1. Introduction
2. Tea4Free Winners
3. Finishing Touches For Your Cup of Tea
4. Loose Tea vs. Bagged Tea
5. This Month's Featured Teas
6. More New Tea Products for the New Year
7. Tea Recipe
8. Health News
9. TEA-mates
10. Once Upon A Tea Time
11. Next Issue
12. Credits

Inside this issue, you will find a recent Contest Winner, Finishing Touches for Your Cup of Tea, Loose Tea vs. Bagged Tea, More New Tea Products for the New Year , and much more. If you prefer to review an html version of this newsletter or other issues please visit http://www.tea4free.com/news.html .

If you would like to learn more about our recent joint venture between Shangers Limited and Tea Connexions (Shangers Teaopolis Limited) with the growth of Shangers, Princess Teana and Teaopolis brands throughout United States and Canada , click here to view more information. Click here to learn the latest news about Shangers Teaopolis Limited.

Are you interested in placing an order? Tea Connexions and its independent distributor members ensure that your orders are processed simply and safely. Through our system of localized distribution, you have the opportunity to order from your nearest distributor for prompt, courteous, and cheerful service. Local service benefits you because it decreases shipping time and costs. It also benefits you because you are not dealing with a head office in another state or country, but a local representative better able to serve your needs, answer your questions, and address any concerns you may have. Many of our distributors offer gift-wrapping and other gift giving services to facilitate your gift giving needs. To find out about these services, simply call your nearest distributor or send them an e-mail. To find your nearest distributor, please visit http://www.leaftea.com/teastore.html

Have you tried any of our teas from our distributors? If so, we'd like to hear from you!! Tell us what you think about our tea products and we can feature your testimonial in our future Tea4Free news! Send your comments to daisy@teaconnexions.com, with subject heading Tea Testimonial.

I look forward to giving away many more cups of FREE tea. Remember our motto: Gourmet Teas. Beautiful Packaging. Superior Service. Exceptional Value.

Yours sincerely,

Daisy Lieu
Tea Connexions

P.S. Feel free to share this newsletter with your friends and family.
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2. Tea4Free Contest Winners
The Tea4Free contest is ongoing and winners are posted here.

Congratulations to our lucky winner: Al L. of Brooklyn Heights, NY.

• Gloria Grillo, of www.montagueteatrade.com, presented the tea4free prize to our lucky winner, Al L. of Brooklyn Heights, NY.

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4. Loose Tea vs. Bagged Tea
Ever wonder, really, which is better.loose or bagged tea? The answer is, it depends on the tea drinker! Bagged is known for its convenience and is great for those on the go, at the office, travelling, etc., where as loose has better qualities such as exhibiting greater aroma and flavour to the palate.

Here is the scoop on Bagged Tea. Some believe that loose is the best form you can ever get! The smaller and more numerous the leaves are in a tea bag, the more tea can be brewed from the volume of that tea bag. Therefore, this means that most tea used in bags are the dust from the tea leaves, representing a huge difference in quality. Finely broken tea leaves and dust have lost most of their essential oils, and the remaining tannins are quickly released when the tea bag is brewed, and the resulting flavor maybe more bitter than a loose brew.

However, depending on what type of bagged tea you buy, you can still purchase higher quality bagged tea by going to specialty tea shops that carry them in better grade and form. Ask the tea merchant for more details on where the tea comes from and how fresh the teas are.

When you are buying teas from any of our reputable tea distributor, you can be assured that you are buying quality tea bags compared to mass market brands. All of our bagged Indian teas are made with a Darjeeling or Assam tea base, which over-exceeds grades from most grocery store brands. All of our Chinese tea bags are organic and blended with a fine green tea base.

Although most loose teas are of much higher quality than bagged teas, they are often more economical ounce for ounce. Even the more expensive teas cost as little as a quarter or less per cup.

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5. This Month’s Featured Teas

Back to Basics: Darjeeling Tea First Flush Darjeeling Darjeeling's first spring leaves produce a sharp green aroma and mildly astringent taste, gently moderated by a soft floral scent. Produced only in small quantities during a brief growing season, First Flush is eagerly sought by tea connoisseurs. (100 grams/3.5 ounces) This tea is also available in a 50 g silk pouch and 1Kg bulk package.

Second Flush Darjeeling A light tea gleaned from early summer leaves, Second Flush has a slightly darker brew and fuller aroma than First Flush. When carefully preserved, Second Flush's "keeping" properties are superior to those of other Darjeeling teas. Many connoisseurs prefer Second Flush tea to any other tea. (100 grams/3.5 ounces) This tea is also available in a 50 g silk pouch and 1Kg bulk package. To learn more about other teas or order any of these teas, please visit http://www.leaftea.com/teastore.html to find your nearest distributor.

More Estate Teas
Nagri Green Estate Tea -
This tea is from one of the biggest Darjeeling tea estates and is known for producing quality teas because of well disbursed rainfall and gentle slopes.

Lingia Estate Tea -
Lingia is one of the premier Darjeeling tea estates of India . Its cup characteristics include a delicately extraordinary flavorful and very refined Darjeeling . The cup is so good that it almost has a natural sweetness combined with a rarefied Muscatel flavor. It brews with some brightness, yet is light colored. Best without milk or sugar.

Lopchu Estate Tea -
The only tea estate with a distinction of selling 100% packaged tea under its own brand name. It is recognized for its dark smoky aroma and is a favorite among the tea elites of India .

Gingia Estate Tea -
Cultivated in the Assam region of India , this tea displays cup characteristics, which are bright, full bodied with nuttiness similar to a walnut character. It is a self-drinker and has enough flavor and character to hold its own, even with milk and sugar. It brews with some brightness, but tends towards a darker infusion.

Nonsuch Estate Tea -
Nestled among the Blue Mountains of Nilgiri in Coonoor district of Tamil Nadu, produces high grade orthodox leaves which are quite coveted. Professionally managed by a team of dedicated growers and a committed management, the garden is running profitably in the face of adversities.

Ingredients:
2 lemons
1 pkt. lemon jelly powder
¾ pint freshly brewed Darjeeling tea
whipped cream to decorate

• Grate the skins of lemon finely.
• Place the jelly powder in a measure and make up to one pint with freshly brewed tea.
• Stir until dissolved, then cool.
• When it is slightly thickened, stir in the grated lemon peel and pour into a wetted 1-pint mould or into individual moulds. Decorate with whipped cream.

YIELD : 2 quarts
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8. Health News
To submit health news, e-mail us.

TEA AND HERBAL TEAS
Herbal "infusions" do not quite produce the same benefits as tea from the camellia senenis plant. They do not carry as much antioxidant levels as ordinary tea leaves, yet may still have health benefits that are still undiscovered or unknown.

GREEN TEA NEWS
Studies from wholehealthmd.com show that g reen tea provides antioxidant power 200 times more potent than vitamin C, and 20 times more powerful than vitamin E, in protecting cells from damage linked to cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.

WHITE TEA NEWS
Other articles indicate that white tea exuberates superpower antioxidant content due to its juvenile buds and low caffeine content. Many enjoy its mild taste and caffeine amount . It has15 mg of caffeine per serving, compared to 20 mg for green tea and 40 mg for black. Many cosmetics companies are also using white tea extract to use in a topical products that they can show will boost the skin's immune function and protect against skin cancer.
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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; all of our products carry a 100% money back guarantee.

More than 100 distributors look forward to serving your tea and gift giving needs. For an updated list, visit http://www.tea4free.com/tea-mates.html. If a distributor is not in your immediate area, please choose the closest distributor. Please note, this list represents distributors whose online stores are live and active; missing are distributors whose stores are still under construction. To choose your nearest distributor, using a clickable image map, visit http://www.leaftea.com/teastore.html.
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10. Once Upon a Tea Time . . . Submit Your Fondest Tea Memory to Win Free Tea
Whether it's childhood memories of granny's kitchen, mom's healing hands or toasts to success, each month Tea 4 Free News - Teazine features favourite tea stories. We would love to hear yours. If we choose your story, we will send you a FREE carton of Darjeeling tea bags.

This featured Tea Story is from Kendra Griffith of Belize City, Belize:

I started drinking tea when I was a little girl living with my grandma. She used to make it from black tea leaves in this iron pot with cinnamon sticks and then sweeten it with lots of milk and sugar, insisting that you should have something hot in your stomach first thing in the morning.

I am now 23 years old and still a tea drinker, although I now sample a wide variety from Oolong to mint. I sometimes drink 2-4 cups a day, especially when I need to unwind after a long day. To this day when I smell cinnamon, I remember the time I used to spend at her house, and whenever I am feeling nostalgic and missing her, I would brew up a cup. Everyone in my family calls the concoction "Mama Tea" and my little sister, 7, who loves it very much, will no doubt continue on the tea drinking tradition and pass it on to her children.

 To submit a tea story, e-mail us.
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11. Next Issue . . .
- - -> Tea 4 Free Winners
- - -> The Art of Plucking Tea Leaves
- - -> Spring Tea Ideas
- - -> A TEAmptation Recipe
- - -> More New Tea Products for the New Year
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12. Credits
This issue of Tea 4 Free News - Teazine was researched and written by Daisy Lieu, Marketing Director for Tea Connexions. The html version of this newletter and all web sites www.leaftea.com, www.teabizinabox.com, www.tea4free.com, and www.leafteabiz.com are managed and created by our Creative Director, Suruchi Gupta. If you would like more information about how you can benefit from her services, click here.
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