Tea and Friendship Go Hand in Hand

Many of us have that one special person in our life that we can always count on. I am not referring to our spouses or our significant others. I am referring to our best friends. These great friends of ours deserve only the best gifts. They most certainly deserve to receive some wonderful best friend gifts.
You can give best friend gifts for practically any occasion. Give one for a birthday or a holiday; or give one "just because." In fact, the latter reason is the absolute best reason to give gifts. After all, these great friends deserve a gift every day of their lives, just for being who they are.
One wonderful idea for best friend gift is a "Tea for Two" gift basket. In this basket, include a teapot and two teacups and saucers. Include two biscuits (on second thought… including a lot of biscuits! And be sure to include a lot of chocolate, as well! Two good friends can go through these items quite quickly!).
There are some excellent books out there on tea and friendship. To make this best friend gift basket truly special, though, include a book. If you decide to give loose tea, add a tea infuser, as well. Also include sugar cubes, honey, and a great variety of tea.
· "A Cup of Christmas Tea" by Tom Hegg and Warren Hanson
· "The Twelve Teas of Friendship: When Friends are Together, It's Always a Celebration" by Emilie Barnes, et al
· "The Red Hat Society ™: Fun and Friendship After Fifty" by Sue Ellen Cooper
· "Tea and Friendship Journal" by Sandy Lyman Clough
· "The Art of Tea and Friendship: Savoring the Fragrance of Time Together" by Sandy Lynam Clough
· "You're Just My Cup of Tea: Our Friendship Warms My Heart" by Camille Ellerbrook
· "Friendship Teas to Go" by Emilie Barnes and Susan Rios
· "Join Me for Tea: Infusing Friendships with Love and Laughter" by Emilie Barnes
· "Sandy's Tea Society: Delighting in Friendships Steeped in Love" by Sandy Lynam Clough
· "A Little Friendship: A Cup of Tea Together Will Make Us Glad and a Little Friendship is No Small Matter" by Renee Locks
This is just one idea of a great many for gifts for best friends. What you decide to give depends entirely on you and your best friend. The important thing is to give a gift that shows him or her exactly how much you care and how much he or she means to you.
Other great things to give to your best friend are two tickets to sporting events, the symphony, ski resorts, etc. You can also reserve an entire day for your best friend, taking him or her out to dinner, on a hike, to the spa, etc.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on tea and friendship and great gifts, please visit
Distinct Gift Baskets
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Private Label Loose Teas vs Private Label Tea bags

More choices, options, colors and kinds can make any decision difficult. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas, as the number of companies grow, so to does the difficulty. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas. Though this choice may seem relatively simple as there are a growing list of companies that can supply a line of private label teas.

In a rapidly growing tea industry, a variety of companies are looking to expand their product base by adding a line of private label teas.
But now with the rise of Gourmet tea bags, where a high quality loose tea is included in the tea bags, all of the sudden this is a very real, and potentially better option. Though originally the choice was private label loose teas, now many companies are looking to add a line of private label tea bags was far lower than the private label loose teas.
This is where a vast majority of competition is. Either high quality loose teas that are green tea, black tea or oolong tea, or regular tea bags with low quality green tea and black teas in them. For those looking to enter into the tea industry, and have done their research have found that there are a vast number of "standard" teas on the market.

One of the reasons that the market is growing so fast however, is the nearly endless number of possibilities; differentiation. An industry such as tea is rapidly growing, which means the number of competitors is also, rapidly growing; a barrier to entry.
And as non tea drinkers are looking to improve their health, but have been turned away by the bitter taste of green teas, your Private Label Herbal Teas will be their to save them. Also high health benefits of the herbal teas and smooth taste makes them a favorite among tea drinkers as well as chunk of the population, non-tea drinkers. The reason is due to a significantly lower number of competitors and a potentially endless number of herbal blend options.

This is where a high percentage of growth in the tea industry can be found. If a company is interested adding Private Label Loose Teas to their product base, the best option would be to have loose Organic Herbal Teas, and Organic Herbal Tea Blends. But now, we can look at the options.
So if we could mix the two, High quality Loose Tea (either herbal or standard) and the easy use of a tea bag, then this would allow the company to differentiate their product whether using "Standard" teas or unique herbal blends, instead of with loose teas where only the unique herbal blends will allow your Private Label Tea to truly stand out. This is large reason why commercial tea bags have become so popular despite their general low quality. Loose tea takes more time to make, special tea utensils, all of which may not work well in this every day reality. But for any tea drinker, and especially non tea drinker, who lives in the modern day reality of a hustling and bustling business world, loose tea may not be the best option.
And overall, which is best for you ? Which part of the industry do you see fits with not only today's market, but also tomorrow's ? Which part of the industry do you see the most growth and most potential?

This is a very important part of the decision tree when looking to either add a new product to your already established company, or looking to start a company from scratch.

The Perfect Pot of Tea

There is, in fact, an art form and a science to bringing the brew to perfection. The perfect pot of tea is far more than just pouring boiling water over some leaves.
The first step is to fill your tea kettle with cold water. Always use fresh water, and don't rely on old water that has stayed in the kettle from the last time. Turn the kettle on to boil. Make sure your kettle is a stainless steel, non-reactive vessel.
While the kettle is heating, fill your clean teapot with hot water. (Since the polyphenols in tea can go rancid if they are left in the pot, making your tea taste bitter, it's important to wash your teapot thoroughly after each use….unless, of course, you're using a Yixing teapot!)
Essentially, you are pre-heating the teapot, a process which helps keep the tea warm and allows the leaves to open fully. Dry the teapot out after it has been warmed with the hot water.
Pick your pleasure and select the tea leaves you are going to use. In general, use 1 teaspoon of loose tea for each cup, placing the leaves into your infuser. If you're making tea for more than six people, add one extra teaspoon of leaves for the pot.
Bring the teapot to the kettle so that heat is not lost, and then pour the boiling water over the tea leaves in the pot. Use the teapot's lid to hold in the steam and properly steep the tea. For black teas, the proper steeping is three to five minutes.
Allowing the tea leaves to steep for more than five minutes, or pressing or squeezing the wet tea leaves can result in a bitter taste because too many of the polyphenols are released. Stick to the time-honored formula of a teaspoon per cup. You can't make a perfect pot of tea by using poor quality leaves and increasing the amount of time it steeps, or by using more tea and steeping it less time.
Herbal tisanes and green teas require five to ten minutes of steeping.
In England, and for many tea lovers, making tea by the cup instead of in the pot - is improper and taboo.
While you may never earn a perfect 10.0 at the Olympics, or find the absolute perfect match-made-in-heaven, it's easy to make the perfect pot of tea.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lady Dawnya Sasse, is author of the world's first online tea business programs entitled "Start a Tea Business" and "Start A Children's Tea Party Business." To learn more about her online classes and to sign up for her FREE Tea Radio Broadcasts visit her site at
http://www.TeaEvents.com
.
This article may be distributed freely on your website, as long as this entire article, including links and this resource box are unchanged.
Copyright 2005 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved. Tea Events

http://www.TeaEvents.com

Cooking with Green Tea

Green tea has a very distinct flavor that many enjoy and cannot be easily emulated by anything but green tea itself. The other reason would be flavor. In fact most Asian countries have used green tea for cooking purposes for these very reasons.

It lowers cholesterol, is high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Well green tea is filled with a wide array of health benefits. Recently it has become popular to cook with such a thing.
This is why loose leaf tea is generally recommended. The stronger the tea is the more flavor and color will remain in the end product. When you do this keep in mind that you want the green tea to be strong.

This is probably the best way for someone who is experimenting with a recipe or this style of cooking. A very simple way is to substitute the water in a recipe with brewed green tea (at room temperature or as specified by the recipe). So now the big question, "How do I cook with green tea?" Well as I said earlier it's really very easy to do.
You may be surprised to find several already available. Simply go online and search for "green tea" and your favorite recipe. I see new ones popping up every day. You may also just want to look for green tea recipes.
A lot of green tea recipes will ask for green tea powder or matcha. This is ground up green tea leaves. Matcha specifically is ground up Gyokuro leaves and is used for tea ceremony purposes. You will find matcha generally more expensive than green tea powder, which can be made from almost any green tea. However you may find matcha worth the extra price for those specially recipes.
If you have never done it, I recommend buying green tea powder or matcha and trying it on some of your favorite recipes. You will find it amazing how much color and flavor one teaspoon of this stuff can provide.
John Newman is an author for Teanobi.com.
http://www.teanobi.com
Matcha

What are the Essentials of High Quality Loose Leaf Tea?

Critical elements in the process include: Demand for high quality loose leaf tea is experiencing strong growth and for those interested in high quality loose leaf tea is experiencing strong growth and for those interested in high quality loose tea, more information will aid in decision making.
Source of the Tea
Manufacturing Processes
Purchasing, Quality Control and Customer Service
Source of the Tea
All tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis but there is where the similarity between high quality loose leaf tea and other, lesser quality ends. From the time the tea leaves are plucked until the time the consumer tastes the brew, a number of critical events affect the tea experience.
High quality loose leaf teas are carefully selected as only the finest of these rare orthodox teas, which are processed slowly and hand-crafted with extreme care.
Tea, like wine, is harvested and processed into the final product on the grounds of the garden or estate. The taste and quality of any tea varietal depends upon the specific growing conditions. Factors such as altitude, climate, soil, weather, and plucking season all affect the final product.
To produce just one pound of quality loose leaf tea, it takes approximately 3,000 hand plucked leaves. Only the most tender leaves and young buds are selected. After the leaves are picked, the precise art of tea making begins.
Manufacturing Processes
Tea is manufactured by two different processes.
Most ordinary tea is machine processed by the C.T.C. method (crush, tear, curl). The resulting small, broken pieces are used in tea bags or iced tea concentrates. Less than 2% of the world's tea is of superior quality, hand-processed in the classic, time-honored method known as orthodox manufacture.
And, of course, only the finest. Connoisseurs will find no soggy paper tea bags and no trendy herbals from high quality loose tea suppliers; only real tea from the Camellia Sinensis bush. The highest quality loose teas are hand-plucked and meticulously crafted to enhance leaf character, aroma, color, clarity, body, complexity, and above all, flavor.

Whole-leaf varietals retain the subtle nuances of flavor so prized by discriminating palates throughout the centuries. High quality suppliers are dedicated to offering outstanding, whole-leaf teas of the greatest quality and finesse.
Purchasing, Quality Control and Customer Service
Nevertheless, quality tea is easily available through e-commerce outlets on the internet. Most loose leaf teas are not available in retail outlets. Access to high quality loose leaf tea is the final element.
Loose leaf tea is ideally suited to e-commerce because it is light and easy to transport. Increasingly e-commerce over the internet has proven to be an efficient and easy way to purchase quality products and those e-commerce sites that are customer friendly also offer convenient and low cost home delivery.
When evaluating e-commerce sites, the consumer should consider those sites that are interactive, easy to use and offer rich features such as auto shipping, multiple destination shipments, gift shipments and delivery flexibility.
The loose leaf tea experience is all about quality and quality does not end with manufacturing. Those suppliers that are truly dedicated to quality will maintain quality control over each shipment received from the producing tea garden.
Since almost all quality loose leaf tea comes from other countries such as China, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and others, choose a supplier who cups or tastes each shipment before acceptance. This measure of quality control will guarantee consistent quality but most loose leaf tea suppliers skip this important step. Check with a potential supplier to determine their cupping commitment.
Since the purchase of high quality loose tea tends to be a long term relationship, consideration of the needs of the customer and customer satisfaction is paramount. In addition to quality control, customer service is a critical element in the loose tea relationship.
The best suppliers have a culture of customer service, open lines of communication to customer service personnel and solicit feedback from customers as a way to maintain consistent quality.
Golden Moon Tea's website is found at Stout is Chairman of the Board of Golden Moon Tea is a supplier of high quality loose leaf tea and high quality tea ware. Jon M.
http://www.Goldenmoontea.com

Why and How You Should Drink Tea if You Get Headaches, Migraines, and Stress...

But when I see these ads, I think Why? Along with weight loss, cancer fighting, and other cellular benefits curing Headaches and Migraines while reducing stress is among the top advertised. Many people have heard and seen the many advertisements about tea and its various cures and benefits.
After drinking tea for a while, including Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Rooibos, Lemongrass, and a wide listing of organic herbal blends, I have found that I don't really know if I am fighting cancer inside my body. But I do know that tea can greatly help me to balance out a stressful time, and help get rid of and prevent headaches.
Simply drinking tea, especially some of the herbal blends specifically mixed for the occasion, can help with headaches, and you will receive all other benefits from the actual tea itself. But only drinking the tea in itself will not allow you to fully maximize all the potential, especially in regards to headaches and migraines. Because not always, but sometimes, drinking tea is about Drinking Tea.
That is when my tradition comes out. But when I have a headache (from stress, sinus headache, caffeine, or many other reasons), just drinking tea isn't always best. I just drink it.

Cup after cup (Thank you, Tea Stand) I drink with no sense of traditional practice, or religious afterthought. I drink tea all day long.
I don't use special pots, or time honored traditions. There is nothing wrong with them, but I rarely have time for that, and growing up in the United States, there are no time honored tea drinking traditions. I always used tea bags (low quality as they were my only option, and didn't know any better).So now, even though I am closer to tradition, I still do not have time for this. My Headache/Stress tea drinking practice takes less than five minutes. Usually, that is all the time I have (which is mostly why I have the headache in the first place).
I begin with the double chamber gourmet tea bag. High quality loose tea, easy to use tea bag, reusable; three of the reasons why. I rough it up a little to make the tea inside spread out, and then I put the bag into my mug. With the tea bag ready I pour steaming hot water over it. A little bit too hot to drink. When the cup is full, I bob the tea bag in and out of the water for a minute or so, and let it site for a minute (maybe, depending on how strong I want the tea, how many times have I used the tea bag already, etc.) When letting the tea bag sit, I wrap the string around the mug handle and anchoring it with the bead at the end. After the tea is ready, I take the tea bag out of the cup, and hang it on my tea stand. With green teas and Oolong teas, this is especially important. If you leave the tea bag in the cup too long it can get very bitter.
Now that my tea is ready ( a process which took maybe two minutes) I am ready to relieve myself from this nagging headache. With the cup still steaming, I cup my hands around the mug and slowly breath in the steam. Slow, deep breathes. I do this three to five times, or until the tea has cooled down a little so that I can begin drinking it. It is still hot, but I won't burn my tongue or lips if I drink it. Then I take small slurping sips. The hot water is important not only for the steam but also for these first few sips. The hot water slows down your drinking, and also helps to clear out your head. After a couple minutes of this I am generally feeling better.
I am sure that all in this hectic world can appreciate 5 minutes where life is slowed down and especially a tradition that is fast, easy, and that really helps to get alleviate life's little inconveniences; headaches, migraines, and stress. Maybe this 5 minute practice is loosely based on tradition, and doesn't sound too complicated, but it helps me.

Cooking With Tea Gives Holiday Recipes A Healthful Boost

What easier way to reap its benefits than by adding some to your cuisine, especially during the hectic holidays? It provides antioxidants [which prevent damage to cell tissues], has less caffeine than coffee, and calms the soul. It's no secret that tea is good for you.
The ones I like to use are Celestial Seasonings Blueberry Tea, or Lemon Ginger Green Tea," she says. "Infusing vegetables this way adds a delicate flavor to the food. The quickest way to get started is to grab a few teabags and throw them in the water when steaming vegetables, according to Ying Chang Compestine, author of *Cooking With Green Tea* (Avery/Penguin Putnam, 2000). Incorporating tea into your cooking is easy, and you don't have to know a lot to start experimenting.
It just depends on what I'm cooking," she adds. For chicken or fish I use green or white tea. "I have all kinds of tea next to my spice rack.

When using tea in this way, you add the dry tea leaves to the heated oil as you would any other spice or seasoning. "It's also very easy to use tea as a spice when stir frying," says Ying.
Just snip the teabag open and use the tea." "For most cooking, bag tea is much easier. "Don't worry about getting loose tea or knowing about loose teas," Ying advises. Most people have teabags in their cupboards, but may not have full leaf teas.
It's lovely." "One thing I love to do is to cook rice with jasmine green tea," says Donna Fellman, Director of the Tea Education Alliance and author of *Tea Here Now* (Inner Ocean Publishing, 2005) "For a heartier, savory meal use oolong [a tea that is considered in between green and black] to make your rice.
Turn down to a simmer and look forward to the delicate aroma that will soon fill your kitchen. Bring the brewed tea to a boil and add the rice. Remove the spent leaves and set aside to use again later.

Steep about three minutes. Heat the water to almost boiling and pour over the leaves. Put a teaspoon or two of leaves per cup of water in a teapot or other vessel. Donna recommends using loose tea leaves for this recipe.

To prepare rice this way, start by making the tea.
"When I cook with tea I make the brew stronger by adding more tea to it." "Any kind of tea is going to get bitter if you over brew it," says Lenny Martinelli, Owner and Executive Chef of the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House in Colorado. Making tea stronger is not a result of longer steeping. It's important not to over brew tea whether you intend to use it in a recipe or drink it.
Consider serving chai during holiday meals, which naturally lends itself to the season with its cinnamon and clove.
Just play with it." It's important to treat it like an ingredient. You're not trying to make a full tea flavor. "A nice holiday roasted chicken with dried fruit sauce, de-glazing the pan with orange juice and letting the tea and spices come out." He adds, "I think sometimes people expect too much from the tea leaf when they cook with tea.

"I put some green tea leaves in the filling, maybe with some spinach." For a tea-inspired holiday recipe, he creates a chicken rub with spiced black tea, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. The adventurous cook can experiment by combining tea leaves with other vegetables as Lenny does in his potstickers [a type of Chinese dumpling].
What about dessert?
How easy is that? Try Ying's quick green tea ice cream: Stir 1/2 teaspoon of matcha [Japanese powdered green tea] into 1 cup of softened vanilla ice cream and refreeze it. Teas flavored with jasmine, rose, lemon or fruit are used to make cookies, pudding, ice cream, cake, smoothies and shakes.
The tea will prepare you to cook in a mindful way and will infuse your food with that calmness, which gets passed along to your family and guests." "You will get more of tea's health giving and soul nurturing properties. "Make sure that while you're busy preparing delightful holiday food that you take time to sit and enjoy a cup of tea," says Donna. In the end there is nothing like taking time out for yourself so that you can enjoy the holidays.
Lenny Martinelli's cooking classes and other tea events are listed at www.boulderteahouse.com. Donna Fellman and Bodhidharma Tea Company can be reached at 303-402-9576. More information about her and her books is available at www.yingc.com. Ying Chang Compestine is spokesperson for Celestial Seasonings.

Affiliate Programs for the Loose Tea Business

Affiliate Programs are an ideal way for a small or home business to enter the expanding world of loose tea. There are many elements to consider when becoming an affiliate relationship however.
Affiliate programs offer a high return on capital but many affiliate programs are over hyped and a waste of time and money.
One need only make a quick Google search to note the abundance of affiliate marketing programs on the internet. Most are worthless and, unless certain standards and criteria are met, represent a waste of affiliate energy and resources:
1.) A viable product with clear demand in the marketplace. Product pricing must allow for substantial commissions for the affiliate.
2.) A commission and feature rich e-commerce site that encourages easy and accurate ordering.
3.) Marketing support in the form of quality articles and banner advertising.
4.) Accurate and real time reporting of activity and accrual of commissions.
5.) Payment of commissions on time and as agreed.
Loose tea meets all of the product criteria:
• Loose Tea is a growing business with substantial and growing demand.
• Loose Tea is priced right in the market in order to generate substantial commissions.
• Repeat orders are the norm and repeat orders establish a steady flow of commissions.
• There are very few Tea companies with robust affiliate programs.
Affiliate programs are more than an agreement.
There are numerous examples of affiliate programs that fail because of lack of support, training and integrity in payment of commissions.
Align yourself with a tea company that is truly dedicated to an affiliate program as part of their core business. A successful core business affiliate program offers:
Leveraging of website traffic into real dollars.
Earning and receipt of monthly commissions with volume advantages.
Review sales reports 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Advanced reporting.
Monitoring of referred traffic versus actual sales.
Quick and easy enrollment.
If a small or home business wants to leverage its website traffic into revenue and commission dollars, it should align with a tea supplier that offers only quality, good margin products and treats affiliates as true partners.

Loose Tea in the American Marketplace

The American tea market
Traditionally, the marketplace for tea drinkers in the United States has been limited.
Although loose tea was extremely popular in colonial times, the consumption of loose tea gradually changed and recently the American market for tea has been generally confined to iced tea and tea in bags.
Loose tea was introduced to America at the same time of introduction to Europe. As early as 1650 Dutch traders were active in the tea trade and Peter Stuyvesant, as an early governor of the New York colony, brought the first tea to New York. Loose tea was so popular in colonial New York that at one time the small colony consumed more loose tea than all of England. This popularity was equally evident in the other colonies.
America made two unique contributions to the tea world in the form of bagged tea. Gradually however, the American tea market changed.
There is growing resurgence of demand for loose tea in the United States however, driven by a greater awareness of the health benefits and quality of the loose tea experience. As demand increases, new opportunities arise for the entrepreneur who wishes to market and sell loose tea.
How do loose tea and tea bags compare?
Most experts compare loose tea and tea in bags in four ways:
1. Most of the tea that goes into bags in not high quality. Tea bags usually contain broken grades so infusion takes place quickly
2. Whole leaf loose teas come in a larger number of varieties than bagged tea and some higher quality teas are only found in loose offerings
3. Bags are semi-nonbiodegradable additions to biodegradable tea leaves with implications for the environment
Generally speaking, tea bags have historically offered greater convenience although e-commerce now offers tea drinkers the convenience of on line ordering and home delivery 4.
Is loose tea more costly than tea bags?
Many advocates of bagged tea in believe that loose tea costs more than tea in bags. Actually, most good tea is not very expensive and can be very cost effective. When you buy tea in bags, most of what you pay for is the process of putting the teas in the bags, and the brand name advertising. Fancy tea is generally sold loose, and the price per cup is often lower than for commercial bagged tea.
High quality loose leaf tea is typically not available in supermarkets; but a good mail order web site will accept and process orders rapidly and offer the convenience of home delivery. When one considers that most loose teas support multiple infusions the prices drop dramatically. Some truly fine teas retail in the United States retail for less than US$20 per pound, which means less than 10 cents per cup.
E-commerce and affiliate programs
Opportunities for sale of loose tea are particularly attractive when combined with effective e-commerce through affiliate programs.
The affiliate arrangement is a way for a company to sell its products by signing up individuals or companies ("affiliates") who market the company's products for a commission.
Affiliate programs afford a small entrepreneur the ability to leverage the website of the tea manufacturer through their own affiliate site. Through this technique the affiliate can minimize their investment and maximize their return. An affiliate relationship is established by agreement between the affiliate and the manufacturer whereby each party benefits.
Most good affiliate programs share a number of characteristics: The affiliate must be provided with marketing support, account feedback and prompt payment of earned commissions. There is more to an affiliate relationship than a simple agreement however.
• Real-time reporting statistics
• Real-time email alerts upon each sale
• Payment on a consistent monthly basis for initial and repeat orders
• High price-point products that are easy to sell and allow for substantial affiliate commissions
• A comprehensive package of rich content articles and banner advertising that the affiliate can reprint and use for marketing
Of special note for marketing support is the availability of banner ads that are high quality and effective. These are particularly useful affiliate marketing tools.
The customer service issue:
Tea drinkers are very loyal but demand high quality products and premium customer service. As a result, customer service in the form of rapid and correct order processing and fulfillment, notification of orders and shipments, proper pricing and an emphasis on customer satisfaction is a necessary part of the affiliate relationship.
If customer service is inadequate then this will severely impact affiliate business and the affiliate reputation. Conversely, if customer satisfaction is high, a steady stream of repeat orders will be ensured and the affiliate will share in the additional revenue.
Choose a loose tea supplier that has a rich affiliate program, a reputation for consistent high quality products, an e-commerce site that is powerful and allows easy ordering and a company with a reputation for excellent customer service.

How To Make Perfect Tea

As a tea drinker of some 30 years experience here is my contribution as to what makes the perfect cup of tea. The best way to make tea has been a subject of great debate for centuries.
Good quality water is essential for the perfect cup of tea. If you use tap water then run the tap until the water is cold and fresh. Spring water is best due to its purity and lack of additives such as chlorine and fluoride which can affect the taste. Always use fresh water if possible.

1.
2. Preferably use a teapot made of china or earthenware.
Pots made of certain types of metal such as enamel silver
or copper can impart flavor to the water. Stainless steel
is okay.
Warm the pot beforehand with a little hot water. 3.
4. Add at least one level teaspoon for each cup of water
that you are going to add. Adding loose tea to the pot is
the best way for the tea to infuse properly but many people
prefer to use a tea strainer or infusing basket for
convenience sake.
Pour boiling water directly onto the leaves and then stir the water before placing lid back on the teapot. 5.
6. Let the tea steep for between four and five minutes. If
using green tea three minutes is best.
Remove or strain the leaves to avoid overbrewing. 7.
8. The cup that you drink out of can greatly affect the
taste of the tea so choose wisely. A good quality cup made
of china will definitely enhance the whole tea drinking
experience. Avoid wide shallow cups which cause the tea to
cool in next to no time.
9. Pour milk into the cup first. Ah, yes this is the step
that causes most controversy. Many an argument has been
had concerning whether or not it is best to add the milk to
the tea or vice versa. I have always preferred milk first
then tea but my husband argues that it is easier to
regulate the right amount of milk by adding milk
afterwards!
Now scientists have waded into the debate and the verdict
is clear. The UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)has warned
against the practice of adding milk to tea after it is
poured. It seems that dribbling a stream of milk into hot
water makes "denaturation of milk proteins" more likely.
And who would want that?! At high temperatures, milk
proteins - which are normally all curled up foetus-like,
begin to unfold and link together in clumps. This is what
happens in UHT [ultra heat-treated] milk, and is why it
doesn't taste as good a fresh milk," says Dr Andrew
Stapley, a chemical engineer at Loughborough University.
It is better to have the chilled milk massed at the bottom
of the cup, awaiting the stream of hot tea. This allows the
milk to cool the tea, rather than the tea ruinously raise
the temperature of the milk.
Umm, somehow I don't think so!! The milk or tea first debate is now over! So it is now settled.
10. Lastly, drink tea without any sugar. I must admit to
being a reformed sugary tea drinker and you know what that
means. Yes, I am now passionately against putting sugar in
tea. As one who has sat on both sides of the fence I can
say that tea is so much better without sweetening. Sugar
only serves to mask the taste of the tea. Not only that too
much sugar is not good for you and why spoil what is now
being recognized as one of the world's great health drinks
by adding sugar. When I stopped taking my two spoonfuls of
sugar in my tea it took me about three or four weeks to get
used to the new taste. However once I got used to it there
was no going back.
So there you have it - the perfect cup of tea!
Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster and operator of FOG
Tea
For questions or comments about this article, please visit: which is a premier source of information about tea.
http://fogtea.com

An Organic Herbal Tea Blend

Though sales have been mainly rooted in the standard teas stemming from the Camelia sinensis plant (Green tea, Oolong tea, and Black tea), a vast increase in herbal and natural medicines in the western world has brought upon a virtual explosion of Organic Herbal Tea Blend, releasing any confinements there may have previously been. Tea bags, loose teas, tea shops, and gourmet teas are only a few examples of the outlets for this ever increasing number. With US$5 billion market in the United States alone in 2003, a 500% increase in 10 years, tea is a well established industry that is quickly growing.
Now it is not only Big Business that is apart of this industry as the infinite number of herbal tea blends are combing with the free commerce of the internet. This conception is creating new life in an industry that had been patiently waiting. New companies are forming, new mixtures are being created, and now even new tea bags are being designed.
The machine manufactured tea bags are still standard in market where cost is being put before quality. A metal staple is used to close a bag filled with low quality tea dust, which is known to have very low health benefits and give a more bitter taste than its whole leaf loose tea counterpart. Due to the manufacturing techniques used by these production factories, tea dust is the only filler able to be injected with the machines used to mass produce these bags. As the general size of each organic herbal tea blend is larger, they are unable to be used with these processed bags.
Also, most bags are filled with green and oolong loose teas, as opposed to organic herbal tea. Though higher in quality than the stapled standard, problems of this style include a large shape and size that makes bulk packaging difficult. A more spacious bag allows for a free floating of the loose tea that is inside. Second in popularity is a relatively new pyramid shaped tea bag.
Fortunately as the number of companies is increasing, and more money is entering into the market, handmade gourmet tea bags are being created, better matching the ingenuity behind each organic herbal tea blend could be your gateway to differentiation in a busy tea industry. With the combined short falls of these two bags, the ever increasing number of organic herbal tea blends and home based companies are in desperate need for a tea bag to match their unique nature.

Green Tea; The Secret To Good Health

Green tea has been around for 1000s of years, and the Chinese have always known about the many health benefits of green tea. Now the rest world is catching up and jumping on the green tea bandwagon.
These powerful antioxidants are so potent that research is showing that they might even be able to cure cancer. Antioxidants, green tea is loaded with antioxidants that support your bodies immune system and helps eliminate harmful toxins from your body. What makes green tea so healthy?
In addition to being healthy green tea can also help you lose weight. Green tea has what is called a thermogenic effect on your body meaning that it makes your body burn more calories there by causing you to lose weight. In addition many people feel they get a natural energy boost, and also that they can think better when taking green tea.
The best way to buy green tea is in bulk loose leaf form, or if that's not available in your area you can substitute it with bagged tea, but keep in mind that bagged tea is typically lower in quality than loose tea. You can find green tea in many different flavors, but stay away from bottled tea because most of the time it's filled with sugar or artificial sweeteners. It doesn't give you that insulin crash that soda does, and it's not hard on your stomach like coffee. Promoting good health and weight loss are great, but perhaps the best part is that green tea tastes wonderful.
By simply replacing soda, coffee, or any other sugar filled beverages with green tea you'll be doing yourself a huge favor and you will notice a positive change within days.

Black Tea -- Actually Good For You

You may not realize it but tea is the most consumed beverage in the world except for water. Since it is such a popular drink, it is a good thing that it contains a lot of nourishing properties.
Virtually everybody has heard that old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". People should realize that the ounces of vitamins, food supplements, dietary products, and exercise equipment they buy as a preventative health measure doesn't offset the pounds of fast food, carbonated beverages, cigarettes, and alcohol they consume that are destroying their health. Many people don't realize that one of the easiest, least expensive and effective measures to shift the winning balance to the side of prevention is right under their noses. If you drink tea you are already a winner but here are a few facts regarding black tea and its miraculous effects.
The different teas get their unique color and flavor depending on the amount of processing the leaves go through. There are so many different teas on the market it might surprise you to find out that they all come from only one type of plant called camellia sinensis.
Black tea contains: Favonoids (antioxidants) which improve artery function helping to prevent heart disease and strokes; Tannins which effects gastric and intestinal activity thus helping to control diarrhea (To help with diarrhea let the tea steep for a full 15 minutes); Theophylline, helping to improve cholesterol levels; Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay; Polyphenols, shown by research to increase the number of white blood cells. The leaves are picked, cleaned, sorted and then allowed to oxidize giving it its rich dark color. Black tea, the most common type used in the United States, goes through the most amount of processing.
Black tea also contains vitamins c, a, b, k and traces of minerals including potassium and calcium. Loose tea gives more benefits than tea bags since loose tea goes through less processing.
Studies show that after drinking the caffeine from tea that your energy rises slowly, plateaus and then gradually decreases. Small amounts of caffeine have beneficial effects such as increased energy, improved circulation, and help in the release of waste products. The caffeine starts to release during brewing after about a minute.

Black tea only contains about half as much caffeine as coffee and that level can be reduced by reducing the brewing time.
As you can see black tea is beneficial, so drink up and enjoy without feeling guilty for not drinking herbal tea or green tea. Black tea may be enough to deliver that extra ounce of prevention leading to better health.
For other health tips and alternative means of keeping healthy visit Health Fitness Explorer, Lakhovsky's Coil and Pain Relief Info.

How To Change Your Career And Create The Tea Business Of Your Dreams

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Career Change? Try Tea!
Are you ready for an exciting change of pace?
You spend forty hours or more at work every week.
Shouldn't you do what you love and love what you do?
Many people seeking a career change desire to find work that is more fulfilling.
Life is too short to spend so much time in a job you do not enjoy.
Experts estimate that most people will change their line of work multiple times during their working lives--this means not just changing jobs, but actual careers.
So what about you?
It's never too late to change careers
. The only thing holding you back is yourself! Many people seek new careers based on emotional reasons rather than financial. This does not mean that if you change careers you will need to radically alter your lifestyle.
On the contrary, you can find a new career that meets both your personal requirements and meets your financial needs.
One great option for those seeking a new career is the tea business!
It is a rapidly and consistently growing industry, with annual sales in the billions of dollars.
Current estimates show that by 2010, tea sales will reach or exceed ten billion dollars annually! Imagine combining your love of tea with your desire to have more control over your future!
People are choosing tea for a variety of reasons.
Not only is it an enjoyable beverage with many options, it is also healthy.
Baby boomers in particular are concerned with health issues and want an alternative drink and make up a large segment of the population.
The tea business can also offer an extraordinary amount of freedom not found in other businesses. You can
run a business entirely online, part time out of your home, or in a retail setting
No matter which option you choose, the mark-up on loose tea is large, so it is possible to realize profits quickly. .
There are a number of career opportunities within the tea business, and you can combine options as well. If you think the only business in tea is a tea-version of a coffee shop, think again! You can get as creative as you want in this business.
The tea party is one such example. Rapidly growing in popularity, a tea party business can cater to children and adults alike.
The Internet also offers a number of possibilities that immediately expands your customer base without your having to leave your house (you can even have UPS pick up your outgoing packages from your home).
If you are interested in running a more "traditional" business, you can get imaginative here and combine themed events, in home catering and online sales. You could have a sit-down "tea bar or tea cafe" as well as a large retail area.
A tea bar can be an alternative coffee house, or an exciting business that offers teas and services only be associated with tea, such as afternoon tea parties. And, there are so many types of teas to choose from--let your imagination loose.
You can combine a passion for tea with a business that you love.
For those contemplating a career change, the nature of the tea business allows you to do it at your own pace. Start a business part time from home, or take the plunge and open a retail business. If parties are your thing, work when it's convenient as you plan the rest of your transition.
The bottom line is that for career changers who are looking for a satisfying
work life that meets both the emotional and practical
sides of working, the tea business is an excellent choice.
(C) Dawnya Sasse 2006
Dawnya Sasse is the creator of the ultimate tea business training school allowing students to discover the secrets of the tea industy,"quickly and easily" without ever leaving home.
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Free audio mini course Discover how to "Unlock the Secrets of the Billion Dollar Tea Industry from the Comfort of Your Own Computer" and make your tea dream a reality. Why do some people succeed in the tea business?
http://www.StartATeaBusiness.com
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Tea Events Copyright 2006 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved.
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