The Tea4Free contest is ongoing and winners are posted here.

Congratulations to our most recent winners: Sue B. of Merrit, BC; Kim G. of Victoria, BC; and Robin S. of Kent, WA.

Carolyn Wainwright, of West Winds Tea, presented the tea4free prize to our lucky winner, Sue B. of Merrit, BC.

Jeff Harvie, of The Gourmet Tea Company, presented the tea4free prize to our lucky winner, Kim G. of Victoria, BC.

Jennifer Becker, of My Tea Room, presented the tea4free prize to our lucky winner, Robin S. of Kent, WA.

Three other winners were chosen, however, the contact details given were incorrectly. Please be sure to provide a valid phone number and e-mail address when you enter. We are still waiting for confirmation on winners drawn from the states of Wyoming, Nevada, and Mississippi.

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India is the largest producer of tea in the world and accounts for 14 to 18% of all world exports of tea.

The Tea Board of India, a commodity board under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, was established by the enactment of the Tea Act, 1953. Its main function is to ensure the quality of Indian tea exports as they account for a large percentage of India's export income.

There are three primary tea growing regions in India: Darjeeling, Assam, and Nilgiri. To ensure that the consumer is getting pure Darjeeling, Assam, or Nilgiri, the Tea Board of India created the following logos, all of which are found on our premium loose teas:

Tea Growing Regions, India

Nesting in the foothills of the snow covered Himalayan range is the Darjeeling tea growing region. Darjeeling's exclusive taste and quality, as well as the fact that it can not be replicated anywhere else in the world, makes it one of the most sought after teas in the world. Less than 1% of all the tea harvested in the world is Darjeeling. Darjeeling tea is acknowledged as the superlative standard for flavor, unmatched by teas grown anywhere else in the world. Darjeeling is to tea, what champagne is to wine.

Located to the far North East of India along the Burmese border is the Assam tea growing region. This is the land of the one-horned rhino, the land through which the mighty river Brahmaputra winds its majestic course. This region produces more tea than any other in India. Assam teas are known for their strong, rich, full-bodied, pungent and sometimes malty bright liquor flavour. Assam tea is a popular morning tea.

The Blue Mountains' or the Nilgiris are situated in Southern India. A picturesque range of undulating hilly landscapes where tea is grown at elevations ranging from 1000 meters to above 2500 meters. This lesser known tea growing region of India produces tea with a fragrance and briskness that makes it a truly unique tea found nowhere else in the world.

If you would like to taste teas from all three regions, we offer the "Three Regions" tea bundle: Assam Summer Tips, Darjeeling Summer Tips, and Nilgiri Premium. Save 15% off your purchase by visiting your nearest local distributor at Leaftea.com
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Tea Connexions' Assam Summer Tips is a flavorful leaftea with a high percentage of golden buds. Its ideal combination of taste and aroma makes it a more prized tea than Darjeeling in some countries. Please visit Tea Connexions' Assam Summer Tips is a flavorful leaftea with a high percentage of golden buds. Its ideal combination of taste and aroma makes it a more prized tea than Darjeeling in some countries. Please visit Leaftea.com to learn more about our teas.
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4. Making the Grade: Not all tea is created equal

Tea leaves can be classified as Green, Oolong or Black. The tea color is a result of the chemical changes that occur to the leaves when they are given time to oxidize, before drying, during the manufacturing process.

Tea leaves that have been given full time to ferment become black tea.

Oolong leaves are those that have been given a shorter time to oxidize or semi-ferment.

Tea leaves which have been dried without begin given time for oxidation or fermentation remain green in color.

Black tea leaves from India are graded according to various criteria.

The most important factor is the size of the leaf. Teas are divided into broken grades and leaf grades. The broken grades consist of smaller leaves and broken leaf particles. These teas usually produce stronger and darker tea liquors. The smallest tea particles are labeled as dust and typically used in tea bags.

Only about 20 percent of teas produced are of leaf grades which are the larger tea leaves. These rarer teas tend to produce liquors that are smoother and lighter though less strong than the broken grades.
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Two cups a day keeps the doctor away
In a 1996 study at Boston Tufts University, published in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers measured the antioxidants in tea alongside 22 antioxidant rich vegetables and reported that tea leaves have more antioxidants than any vegetable tested, including broccoli, garlic, onions, corn and carrots.

A subsequent study at the Antioxidant Research Center in London, England, published in Free Radical Research, February 1999, showed that the antioxidants in 2 cups of tea are equal to those in 7 glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice.

While tea cannot replace vegetables and fruits in a balanced diet, a 170 ml (6 oz.) cup of tea can make a significant contribution to the antioxidants consumed each day.

Health Myths About Tea
Myth: Coffee and tea have the same amount of caffeine.
Fact: Tea has only one-third to one-half the caffeine of the same amount of coffee. Most people can drink up to 10 or 12 cups of tea a day and stay within the caffeine limits recommended by nutritionists.

Myth: Herbal teas are the most healthy teas.
Fact: Herbal beverages are not actually teas, but tisanes or infusions. Although herbal blends can have similar relaxing and aromatic qualities, the research on tea and health does not apply to herbal infusions.

Myth: Green tea is better for you than black tea.
Fact: Green and black teas come from the same Camellia sinensis plant, and both teas are rich in flavonoids. Research shows that black and green tea have comparable antioxidant benefits. The antioxidants in tea have been linked to a range of health benefits. In fact, at the Second International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health in 1998, scientists reported that drinking tea may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and cut the risk of some cancers, including stomach, lung, colon, skin and oral cancers. This new research has been published in Proceedings of the Society For Experimental Biology and Medicine, April 1999.
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* To submit tea recipes, e-mail us.

Chai (pronounced as a single syllable and rhymes with 'pie') is the word for tea in many parts of the world. It is a centuries-old beverage which has played an important role in many cultures.

Chai from India is a spiced milk tea that has become increasingly popular throughout the world. It is generally made up of:

• rich black tea
• heavy milk
• a combination of various spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper
• a sweetner

The spices in Indian chai produces a warming, soothing effect, acting as natural digestive aids, so it is a perfect beverage to drink after a meal.

Drinking chai is part of life in India. Here is a popular Chai recipe using tea that can be made using Assam or Darjeeling tea leaves, or a mixture of both.

The quality of the tea you use will make a difference in flavor. To make a stronger, more robust flavored chai use a high quality black tea like Assam Summer Tips. For more subtle chai taste use a high quality Darjeeling. You may even want to mix and match different teas; for instance using some cinnamon darjeeling or ginger assam tea.

Universal Chai Recipe
Here's a recipe for brewing about 4 cups of chai:

• 2 cups water
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3-4 cardamom pods (cracked open)

Variations:

• The beauty of making chai is you can vary the ingredients according to your taste. Some Chai lovers enjoy the taste of ginger in their chai. Add ginger flavor either by adding fresh ginger pieces or alternatively use our ginger assam tea, an exceptional blend of Assam leaf tea and natural ginger root.
• Variety is the spice of life. Try incorporating some of these spices in your chai, according to your taste preferences: anise seed, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and nut meg.
• You may also want to substitute different types of black tea. For subtler chai flavor use a high quality darjeeling or premium nilgiri tea.

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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

Over 70 distributors look forward to serving your tea and gift giving needs. For an updated list, visit TEA-mates. 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, click here.

Our distributors endeavour to excel at servicing you. This is what some of their customers have said:

"I have to tell you that I just love the papier mâché containers of tea! Both the swordsmen and the flowered containers are lovely! I am delighted. I love your products. The gentleman who has already received some of the tea claims that it is wonderful, better than what he usually purchases, and he calls himself a tea snob. I am quite pleased. Thank you for the wonderful service and products."
Sandy H. from Montpelier, VA, a customer of Pretty Wood Tea Company

"I am truly impressed with the way you do business and follow up on even the small orders. The quality of the product speaks for itself. It is a short trip for me to your local distributor in Indianapolis, IN. I will make sure to stop in every time I am in Indianapolis. Needless to say, I recommended your services to all my friends and family."
Slawomir G. of Fort Thomas, KY, a customer of Indy's Gourmet Teas

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The three main categories of tea are green, black, and oolong. All three kinds are made from the same plant species. The major differences between them are a result of the different processing methods they undergo. Black teas undergo several hours of oxidation in their preparation for market; oolongs receive less oxidation, and green teas are not oxidized at all.

The primary difference between loose tea and bagged tea is quality. High-quality tea is usually sold as loose tea. Tea used for tea bags is of a much lower quality, often referred to as dust or fannings. Tea in bags go stale much more quickly because of its greater surface area and exposure to atmospheric oxygen.

Good iced tea uses a high quality black tea which is then cooled (either in a refrigerator or by being poured over ice). It is very easy to make. Infuse a strong concentrate of tea (i.e. much less water than one would use for that amount of leaves) and add it to cold water to the right proportions. The better the quality of the tea, the better the iced tea will taste. For best results, use a strong-tasting tea that can stand up to the cold. Assam, for example, makes terrific iced tea.

Sun tea which is made by filling a large glass jar with water, putting in tea bags or leaves, covering, and then putting in direct sunlight for several hours is a very popular method of brewing iced tea, though risky because the water has not been boiled. Water that has been left out in the sun to reach ideal bacterial-reproduction temperatures is not recommended.

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Perhaps that is the true gift of a teatime celebration. It fills our cups with joy and warmth and friendship. May the echo of the teacups' message be heard not only on special occassions, but any time friends come together.
-Emile Barnes

Drinking two to three or as many as five cups of brewed tea a day is associated with risk reduction for disease in humans.
- Dr. John Weisburger, Chair, 2nd Int'l Scientific Symposium on Tea and Health

Kissing is like drinking tea with a tea strainer, you can never get enough.
-Billboard outside of Danish Tea Shop

Where there's tea there's hope.
-Sir Arthur Pinero

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 favorite tea stories. We would love to hear yours. If we choose your story, we will send you a FREE carton of Darjeeling tea bags.

To submit a tea story, e-mail us.
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  11. Next issue...

• Tea 4 Free Winners
• The Champagne of Teas
• Christmas Gift Ideas

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