Field Greens with White Tea Tangerine Dressing

Ingredients:
6 Bigelow® White Tea with Tangerine tea bags
½ cup (125mL) boiling water
2 tablespoons (30mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (15mL) white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons (45mL) honey
2 teaspoons (10mL) minced shallot
Dash of salt
¼ cup (60mL) pine nuts, optional
6 cups (1500mL) field greens
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 can tangerine sections, drained

Instructions:
Place Bigelow® White Tea with Tangerine tea bags into a measuring cup, pour boiling water over tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and chill tea.
Whisk together chilled tea, olive oil, vinegar, honey, shallots and salt. Set aside.

Toss field greens, red onion slices, and drained tangerine sections together.

Toss with Tangerine dressing and garnish with pine nuts if desired.

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cook Time: N/A

News reports say that we’re at the height of the flu season and a quick visit to the CDC Website proves they’re correct: after a relatively symptom-free winter, the United States is experiencing more widespread influenza activity. You, however, can help protect yourself and family by following a few health tips.

Jan Jarvis, writing for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, suggests several ways to prevent illness. Her common sense approach includes washing hands regularly with old-fashioned soap and water; getting plenty of exercise and sleep; and maintaining a healthy diet. Jarvis also discusses green tea as a preventative.

“Green tea’s claim to fame is its antioxidants, which may help boost the immune system,” Jarvis notes, citing a recent piece of research which suggests that  “ingredients in green tea can enhance the body’s immune system by 28 percent.” This is encouraging news, but not definitive proof of the flu-fighting power of tea, leading Jarvis to acknowledge that, even if it does not prevent a cold, tea has “other health benefits and it tastes good.”

For details on some tasty Bigelow tea solutions, refer to our Dec. 2007 post, Good Tea for a Cold, and the more recent, Tea Recipe for Lunch. Also be sure to check out all six of Jan Jarvis’s health tips here.

Gentle women have been sipping tea in Europe and the United States for centuries. By the late 1880s, however, we were blessed with a world-class artist who captured this relaxing pastime in her work. You’ve probably seen prints and posters derived from her original paintings and pastel renderings; they remain quite popular to this day. But you may not know the artist behind the colorful images.

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born in Philadelphia and studied art abroad where she focused on the Old Masters. Cassatt drew acclaim as the only American selected to exhibit with the French Impressionists. She is also recognized for her depictions of the social and private lives of women. One typical subject was that of well-bred ladies enjoying tea.

By 1908, deteriorating eyesight virtually ended Cassatt’s career, but – luckily for us – she had already given the world a unique body of work. Today you can view much of Cassatt’s art online, including her tea-themed paintings. Afternoon Tea Party can be seen at the New York Public Library Website and The Cup of Tea is only a click away at the Metropolitan Museum of Art site, where you can also find pages filled with additional information on Cassatt.

Five O’clock Tea by Mary Cassatt

FAIRFIELD, Conn.– Bigelow Tea, one of the nation’s leading producers of specialty teas, today announced that it is launching its first national marketing campaign to extend its existing brand awareness and loyalty to Hispanic tea drinkers.

The new campaign is called, “Dale Sabor a Tu Vida” (Add Flavor to Your Life), and reflects the quality and flavor difference of Bigelow Tea’s more than 80 varieties of flavored, traditional, green, organic green, herbal, decaffeinated, and iced teas.

“Hispanics are a very important part of our consumer base and the research clearly shows that, as consumers, they remain loyal to brands based on taste and quality, both areas where Bigelow Tea differentiates itself,” said Cindi Bigelow, President, Bigelow Tea.  “The theme ‘Dale Sabor a Tu Vida’ echoes this sentiment as well as reflects a passion and zest for adding flavor to your life that is culturally-relevant.”

The campaign, created by Bauzá & Associates, begins with a newspaper insert that will be distributed in mid-February in Miami, Los Angeles, Houston and New York City.   Future campaign plans include a Spanish-language website, print advertising, direct mail, public relations as well as event support and promotional sampling in cities like Miami.

Bigelow Tea has Spanish-language packaging on select tea varieties in key markets, and has conducted previous direct-marketing campaigns based on its general market concepts.

“Bigelow Tea is very proud of the relationship we have established with the Hispanic customer.  We are now looking to expand our efforts by enhancing our communication and servicing our customers in a more culturally-relevant manner,” said Cindi Bigelow. “As a family-owned company for more than 60 years, we are focused on consistently delivering the highest quality teas to all of our customers.”

About Bigelow Tea Company
Bigelow Tea was founded by Ruth Campbell Bigelow over 60 years ago in 1945. The company continues to be 100% family owned and managed by the Bigelow family with a special blend of pride and enthusiasm. Today the company is one of the nation’s leading producers of specialty teas, which includes more than 80 varieties of flavored, traditional, green, organic green, herbal, decaffeinated, and iced teas. One of Bigelow Tea’s most well-known products is America’s number one specialty tea flavor “Constant Comment®” which is flavored with a delicious blend of oranges and spice. It is available in both black and green tea versions.

Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide including grocery outlets, mass merchandisers and health stores, and every variety can be found on the company website (www.bigelowtea.com and www.bigelowtea.com/tebigelow), along with an appealing selection of tea chests, tea accessories and other gift items. Tea lovers will also enjoy the company’s blog (www.bigelowteablog.com).

Being an in-demand actor can take its toll on the body. Film star Tom Hanks has gained (and lost) weight for a number of his roles, sometimes purposefully and other times not. But after packing on several pounds, he ultimately turned to tea for a dietary solution. 

According to AskMen.com, Hanks became hooked on gourmet coffee during filming of Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, in which he co-starred with actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. “I had to give up coffee because I was drinking too many lattes,” he’s quoted as saying. Luckily Hanks found a sensible substitute, noting “I drink tea now instead.”

For details on Tom Hanks’ next movie, check out this Sundance review of The Great Buck Howard featuring Hanks, John Malkovich and Emily Blunt.

When it comes to tea, history is being made in United States. Tomislav Podreka at Planet Tea says that “We are … at the beginning of the establishment of an American tea ritual.” 

Think about it. Throughout its history, tea has been intimately tied to ritual. Consider the expression, “steeped in tradition.” In Asian culture tea is integral to ceremonies and meditation practices as it has been for thousands of years. In England, what began as a duchess’s stomach murmurs in the 1800s evolved into tea time as a compulsory daily break for the masses.

It’s now time for America. As “[ritualization of tea] has occurred in every other culture … there will be no difference here,” Podereka says. He credits herbals – which originated early in American history as simple remedies for minor afflictions – for boosting “America’s tea culture to another level” and notes that “these infusions have made great inroads as a common staple of American life.” More recently, stringent scientific study has given additional credibility to centuries of health claims, priming tea for ritualization based on its health benefits. 

What tea rituals will America develop? According to the author, a great deal depends on what influences our choices. Fortified by the latest research, will Americans drink primarily for health? For relaxation? Or something else? In the end, only time will tell, but it’s great to be part of tea history in the making.

If you have ever had a sinus infection, you know how uncomfortable and painful it can be.  You can feel dizzy and in general, pretty crummy.  According to Dr. Grossman, Ear, Nose and Throat specialist and author of The Sinus Cure, tea can help.  Sinus disease is caused when the cilia – very tiny “hairs” – in the nose and chest stop moving.  Their purpose is to prevent bacteria, dirt and cancer causing poisons from entering the body by moving them out, acting like oars rowing at 16 strokes per second.  One way to combat sinus problems, recommends Grossman, is tea in bed!  By drinking hot tea before you get out of bed, the body gets warmed up and cilia movement is encouraged. 

Now you have a good excuse to stay in bed with your tea before starting each day!

Find out how to make the perfect cup of tea. Did you know that green tea and black tea should be made differently? Learn more only on our Tea-V channel.

After filming two back-to-back films in England, American starlet Scarlett Johansson “has embraced the English custom of afternoon teas.”

Johansson may be best known for her 2003 part in Sofia Copppola’s Lost in Translation which paired her with Bill Murray in a non-comedic role. It has taken time in London during more recent movies, however, to convince her to adapt the British teatime custom for her own lifestyle, says Contact Music.com. “The way the English allocate a certain time of day for tea and sandwiches is wonderful,” she is quoted as saying.

Afternoon tea isn’t the only time Johansson enjoys the beverage, though. When Elle caught up with her in New York, she was ordering a special hybrid drink: half iced tea, half lemonade.

Why do you drink tea? Last year the Tea Council of the USA sponsored a contest to answer that question; to learn just how and why you and other Americans enjoy the beverage. The response was terrific! Over 70 video responses were received that focused on health benefits and more.

The submissions were creative, often humorous, and informative. Like the grand prize winning entry which features a young laborer enjoying tea – in a dainty cup and saucer – during a work break. And an honorary mention entry that depicts a news station’s investigative reporting into the subject.

See the top videos for yourself and see where your reasons fit in at http://teausa.org/calmasutra/index.cfm.