18th Century Tea Chests: for a valuable new commodity Tea first exported from China to England in was extremely expensive and was stored in ceramic Chinese caddies, frequently blue and white. Soon tea chests were made in which to keep these tea caddies under lock and key and to be placed in the drawing room. […]
Saffron infusion: a distinguished history Saffron infusion is the best way to appreciate this historic spice. Saffron has a history stretching back to at least the 7th century BC. It is grown in the Middle East and has been traded along the Silk Road, between East and West, for Indian ivory, Chinese silk and Arabian […]
Green Tea Guide: green teas are not all the same The fact that you are reading from this green tea guide is good news; for you recognise, perhaps following our blog post An Introduction to Green Tea, that green teas are not all the same. There are many variations in taste dependent upon where the tea is […]
Which is your favourite black tea? In our latest of a series of polls on our website that we have been running for several years, publicised on social media, we have some insight into which is your favourite black tea. In this poll 43% respondents said that Indian teas are their favourite. Is this surprising? […]
Caffeine in tea: by type and in other beverages Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine), also known as theine in tea, is also present in coffee, cocoa and mate. It is a stimulant and diuretic. Caffeine promotes alertness and combats fatigue. In high quantities it can however give tise to jitteryness and irritability. It is thought that the compound […]
Chinese Tea Ceremony: celebrating the ordinary serving of tea. Gongfu Cha is the original Chinese tea ceremony, designed principally for the preparation of oolong tea. This developed in Chaozhou in Guangdong province. There is a reverence shown to the tea: its delicate aroma is appreciated and its lingering taste is experienced in small cups where […]
Lapsang Souchong Tea: love or hate like Marmite? We conducted an online poll on the thorny issue of Lapsang Souchong tea, thinking that it was analogous to Marmite in that we considered that people either love it or hate it. In fact we thought the parallel was so close we gave people four choices. Amazingly […]
Answers to questions you may be asking about tea! What is loose leaf tea? Loose leaf tea is tea leaves, whether blended, black, green or oolong, flavoured or herbal that is not contained in a bag. Conventionally this may be a paper bag such as a string tagged bag, or a mesh pyramid style infusion […]
Yellow teas can be compared with green teas and white teas. Yellow tea is little known because little is now made as its production is expensive. It is worth the trouble and expense however as ‘spring tea’ as it is known, is indeed fresh and aromatic. The name is taken from the appearance of the […]
Best tea for early morning: blends, black teas and beyond An early morning cup of tea can refresh you after a night’s sleep and help you concentrate on the task in hand, getting up to face the day, but which is the best tea for early morning? Caffeine from tea passes into the blood-stream slowly, […]
