advertising campaign for Lipton Ice Tea. Jackman, who also played the rugged stockman Drover opposite Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, has signed a three-year deal to front a multimillion-pound campaign, the first he has starred in outside his native Australia.
The European marketing director for Lipton Ice Tea, Francois Bazini, said that it was Jackman's singing and dancing performance as a host at last year's Academy Awards that convinced the company to sign him up. “He has a great personality liked by men and women,” said Bazini. “He is very different from many other actors. He is a true entertainer who can dance, sing and act. We will use all of his skills.”
How to Brew a Perfect Pot of Tea
Posted by Admin in Tea Culture / Ceremony, Tea Industry News on January 19th, 2010
Wall Street Journal By CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN
Long before he co-founded TWG Tea Co. in 2007, Manoj Murjani was an avid tea collector, keeping about 70 different kinds in his home at a time. Mr. Murjani, chairman and chief executive officer of the brand, which is sold in Dean & Deluca stores in the U.S. and Harrods in London, is a purist when it comes making and drinking tea.
When entertaining or dining with his family, Mr. Murjani often brews loose-leaf teas by the pot. He prefers large whole leaves and avoids using tiny tea balls, which he says don’t give the leaves room to unfurl and infuse the water with flavor. Instead, he places about two and a half teaspoons of leaves in a large strainer. “You don’t want the water to be boiling hot,” he says. It could “burn the tea leaves.” After about three minutes—or up to seven minutes for more delicate varieties like white teas—he removes the strainer. He generally avoids adding milk or sugar and feels lemon “overpowers the taste.”
Kenyan Tea Production to Rise Due to Torrential Rains
Posted by Admin in Tea Industry News on January 19th, 2010
Kenyan Tea, Coffee Production to Rise Due to Torrential Rains
Bloomberg.com By Eric Ombok
Kenya, the world’s biggest grower of black tea, may see a 10 percent rise in output of the leaves in January following torrential rains that have fallen since December, said Peter Kegode, an agricultural economist.
Tea and coffee require a lot of water and won’t be washed away because they are deep-rooted, Kegode, an independent economist who advises sugar, dairy and tea industry associations, said in a phone interview from Nairobi today. “There has been above-average rain in tea- and coffee-growing areas. There should be 10 percent increase in tea production,” he said.
Tea production will increase immediately because the leaves are picked daily, Kegode said, while this won’t be the case for coffee as January isn’t its flowering season.
Green tea ‘may block lung cancer’
Posted by Admin in Tea Health Benefits on January 19th, 2010

Drinking green tea may offer some protection against lung cancer, say experts who studied the disease at a medical university in Taiwan. The latest work in more than 500 people adds to growing evidence suggesting the beverage has anti-cancer powers. In the study, smokers and non-smokers who drank at least a cup a day cut their lung cancer risk significantly, a US cancer research conference heard.
The protection was greatest for people carrying certain genes. But cancer experts said the findings did not change the fact that smoking is bad for health.
New Website for Chai Tea Lovers
Posted by Admin in General Tea News, Tea Culture / Ceremony, Tea Industry News, Tea Product News on January 6th, 2010
Tea News Direct Exclusive
A new website has been launched offering “the biggest collection of chai teas on the web.”
Chai Buyer is aimed directly at those looking to buy chai tea, the delicious traditional spicy Indian tea made with milk. The website makes the final selection that much easier for those who already know they want to buy chai tea.
Chai Buyer is divided into simple categories to make browsing for chai tea straightforward. The categories are:
Loose Leaf Chai Tea Blends- Loose Leaf Black Chai Tea
- Loose Leaf Green Chai Tea
- Loose Leaf White Chai Tea
- Loose Leaf Pu-erh Chai Tea
- Loose Leaf Herbal Chai Tea
- Black Chai Teabags
- Green Chai Teabags
- White Chai Teabags
- Herbal Chai Teabags
- Chai Teabag Samplers
- Sugar and Spice…
There’s also an advanced chai tea search facility which allows you to pinpoint exactly what you want using keywords and category filters.
Chai Buyer plans to become the ultimate chai tea source on the internet, and many more chai teas have been identified for inclusion on the site over the coming weeks. Chai tea fans will be able to browse hundreds of products from the best suppliers around the world.
Manufacturers and retailers of chai tea are sought for possible inclusion on the site. For more information, please go to: www.ChaiBuyer.com
Kenya seeks reduction in Pakistan tea import duty
Posted by Admin in General Tea News, Tea Industry News on January 6th, 2010
Business Daily, Kenya By ALLAN ODHIAMBO
Kenya will step up lobbying for a review of the import duty charged on tea by Pakistan to help curb smuggling through the neighbouring Afghanistan.

“There is very little we can do in terms of regulating what volume goes into Afghanistan because its an open market system and everyone has a right to buy from anyone but we have resolved to continue lobbying Pakistan to lower the import duty on tea that enters its market. This will deny smugglers the incentive to engage in the malpractice,” Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) managing director, Sicily Kariuki told Business Daily.
Pakistan currently charges 10 per cent import duty, alongside a 15 per cent sales tax and an additional 10 per cent value-added tax and another two per cent income tax on imported tea. Smugglers charge between 15-20 per cent overall duty on their consignments.
Spiced Orange Tea Recipe
Posted by Admin in Tea Recipes on January 6th, 2010
A Perfect Cup of Tea on a Cold Morning. What better way to warm up than with a cup of hot tea. Emeril’s spiced orange tea will warm you right up. From the kitchen of Emeril Lagasse. Servings: 6-8 – Difficulty: Easy – Cook Time: 1-30 min
Ingredients
Thinly peeled strips of orange peel, about 1/2-inch wide, from 1 orange- 3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, about 6 large oranges
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 small toe of fresh ginger, 1/2 ounce, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Orange Pekoe teabags
- 1/2 cup sugar
Bay Area Teahouses Offer an Exotic Break from Coffee
Posted by Admin in Tea Culture / Ceremony, Tea Houses on January 6th, 2010
Teahouses’ Unique Blends Are Not Just in the Cup
NYTimes.com By GREGORY DICUM
At Om Shan Tea, the air is filled with the clatter of small earthenware teapots, the sound of ethereal gongs and flutes and quiet animated conversation. Tea drinkers cluster on reed stools around low tables surrounded by antiques from tea-drinking lands.
Patrons can choose a Gong Fu presentation, with a stream of different vessels and cups. Oshan Anand, the owner of this year-old teahouse in the Mission district of San Francisco, sits at an antique tea table of dark wood and stone and pours tiny cups of pu-erh, the aged Chinese tea that, like wine, is often known by region and vintage.








