14th November, 2007: Tea & Honey - Protecting Against Illness Mother Nature’s Way
Tea with honey does more than just soothe sore throats. It also combats common illness causing bacteria like E. coli found in popular meats like turkey, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. In fact, a recent study at Kansas State University (KSU) conducted with the Food Safety Consortium confirmed what many already know — Mother Nature knows best. As opposed the chemicals routinely used to treat meat, the study found that extracts from green tea or jasmine tea mixed with wildflower honey were more effective in fighting the most common pathogens. The more natural approach was also found to improve the shelf life of ready-to-eat meats and vegetables. Tea & honey…Mother Nature’s way.
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
13th November, 2007: Fighting Dementia with Tea
Following a recent scientific symposium on tea and human health, we’ve learned how tea benefits our attention spans. But that is only a small part of the story. Tea consumption may also help maintain brain function as we grow older.
According to a press release issued by symposium organizers, data from a host of scientific studies “suggest that drinking tea, especially rich in catechins, may help support the brain as we age.” Going one step further, they state that “… tea consumption is inversely correlated with the incidence of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.”
Dr. Silvia Mandel, of the Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Israel, has studied the effects of tea on brain function for over a decade. Her most recent data, presented at the symposium, indicated that an antioxidant in green tea “appeared to prevent brain cells from dying, and showed improvements in reducing compounds that lead to lesions in the brains of animals with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Results from the research of Mandel and others may help to explain why Asian populations, known for higher tea consumption, suffer from significantly lower incidence rates of age-related neurological disorders than Europeans or Americans.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
12th November, 2007: Tea Flicks
Winter’s dropping temperatures means it’s time to warm up to a new movie or an old classic. Time to snuggle up on the sofa with a hot cup of Chai tea, and maybe a tea-themed movie!
Timeless favorites include the 1950s musical Tea for Two starring Doris Day as a wealthy heiress who bets her uncle that she won’t say “yes” to anything for a full weekend. Complications arise as she responds “no” to every question and request asked of her.
For a more recent film, fast forward to 1999 for Tea with Mussolini featuring Cher. In this semi-autobiographical tale, a diverse group of women believe they have been guaranteed safety in a tea reception given by Il Duce. As WWII breaks out, however, they are interned and must join forces to survive.
If you don’t mind subtitles, you might also want to check out the award-winning Japanese film Cha no aji (or The Taste of Tea) which premiered as a selection at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie focuses on the lives of the Haruno family, including daughter Sachiko who seems to be constantly followed by a giant version of herself.
For more films with a tea theme, click here to visit the Internet Movie Database. Then, make movie-time tea time!
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
9th November, 2007: Safe At Home with Joe Torre
Created in 2002 by Joe and Ali Torre, the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation aims to provide a place of refuge and sanctuary for children in abusive households. The mission of the foundation is to advocate the halt of domestic violence, fear and victimization and educate the importance of saving young lives through counseling, training and mentoring.
The foundation has reached out to the community with Margaret’s Place, a home away from home. Named as a tribute to Torre’s mother, Margaret’s Place is a comprehensive program that provides counseling, peer leadership programs and intervention and prevention workshops. Currently, there are ten operational Margaret’s Places in metropolitan New York and Westchester County.
With a fundraiser tonight in New York City, we want to say good luck and keep up the good work! Everyone at Bigelow Tea is proud to support Ali & Joe Torre and The Safe At Home Foundation.
Posted by Cecilia at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
7th November, 2007: Keeping Trim with Tea
Over two-thirds of all adults in the United States are overweight, a fact that has sent scientists scurrying to their labs for solutions. These researchers are in search of medically sound ways to help consumers manage their weight. And they’re finding that tea is showing potential in the battle of the bulge.
Research unveiled during the recent International Scientific Symposium on Tea & Human Health, suggests that green tea may aid in weight management by reducing body fat and, in particular, visceral fat. In reviewing the existing body of scientific data on green tea, weight loss and metabolism, Eva Kovacs, Ph.D., Clinical Research Manager at Unilever North America, noted that the results suggest that catechins in green tea provide a modest benefit on metabolism, “possibly through increased resting energy expenditure and fat oxidation.”
Dr. Kovacs, however, warns that green tea products are “no magic bullet for weight loss” and that green tea “should be included as part of an overall diet and exercise strategy to achieve a healthy body weight.”
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
6th November, 2007: Unit Box 101
Now this is probably more information than you would ever want to know about the box your tea bags come in but it is a very complicated process and many people have spent a lot of time and energy to make it the best box possible. Boxes are designed for their visual effect and for safely transporting a product from the production line to your kitchen.
Boxes will have eight sides or panels and with the bar code and nutritional facts usually taking up two panels which leaves six panels for conveying information to the consumer. In a short amount of time the box needs to convince the consumer to buy this product vs. the competitions and that is done by the color, text, and graphics used on the box. Some boxes will have a horizontal look and others will be vertical, some even have printing in both directions so stores can choose how they want to display them.
Our box opens with a “zipper” feature to allow the customer to reseal it like cereal boxes. If you notice there are two side flaps that come in from each end panel and they are the design feature we use to protect the product from contamination and tampering until the end user opens the box. The thickness of the box material, the type of scores used for the box to fold, the number of colors used in printing, are more of the features that may go unnoticed but are critical in providing a reliable product to the customer.
Now that you are more familiar with boxes, it is test time…….how many colors are on your box of Bigelow tea?
Dean
Posted by Dean at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
5th November, 2007: Style Celebs Big on Tea
These celebrities are known for their sense of style. But, it seems, they’ve also got great taste! We’re speaking of reality TV divas Heidi Klum and .
Heidi Klum may be best known as a former Victoria’s Secret model and a host of Bravo television’s Project Runway. Or you may think of her as the beautiful wife of the popular British soul vocalist, Seal. Either way, there’s no denying that Heidi loves her tea! Heidi prefers it English style. According to Ask Men.com, the supermodel enjoys her tea served with cucumber sandwiches, asserting that “her favorite thing about visiting England is having traditional afternoon tea.”
Kimora Lee Simmons has captured fame in E! Network’s Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane. A retired model and the CEO/Creative Director for Baby Phat clothing, Kimora enjoys tea so much that she has a tea room in her home.
Along with her former husband, rap mogul Russell Simmons, she also chose a tea party for the launch of her signature clothing line. And, according to her recent book, Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It, green tea is among her list of top five foods. “I have my chef make me pitchers of iced green tea,” she’s quoted as saying.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
2nd November, 2007: Tea Benefits Touted by USA Today
An October 8th USA Today article explores research linking tea and health. Tea has been associated with health benefits for thousands of years and yet, scientists have only begun to recognize and investigate these benefits over the past thirty years. In a recent study, reported in the July issue of the journal Life Sciences, green tea and black tea when substituted for drinking water, inhibited the growth of human prostate cancer cells implanted in mice. In addition, topical application and ingestion of green tea polyphenols, compounds with the antioxidant activity, protected against skin cancer in mice.
One of the most fascinating things about tea, according to co-author of the study, Hasan Mukhtar, vice chair of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is that “there is no other product known that has such diversified effects.” Green tea seems to have more health prestige than black tea, perhaps because it has been the focus of more research. Although not as well studied as green tea, black tea may be, in fact, as beneficial, says Mukhtar, who drinks two cups of black tea and two cups of green tea a day.
Furthermore, human clinical trials, conducted by Iman Hakim, a professor the Arizona Cancer Center at the University of Arizona, found that compounds in green tea had a positive affect on genes involved in cancer susceptibility and DNA repair. In addition, an ongoing clinical trial of current and former smokers with chronic pulmonary disease, demonstrated that those who were given green tea instead of a placebo drink experienced a significant improvement in HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
The article also examines work done by John Foxe, professor of neuroscience, biology and psychology at City College of the City University of New York. Foxe is investigating theanine, which unlike the polyphenols found in tea, can cross the blood/brain barrier. According to Foxe, people who drank a solution with theanine equivalent to 10 cups of tea were able to focus better than those who drank the placebo solution.
Now that’s some three bodies of research worth talking about…
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
