31st July, 2007: Tea Facts both Past and Present
Here are some fun tea facts you might not know.
- Tea has been around for over 5000 years
- Americans consume more than 50 billion servings of tea.
- Away from home consumption of tea has increased by 10% annually over the past 10 years.
- It takes five pounds of fresh tea leaves to make one pound of finished tea.
- Tea is one of the largest agricultural products in the world. Nearly 35 billion pounds of tea leaves were harvested last year. That is enough to produce nearly 7 billion pounds of finished tea.
Posted by Elizabeth at 6:00 am | Comments (3)
30th July, 2007: Celebrities Design Tea Mugs for Charity
Nicole Kidman’s sketch is all about peace, as is George Clooney’s simple black-on-white drawing. More elaborate, but no less meaningful, is Ewan McGregor’s depiction of hope. All these celebrities, and more, are helping raise money for their chosen charities by designing tea mugs which are produced in limited quantities and sold on-line.
Each mug features a symbol of hope, a stick-figure self-portrait and a message for the future. Some, like the brightly colored mug by actress Minnie Driver, deliver words of empowerment. Others, including the tea mug by Sir Michael Caine, offer advice. Even supermodel Claudia Schiffer (mug pictured) has a few words to share.
The aim of organizers at 21st Century Leaders, who have arranged the tea mug sales, is to raise a minimum of $3 million for charitable projects that benefit developing countries, help protect the environment and further other worthy causes. To date they have raised over $1 million.
A recent unrelated fund-raising effort by the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation auctioned off one-of-a-kind teapots designed by a number of actors and television personalities including Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Survivor’s Mark Burnett. Actress Gillian Anderson’s teapot drew the highest bid, raising $675 for the foundation. Clothes Off Our Back was founded by actor/philanthropists Jane Kaczmarek (”Malcolm In The Middle”) and Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”) to host auctions that benefit children’s charities.
If you would like to contribute, while sipping your tea in style, order your own mug at The Tea House Times.
Posted by Brenda at 7:42 am | Comment (0)
27th July, 2007: Flying Saucers of Another Sort — Lady Bird Johnson’s “Flying Tea Parties”
There has been a lot in the news lately about Lady Bird Johnson due to her recent death. Yet, here’s something you may not have heard. Lady Bird Johnson used to organize “Flying Tea Parties.” In fact, she hosted one with Ethel and Eunice Kennedy during the 1960 presidential race. This “Flying Tea Party” (tea parties organized along the 35,000 mile campaign trail) was credited for winning over Texas voters who were leery of John F. Kennedy’s Roman Catholic background. Texas ended up being crucial to the Kennedy-Johnson victory. Together, what ingenuity and tea can accomplish…
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
25th July, 2007: Upcoming Tour to the Charleston Tea Plantation
The Tea House Times will be hosting a four-day tea tour, July 29 - August 3, featuring stops at the only black tea plantation in the U.S., The Charleston Tea Plantation, and other points of historic interest in Charleston and Summerville, South Carolina.
On day one, tea enthusiasts will gain a better understanding of the beginnings of the tea industry in America with a full morning’s visit to the Charleston Tea Plantation.
At the plantation which is owned by Bigelow Tea, visitors will explore the grounds, tour the factory and browse the gift shop. Rounding out the day, guests will enjoy southern cooking at its best during a formal dinner at the Woodlands Inn.
Tour highlights also include stops at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, explorations of historic Charleston and Summerville, free time in Old City Market and an afternoon tea at the Wickliffe House.
For more tour information or to sign-up, visit the Tea House Times Web site.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
24th July, 2007: Moving in the Right Direction
The production plants take a week off around the 4th of July; we call it our summer shut down. At that time we do any major work in the facility or on equipment and get things ready for our upcoming year. Everything kind of slows down at this time of the year, sales are slow, people are taking vacation, and year end numbers are being reviewed. The first week back from a shut down is always a concern on how well production will start back up. Once you are in a routine things happen almost automatically and once you get out of a routine it can take some time to get back into the groove. This year all of the plants came back from the shut down and we hit that groove early. That is a good indication that our people, equipment and processes are getting better defined and more reliable. In a process you are always trying to optimize the repeatability and take variation out. We may not be totally there but it does give a good indication we are moving in the right direction.
Dean
Posted by Dean at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
23rd July, 2007: Bigelow Tea joins Facebook
Yes, it is true, Bigelow Tea has joined Facebook, a social network that unites people with friends, and others who work, study and live around them. We believe that an online conversation is very valuable to our consumers. We have experienced this with our blog where we have provided facts about tea, tea history, fun tea celebrity moments and more so we are extending our efforts to Facebook where we can interface with others who are passionate about tea in addition to answering questions for those who are new to the joy of drinking tea.
Join us and become our friend on Facebook, enjoy our videos and more fun tea facts as we reach out to the tea drinkers around the world!
Posted by Valorie at 7:37 am | Comment (0)
20th July, 2007: Thank You Joe Torre and Phil Simms!
What a great day I had on Tuesday-got to spend hours with two great, great giants, Joe Torre and Phil Simms. We are doing our marketing campaign for this upcoming season and I had an opportunity to interview both guys about tea, sports, life philosophies-it was truly a special experience for me. The conversation was on video so I will have an opportunity to share it on our blog. I am like a little kid, I cannot wait to see it. These guys were so gracious, engaging, and warm and we did it while sharing a cup of Bigelow Green Tea. It was a day to remember!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
18th July, 2007: Report Cards
We are never too old for report cards or evaluations being done but typically we prefer it on other people and not ourselves. The intent is always to identify areas that can be improved upon. Every year we do employee reviews, top to bottom in the organization and ours are coming due the end of June. We will sit down with each employee, review their current goals and set goals for the upcoming year. Some of these goals are self improvement while others focus on business improvements. Then in December we will again sit down and review the progress or make adjustments as needed. Typically the communication is going on all the time but official documentation happens twice a year. Not all the goals are met but the identification, documentation, and review help direct the company and people to the next level.
Someone said that if you do not measure, it will never get done. As I look back over the past year we have made a lot of good progress but we did not always hit that perfect score. Well there is always next year to try harder.
Dean
Posted by Dean at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
17th July, 2007: Tea Ceremonies Draw Celebs and Their Children
It’s tea for two as celebrity children and their mothers start new tea traditions!
Dayna Devon, co-host of NBC’s award-winning news program “EXTRA,” and actress Denise Richards recently joined with their young daughters to host the first official Little Mommy Day Tea Party in Beverly Hills. The event, sponsored by toy-maker Mattel, was introduced to celebrate the special time that mothers and daughters share.
“We know little girls look up to their moms as role models and observe all of the nurturing and caring actions they do each and every day. Little Mommy Day celebrates [that] special bond … and encourages mothers to be an active participant in their little girl’s world of imaginary role-play,” said Stephanie Cota, a company representative.
Organizers cited the tradition of tea-time as a part of playtime. Girls attending the event were treated to a grand English-style tea party where they enjoyed a “three-generational” brunch with their mothers and new dolls.
For more information on the inaugural tea, visit Babyrazzi.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
16th July, 2007: Tea Healthier Than Water, But Hold the Milk
Back in Fall 2006, the BBC reported that tea was a “healthier drink than water” based on research evaluated by UK public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton and colleagues at Kings College in London. According to the BBC report, findings indicated that “tea not only re-hydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers.”
Now German scientists caution that tea’s health benefits hold true, when consumers hold the milk.
While findings indicated that “drinking black tea significantly improved the ability of arteries to relax and expand to keep blood pressure healthy,” researchers have determined that proteins found in milk, caseins, blocked this effect.
Dr. Robert Vogel, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical School, commented on the recent studies on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Web site, “Tea is one of the greatest sources of antioxidants,” he says, noting that “in countries where they drink a lot of tea, heart disease is decreased, except for the British Isles. It is typical in Great Britain to add milk.”
His advice? “Add lemon not milk.”
For more details on the German study, view the abstract published in the Jan. 9 online edition of the European Heart Journal.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
