New Travel Tumbler Targets Tea Gourmets on the Go

Entrepreneur and tea-enthusiast Joey Landford of The Tea Merchant is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of a new type of travel tumbler that he hopes will revolutionize how busy people enjoy their tea.

The first prototype

“When I was going to college full time and working full time to pay for college, I wanted to still be able to drink my tea, but I was too busy for traditional means. Nothing I saw on the market for travel tumblers solved this as they all would over-steep my tea.” explains Landford. “That was when I had the general idea for this.” Frustrated with the offerings, Landford spent four months developing a filtering system that would give him better control over the strength of his tea, eliminating the bitter taste created when the leaves sit in the water for too long. He debuted his prototype at the New York City Tea and Coffee Festival, a consumer-oriented trade show that, like tea itself, has exploded in popularity, with tickets selling out for the second year in a row. The general response to Landford’s tumbler prototype was enthusiastic. “Everyone I talked to loved it! Most, in fact were blown away.” Buoyed by the public’s excitement, Landford is planning a campaign through Kickstarter.com to raise funds to bring his design into production.

With tea making its way into everything from beauty products to alcohol, it’s no wonder that the Tea Association of the USA is reporting explosive growth; according to the Association’s web site, 2011 was the second consecutive year that US demand for tea overshot demand in the UK. Among the factors contributing to tea’s rise in popularity is its grab-and-go convenience, with ready-to-drink tea sales steadily increasing every year. However, loose-leaf teas are closing the gap, with entrepreneurs such as Joey Landford striving to find a balance between ease and availability and flavor.  Among other features, his tumbler prototype includes a specially designed filter that locks onto the lid to prevent over-steeping as well as a convenient storage area for keeping additional tea leaves or bags, or sugar packets. And Landford is quick to point out that the tumbler’s design would be perfect for coffee-lovers as well.

His Kickstarter campaign is scheduled to launch in June 2013. “I truly think it will be revolutionary for those who like tea but have a fast paced life or those that want a simple answer for tea on the go. The current designs don't really cut it.” Updates can be found on The Tea Merchant website at TheTeaMerchant.net.

Tea Review: The Persimmon Tree's Vanilla Berry Truffle

Vanilla Berry Truffle (renamed to: Berry 'n' Cream) - The Persimmon Tree

 

The Persimmon Tree® offers customers some of the world's finest organic teas and botanical. Their high quality teas are hand-blended and organically grown. When doing my research, what I found most interesting about this company is that some of their teas are also fair trade, ensuring a better life for tea workers from countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Rooibos, Organic Hibiscus, Organic Currants, White Chocolate, Natural Flavors

Steep Time: 3-5 minutes

First Sip Thought: "Creamy deliciousness!"

Smell: At first, the scent is very subtle but sweet aroma. The initial smell I receive from it is a bold vanilla along side with slight hints of sweet berries. I can't say I really could tell there was white chocolate in the blend until I took a few sips, however I still found other flavours took over. Once the warm water hits the dried leaves, you will begin to adore the flavours taking up your home's air.

Taste: An easy, soft, sweet vanilla taste that adds to the creamy factor of this blend. It has a lingering flavour to last for quite a bit. My favourite part about this blend is that the roobios is highly noticeable in the sips but not overpowering. I tried this blend twice - first without milk or sugar, and the next taste I decided to see how it may differ with the additions. With a pinch of sugar and splash of milk I found the flavours to be more evident. I would love to recreate this blend in a delicious smoothie, or latte - something good with a milky base. Being caffeine free, and a dessert tea I would recommend a cup before bed instead of hitting some sweets! Great substitute.

 

Verdict: 4 out of 5 tea leaves

*Like The Persimmon Tree® on Facebook

**If you or someone you know would like a tea reviewed, contact me.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Tea has gained popularity all over the world. Researchers have been working for years to find out the benefits of beverage tea especially the green tea. Green Tea needs no introduction. Though in China, green tea has been in use since the ancient time but rest of the world came to know about green tea very late. In China, green tea has been in use to cure headaches and depression. Green tea has become synonymous to health drink. People who have been drinking green tea regularly have lower chances of heart problems and have got reduced chances of cancer. Green tea is helpful in overall well being of a person.

The other health problems that can be prevented by having green tea regularly are-

·       Rheumatoid arthritis

·       Cardiovascular problems

·       Any type of infection

·       High cholesterol levels

·       Problems related with body immunization

Green tea is considered as the best beverage tea because it has got catechin polyphenols , particularly epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG  in large amount. EGCG is an anti-oxidant that could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and is also very effective in killing the cancerous cells without damaging the healthy cells around.  Green tea has got other health benefits such as-

·       Green tea can lower the total cholesterol level in the body and also improves the ratio of the good cholesterol to the bad cholesterol. So it inhibits the abnormal blood clotting which may lead to heart attacks and strokes. Green tea is also helpful in repressing angiotensin II that is responsible for high blood pressure and thus reduces the possibility of heart attack in a person

·       Green tea is also very helpful in preventing tooth decay. Green tea has got the ability of destroying bacteria thus it could prevent food poising. Green tea kills the bacteria that are responsible for dental plaque

·       Green tea is helpful in reducing the blood sugar level so it is suggested for the people who are suffering from diabetes. Green tea has polyphenols that reduces amylase that is produced when starch gets converted into sugar so ultimately the blood sugar level gets decreased

·       Green tea is helpful in curing people who are suffering from influenza and diarrhea. It helps in relieving stress and also improves bone structure and thus delays the onset of osteoporosis, a disease that is very common in women.

In the busy schedule where people are addicted to fast foods and cannot avoid hectic work schedule, beverage tea is undoubtedly extremely beneficial. 

Author’s Bio:

Kathryn is the author for Chrisalexcorp. She also writes for a website that provides Tweedadder, a useful tool which is used to automate the tweets at protwit.com.

Homemade Chai Scone Recipe

My boyfriend and I were feeling like a treat, but nothing too sweet. It was a gloomy day out so it was perfect to look up a recipe and give it a shot. We stumbled upon Chai Scones and have been hooked ever since. My favourite part of this is not only how delicious it is but how easy and quick it takes to make. It's fun, and quite rewarding once you have a remarkable baked good to eat or serve! Continue reading to find out the recipe I used with modifications I made on my way.

Photo Credit: My Instagram (@teaaholic)

 

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
1/2 tsp. of ground ginger (I used fresh ginger, tasted much better!)
1/4 tsp. of ground cardamom (I couldn't find this at my local store, so I substituted it with nutmeg)
5 tbsp. of cold butter
1/4 cup of milk
2 eggs

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. Stir. 
• Cut the cold butter  into chunks and then add it to the flour mixture. Use your hands to smoosh the butter into the flour until the mixture. 
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and butter. Stir everything together until it forms one lump of very moist dough. If it remains crumbly with dry flour on the bottom of the bowl, add a tablespoon of water.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into one flat disc for regular sized scones, or two flat discs for mini scones. The discs should be about one inch thick each. Sprinkle the top of the dough with granulated sugar, if desired. Cut the disc(s) into eight wedge-shaped pieces.
• Place the dough wedges on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake the scones in the fully preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. 

Be sure to let me know if you tried this recipe, made any changes, and what you thought of it. I'd love to hear about your tea infused creations as well.

Happy April!

April 1st - the day where cruel pranks are acceptable, and something to laugh about. Happy April Fools Day! What pranks are you using today?

I personally love when brands get involved and try their best to prank consumers. This year, I had to share my new favourite one - tea related too! I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this... Here's David's Tea 2013 "new" Product Concepts:

Tea Review: Lu Lin's Posh Earl Grey

"Lu Lin is a passionate, ethical company who wishes to promote Chinese teas, while supporting local Chinese farmers and cutting out the middle man in the process to supply you with high quality tea at an affordable price. [They] manage the whole process right the way through from sourcing and quality checking to packing, and then shipping directly from China to the U.K. in small batches to ensure high quality control."

Posh Earl Grey - Lu Lin Tea

Steep Time: 4-7 minutes

Ingredients: Sri Lankan black tea, LuLin Teas Single Estate Keemun black tea, bergamot oil, orange flowers & cornflowers.

First Sip Thought: "Not what I was expecting!!"

Smell: I found the scent very bold when I first opened the sealed package. While it was steeping, it was probably the same level of boldness too. I enjoyed it quite a bit as I had this bed later in the evening and didn't want to sleep anytime soon. It's definitely so far a great pick me up blend to brew!

Taste: I'm usually not a huge fan of earl grey blends but this one has me rethinking that now. To me, the smell is quite deceiving because I feel like the flavours I got from just one sip were completely different. That's not a bad thing either. I say this because it didn't taste too strong or overwhelming like the scent may have. The main flavour I can get out of it is most likely the orange flowers. It adds a great, subtle sweet hint to the blend which makes it quite honestly, outstanding! My favourite part about it is how the flavours just keep on lingering on the tip of your tongue. The bergamot and zesty orange notes are an excellent combination for this medium high level caffeine blend.

Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 tea leaves

*If you would like to order some, click the image above to direct you to Lu Lin's website.
**If you or someone you know would like a tea reviewed, contact me.

guest post: Tree tea oil can cure anything

Tree Tea oil has been known for its anti-infective properties all over the world since a long time. The oil, which is obtained by distilling the leaves making use of steam or water distillation, is used to cure different types of infections. The oil not only has anti bacterial effect but also anti viral and anti fungal effects. The oil in itself has a very strong spicy smell, which may be uncomfortable to many.  However, if it can be diluted with some antiseptic oils like Lavender or Lemon, one can get rid of the pungent smell.

From very early age, tea oils have been used in medical practices. These were used as antibiotics since ages when medical studies were not so much advanced. It helped to fight cold as well as flu, and is still in practice. It only needs to be mixed with hot water and the steam needs to be inhaled. While the steam opens the pores, oil helps with the cause of the infection.

Also the oil from the tea leaves has also proved effective in the treatment of fungal infections such as athlete’s foot or ringworm. It has also proved effective in curing acne. As the oil is non-toxic so it has been proved to be safe even in the treatment of genital infections such as warts, harps and thrush. It can also be mixed with bathing for home treatments. Moreover it has also been found effective in treating insect bites and can even fight against bad breath.

One of the most renowned products made from green tea oil is ‘Green Tea Pill’. Green tea increases the metabolic rate to reduce fat in an effective manner. Fat is reduced by a body process known as Thermo genesis.  This activity can be categorized to three classes that are exercise associated thermogenesis (EAT), non-exercise associated thermogenesis (NEAT), and diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).

A very familiar type of thermogenesis is shivering, as we know it’s the body’s natural defense to fight cold, free fatty acids are burnt to raise body heat and sometimes thyroid hormones and nervous system raises the body heat. Therefore we can summarize that thermogenesis plays a vital role in increasing the metabolic rate. A Green Tea pill contains caffeine and EGCG, which can increase metabolic rate.  Clinical researches carried out by the University of Geneva and the University of Birmingham have indicated that green tea boosts the rate of metabolism.

So, in conclusion, if you are looking to shed extra body weight, it might be very advantageous for you to discover foods as well as supplements, which augment your thermogenesis. Green tea pills are a beneficial method to augment your thermogenesis, since researches have shown that green tea can enhance your metabolic rate by around 6 per cent alone.

Kathryn is the author for chrisalexcorp. She also writes for the website that offers Office Supplies at Viking-direct.org.