Hosting your own tea party is a wonderful way to have a few friends over for a relaxing, yet enjoyable visit. It can be simple as inviting a friend over to share tea in your favourite pot, or it could be a planned event. Choose a theme, décor, location, and menu that will suit your event.

First, find a great location to hold the party. Have it in your living room, kitchen, or outside in the shade. If your back yard is big enough, have a great outdoor tea party, by a garden if possible, and set up tables with a floral pattern tablecloth to match the tea set.

As for the invitations, you can cut out teapot-shaped cards, add a bag of tea and send it out. Or, if you have the time and budget, you could deliver to each person a teacup with the invitation painted on the cup. They can keep the cup as a souvenir or bring it to the party to use.

If you're planning on decorating the party in a fun, creative way, than here are some ideas:

For an inside party, decorate the walls by placing teapots, teacups or spoons on dressers and shelves. You can hang pastel coloured streamers from the ceiling and walls along with balloons.

If you're having your tea party outside, set up the tables under a tree or in a shady place. You can also hang flowers around the tables on a post or a fence to give the party a more fancy look. Light candles and place them on the table or use tall candleholders and stick them in the ground. This gives the party a more rustic look.

If you'd really like to decorate the tables, you should start out by using bigger tables so you can fit place settings neatly and still have room for decorations without cluttering everything. Use floral or teapot decorated table clothes to fancy up the table and if you want a centerpiece, use an old teapot for a flowerpot. Plant pretty flowers in the teapot and place it in the center of the table.

Have your friends bring their favourite tea cup that may have significant meaning to them. Ask them to share their story or memory if they wish. If they do not bring a tea cup, be sure to have some ready in case.

Here is a menu that you might have during a Christmas Tea Party (4 people and up):
* Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
* Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches
* Quiche Lorraine
* Fresh Fruit and Cheese
* Assorted Cookies (shortbread, ginger snaps, sugar cookies)
* Scones and preserves
* Christmas bread
* Cinnamon Tea, Black Currant Tea
* Apple Cider

If you're planning on passing out party favours at the tea party, find some small, inexpensive little surprise goodies. Get creative and buy the goodies an arts and crafts store. If you are the artistic type, then maybe you'd prefer to paint little wooden or ceramic tea pots and plant artificial flowers in each one. The guests can take them home as a souvenir and memory of the tea party.

To find wonderful tea products to compliment your tea party, find your nearest distributor to get more information click here.
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4. Gift Giving Ideas

Gourmet gift baskets, beautifully packaged tea products, tea gift certificates make wonderful presents for the holidays. Check your nearest distributor for gift giving ideas and products that would make wonderful presents for your tea lovers.

Stocking Stuffers
Tea Bags make nice little stocking stuffers for the holidays. Cozy up to the fireplace with a nice cup of hot tea. Choose from 25 exciting flavours from categories such as Traditional, Healthy/Herbal, Spices, and Flavoured. Click here find your nearest distributors to learn more about tea bags and our new Gourmet Tea Bag Sampler Pack .
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 5.This Month’s Featured Teas

His and Her Tea Gift Sets For Her AT06 - Assam Summer Tips in Silver-plated Caddy This attractive silver-plated caddy features floral pattern. Brimming with 125 grams of Assam Summer Tips, this elegant caddy is sure to be a hit with anyone interested in unique and attractive collectibles.
For Him SF05- Rosewood Hand-Carved Pen Case Exquisitely carved rosewood bordered by gleaming brass holds 125 grams of superior Second Flush Darjeeling Tea.
Lovely Gift Sets CL03- Rosewood Jewel Case This carefully handcrafted rosewood case with brass inlay Taj Mahal makes a breathtaking jewel case. This tea lover's delight holds 1000 grams/3.5 oz each of Darjeeling Second Flush, Assam Summer Tips, Nilgiri High Elevation, and Earl Grey Teas.
CL04- Deca Tea Majestic brass-inlaid hardwood houses 30 grams each of delicious Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, Green Tea, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Masala, Cinnamon, Ginger and Mint teas.
Unique and Appealing MU05- Muscatel Walnut Box Handcrafted, intricately carved walnut safeguards two 100 grams bags of Muscatel Darjeeling. The mysterious "trick box".
Simple Treasures FF07- First Flush Elephant Inlay Case Handcrafted with a brass elephant inlay, this beautiful container houses 50 grams of rare First Flush Darjeeling.
MU04- Muscatel Lacquered Container Brightly hand-painted lacquered container holds 100 grams of delicious Muscatel Darjeeling tea. - - - top - - -

Hong Kong Tea Culture
Yum Cha ("drinking tea") is an important part to Hong Kong's culture. A hot cup of fresh tea is perfect to compliment any dish, but is more common during brunch dim sum. A ritual of thanking someone who pours hot tea for you is tapping the table with three fingers of the same hand. It is a silent expression of gratitude to the member of the party who has refilled your cups.

Hong Kong has developed it's own distinct tea culture. There is local styled brewed milk tea served at tea bistros. Accompanying tea would be a wide variety of snacks such as fresh baked egg tarts, buns, and French toast. Cold drinks such as Iced Lemon Tea are also popular throughout the day.

Japanese Tea Culture
The tea ceremony, or chanoyu, is an aesthetic past time unique to Japan that features the serving and drinking of macha, a powdered green tea. Though tea had been introduced into Japan from China around the eighth century, matcha did not reach the country until the end of the twelfth century. The practice of holding social gatherings to drink matcha spread among the upper class from about the fourteenth century.

Korean Tea Culture
Panyaro, or the Korean way of tea is characterized by the attention to detail and the creation of ambience that focuses on uniting the tea, the tea maker and the guests with nature. While tea is being drunk, one person presides over the ceremony, preparing, and serving. Korean tea is usually drunk holding the cup with both hands. The colour, aroma, fragrance, taste, and lingering aftertaste are all savoured.

We look forward to launching Asian teas in the near future. Keep posted for more details.

English Tea Culture
The British and Chinese share one distinct cultural trait - a love of fine tea. Tea arrived in Europe through trade ties and it took very little time before it became extremely popular across the Continent. Today we associate Western tea culture mainly with the English and the exquisite china that the drink is served with. Afternoon Tea and High Tea are 2 main tea rituals in the English Tea Culture.

Russian Tea Culture
In Russia, tea drinking, chaepitie, is consumed after meals and during mid-afternoon breaks, but is not considered appropriate to drink with a meal. Loose tea is brewed in either a hot teapot or a "samovar", a special tea-making device that produces strong tea called "zavarka". Zavarka is served in teacups or "stakan s podstakanni kom" (glass with metal holder) diluted with hot water to fit personal taste. It is old Russian tradition to serve tea with samovar after supper. After clearing the supper table, the samovar is put in the centre and the whole family gathers around for tea. The samovar is the central symbol of the Russian Tea Ceremony. As a combination teapot & brewing device, it is a truly unique creation. The lower unit is urn like where the water is boiled, with a tap to pour out the brewed water. A teapot rests on top using heat generated from the lower unit to create strong infusions, zavarka, which are then diluted with hot water from the lower unit to suit personal tastes.

If you would like to share your tea culture experience, please email us and we may feature it in the Tea Story Section of our next issue of Tea4Free.

Tea Connexions wishes to thank Foodies Corner and Discover Hong Kong for sharing their information with us.
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  7. Christmas Tea Recipe

Make your own Christmas tea and store away in container and use as often as needed.

1/2 lb. Orange Pekoe Darjeeling or Royal Selection Orange Pekoe
4 tsp. Grated, orange peel
2 tsp. Grated, lemon peel
2-4 " sticks of crushed cinnamon
1/4 cup whole clove
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 cup silver candied orange peel

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

Courtesy of englishcreekgardens.com
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  8. Health News

To submit health news, e-mail us.

TEA AND CALORIE BURNING
A physiologist from the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC) found that on average, volunteers burned an additional 67 calories a day when they drank tea instead of an equal amount of water. Perhaps most interesting was that fat oxidation was a significant 12 percent higher after the full-strength tea treatment than after the water treatment.

TEA AND BAD BREATH
Compounds found in tea can stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

TEA AND INTAKE
Up to 300mg/day (6 cups of tea) is considered moderate, with no evidence of harmful effects in the vast majority of the adult population. Some individuals are sensitive to caffeine and will feel effects at smaller doses than other individuals who are less sensitive. For this reason, these individuals may need to limit their caffeine intake.

TEA AND COFFEE
According to Dr.Nicholas Perricone, he believes if we substitute green or black tea for coffee in our diets, he predicts that in 6 weeks, you will lose 7 to 8 pounds of body fat. Green tea contains substances that help relax us and elevate our mood and counteract the negative effects of the small amount of caffeine that is present. In addition, coffee elevates cortisol levels, which can cause weight gain and accelerate the aging process.
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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, click here. 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.
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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 Mary Ellen Trella:

When my son was in grade school, I use to make a tradition of "High Tea" on Friday afternoons. It was a nice way to end the school week. There was a little down time, since homework obligations could wait till later on in the weekend.

I use to make tea sandwiches with fillings such as crab or tuna salad, egg or chicken salad along with scones and assorted jellies and softened butter.

Of course, what would a tea party be without tea? I had several beautiful teapots that were given to me by my Irish Grandmother. Each week I would serve freshly brewed Earl Grey Tea (my son's favourite) or Cinnamon Tea, which was another favourite as well.

I would set the dining room table for our High Tea ritual and my son would relax with our tea and goodies and not only reflect on the weeks' memories, but look forward to our weekend plans.