Tea Etiquette: Tea dos and don’ts An unwritten tea etiquette (until now). Have you ever wondered what is the correct way to drink tea? Have you ever looked at others and thought \’they shouldn\’t be doing that!\’ or even, embarrassingly, others looking disdainfully in your direction whilst you are enjoying tea in a grand hotel. […]
Ceylon teas: an insight into its history and growing. Ceylon teas were planted in 1867, in what is now Sri Lanka, after a coffee blight wiped out all the coffee plantations on the island. Since then Ceylon tea (as it is still known) has not looked back. Sri Lanka is the world’s third largest tea producer […]
Arunachal tea is from the most north-easterly of India’s states Known as the Land of the Rising Sun, Arunachal Pradesh has the lowest population density of any state in India, having no cities and only around two dozen towns. The state is surrounded by Myanmar to the east, Bhutan to the west and Tibet to […]
What is black tea – the tea that we drink most of the time? In the 17 century in England, tea was imported from China by sea. As the leaves were stored below the water line, the atmosphere was humid, black and warm. After several months of travel, the tea leaves had fermented and became […]
Christmas Teas: which teas should I choose? No Christmas would be complete without some good Christmas teas to enjoy, no matter how many glasses of wine, champagne or liqueurs are drunk. In fact, several cups could quite conceivably be drunk so which should you choose at the various stages of this special day? Waking up […]
Introduction to Yunnan Tea: from Yunnan province, south-west China Yunnan is a region having a border with Laos and Burma, extending north towards the Himalayas. This borderland is a craggy, mountainous area of thick jungle. It is considered the birthplace of tea with native tea trees growing wild – some reputed to be as much […]
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 […]
Herbal teas and their health benefits: their qualities listed. Why drink Herbal teas? Despite the enormous variety of black, green, oolong and white teas available from many celebrated tea growing areas, the long acknowledged health benefits of herbal teas have become more widely appreciated. Many of these have distinctive and attractive tastes and aromas which […]
Of course, your poll results must have been correct! We have long run a tea poll on various tea-related issues. These polls are sometimes run with the intention of better understanding the needs of loose leaf tea enthusiasts and those who enjoy single-origin teas. Sometimes we just want to offer a bit of entertainment once […]
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 […]
