Billy Corgan is proving to be a man of many talents these days, with the latest news that the Smashing Pumpkins frontman is planning a tea house in Highland Park, Chicago. Corgan lives in the area and told the Web site that he decided to pursue the venture because there’s a “lack of culture for someone in their 30s or 40s.”

A lease has already been signed and the opening is planned for March or April. The tea house will offer lectures, cultural programs, rotating exhibits and teas from around the world. In other words, it’ll be the anti-Starbucks, which Corgan called “cookie-cutter culture.”

“I don’t want to hang out with those people,” Corgan told Eater. Corgan says he won’t be running the day-to-day operations of the business.

CNN Go, By Eddy Chin, Jan 2012

Go to Hangzhou’s Longjing Village in spring or summer to pick dragon well tea alongside local villagers

If Marco Polo had traipsed through Hangzhou in a single day, he probably would’ve left the city remembering three things – West Lake, beautiful women, and dragon well tea (龙井茶). Fast forward about 800 odd years and that still holds true.

One of the most prized and expensive teas in China, dragon well green tea has a light yet unmistakable fragrance and calming taste.

Known locally as Longjing, the best harvests are traditionally reserved for government officials and the wealthy elite. And the best way to laugh in their faces and cop free samples of the stuff is to skip the storefronts and teahouses and head straight to the source — Hangzhou’s Longjing Village (龙井村).

Drink Longjing tea in the garden that was favored by Emperor Qianlong.

Longjing Imperial Tea Garden (老龙井御茶园)

The most famous tea garden in the village is Longjing Imperial.

Located at the rear of the village, the tea garden is surrounded by incredibly idyllic terraces roamed by straw-hatted harvesters who pick each leaf by hand.

The grandiosely named garden is something of an out-of-the-way tourist spot, but that in no way diminishes the sheer beauty and tranquility of the place.

The compound covers a tranquil Jiangnan-style (south of Yangtze River) garden, a restaurant serving dishes cooked with Longjing  tea leaves, indoor and outdoor teahouses, and a namesake well.

More on CNNGo: The 5-minute Hangzhou guide

Legend has it that the land occupied by Longjing Imperial was one of Qianlong’s favorite stops on his several trips to Jiangnan, and the Qing Emperor even planted 18 tea trees on the hill by himself.

Great tea, even better garden

Upon entering the garden, you’ll find yourself at the foot of the hill into which the entire garden has been landscaped.

The outdoor space is flanked by a giant teapot and a pair of traditional-style buildings looming overhead, stone stairways crisscrossing upwards and beckoning the visitor to ascend further.

Once inside, you’ll find the grounds very thoughtfully laid-out, with narrow stone paths twisting alongside creeks and under traditional wooden walkways. All of these are amidst heavily forested environs that make visitors feel as if they’re wandering through somebody’s private hideaway.

The origin of Longjing tea‘s name, the dragon well, is near the entrance. Although this is not the exact well the green tea was named after — the tea took the name of the whole village — the resort uses the spring water from the well to irrigate its renowned tea leaves.

More on CNNGo: Longjing Manor: Hangzhou’s most famous restaurant

Grassy terraces set with tea tables made of lacquered tree trunks sit adjacent to small teahouses and the garden’s tiny museum, which displays photos showing the company receiving high-ranking officials.

Follow the paths back as they wind up steps and into bucolic tea plantations that just simply scream to get lost in.

My first visit to the garden was actually in the late evening, with the trees, narrow stairways, and secluded tombs and pavilions subtly illuminated by carefully placed nighttime lighting.

It left such a deep impression on me that I ended up returning six years later to celebrate my wedding there. A lazy afternoon’s visit certainly won’t disappoint.

A walk throughout the garden takes about 30 minutes.

Make yourself a cup of tea from scratch in Longjing Village.

Picking tea leaves at Longjing Village

To head home with some fine green leaves, you can buy Longjing tea directly from any of the villagers, who will try their best to lure you into their homes.

Prime tea harvest season is generally from late March to end of summer, with the March/April harvest fetching upwards of RMB 6,000 per kilo.

The other option is simply plucking the tea leaves yourself.

There are two ways to do this: either join a tour of Longjing with tea-picking included (the cost for an English-speaking private tour guide is around RMB 800 per day) or simply climb up into one of the surrounding plantations and politely ask one of the tea farmers if you can pick alongside them.

More on CNNGo: 12 secrets from a kung fu tea master

If you’re lucky enough, you may even be invited back to the plantation owner’s home to watch how the tea leaves are prepared by hand, a practice that takes years to perfect.

Getting there from downtown Hangzhou:

By bus: from the bus stop on Tiyuchang Lu (体育场路) in front of the post office just east of Wulin Square (武林广场), take No. 28 bus to Qu Yuan Feng He stop(曲院风荷站); walk south a few meters to the Yu Quan stop (玉泉站); transfer to No. 27 bus and ride to Longjing Cha Shi stop(龙井茶室站); walk west to the last fork in road, turn right and go to the end to find the tea garden.

By taxi: fares from downtown should be about RMB 35-45.

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times to visit.

From Shanghai: catch the high-speed train to Hangzhou from Hongqiao Railway Station, take taxi or B2(区间) bus to Wulin Square, then follow previous directions.

Longjing Imperial Tea Garden (老龙井御茶园)
148 Longjing Lu
龙井路148号
+86 571 8798 0905, +86 571 8796 0843
8:30 a.m.- later
Latest reservation for dinner is 7 p.m.
Admission: RMB 10

A little more than a decade ago, two Iraqi American siblings were vacationing at the Grand Canyon when they decided to create a tea company that prized art and social justice. Today, Numi Organic Tea in Oakland is the leading brand importer of fair-trade certified teas in the United States.

For co-founder Ahmed Rahim, the desire to build a people-focused company came out of his experience as a child growing up in Cleveland, the son of Iraqi immigrants. For Reem Rahim, his sister and co-founder, a near-fatal car accident as a college student studying biomedical engineering led her to embrace what she really loved – art. And so it was that the two came up with the idea to start a business named after the dried lime tea they had drunk as children, Numi.

“We’re not really businesspeople,” said Ahmed Rahim, 43, who at the time of that fateful vacation had just returned home from living in Europe, where he managed tea houses in Prague and studied film in Paris.

The tea company they crafted in 1999 was focused on offering organic, premium quality tea leaves without flavorings. There’s no Earl Grey in their selection, or fruity herbal drinks, which Ahmed Rahim said are largely produced by spraying on natural and artificial flavors.

Growing movement

Over the years, Numi Organic Tea has become known in the tea marketplace for its business practices, despite the emergence of other high-end tea brands.

“When we started, there wasn’t much talk of fair trade. The movement has grown as we’ve grown,” said Ahmed Rahim. “So, it’s been easier for us to incorporate these principles into our business because we did it starting with a smaller scale. Doing it the other way around, when you’re bigger, is much tougher.”

Recently, news of a breakup between Fair Trade USA and Fair Trade International has created controversy, with critics arguing it could result in a watering down of regulations. Fair Trade USA, however, said the move could enable greater impact, as they change guidelines to allow for fair trade with large-scale farms and estates.

Brian Durkee, vice president of operations at Numi, said it’s far too early to determine what the move will mean.

“People who are more involved in the details recognize that it’s not a watering down,” he said. “The bottom line is that it’s trying to increase the amount of suppliers who can get certified as opposed to decrease the requirements of the certification,” he said.

Tea is still a small component in the world of fair trade, Durkee said. Last year, the United States purchased more than 110 million pounds of fair-trade coffee and only 1.8 million pounds of fair-trade tea.

For Numi, fair trade has become a critical component of the business.

Time with workers

Durkee, who has been with the Rahims for eight years, said the company works with several fair-trade organizations to ensure they’re reaching as many people as possible. His job includes visiting remote parts of rural China, Africa and India, spending mornings hitching a ride in the back of a truck and randomly surveying 100 workers for hours in the field as they pluck tea leaves. Workers have seen their wages increase by 20 percent, he said, once their employers go organic and fair-trade.

“You can’t go to your suppliers with a stick and demand low cost and expect them to be socially or environmentally conscious. So, we don’t go just for the cheapest option. We’re looking for good quality, a fair price, along with social and environmental impact,” Durkee said. “My job as a supply chain expert is to take on that challenge.”

That knowledge of their suppliers is reflected in the packaging, which showcases the farmers they work with.

Reem Rahim, 45, who spent months testing patterns for the boxes, ultimately decided on spiritual designs, a sharp contrast to loud branding labels. The aim, she said, was to remind customers of the soothing effect of tea and the art of drinking tea.

Prefer to pair your food with refreshing tea rather than heady wine? Enter the Golden Dragon in Chennai, India.

Pairing wine with European and even Indian food is fairly common at many restaurants today, but Golden Dragon, the Chinese fine-dining restaurant at the Taj Coromandel, Chennai, likes to do things a little differently. Besides a glass of red or white, it also specialises in pairing food with tea, seen by many as a healthier option. Its tea bar has long been the focus of the restaurant, but until now the brew has never really been paired with the food. Now, with 14 different teas on offer, diners can look forward to more than just the popular Jasmine in Chinese tea.

A range of tea variants is got by infusing natural flavours of fruits and flowers through the process of steeping.

FRAGRANT COMPANY

A minute or two after the green and white tea with flavours of peach and chamomile was placed on the table, its sweet fruity fragrance filled the air. It made the earthy spinach dimsum feel light and complemented it perfectly.

The Chun tea with citrus and Ginseng tasted less sweet but was just as fragrant. This well suited the delightfully light Crackling Spinach with Candied Walnuts that was served next. A never-ending stream of starters appeared on our table — water chestnuts and Chinese bread tossed in Kung Pao sauce; stir-fried mushrooms; and the beautifully presented Song of the Dragon, a dish of chicken or baby potatoes fried with potent, dried red chillies and served in a white ceramic pot said to contain the dragon song. Thankfully, there was the smooth, slightly sweet and wonderfully aromatic green tea with Madagascar vanilla flower to punctuate the spicy sauces and chilli in these dishes.

MAIN COURSE MUST-HAVES

The main course was fairly simple with rice steamed in woven bamboo containers, crunchy French beans with pickled Chinese vegetables, tender chicken in hot garlic sauce and perfectly cooked duck in sweet bean sauce. The accompanying floral oolong tea did not have any distinct aromatic notes but the smoky, full-bodied Monkey Pick tea complemented the woodiness of the bamboo rice. The silver needle tea or Dancing Tea, so named because the leaves “dance” from the top to the bottom of the pot, was too light to make any impression.

As was the Fortune Ball with Lotus, an elegant tea served at celebrations, as the opening of the dried flower is said to bring good luck to all who witness it. The flower opened prettily when dropped in the pot of water but did not add more than a hint of floral aroma. The aromatic white tea, on the other hand, was medium-bodied and a lovely pink in colour with notes of peaches and tangy raspberry.

PU-ERH DELIGHT

A pot of Pu-erh then arrived and, while I pondered how to pronounce it right, dessert was brought in.

A smooth, chocolate-filled dimsum garnished with slivered almonds made me forget about pretty much everything else, but the earthy yet slightly sea-like aroma of the Pu-erh forced its way into my chocolate coma. The Pu-erh is celebrated as a dieter’s dream with mysterious slimming properties. Grown on hills near the Yunnan coast, it is infused with a slightly fishy depth.

It is full-bodied with a rounded taste, making it a great accompaniment to the Malai Gao, a roulade made with sponge cake and red bean paste.

The tea tasting menu was well prepared and researched, making for a satisfying and educational experience.

Have a good one…

Taipei: The final of an inaugural cross-strait tea competition took place Sunday in Chiayi City, where some of the country’s best tea is grown, with teas from both Taiwan and China each showing specific strengths.

Based on the evaluation of five judges — two teas from China and three teas from Taiwan - Taiwan had the most varieties enter the final of the high-mountain tea category, for teas grown in areas with altitudes over 1,000 meters. But Chinese varieties dominated the tieguanyin category. Tieguanyin is a type of oolong tea.

Co-organized by two tea associations from Alishan in Taiwan and Xiamen in China, the winter tea final came after two preliminary rounds were held in the two countries on Dec. 1. It also marked the first time that China-grown tea leaves had competed in Taiwan.

The competition was part of Chiayi County’s efforts to further promote Alishan tea in China, where it is already one of the favorite Taiwanese souvenirs, said Wu Jung-hui, secretary-general of the Chiayi County government.

(By Chiang Chun-liang and Kendra Lin)

Taiwanese bubble tea is the world’s 25th most delicious drink, according to a ranking of the world’s top 50 drinks posted on the CNN travel website. The list, unveiled Saturday, was topped by plain water, Coca-Cola, and Ethiopian coffee. Taiwan’s bubble tea drew attention for its variety and the popular chewy “pearls” made of tapioca.

“More bubble than tea, this is a tea-slash-milk-slash-fruit drink and its most famous variety includes chewy ‘pearls,’ resembling oversized frogspawn, at the bottom that you suck up with an oversized straw,” CNN said of the drink. “It sounds weird, but it has become a favorite drink snack among Asia’s millions of young shoppers,” CNN added.

Water was chosen as the most delicious drink because “as the base of every other drink on this list, of every food in the world and indeed of all life, nothing beats a glass of pure, unsullied water for its thirst-quenching, revitalizing, life-giving properties.”

Filling out the top 10 on the list was beer (global), tea (global), air mata kucing (or longan drink) from Malaysia, American orange juice, red wine (global), gin and tonic (England) and hot chocolate with marshmallows (U.S.).

Japanese sake was ranked 15th and white wine (global) finished 18th.

(By Hsiao Chien-yun and Sofia Wu)

Guwahati: Tea Research Association, the oldest and largest of its kind in the country, at Tocklai in Assam has played a pioneering role in tea research leading to pathbreaking initiatives subsequently adopted by the industry.

The research organisation, which began its existence as the Tocklai Experimental Station in 1911, concluded its year-long centenary celebrations on November 22 by holding a World Tea Science Congress inaugurated by former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

TRA Director Mridul Hazarika said the research station had launched a decade-long scientific effort to give something unique to the tea industry and undertaken research in several non-conventional areas along with conventional research.

The research institute has emerged as one of the major biotechnology research institutes of tea in the world.
A major centenary highlight of the TRA was launching of a tea based non-carbonated soft drink promoted as a health drink along with Plant Growth Promoting Microbes to be made commercially available to the tea industry.

Hazarika pointed out that the significant results of tea research by the organisation had led to release of 30 Tocklai Vegetative (TV) clones, 14 biclonal seed stocks and 151 region-specific garden series clones to the tea industry.

Hazarika claimed it was due to the efforts of the TRA that the industry introduced extended pruning cycle in lieu of annual prune for higher productivity and better distribution of crop.

Optimisation of plant population, new techniques of bringing up young tea, reducing the gestation period from planting to full bearing, land planning, drainage and balance manuring for higher productivity and soil Amendment techniques have been some of the highlights of tea research initiated by the TRA.

Research by the TRA also established the necessity for a light canopy of shade for tea plantations in the plains of Northeast, Hazarika pointed out.

The TRA has also successfully invented several tea machinery adopted by tea gardens, like the MacTear Rotorvane, Borbora Continuous Leaf Conditioner, Continuous Tray Drier, Continuous Fermenting Machine, Borua Continuous Roller, Tea Breaker-cum-Stalk Separator, Green Leaf Storage Device, Continuous Withering Machine Electronic Monitoring and Control System for Withering.

Another major contribution of the organisation has been in the field of safer pesticides for effective pest and weed control, with emphasis on integrated pest management and generation of data on pesticide residues in tea from multi-locational supervised field trials.

The TRA has also successfully introduced bioagents – Trichoderma and Bacillus for control of certain tea diseases and their formulation for commercial application.

Thais enjoy little more than a strong coffee made the traditional way and are happy to sip their java juice at coffee shops, at home and in the office. Today though, many in Thai society are turning to English tea as their preferred tipple.

Tea is nothing new in this country, but lounging around a tea garden for a balmy afternoon tea over Earl Grey and cucumber sandwiches has never been a much-cultivated practice in Thailand unless you come from an aristocratic clan with a proper English education.

But Twinings of London, with its 300 years of expertise, believes the concept of English afternoon tea along the lines of its creator Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, will go down well with Thais. So last week the leading English tea brand launched its first Twinings Tea Garden at The Nine Centre, Bangkok’s newest semi-outdoor lifestyle mall.

The tea garden is quintessentially British – with vintage decor, a white octagonal garden pavilion, classic furniture, top-quality tea and table accessories, plus such British icons as a classic red telephone box and big teddy bears dressed in the Great British Guardsman costumes.

Tea lovers have plenty of English tea blends from which to choose. There’s the 1706 blend in the original flavour and aroma created 300 years ago. Then, there’s Mulled Spice tea, which is blended especially for this year’s Winter Edition by scenting black tea with special aromas of cinnamon and cloves. Then, of course, there’s Earl Grey, which is light, fragrant and with a distinctive bergamot flavour. Tea lovers should also not miss the English Breakfast tea, which is full-bodied and full of flavour due to the robust blend of the finest Assam and Kenyan leaves.

Twinings will serve baked delicacies by chefs from Le Cordon Bleu, including soft scones with mango jam and macaroons, almond cookies with a touch of Britain.

The tea garden is the brainchild of Piyapong Chitchumnong, Twinings’ business unit manager at the AB Food & Beverages (Thailand).

“The widespread popularity of Twinings teas across England dates to 1666. To commemorate Twinings as part of English tea heritage, we have created the “1706 blend” of finest teas from various sources.

“In Thailand, tea drinking is regarded as a very interesting social culture. Twinings has therefore created this tea garden to give tea lovers a lovely place where they can take full pleasure in a cup of fine tea in a London ambience. Besides, profits from the Tea Garden will go to the Chaipattana Foundation to celebrate HM the King’s 84th birthday.

A glance at Twining tea heritage.

1662

Tea was officially introduced to England by the young Portuguese wife of Charles II, Catherine of Braganza. She served it to her aristocratic friends at the Royal Court and soon tea became the fashionable drink of the day.

1701

Thomas Twining takes a job working for a wealthy merchant handling the first shipments of tea to English shores from around the world.

1706

Thomas Twining opens the first Twinings shop on London’s Strand.

1784

By the time of his death, Thomas Twining was serving customers with royal connections. Hs son, Daniel, was the first Twining to export tea.

1837

Queen Victoria granted Twinings its first Royal Warrant for tea – she appointed Twinings as supplier of teas to her household.

1901

Twinings develops the recipe for its English breakfast blend.

1904

Twinings opens its first Paris shop

The American Tea Masters Association proudly announces its special upcoming Certified Tea Sommelier Course – conducted entirely in Spanish.  This course will be conducted January 21 - January 24, 2012 (inclusive), in San Diego, California.  Diego Morlachetti, Certified Tea Master and Executive Director of the Escuela de Te inArgentina, will teach this course.

Chas Kroll, Executive Director of American Tea Masters Association and Certified Tea Master announced, “This course is a great opportunity for Spanish-speaking people in the USA who wish to take their passion for tea and its health benefits to a professional level.  There has been so much interest in the US, that for the first time, ATMA is offering the course in Spanish.”

The Certified Tea Sommelier Course is suited to restaurant and tea court owners and managers, wine sommeliers, tea aficionados, industry suppliers, and others who wish to incorporate tea mastery skills into their personal or professional lives.

Margo Seymour, owner of the Denver Tea Room in Colorado, became a Certified Tea Master in 2010 and opened her shop.

Now she confidently knows her teas as well as how to best market her tea room.  Seymour expects that her business in 2012 will double that of 2011.

“I bring out trays of 30 teas and sniffing boxes.  Scent will lead them to a tea they like,” says Seymour.

As the profession expands there is growing demand for Certified Tea Sommeliers.  Respected hotels, traditional and modern tea rooms, high-end restaurants, and teashops, create an important base for a professional tea sommelier.

The Certified Tea Sommelier Course provides a thorough foundation for those interested in managing the tea service, including:  vendor selection, creating tea menus, seasonal tea rotation, managing guest preferences, and providing accurate background information on myriad teas.

The course starts with a 4-day intensive training at the Liberty Station Courtyard by Marriott.  This is followed by home study utilizing online tutorials led by Morlachetti between February and September 2012.

About American Tea Masters Association:

Founded in 2007, the American Tea Masters Association promotes education among individuals aspiring to achieve excellence in the world of premium-grade specialty teas.

The association’s prestigious Certified Tea Master™ designation is awarded following completion of the Tea Mastery Certification Course™, to deserving Tea Masters and Tea Sommeliers dedicated to promoting the experience of quality, loose-leaf specialty teas grown around the world.

Further information is available at www.TeaMasters.org

About Escuela Argentina de Te:

Headquartered in Rosario, Argentina, the school is licensed and accredited by American Tea Masters Association.  Launched in June 2010 by Diego Morlachetti, a Certified Tea Master of American Tea Masters Association.  The school is responsible for training and certifying Spanish speaking registrants residing in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Spain.  Additional information is available at www.EscuelaDeTe.org.

Media Contact:
Catherine Milsom
(954) 600 5250 Central Time
Milsom@att.net
Se habla espanol.

SOURCE American Tea Masters Association

Mighty Leaf Tea is my most favorite tea, mostly because the flavors are incredible and interesting. I’ve had them on my top ten list for years, but I never knew they did anything besides tea.

Turns out they also have a very clever travel mug specifically for tea users, which they were kind enough to send me to review. Putting tea in a normal travel mug isn’t that great—there’s no easy way to get the bag out, so the tea brews too long and ends up tasting bitter. If you do pull the bag out, there’s no easy place to put it and you end up making a mess.

The TeaTop Brew Travel Mugis the first travel mug specifically made for tea I’ve ever tried, and it is very cool.

What it is: a travel mug designed for use with tea bags.

The good: It’s so clever! Allows you to pull the bag out of the tea once it’s done brewing, but keeps the bag inside the cup so there’s no mess. It also keeps your beverages warm for a long time.

The less good: It’s not spill proof, so don’t turn it upside down or knock it over. It also doesn’t really work with non-Mighty Leaf bags.

How it works: Fold the tea tag in half and slide it through the slot so the bag is underneath the lid. Drop the bag into the cup full of hot water and close the lid (picture 1). Brew your tea for the specified time, then pull on the tag to get the bag out of the water (picture 2). The tea bag stays in the indention in the lid, keeping you from over brewing your tea (picture 3). Genius!

The latest in bizarre dresses has arrived. After paper napkins, newspapers, and even condoms, we now have a dress made of tea bags. This one was made by a 16-year-old from Kuala Lumpur, and she used a whopping 4,000 tea bags to create her masterpiece. She won the top prize at the Green Awards 2011 held in Kuala Lumpur in October.

Suraya Mohd Zairin is a science student from SMK Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam. She says that she chose to make a dress out of tea bags because they were easily available to her. With the help of her friends, she was able to collect the 4,000 bags and then it took her three months to complete the dress. The theme followed by the budding designer was ‘flowers’, because their shapes have always mesmerized her.

Suraya says that people tend to take flowers for granted, and through her dress she wanted to highlight the significance of nature, especially that of flowers. She was the youngest contestant in the category, and never expected to win. Needless to say, she was quite shocked when her name was announced as the winner. The two categories of the award where wildly creative and totally active.

She received RM4000, which is approximately $1,700, along with a trophy, for her efforts.

Still have some last minute gifts to buy in time for the holiday season? Don’t panic – here’s our Holiday Tea Gift Ideas part two!

• Did you miss part one? Click here for more Tea Holiday Gift Ideas 

We’ve spent a long time trawling the internet looking for good tea gifts. Before we make our latest suggestions, we thought we’d give a special mention to MightyLeaf Tea, whose range of tea gifts just about blew us away! They have such an extensive range that they’ve compiled a list of their Top 20 Tea Gifts. If you can’t find something there…

Adagio Tea Loose Leaf Holiday Tea Collection

Every year, just in time for the holidays, Adagio offers loose flavored black teas with a seasonal theme. Sure to instill the spirit of the season and bring a welcome warmth to the growing cold, the Adagio Holiday Tea Collection make the perfect gift for your friends and loved ones, as well as a great indulgence to savor for yourself.

But these are only available for until the end of December, so make sure that you stock your stockings full!

Price: $9.00

The Tea Farm’s Tea Gift Basket

This Hawaiian style Tea Gift Basket is presented in a custom Lauhaula Basket (10″x10″x4″) and includes a maroon glass teapot, can of 4.5oz Mauna Loa macadamia dry roasted nuts, two small 0.5oz packs of macadamis nut with Maui Onion & Garlic flavor and Ghirardelli chocolate flavor, and of course The Tea Farm’s quality best selling tea:

(2 oz) Jasmine Dragon Pearl, (2 oz) Lichee Tea, (2 oz) White Peony and (2 oz) Oolong rose tea

Price: $40.00

Tea From Taiwan’s Splendor Tea Gift Set

Looking for the perfect gift for the tea lover on your list? Look no further! Here are two of Tea From Taiwan’s best-selling teas packed in an attractive gift box.

The Splendor Tea Pack has two canisters of their most popular tea - Tsuei Luan and Shi Zuo. They are representative teas of the top two tea regions of Taiwan – Ali Shan (Mount Ali) and Li Shan (Pear Mountain).

Price: $47.50

MightyLeaf Tea’s Holiday Tea Box

The Abaca Holiday Tea Box makes the perfect eco-friendly holiday gift. Handcrafted of tree-free Abaca plant fibers and cogon grass, our sustainable Abaca Holiday Tea Box is fastened with a whittled coconut-shell button.

Each box comes filled with 30 of Mighty Leaf’s whole leaf biodegradable tea pouches that includes the following seasonally festive blends: Organic Breakfast, Bombay Chai, Marrakesh Mint, Organic Hojicha Green Tea, Rainforest Mate and Ginger Twist.

Price: $24.95

Tea Gift Certificates

It’s definitely easier when you don’t have to choose gifts! If you’ve still not found anything to inspire you, why not let your loved one decide for themselves by getting a tea gift certificate. Here are some particularly good ones…

• Adagio Teas Gift Certificate

• Silver Leaf Tea Gift Certificate

• Tea From Taiwan Gift Certificate

We hope that you’ve taken some ideas for tea gifts from either Part One or Part Two of our Holiday Tea Gift Ideas. Please have a happy and safe holiday season

The Tea Spot launches the ‘Dessert Tea Sampler‘, a perfect guilt-free tea to match a holiday sweet tooth, any time of day. Perfect as a holiday tea gift, the Dessert Tea Sampler has six gourmet loose leaf teas, spanning the gamut from loose black teas to oolong tea and caffeine-free herbal teas. The Dessert Tea Sampler combines chocolate, caramel, vanilla cream, citrus and bergamot, as well as almonds, coconut and hot spices.

This zero-cal, gluten-free, dessert tea collection includes 6 mini tea tins, filled with handcrafted blends that have notes of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and coconut. The loose leaf teas in the Dessert Tea Sampler are three of The Tea Spot’s signature black teas, one oolong, and two herbals: Chocolate “O”, Creme Caramel, Earl of Grey, Red Rocks, Red Hot Chai, & Coconut Oolong. All six of the teas are handcrafted in Boulder, Colorado.

Click here to buy at The Tea Spot

Chocolate “O” is a certified organic full leaf black tea laced with the purest of chocolate aromas on a delicious malty base, with hints of caramel and honey.

Crème Caramel is an aromatic dessert tea blend of premium black tea with real pieces of gourmet caramel.

Earl of Grey takes traditional Earl Grey to the next level by combining the traditional bergamot flavoring on full leaf black tea then adding other citruses, vanilla, licorice root, and mallow flowers.

Coconut Milky Oolong is a smooth milky hand-rolled Oolong blended with roasted coconut.
Red Rocks is a blend of naturally caffeine-free South African red Rooibos, vanilla, and almond bits.

Red Hot Chai is also a strong naturally caffeine-free South African red Rooibos base spiced with the season’s boldest flavors: red rooibos, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chai spices and a hint of vanilla.

The Dessert Tea Sampler is designed with teas for anytime of day, to go alongside a sophisticated dessert, or in lieu of a sugary indulgence. It is being launched for the holidays, as the perfect tea gift for gourmet tea lovers and anyone looking for a healthy, sweet holiday treat. The Tea Spot’s Dessert Tea Sampler includes a card with the descriptions & steeping suggestions for each of the teas. The net weight of the teas in the set is 4.0 oz, and the collection of six teas retails for $26.95. It is available exclusively at The Tea Spot’s online tea store at theteaspot.com.

ABOUT THE TEA SPOT: The Tea Spot is a for-profit philanthropic business producing handcrafted loose leaf teas and Steepware® – the tools that make loose tea easy. The Boulder, Colorado-based woman owned and operated company was founded by Maria Uspenski in 2004. A cancer survivor drawn to the health benefits of leaf tea during her recovery, she set forth to modernize the loose leaf tea experience. Her message is simple and powerful: tea in its freshest form renders incredible flavor, unmatched health benefits, and is eco-friendly. The Tea Spot is a Certified B Corporation and ensures that its products uphold clean, sustainable and fair manufacturing standards. The company’s model of social entrepreneurship incorporates a culture of giving as it grows: ten percent of every sale made is donated in-kind to cancer and community wellness programs.

A battle between Unilever and an Amsterdam-based non-governmental group over the rights of workers on tea plantations in India and Kenya shows the difficulties facing multinational companies that are trying to ensure their products are ethically produced.

But doing so is tricky. First, what does sustainability constitute exactly? Does it comprise basic worker rights and environmental protections? Or should it mean that workers on tea plantations in India and Kenya, poor countries, should be extended the same working conditions as most Europeans and Americans? And who makes sure these companies –often not owned by the multinationals but local suppliers–abide by the standards?

The Netherlands-based Center for Research on Multinational Corporations, in an October report, claimed the existing system of checks and balances has failed to stop abuses of workers on Unilever’s Kenyan estate, including sexual harassment and poor housing conditions.

In India – where Unilever buys tea from producers in Assam and Tamil Nadu, but does not own the estates – the report claims workers are kept permanently on rolling short-term contracts, denying them health and pension benefits, and are often exposed to dangerous pesticides while working.

Unilever, in its response to the report, says the center has failed to produce evidence to back claims made about its Kenyan operations. The company said it would look in to allegations of abuses at the Indian suppliers if given specific information.

At the crux of such battles is a debate about whether the move to sustainable production is a real attempt to improve conditions for workers in poor parts of the world or a kind of “green-washing” carried out by multinational companies under intense pressure from customers in Europe and the U.S.

In reality, it’s probably a bit of both. Companies, for sure, have a real interest in managing their brand image, which means not buying from people that exploit workers. But at the same time, they have to watch their bottom lines and produce enough to meet demand for their product, which they say would be impossible if moving overnight to apply Western-style standards uniformly across emerging market economies.

The balance between certifying adequate quantities of sustainable product – of tea, or other products like wood and palm oil – and keeping to strict standards is a tough one to negotiate. The Forest Stewardship Council, which makes sure the paper in your novel is from sustainable sources, got caught out in 2007 and had to change its rules when one of Indonesia’s most controversial paper producers got an FSC certification.

Sometimes it’s difficult to know what is sustainable. Take palm oil, used in products like margarine and cosmetics, which is grown on plantations that have led to the destruction of massive area of natural rainforest in Indonesia and Malaysia. The red palm oil fruit is collected from hundres of small plantations and processed at refineries, making it difficult to know whether the end product is sustainable.

Unilever, one of the world’s largest buyers of palm oil, has been instrumental in developing the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a group of suppliers, NGOs and producers. But progress toward the RSPO’s goal of sustainability by 2015 has been slow, with lack of clarity on how to ensure a product meets “green” standards.

In theory, tea should be easier to track. But Unilever’s response to the latest report by the Center for Research on Multinational Corporations highlights the difficulties.

The company said it relies on regular, independent audits of its tea plantations by the Rainforest Alliance, a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental group, which has improved rights for workers. Unilever says it has spent €1.2 million on housing upgrades at its estate in Kericho, Kenya, which it claims offers workers among the best conditions in the East African tea industry.

Rainforest Alliance carries out audits for a number of companies according to social and environmental standards set by the Sustainable Agriculture Network, a coalition of leading global conservation groups. During the process, auditors should be allowed to go where they like and meet workers without management presence.

“Attempting to undermine public trust in the Rainforest Alliance scheme is not a responsible approach to addressing these issues,” Unilever said in response to the report.

The center, known by its Dutch acronym as SOMO, retorts that the Rainforest Alliance auditing process is deeply flawed, based on short visits and not deep investigation.

The report points out instances when management at the Kenyan estate tried to cover up housing problems ahead of auditor arrivals.

The center says women who have faced sexual harassment are scared to come forward given their lack of belief in the oversight process.

In India, the report claims that many workers are employed by tea suppliers to Unilever on short-term contracts that offer them no benefits, an effort to cut costs after a crisis in the Indian tea industry a decade ago.

In Assam, as many as 50% of workers in the tea industry are on short contracts, meaning they don’t get benefits, the report says.

Unilever says that tea production is seasonal and defends its use of contract workers with “clearly defined rights” as a usual practice.

The report acknowledges that use of contract workers doesn’t break national or international labor laws. But it argues that heavy reliance on these kinds of workers, who are sometimes employed for decades on rolling short-term contracts, goes against Sustainable Agriculture Network standards that lay down equal benefits to workers for the same kind of work.

You can follow Mr. Wright on Twitter @TomWrightAsia.

Tea got a new ambassador, when former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said that the brew can be the official drink of India on Tuesday.

Even as the chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi declared tea as the State Drink, Kalam said that on the basis of the size of its consumers tea can be declared the national drink of India. Kalam was inaugurating the three-day World Tea Science Congress at Tocklai Experimental Station (TES), Jorhat, Assam.

Over 51% of India’s tea and 13% of global production comes from Assam. The tea industry in the state is a source of about five lakh permanent employment and five lakh seasonal workers. Another 10 lakh are dependent on it for employment and services.

Gogoi said that declaring tea as the state drink would help increase its value and promote Assam tea as a brand. “Moreover, my government will persist with its effort to secure the recognition of tea as our National Drink,” said Gogoi.

On the occasion Dr Kalam released a number of souvenirs, a documentary titled ‘Young at 100′ directed by Charukamal Hazarika, a tea table book titled, “Tocklai and Tea” and a tea soft drink at the function.

Giving his inaugural address and presenting a blueprint for the tea industry, Kalam proposed formation of tea cooperatives so as to address the problems of the small tea planters and their workers.

In order to boost the industry and give it a global edge the former President also stressed on diversification and development of value-added products such as medicinal tea, organic tea and flavoured tea.

Envisaging a leading role for TES in tea research and helping the tea industry develop a futuristic vision, Kalam suggested it to be named ‘Tocklai Research Centre.’

Kalam further advocated for genetically modified varieties of tea to protect the crops from pests, instead of use of chemical pesticides. He also said that a multi-dimensional research will help tea occupy the world market with its exotic products.

Promising state government’s support to the tea industry, Gogoi thanked Kalam for supporting the call to grant national drink status to the beverage. While urging the industry to follow the roadmap presented by Kalam, the chief minister said the industry need to diversify, prepare for the changing business environment worldwide, upgrade the skills of the workforce and carry out research on the impact of climatic changes on the tea industry.

Tea Research Association chairman D P Maheshwari said the organisation had acquired world class infrastructure for the station and formed a corpus fund of Rs 6 crore for setting up centenary chairs from the Rs 20-crore grant given by the centre to the organisation on Tocklai’s centenary.

The Turkish tea industry aims to make Turkish tea a world brand by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, and, to this end, a workshop held last week in Rize, a Turkish province known for its tea, brought representatives from the tea industry together with bureaucrats and officials from the government in a three-day brainstorming session on how to build a world brand.

The Turkish tea brand needs quite a bit of brainstorming because Turkey, in spite of being the fifth biggest producer of tea in the world with a production of around 200,000 tons of tea a year, exports only 1 percent of its total production. Turkey aims to produce at least 10 world brands by 2023, one of them being “Turkish tea.”

Minister of Customs and Trade Hayati Yazıcı, who was one of the speakers in the workshop, believes that Turkish tea, especially organic Turkish tea, has the potential to be developed into a world brand.

The reason Yazıcı focused on organic tea in particular is simple. As opposed to other tea producing countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, which are situated around the equatorial line, where insecticides need to be used to protect the plant, Turkey’s tea gardens, being situated in the northeast of the country, are naturally protected from harmful insects by cold weather and snow. This means that Turkish tea growers do not need to use insecticides, which makes the plant even healthier.

Even with such an edge, Turkey has much do in the way of organic production. Production of organic tea in Turkey is estimated to be around 500 tons a year, which is only 0.25 percent of the total production. To increase production in this segment, there are plans to build plants to produce organic fertilizer.

But as Minister Yazıcı very appropriately said: “To become an international actor in tea, one needs to first get acquainted with local consumption habits and tastes and align them with local tastes.” This is where a problem seems to arise because tea is losing ground against coffee at home. Coffee has come to be perceived as a prestigious beverage, while the Turkish population has no such feelings about tea, which is claimed to be healthier than coffee, although, people still drink more tea than coffee.

Faced with a question on why a coffee cup needed to be included in a concert ad an eminent Turkish firm had given to a newspaper a few years ago, the person in charge of public relations replied, “Because coffee is a sign of modernity.”

The cause lies mainly with coffee chains, which seem to have mushroomed in big cities in recent years. Young and old alike enjoy getting together with friends at coffee houses that provide a cozy and chic atmosphere where they can have a quality drink at a reasonable price. In people’s minds, coffee has come to be identified with these coffee shops and this is exactly what tea lacks in Turkey.

The only thing tea can be identified with is the traditional kahvehane (“coffee house:” in Ottoman times coffee was the traditional beverage, as Turkey began producing tea in 1938) which is no match for the new coffee house. A survey conducted with the participation of over 800 students at the University of Rize demonstrates that students who grew up in big cities are less inclined to drink tea than those who were raised in small towns and villages. “The tea industry needs to take this into consideration,” Associate Professor Ali Rıza Saklı from the university’s management department told Today’s Zaman.

Hamit Vanlı, an associate professor teaching at the faculty of economics and administrative sciences at Maltepe University, who, like Vanlı worked for many years at the General Directorate of Tea (Çaykur) and made a presentation at the workshop in Rize, concedes that tea has gradually lost prestige to coffee in recent years.

“To be able to step into the international market, we first need to properly organize our own. Tea houses like that of Çaykur’s in İstanbul need to be opened in other cities, and not only one kind of black tea, but a large selection of various teas should be offered at these tea houses. Unfortunately, tea has fallen behind in this area,” he told Today’s Zaman. The Çaykur tea house Vanlı refers to is a relatively recent development, opened in March this year, and it is one of the very few examples of its kind, whereas the number of coffee houses, local and international, is around 500.

Like Yazıcı, Saklı, believes that the fact that no insecticides are used is a great asset for Turkish tea. Noting that people consume green tea mainly for health reasons, he said: “We should try to make use of this strong point in the production of organic tea. The European consumer would prefer Turkish green tea, but we must increase our number of tea varieties in accordance with consumer demands in Europe.”

But Cemal Alpaslan Karakan, general manager of Doğuş Çay, one of Turkey’s leading tea companies, does not agree. He does not find the organic option a viable course of action because of the currently limited production of organic tea. It is not enough to avoid using pesticides for tea to be labeled organic, it must also be fertilized organically, which is not the case for most Turkish tea. “So what if Turkey exports several hundred tons of organic tea? That’s nothing. Turkey should aim for much bigger amounts,” Karakan maintains.

He strongly believes that for Turkish tea to become an international brand, some of the tea plants need to be replaced, which would allow for a higher-quality tea yield. “The replacement could start with the 10 percent of each tea garden, and another 5-10 percent could be replaced the following year,” Karakan states. Otherwise, the only way to build a brand is blending Turkish tea with teas from other countries, he claims.

Allowing tea plantations at places with an altitude higher than 1,000 meters, currently considered forest area thus not open to agriculture, would be another way to produce high-quality tea, which is in high demand around the world. One of the obstacles in exporting Turkish tea is that the whole yield is blended together regardless of quality. So, high- and low-quality teas are packaged together. “We could start with teas growing at an altitude of 700-800 hundred meters and process and package them separately,” says Saklı.

In order for Turkish tea to become an international brand, Saklı believes, Turkish tea should be presented with the culture behind it. So, he suggests drawing inspiration from the elegant coffee cups of Ottoman times, saying we should produce equally beautiful tea cups. In addition to the traditional Turkish tea glasses, this might prove to be an effective way of reaching high-class circles, he claims.

Tea is, after water, the most widely consumed beverage in Turkey, as well as in the rest of the world. In Turkey, 96 percent of the population drinks tea every day. Turkey ranks in the top five countries with the highest consumption of tea, sometimes being given first place for per capita consumption, while other studies place it in third or fourth place with a yearly consumption of three kilos per capita. Turkey is the fifth biggest producer of tea, with a production of around 200 thousand tons a year, and is accepted as the third biggest tea market in the world, with a yearly market volume of TL 2.25 billion.

It is almost inconceivable for most in Turkey to start the day without a glass, not a cup as in most countries, of hot black tea, but Turkey has been relatively unsuccessful in exporting its tea. Only a small amount has managed to sell abroad, which is not all that “abroad,” because the majority of the consumers in those markets, such as Europe, are actually Turks living there.

There are many issues, such as taste and quality, that have to be dealt with if “Turkish tea” is to become an internationally known brand. Turkish tea has a peculiar taste to it and is not known for its high quality because tea plantations have not been properly taken care of.

The Turkish tea industry expects a new tea code to properly regulate the industry. Without such a code, it feels wronged by unjust competition in the domestic market and illegal tea entering Turkey, which is claimed to be as much as 40,000 -50,000 tons a year.

Karakan’s words regarding the lack of tea houses is quite significant as far as tea firms in Turkey are concerned: “That’s a major shortcoming on our part. The industry has always struggled with problems. That’s why we have not been able to take any action.”

Two European travelers examining green tea products at a tea shop in Beijing

The Chinese are gradually losing the traditional tea-drinking habit in favor of coffee, largely because of the length of time it takes to brew a decent cup, experts say.

“I prefer coffee to tea,” said Wang Yan, a 25-year-old downtown girl in Beijing. “Drinking coffee refreshes me and makes me feel chic.”

The history of Chinese tea is a long and gradual story of refinement. The original idea is credited to the legendary Emperor Shennong, who is said to have lived about 5,000 years ago. One summer day in 2737 BC, while visiting a distant part of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. During the break, his servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and became infused. Being of a scientific nature, the emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it tasty.

Thereafter, tea and China developed an extremely close relationship, with a culture springing up alongside its consumption based on a combination of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist traditions.

After thousands of years of the development of the tea industry, China has become the No 1 tea maker, producing 1.47 million tons in 2010, up from 1.36 million tons in 2009, according to the China Tea Association. Per capita consumption was 0.7 million tons. It exports tea to more than 120 countries and regions and imports tea from more than 50 countries and regions.

“Drinking tea is a kind of pastime leisure, but daily work and life is getting faster and more stressful in China, which makes the two activities contradictory,” said Liu Zhonghua, deputy director at the China Tea Association, speaking at the 2011 International Tea Convention and Trade Fair in Hangzhou.

Mao Limin, a tea expert, said: “Tea is a very healthy but more and more younger Chinese are cutting back their consumption.”

Paul Higgins, a tea specialist with the Canadian Mother Parkers Tea and Coffee Inc, said: “While Chinese tea consumption is dropping, interestingly, Western countries are drinking more tea for its health benefits.”

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the British drink 1.89 kilos each a year, more than twice the 0.82 kilos consumed per capita in China.

Marco Berton, the president of the Italian Tea Council said at the tea convention: “Although Italy is a ‘coffee country’ more people are turning to tea, especially green tea and Oolong tea from China.”

Liu added: “One way to increase tea consumption in China is to improve tea bag production instead of using traditional tea leaves in order to cope with the fast pace of life.” He also said another approach is to develop crossovers in the industry, such as introducing new tea products which have low caffeine levels or can be used in the beauty and pharmaceutical sectors. There is already a tea-flavored toothpaste.

“We have introduced specialty teas to Canadians. They love them and are enjoying more and more green tea because of the health benefits,” said Louise Roberge, president of the Canadian Tea Council.

“I don’t like focusing too much on introducing new technologies or products into traditional Chinese teas,” said Yang Ruiling, managing vice-president of the Hecheng Investment and Development Group Co Ltd in Southwest China’s Yunnan province. “How relaxing it will be if one just slows down, enjoys a cup of tea, tries to reach a balance or an inner peace after a hard and busy day.”

City Channel of CRI Online, Nov 18 2011

I enjoy tea multiple times a day, and I just started getting into drinking delicious loose teas. My boyfriend brought me home from Florida some amazing loose tea blends from a store called Teavana. However, my tea ball broke.

This is a great, quick, and easy way to make a disposable tea bag for my loose tea leaves. It takes only a matter of minutes, and are perfect for single serve tea’s. The best thing is that it is made from coffee filters which is always in our house.

Once you complete this you will have a cute teabag, which mimics the shape of a Lipton Teabag, and filled with your own personal tea leaves! Enjoy your tea

Step 1: Materials

What you need:

Loose Tea Leaves

Coffee filter

Scissor

Staple

Extra: String

Step 2: Cutting the Coffee Filter

Start by cutting two sides off of the coffee filter. This should give you a rectangular shape.

Start by cutting a small amount off the sides and testing the loose teas. I have cut the width of one too many tea bags too small and did not have proper room for the tea leaves.

Step 3: Add in your tea leaves

Now, take the proper amount of tea leaves and spoon them into the center of the cut filter paper. Spread the leaves out along the length of the paper, leaving space along the edges.

Make sure to leave a space in the center of the paper with no tea leaves. This space is where the tea bag will be folded in half in the next step.

Next, fold the two cut sides in towards the middle of the bag evenly. You may need to move some of the loose tea a bit to properly fold the bag. Try and overlap the two folds. If they are overlapped a bit, when they expand in the hot water the tea bags wont open and release all the loose tea into your water.

Step 4: Final fold and Staple

Fold the tea bag in half along the center line of empty space you made. Fold the tea bag so that the folded sides are on the inside of the fold.

Finally, make a small fold at the top of the open filter. Then fold the excess top of the filter down and staple.

If you want, before you staple the fold down you can add a string to the tea bag. If you do not have string handy, just place the tea bag as is in your tea cup and fish it out with your spoon when you are ready to remove it.

The world’s most expensive cup of tea is packed with cancer-fighting elements, but it’s not without a stomach-turning catch — the tea leaves get a boost from panda feces.

Wildlife expert An Yashi is launching the special blend of green tea, which could cost up to $36,000 per pound, Australia’s SBC.com reported.

Yashi, a college lecturer at Sinchuan University, said using panda excrement to fertilize the tea plants has a health-promoting upside because it contains nutrients from one of the bear’s favorite meals — bamboo.

“Pandas have a very poor digestive system and only absorb about 30 percent of everything they eat: that means their excrement is rich in fibers and nutrients,” said Yashi, noting that those nutrients make their way into the tea through the fertilization process.

“Just like green tea, bamboo contains an element that can prevent cancer — and enhance green tea’s anti-cancer effects — if it is used as fertilizer for the tea.”

Yashi, who collects the dung at a panda breeding center in southern China, said he hopes the tea will snag him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records once it’s released.

But he’s not the first to use feces to fertilize tea plants. Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee, is made from droppings of the Indonesian civet cat.

A website showcasing thousands of varieties of tea and tea-related products has been relaunched. Tea Selector offers visitors a convenient way to browse the whole world of tea.

“We’re excited about this new website” said Tea Selector’s Richard Fray. “We’ve spent a long time researching thousands of products and we think we’ve put together a simple way to compare the baffling number of teas now on the market.”

Tea Selector breaks products down into categories which include Loose Leaf Tea, Teabags, Tea Samplers, Iced Tea and Bubble Tea, with many sub-categories so you can really target what you’re looking for. You can also search for famous and not-so-famous tea brand, as well as explore the worlds of tea wares and accessories, tea gift baskets, gourmet tea foods, tea books and more.

“It’s the perfect website for anyone interested in tea. Not only can tea drinkers find their preferred tea products and compare prices at different retailers, but we also have information about how to make tea, the history of tea and recommended tea websites” said Fray. ”There’s something for everyone, so we hope you browse through the many different tea categories and enjoy”.

Tea Selector Navigation:

• Home
• About
• How To Buy Tea
• How To Make Tea
• Tea History
• Tea Varieties
• Recommended Links
• Contact

• LOOSE LEAF TEA
  • Loose Leaf Green Tea
  • Loose Leaf Black Tea
  • Loose Leaf Oolong Tea
  • Loose Leaf White Tea
  • Loose Leaf Pu-erh Tea
  • Pu-erh Tea Cakes & Bricks
  • Loose Leaf Flavored Tea
  • Loose Leaf Blooming Tea
  • Loose Leaf Chai Tea
  • Loose Leaf Herbal Tea
  • Loose Leaf Decaf Tea
• TEABAGS
  • Green Tea Teabags
  • Black Tea Teabags
  • Oolong Tea Teabags
  • White Tea Teabags
  • Pu-erh Tea Teabags
  • Flavored Tea Teabags
  • Chai Tea Teabags
  • Herbal Tea Teabags
  • Decaf Tea Teabags
• TEA SAMPLERS
  • Loose Leaf Samplers
  • Teabag Samplers
  • Tea of the Month
• ICED TEA
  • Ready to Drink Bottles
  • Ready to Drink Cans
  • Iced Tea Mixes
  • Iced Tea Teabags
• BUBBLE TEA
  • Bubble Tea Mix
  • Bubble Tea Kit
  • Bubble Tea Tapioca
  • Bubble Tea Straws
• FAMOUS TEA BRANDS
  • Adagio Teas
  • Art of Tea
  • Ashby’s Tea
  • Barry’s Tea
  • Bigelow Tea
  • Celestial Seasonings
  • Choice Tea
  • Frontier Tea
  • Generation Tea
  • Harney & Sons Tea
  • Heavenly Tea Leaves
  • Ito En Tea
  • Lipton Tea
  • Mighty Leaf Tea
  • Newman’s Own Tea
  • Numi Tea
  • PG Tips
  • Republic of Tea
  • Revolution Tea
  • Rishi Tea
  • SerendipiTea
  • Stash Tea
  • Tazo Tea
  • Teas Etc
  • Teavana Tea
  • Tetley Tea
  • The TeaSpot
  • Traditional Medicinals
  • Triple Leaf Tea
  • Twinings Tea
  • Typhoo Tea
  • Yogi Tea
  • Yorkshire Tea
• TEA GIFT BASKETS
• GOURMET TEA FOODS
  • Tea Candy
  • Tea Chewing Gum
  • Tea Mints
  • Tea Chocolate
  • Tea Sweets, Cookies
  • Tea Rice Cakes
  • Jams & Preserves
  • Green Tea Oil
  • Tea Flavored Soup
  • Tea Flavored Seaweed
  • Tea Flavored Noodles
• TEAWARES
  • Tea Pots
  • Teapot Trivets
  • Teapot Warmers
  • Tea Cozies
  • Tea Sets
  • Tea-for-One Sets
  • Tea Cups
  • Tea Mugs
  • Tea Glasses
  • Matcha Bowls
  • Traditional Kettles
  • Electric Kettles
  • Tea Makers
  • Iced Tea Machines
  • Tea Pitchers
  • Tea Storage
  • Tea Filter Bags
  • Tea Bag Coasters
  • Tea Strainers
  • Tea Tools
  • Teaware Brands
• TEA BOOKS
  • Tea Ceremony, Culture
  • Tea House, Business
  • Cooking with Tea
  • Tea Parties
• TEA GIFTS

Source: Tea Selector
Website: www.teaselector.com

Here’s a deal we had to tell you about right away. Newman from Teas Etc has emailed with a very special offer for Tea News Direct readers. It’s Beth’s birthday, so everything at Teas Etc is 30% off off until Monday 21 November 2011. That includes their whole tea range as well as all tea wares. You’ve only got a couple of days so act now!

Not only that, but if you’re in the continental USA, you’ll get free shipping on orders of $60 or more.

Use promo code BIRTHDAY at checkout and click Apply to activate your discount.

Sale Starts: Friday, November 18 at 12.00 Midnight. Sale Ends: Monday, November 21 at 11.59pm EST

For full details, click here

There can be no better gift to give than the gift of tea. There are some really great ideas for tea gifts this holiday season, and we’ve trawled through them all to bring you our recommendations. This is part one of a two part special. Here is Holiday Tea Gift Ideas part two.

Here are some tea gifts to delight any tea lover this holiday season.

Golden Moon Tea has a great range of tea gifts. Here’s our favorite:

Tea Taster’s Sampler

Someone you know will no doubt savor this treasure chest of Golden Moon Tea’s 31 best-selling premium teas. They call them Monologues – single-servings carefully packaged and labeled with their name, description, and serving instructions.

Packaged in a beautiful Pandan Leaf Sampler gift box. Perfect as a remarkable but inexpensive gift.

Price: $29.95

Teatulia’s gift box makes for a substantial and classy gift:

Tea Gift Box

A variety of Teatulia teas and herbal infusions in a beautiful, handcrafted tea chest made from reclaimed Rocky Mountain pine. Each chest contains a 2oz variety of loose leaf teas such as Black, Green, White, Earl of Bengal, Peppermint Herbal and award winning lemongrass herbal. This is a high quality tea chest filled with great tea; a really special gift

Price: $75.00

ThePuriTea has some very nice tea gifts. This is a particularly good choice:

Tea Starter Kit

They’ve included their most popular products into one affordable package. The set consists of ThePuriTea’s Personal PushTop Teapot (24oz), four sampler sets of the tea of your choice and a Double Layer Glass Cup.

It makes a for an attractive and practical holiday gift, and inexpensive, too – it’s exceptional value.

Price: $25.00

Art of Tea has a wonderful range of tea gifts, perhaps the best we found. It was hard to pick one out:

Complete Matcha Set

Ceremonial matcha 30 gram tin, matcha whisk, container, bamboo scoop and ceremonial matcha bowl, all of the highest quality. Reviews include ”You must get this set.  The matcha bowl is a great piece.” and ”My friend was completely bowled over. I did the right thing to choose this gift for a tea lover. Art Of Tea has the best tea gifts. I’ll be coming back for more.”

Price: $97.00

And this is a really neat idea. Make any tea into a gift with Tea District’s clever gift packing range, eg.:

Gift Bag Tote

A unique, two-compartment jute gourmet bag with separator and bamboo cane handle.  Order with your tea selections and they’ll prepare it for your gift recipient. The gift bag tote will arrive as shown in the image. If you’d like a special note to the recipient enclosed with the gift, just include this in the comments section at checkout. These bags are durable, eco-friendly, sustainable and reusable!

Price: $7.50, plus price of tea

Still don’t know what to get for that special tea gift? Make it easy on yourself! Buy the tea lover in your life a tea gift certificate from California Tea House. All you have to do is select the amount and you’re done!

Price: $ Your Choice

Hopefully this will give you some ideas for the perfect tea gift this holiday season. If it hasn’t, look out for part two of  Tea News Direct’s Holiday Tea Gift Ideas…

Best-selling black spiced tea blend is back for the holidays at online tea retailer The Tea Spot. With customers calling months in advance to confirm its return, Tea Specialist Bo Olson prepares new batches of this unique spice tea to launch this week.

The Tea Spot’s Holiday Spice Tea is back in time for the holidays. This is a limited-edition loose tea blend of black tea with orange peel and aromatic holiday spices. The aroma is reminiscent of mulled cider and cinnamon hard candy. It will be available from The Tea Spot in a decorative tin throughout the holiday season, while this limited-time microblend remains in stock.

The Tea Spot’s Tea Specialist, Bo Olson, said “Seasonal changes always offer us a chance to reach out to our customers in new ways, and we cherish the opportunity. We strive year-round to create unique, palate-pleasing blends for a variety of tea drinkers, always keeping in mind the reviews (both good and bad) our customers return to us. Their input is invaluable and their tastes are our primary concern, and we feel lucky to include their feedback in every cup of tea. We hope our blend loving fans will rejoice at the return of our Holiday Tea this fall season.”

With Autumn in full swing, Holiday Spice Tea is a natural choice to steep this season, and perfect to pair with favorite fall recipes. The complementary spices in this cinnamon tea blend are citrus peel and clove oil, which is pleasantly noticeable but not overpowering. Rich layers of orange notes, cinnamon and clove give the black tea base a signature taste and aroma. As a special occasion drink, the Holiday Spice works well at Thanksgiving or Christmas, when the cold nip in the air makes hot spiced tea a welcome aroma to fill the home.

Olson added, “Nothing serves to remind us of the holidays quite like the aroma and flavor of this tea. Its strong cinnamon notes and slightly sweet black tea base make it an exceptional cup to pair with a cold morning or an evening fire. It takes incredibly well to milk, brews strong and compliments the season’s charm with every sip. When I brewed myself a cup of this season’s first batch, it felt as though the holidays had really begun-and that’s a feeling we hope to bring to each of our customers.”

ABOUT THE TEA SPOT: The Tea Spot is a for-profit philanthropic business producing handcrafted loose leaf teas and Steepware® – the tools that make loose tea easy. The Boulder, Colorado-based woman owned and operated company was founded by Maria Uspenski in 2004. A cancer survivor drawn to the health benefits of leaf tea during her recovery, she set forth to modernize the loose-leaf tea experience. Her message is simple and powerful: tea in its freshest form renders incredible flavor, unmatched health benefits, and is eco-friendly. The Tea Spot is a Certified B Corporation and ensures that its products uphold clean, sustainable and fair manufacturing standards. The company’s model of social entrepreneurship incorporates a culture of giving as it grows: ten percent of every sale made is donated in-kind to cancer and community wellness programs.

More information at: The Tea Spot

Fifteen years ago the Lam family business picked up a consignment of aged tea from a defunct Hong Kong restaurant. Its value has since risen by a factor of 10,000, as the Lams have found themselves part of a boom that is both investment fad and cultural obsession.

“It’s like magic,” managing director Sam Lam told AFP as he prepared tea according to the Chinese ritual, pouring boiling water through rough leaves and then into tiny cups to drink, and spoke of the profits to be made.

The tea is pu erh, a dark tea that is fermented after drying and whose taste mellows with age. Its history is thought to date back between one and two thousand years, with legends of growers in mountainous Yunnan province ferociously guarding their cultivation secrets.

Over the past 20 years prices for aged pu erh have rocketed, while China has encouraged renewed development of a luxury tea culture which parallels that of wine — partly as a source of national pride in a home-grown high-end product.

With over 70,000 tea businesses in mainland China, skilled buyers must taste tea in order to assess its quality, which only increases pu erh’s mystique and sociability.

“You can tell from the aftertaste, the smoothness,” says Lam, pouring out cups with practised hands. The tea is sold in pressed round “cakes”, wrapped in paper printed with bold designs that reflect the vintage of each one.

Lam’s father set up the business, Lam Kie Yuen, after moving to Hong Kong from the war-torn mainland in 1949.

But the pair say it is only since the mid-nineties that the market for luxury pu erh — also, in its less refined forms, a staple of cheap restaurants — has exploded, with middle-class investors joining the wealthy to buy it up.

The Lams are now selling tea from the 1930 to 1950 era for up to HK$200,000 (over $25,000) per 345-gram (12.2 ounce) cake, having bought much of it in cheap truckloads from dim sum restaurants that closed down.

“Growth slowed during the economic downturn, but it’s still ongoing,” said Sam Lam. “As the price is rising, people are buying it less to drink, and more to collect and invest.”

But luxury pu erh is not just bought to lay aside; it is identified with proud, ancient aspects of Chinese culture, in contrast with the cheap “made in China” goods that have spurred the country’s economic rise.

In Hong Kong’s hectic Mong Kok district, fashionably dressed young men gather at a calm tea house for lessons from qualified tea master Eliza Liu.

“It’s like a drug — I’m addicted now,” said student Ngan Kan Shing, 21. “By discovering tea I feel that I’ve learned about China.”

He has been coming to classes for six years, but says: “I still only know the basics.”

The group examines the colour of each cup of tea before sniffing and then slurping it in respectful silence, as Liu talks them through the value of the aged tea.

Grown before artificial pesticides and dried naturally rather than at a high temperature, it has a paler colour and a smoother taste.

“Good tea is produced at higher altitude, and also depends on climate,” says Liu. “In Yunnan, they say a tea tree can experience all four seasons in one day.”

The tea is served from small fine china tea sets, used with a tray that drains off excess water. The first cup of each brew is not drunk, as it is used to clean dust or residue from the leaves. After that, a good tea should taste different with every cup, say experts.

According to China’s state-run Global Times, one batch of top pu erh sold at auction for $250 per gram in 2002, while rare Da Hong Pao oolong can also rival such prices.

But Liu and tea professor Yip Man, who taught her the art, are sceptical of the eye-popping prices paid for some teas, preferring to emphasise tea’s longtime role in Chinese medicine and thought.

“Tea has a philosophy behind it, and it’s about health. Tea has been very commercialised, but a cheaper tea may also be as good (as an expensive one),” said Yip.

“The philosophy is about harmony, bringing people together, peace within the self.”

The price of pu erh is acknowledged to be boosted by a tight supply, and sceptics argue that investors buying aged pu erh may be made to look foolish as China’s newly affluent drinkers move on to fresh fashions like Phoenix Oolong.

However Lam says that although the astonishing growth of the last two decades may not be sustained, pu erh is still a good investment.

He said a buyer of a good, inexpensive pu erh — at, say, HK$100 ($13) a cake — now could expect to make a 10 percent return in a year. “But you have to choose the right tea,” he said.

Luxury tea houses springing up in London and Sydney indicate China might succeed in exporting its high-end tea culture. And Liu and her students feel meanwhile that they are tapping into much more than a fad.

Student Ngan is evangelical about pu erh. “Before learning about tea, a lot of my friends believed the stereotype that tea is for old people. But now I think they’re changing their minds,” he said.

When Seth Goldman, TeaEO and co-founder of Honest Tea, visited the tea garden in central China that would supply the leaves for his organic tea, he was puzzled by its remote location. Locals explained that the organic garden, located across a river with no bridge, was better served cut off from vehicles that could pollute it.

“That’s when I got it,” Goldman says. “What I saw as a problem, the lack of a bridge, was already a solution to another problem, that of pollution.”

Several years earlier, Goldman had seen another problem. An avid athlete, he found his post-workout beverage options were either sugary sports drinks and soda or watery drinks without much flavor.

Knowing that if he wanted something different he’d have to make it himself, Goldman and co-founder Barry Nalebuff brewed the first batches of Honest Tea in Goldman’s kitchen. Goldman brought the drinks to a Fresh Fields Market (now owned by Whole Foods) representative in five Thermoses and a Snapple bottle with a mocked-up label. The grocery company placed an order for 15,000 bottles on the spot.

Mere months after that first order, Honest Tea became the best-selling tea in the grocery chain’s 17 stores in the local metro area. This led to a problem in search of a solution: distribution.

Cheese, corned beef, charcoal…and tea?
Traditional beverage distributors didn’t think the not-so-sweet tea would be able to compete with the sugary bottled teas available at the time, and declined to distribute them. So Goldman and Nalebuff got creative.

First, they worked with a cheese distributor who serviced the gourmet stores. Then, to access a local bagel shop they had targeted, Goldman and Nalebuff approached a corned beef distributor with a relationship to the store. To deliver to supermarkets, they worked with a charcoal distributor. Eventually, the tea became visible in more outlets, and traditional beverage distributors came calling. That brought another challenge.

From the beginning, Honest Tea has been run as an environmentally and socially responsible company, with a strong commitment to healthy living. The founders quickly understood that beverage distributors didn’t exactly share their cause. “No matter how much commitment we have to sustainable fair trade,” Goldman says, “we had to deal with traditional bottlers with different priorities.”

The little tea that changed an industry
Distribution became easier when Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) took a minority share in the company in 2008, eventually acquiring the entire company in 2011. But the sale brought other challenges, including how Honest Tea could remain committed to sustainability and healthy living while working hand in hand with a conglomerate not known for either. But Goldman says Coca-Cola has committed to Honest Tea’s mission, and is incorporating it into many of its own business practices.

It’s just one way that the ripple of Honest Tea has caused large waves. Dr Pepper Snapple (NYSE: DPS ) has taken note of the popularity of Honest Tea’s teas with less sugar and fewer calories, and is slowly decreasing the sugar content in its Snapple teas, as well as in its sodas. Kraft (NYSE: KFT ) is following suit, lowering the sugar content of its children’s drink, Capri Sun, by 25%.

Honest Tea was also the first to offer organic and Fair Trade Certified teas — offerings that are now commonplace among competitors such as Hain Celestial (Nasdaq: HAIN ) .

Thinking outside the bottle
It would be enough just to make a product that customers love, but the team at Honest Tea doesn’t content easily. The company is leading the charge in full calorie disclosure on labels (rather than just per serving, which can be misleading), minimal packaging designs, creative grass-roots marketing, and, of course, delicious tea. From 1998, when the tea was first brewed in Goldman’s kitchen, to today, when the products are bottled in organic certified Coca-Cola facilities, this company is challenging the way people drink and its competitors operate.

Honestly, that’s a good thing.

From the steamy, subtropical lowlands of Xishuangbanna (“shee-shwang-bah-na”), to the crisp highlands of the Tibetan plateau, China’s Yunnan province has been a link between tea growers and drinkers for more than 1,200 years.

Years ago, tea growers and horse traders met in markets along Yunnan’s Tea-Horse Road, an old trade route also called the South Silk Road, between Xishuangbanna and Tibet. Today, you can travel the ancient route and find remnants of the caravan road in old market squares, patches of cobbled lane and still-thriving tea plantations.

Trace the ancient Tea-Horse Road by beginning where, in theory, it all starts: with the tea trees in southern Yunnan. Then move northwest along the old route until you reach Zhongdian, or Shangri-La, which is one of the last stops in China before the Tibet Autonomous Region and is nearly 10,000ft higher than Xishuangbanna. Most towns are populated by ethnic minorities who played individual roles in the tea-horse trade, such as growers and middlemen. Today, many of these minorities still dress in their traditional clothing and speak dialects far removed from Mandarin. Interacting with them is a highlight of any trip to Yunnan.

Here is a breakdown of some of the villages and sites along the way:

Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna prefecture encompasses the subtropical lowlands of Yunnan. Its rolling hills are spotted with small Dai villages surrounded by acres and acres of tea. This is the land of Pu’er, a particularly favoured tea that is fermented and shaped into bricks or pancakes for easy transport by mule.

Dali
Dali Old City sits at 4,000ft, with vertical peaks rising behind it like a green screen. A major conduit market town on the route, Dali is the cradle of Bai civilization and you will notice their signature whitewashed buildings with flower-painted borders. This ethnic minority group acted as middlemen between tea growers from Xishuangbanna and horse traders from Tibet.

Shaxi
The climb continues to Shaxi, another major trading hub designated as a Unesco World Heritage site. Cobbled streets, old horse stalls and small courtyard guesthouses that were once used for muleteers are all being preserved in Shaxi as it prepares for tourism. It is one of the most intact and beautiful sites along the Tea-Horse Road, with its market square framed by a performance stage and powerful statues guarding a temple; the square is still used by locals in the evenings for traditional dancing.

Lijiang
Traders rarely made the entire journey along the Tea-Horse Road, instead trading goods at markets along the way. Lijiang, also on the Unesco World Heritage List, was one such town. It is a stunning place if you can get past the theme park-feel and the crowds of tourists. But with its ancient canal system filled with rushing water from the snow-topped peaks in the distance, topped by arched stone and wood bridges, and reflecting moody red lanterns in the evening, Lijiang’s personality is difficult to resist.

Zhongdian/Shangri-La
What is still locally known as Zhongdian (or, in Tibetan, Gyeltang) was officially changed to Shangri-La in 2001. At nearly 10,000ft in elevation, Zhongdian swirls with the smell of wood and coal smoke permeating its cold, dry air. Here, ruddy-faced Tibetans stand out from the Han Chinese, as does their architecture: square, three-storey homes with bright scrollwork trimming them. Tea is mixed with yak butter for a high-calorie drink in this shivery climate.

Just outside the old city is the Songzanlin Monastery, a golden, multi-storied complex where Tibetan Buddhist monks make clockwise circles outside, and juniper smoke and Tibetan prayer flags burst against the blue sky.

We’ve been searching for special offers again, and here’s what we’ve found for November 2011…

15% off all tea at Art of Tea + a free sample of Santa’s Little Helper

David Oliver from Art of Tea has emailed with two very special offers for Tea News Direct readers. Art of Tea is one of our favorite tea vendors, with high quality teas at good prices, so we’ll be taking advantage of these special offers ourselves…

Enter Coupon Code: SANTA15

Free shipping for orders over $50 + get a $5 Art of Tea gift certificate for next time

These discounts from Art of Tea will be available for the rest of 2011, so there’s plenty of time to find the right tea and get that holiday gift for a fellow tea lover.

Enter Coupon Code: MERRY50

10% off all products plus free shipping at California Tea House

Great news! Will from California Tea House has emailed with a special Thanksgiving offer.

California Tea House is offering Tea News Direct readers 10% off all products plus free shipping, until 11/30/2011.

At checkout, just enter coupon code: THANKFUL10

25% off Kabusecha Plum Tea at American Tea Room

A 25% discount is excellent value for a tea of this quality. Kabusecha is a rare, shade-grown Japanese green tea that is typically reserved for special occasions and visitors in Japan. For Kabusecha Plum, American Tea Room have combined the sweet, oceanic taste of this rare tea with sweet plum.

Normal Price: $33.80 - Sale Price $25.35

37.5% off Premium Teabags at Generation Tea

Generation Tea produce some of the best teabags in the world. Using their exclusive loose leaf Oolong, Pu-erh and White teas, they’ve created top quality teabags. They were already at a great price of $8 for a box of 18, so an extra 37.5% off  is truly outstanding value!

Normal Price: $8.00

Sale Price: $5.00

20% off Teatulia 100% Organic Green Tea Pyramid Bags

Teatulia is named for the region in Northern Bangladesh where the tea is grown. Teatulia Organic Teas reflect the pristine and delicate environment from which they hail.

This premium green tea is medium-bodied with earthy and grassy notes. A light finish with a refreshing cooling quality.

Use Promo Code: gr2011

20% off three green teas at The Tea Spot

Great offer from The Tea Spot. Buy these three great green teas and get 20% off the bundle.

- Thin Mint Green
- Meditative Mind
- Boulder Blues

We hope you take advantage of one or more of these great deals. We’ll have more for you soon…