Archive for March, 2007
Last month the History Channel aired a segment on their Modern Marvels program on tea. They did a nice job of covering history, and brought out some aspects that are not always covred in many of the books that have been written. In addition, they interviewed a number of people in the industry all the way from a plant manager for Lipton to James Norwood Pratt.
If you are interested in increasing your knowledge about tea history, how it is processed (especially in a tea bag factory), and current trends, I would reccommend finding this video. It can be ordered from The History Channel for $24.95, or found at local libraries, and I am told, Netflix.
Enjoy,
Chief Leaf
March 21st, 2007
It seems that the Big Marketing companies are jumping on the tea bandwagon!
Last summer Snapple had a cute ad introducing its’ line of White Tea drinks showing the plucking of a bud and two leaves. Lipton has included ‘diet’ tea in their bottled drink line.
Now Coca Cola and Nestle (Nestea) have introduced Enviga, what they call a ‘negative calorie tea’ They say that in clinical trials drinking 3 cans burns 60-100 calories. This is attributed to the EGCG and caffeine in the drink.
Naturally, the health benefits derived from tea is a function of how much tea is in the beverage.
I suppose it is good that more and more people are recognizing the great taste and health benefits of tea. Coke and Nestle certianly have a larger advertising budget than most of the tea shops I know!
The question is will Americans recognize the try tea that does not have artificial ingredeints and added sweeteners? Maybe the advertising the big consumer products companies are doing will raise our collective awareness and encourage people to go to the source for the ‘genuine’ experience.
Chief Leaf
March 13th, 2007
Staying healthy in a world that is continuously “growing smaller”, with germs circling the globe as we travel from one country to another in hours rather than days, can be alarming. Drinking tea can help. Tea will improve your state of mind as well as improve your immunity. Check out the article by Dr. Balz Frei, The Beverage Guidelines: What Should You Drink to Stay Healthy? You will find it in the Fall/Winter 2006 research newsletter from the Linus Pauling Institute
Loose Leaf
March 6th, 2007
I have been drinking green tea for some time to obtain its purported health benefits. I cannot say to what extent I am in better shape, but I have certainly come to enjoy both the taste and the ritual - and I have gotten fond of munching the leaves lying in the bottom of my cup. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this is a good thing (extractives, fiber, etc.)?
March 4th, 2007