Tea 4 Free News > Teazine Issue 14 - May, 2004

Inside Issue #14:

1. Introduction
2. Tea4Free Winners
3. Why We Love Tea
4. Tea Tasting Terms
5. This Month's Featured Teas
6. Tea Tales
7. Tea Recipe
8. Health News
9. TEA-mates
10. Once Upon A Tea Time
11. Next Issue
12. Credits

Take Me 2 Tea Expo (International Iced Tea Competition)
Congratulations to our distributor, George Sibert, of www.royalgourmetteas.com who won the Exotic Iced Tea category for the Great Iced Tea Shake Off at the Take Me 2 Tea Expo in Las Vegas, NV.!! George brewed our very own Darjeeling Oolong tea for his recipe. A gallon of his beverage was submitted, cupped and judged blind by a distinguished jury panel of tea experts. Royal Gourmet Teas was honored with First Place, Best Exotic Iced Tea. Hooray!

Congratulations to our 2 lucky winners: Donna A. of Las Vegas, NV., and Wes H. of Saskatoon, SK.

• Darilyn Slate, of www.harvestmoonteas.com, presented the tea4free prize to our lucky winner, Donna A. of Las Vegas, NV.
• Daisy Lieu, of www.teaconnexions.com, presented a lovely gift basket to our lucky winner, Wes H. of Saskatoon, SK.

• Tea is soothing and relaxing. While many enjoy a cup of coffee to start their day, they will generally spend their afternoons and evenings sipping on a cup of iced or hot tea.
• Tea is good for you. The relaxing effects of a cup of tea are well established. But the effects may be more than just a “feel-good” experience. There have been numerous studies that this universal beverage that we all love has bountiful healthy benefits!
• Tea is natural. It is fat-free, calorie-free and has no additives. It has been chosen over coffee and alcohol.
• Tea is like wine. It can be paired with many types of foods and flavours. Similar to wine, there are certain teas that are exclusive and rare, yet even the most exotic kinds are inexpensive.
• Tea is a social experience. We find this beverage at many occasions in our lives as it is a symbol of togetherness. It brings us closer together in good and bad times.
• Tea is a big part of the culture around the world, and there are so many beautiful ceremonies and rituals that involve tea.
• Tea is setting its trend. Due to the many health factors revolved around tea, many manufacturers of cosmetics and skin care products have included the tea plant, camellia senensis, as an ingredient for new products.

Aroma: Also known as the nose or fragrance. It is actually the odour of both the infused leaf and the tea liquor itself.

Astringency: A live, pungent sensation on the tongue and gums. Astringency is not to be confused with bitterness, which is undesirable. Astringency gives tea its refreshing quality.

Bitter: An unpleasant biting taste, frequently resulting from oversteeping or allowing teas to remain too long in the liquor.

Body: Viscosity, the strength of the liquor combined with its weight on the tongue; body may be “full”, “light”, etc.

Fruity: Piquant (sweet) quality characteristic of good Oolongs, some Keemuns, etc.

Malty: A subtle underlying (barley) flavour often characteristic of Assam.

Muscatel: A Muscat-grape-like taste used to characterize the finest Darjeelings.

Orange Pekoe: Refers to the larger of the two leave of the tea plant; the orange refers to the orange or golden colour of the leaf when plucked. As a tea blend, however, orange pekoe is a misnomer and is used for a common blend of pleasant, but indistinctive taste.

Pungent: Astringent; what gives a tea its bite; good combination of strength, brightness and briskness.

Vegetal: A general characteristic of green teas, ranging from grassy to herbaceous to seaweed.

Do you have your own tea tasting term that you would like to share with us? Email me and we may feature it in our next newsletter!
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5. This Month’s Featured Teas

FRUIT FLAVOURED TEAS
These teas will also make great iced teas and as well as hot!

Apple Tea Let naturally sweet apple tea lift your spirits. Great on its own or blended with our spicy cinnamon tea, apple tea makes every day just a little bit sweeter. Ingredients: Darjeeling leaf tea, Apple flavour. (100 grams/3.5 ounces)
Black Currant Tea Tea lovers will relish this fruity tea with its dominant flavour of Darjeeling and black currant aroma. Ingredients: Darjeeling leaf tea, Black Currant flavour. (100 grams/3.5 ounces) To learn more about other teas or order any of these teas, please click here to find your nearest distributor.

Tea Gardens
During the 17-18th Century, many women avoided “coffeehouses” because it was a meeting place for men. As a result, the “tea gardens” were established and become popular for both men and women to take their tea out-of-doors with entertainment such as balls, orchestras, and dinners.

Tea Tales courtesy of www.virtualconcept.com.
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7. TEAmptation Recipe

Side Dish: Wild Rice with Tea

This recipe is from Cordon Bleu-trained chef Nat Litt, owner of The House of Tea in Philadelphia, courtesy of www.sallys-place.com/beverages/tea/cooking_with.htm.
Ingredients:
1 tsp. good-quality oolong or black tea leaves
1/2 chopped tomato
1 tsp. each: chopped red, yellow and green bell peppers
1 tsp. chopped onion
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbs. butter
2 c wild rice
4 c chicken stock
2 oz. demi-glaze (concentrated chicken stock), optional. If eliminated, use additional chicken stock.
Sweat tomato, peppers and onion in butter until tender. Add wild rice, tea leaves, spices and chicken stock to cover. Add demi-glaze. Bake in covered casserole dish in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf, fluff and serve.
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8. Health News

To submit health news, e-mail us.

TEA AND FLUID BALANCE
For many people, drinking tea has great impact in balance fluid levels since it is crucial for healthy body functioning. Having fluid is important to all living matter requiring continual replenishment. Most adults need about two quarts of fluid daily which should come from beverages and some fruits and vegetables.

TEA AND MENOPAUSE
An Iowa Women's Study followed post-menopausal women for eight years and found that participants who drank two or more cups of tea per day had a reduced risk of developing digestive and urinary tract cancers.

TEA AND DENTAL ACID EROSION
According to studies published in www.tea.co.uk, the acid content of black tea and its influence on oral acidity during consumption has been investigated. The pH of the tooth surface in ten healthy volunteers was examined after consuming black tea. The very small, short-lived, pH decrease that was observed led to the conclusion that tea can be recommended as an alternative drink to the more acidic versions, such as fizzy drinks, as part of preventive measures for dental erosion.

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9. TEA-mates: Members of the Tea Connexions Buying Group

Tea Connexions is dedicated to providing the highest quality gourmet teas. Packaged beautifully, they make an ideal gift for tea lovers, health enthusiasts, and connoisseurs of fine art. Our mission is to offer you beautifully packaged gourmet teas distributed by an elite group of independent distributors that offer you superior service and exceptional value. Your satisfaction is assured.

This featured Tea Story is from Elizabeth Eclarin of Granbury, TX:

I always wonder how good the tea can be, and I thought it was the "goodies" that came with it that made it good, not knowing that there are so many good benefits drinking tea, as far as our health is concerned. It was the fun of it as well and a way of spending a relaxing afternoon. So soothing and calming and over a cup of tea, you enjoy the stories from your family and friends. Each one shares their week activities, their lives and works and family. It is not always a bed of roses sometimes too, over a cup of tea with your best friend airing and sharing your sentiments in life, over a cup of tea that you tell mom that something is not going right with your relationship, over a cup of tea that you and your best friends bonded all these years. It was a great memory of growing up, a great time of sharing and enjoying each one's story.

I always look forward to each weekend that my mom will host an afternoon tea, looking forward in seeing the delicate cup and saucers matched with nice and beautiful coloured pastel napkins and table cloth accentuated with fresh bouquet of flowers.

On holidays and special occasions my mom will always bring us in different hotels that hosted tea party for different experiences and the difference of their silverware. London is the best and well known for their elegance and aristocracy. Japan is so solemn, calm, relaxing and soothing. China is so interesting, captivating and an experience an adventure finding out what will comes next and what is in the food you are eating. They are known for all the ice sculpturing and food decorations. I have yet to see other places and discover the wonder of the "tea time" experience.

Thank you for giving me a chance to share my memories.