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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Serving tea: loose leaf tips for tea rooms When serving tea it is important to follow a few points to ensure that your good loose leaf tea is given due justice in its preparation. Too often tea can be disappointing when drunk away from home and so we have noted these points – which may […]
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 […]
Discover more about Grey’s Monument, Earl Grey and the tea Grey’s Monument in Newcastle was built in 1838 and celebrates the passing of the Great Reform Bill by Charles, second Earl Grey, Prime Minister, in 1832. He had the famous tea named in his honour. Today, Earl Grey tea is the most famous blend but […]
