Archive for August, 2006

Tea is Serious Business

Thursday, August 31st, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


The tea that we drink is grown in foreign countries. That makes it easy to distance ourselves from all that is involved in getting the product to us. We don’t often think about the workers’ lives which are so inextricably connected to the growing and preparation of the foods we consume.
Here is an article about [...]

Thanks but now I can’t drink the water!

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 by Michelle Rabin


Moving to rural Oregon 3 years ago from New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, brought a lot of change into our lives. Water was one of them. Being health conscious and always aware of pollutants in water, we had invested in a whole house Reverse Osmosis system for our historic home [...]

Tea In Early America Part 2

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 by Dexter Pearl


Although some Americans renounced tea as a social beverage during the Revolutionary War, it regained popularity when the war ended.
After the war the entrepreneurship of Americans like the Pecks of Boston, Derbys of Salem, Browns of Providence, Constables, Parkers, Schermerhorns, and Vanderbilts of New York, and the Morris family of Philadelphia, the United States of [...]

The Asian Paradox

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


What is the “Asian Paradox”? It refers to the fact that there is a greater amount of cigarette smoking in Asia, but a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. What would cause that apparent contradiction? New research from Yale University suggests this may be due to the greater consumption of green tea in Asia.

Tea in Early America Part 1

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 by Dexter Pearl


In 18th-century America, tea customs stemmed from the social customs brought to New Amsterdam (now New York City) by Dutch settlers in the 17th century and by the English colonists. Dutch Colonists erected tea water pumps over natural springs and later established tea gardens near the springs. Not only were the early colonists drinking spring [...]

Tea Grows in England

Monday, August 28th, 2006 by Dexter Pearl


Imagine, tea growing in England. Hard to believe isn't it, but it's true. Tea, the drink, is made from the Camellia sinensis plant first discovered in China nearly two thousand years ago. These days it grows and is cultivated in over 50 countries around the world.
Small villages along the rivers, rolling hills, and cliffsides along [...]

tea healthier than water?

Saturday, August 26th, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


You’ve read on this site, as well as in the media, about the rapidly growing body of research showing that tea has myriad health benefits. It has become increasingly clear that within the scientific community, despite the awareness of the need for more large scale human studies, most researchers are convinced there is enough strong [...]

Caveat Emptor!

Friday, August 25th, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


We have always believed that who you buy your tea from is a very important decision. As you will see from reading the following article, there are still many tea estates that use pesticides and which produce poor quality tea, not only in China as this article discusses, but in all of the other tea [...]

W+3T = the perfect cup of tea: part 4

Friday, August 25th, 2006 by Michelle Rabin


T3 — Time. You'll find brewing times to be similar to issues about brewing temperatures. Everyone has different preferences. We'll include the recommended times established by the Specialty Tea Institute as a good guide for starting. I would always err on the side of less time. *In fact, I begin tasting my new green teas [...]

W+3T = the perfect cup of tea! - part 3

Friday, August 25th, 2006 by Michelle Rabin


T2- Temperature. If you go to 10 different tea web sites and see what they recommend for the ideal temperature to brew different types of teas, you'll probably see 10 different recommended times for each type. We want to make this easier for you. Below please find the recommended temperatures as provided by the Specialty [...]