Distinctively tea
Tea and conspiracy have made strange but regular bedfellows, from the Opium Wars and the tea fuelled socialist revolutions to the Tea Tape Scandal in New Zealand last month. There is a tea conspiracy brewing though that is perhaps more sinister than ever before.
Natural. Magical. Uva 2011 Seasonal Flush.
There is no beverage quite like tea. Brewed from the leaves of a herb first recorded as a medicine five thousand years ago, tea has since been celebrated in the most revered manner by poets, emperors, kings, and commoners. Tea is universally known as a healthy herb though not often as one that is...
Lies, damned lies and the coffee lobby
Fact and fiction should contrast as dramatically as black and white. Strangely that truth does not seem to hold anymore as the world enters a state of altered reality reminiscent of that which George Orwell described in 1949. In this dimension, it is not the State that is Big Brother, but something far worse. The...
The Man with no Tea in him
Hearing the advice, earlier this week, of a learned marketer who proclaimed that tea – in the form that we know and love it today – will disappear in five years, and that tradition, love for tea are obsolete amongst a new generation that desires only instant gratification, it seemed that the 21st Century is...
21st Century Beverage : terroir in tea
The story behind your cup of tea is a fascinating one, for it is infused with art, history and dedication at every stage from hand picking the tender leaves through the ancient and traditional cycle of withering, rolling, fermentating, baking and sifting the tea leaves. And finally there is the art of tasting and selecting...
The Harsher Truth behind the Harsh World
Suggesting that ‘..the fortunes of the Hill Tamil workers on its many plantations have not kept pace with the industry’s growth’ hides a much more complex reality than first meets the eye. Notwithstanding the superficial comment of the Ceylon Tea Traders’ Association representative that the workers are well cared for and not exploited, there is...
…. and then there is tea (green tea for the first timer)
If there was any doubt about the ancient wisdom that tea is good for human health, they were dispelled by the findings of the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health. Yet, like those that persist in smoking cigarettes in the face of overwhelming research advising against it, there are some who still...
One tea, two personalities
Two mugs of tea, made using the same Dilmah Single Origin Pure Ceylon teabag, brewed for the same time in identical porcelain mugs and tasted seconds apart in the same conditions – yet entirely different. One has brightness, depth and strength, with the wonderful balance of richness and flavour that is the hallmark of Ceylon’s...
It’s not size that really matters …
Mastering the art of tea can take a lifetime, but understanding a few simple but important aspects of tea can be crucial to the appreciation of tea. Some of the ‘tea masters’ who have tasked themselves with educating tea drinkers about tea have unfortunately perpetuated some of the myths about tea. Chief amongst these is...
Caffeine in tea – the story continues
The subject of caffeine in tea is surrounded by misunderstanding and myth, which has too often led to tea drinkers sacrificing their enjoyment of the healthy herb in the belief that caffeine in tea is excessively damaging. Whilst a new study suggests restricting tea consumption during pregnancy to four cups a day due to the...
Knowledge, Education, Quality – Tea Sommelier
Putting on the kettle and brewing up a cuppa sounds simple doesn’t it. It’s not – not because it is complicated – but because most people just don’t take the simple precautions to get it right. Like selecting garden fresh, origin packed tea and brewing black tea for at least 3 minutes to get the...
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