18th March, 2008: The Wizard Speaks: Tea Tops Dr. Oz’s Anti-Aging Checklist on Oprah
As seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz’s Anti- Aging Checklist features tea, both green tea and white tea, as part of a regiment for looking younger and living longer. As Mellow Monk points out, Dr. Oz recommends drinking four cups of green tea and/or white tea per day. In order to combat the aging process, in addition to drinking tea, you need to stock your kitchen with anti-oxidant rich items. Dr. Oz’s favorites include blueberries, sweet potatoes, broccoli and tomatoes. The checklist outlines other “musts” like benchmarks for sleeping, vitamins, exercise and more.
Looking younger and living longer is certainly appealing…no ruby slippers required.
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17th March, 2008: Irish Tea Facts
Ireland may not be known for its love of tea, but the under-rated inhabitants of this country enjoy their tea in abundance. They also like it strong.
So, before you associate the Irish with green beer, consider this little known fact: Ireland arguably has the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world. That’s the word from Pat Friend who has written about this love affair with tea for AllAboutIrish.com. We didn’t believe it either at first, which is why we researched the matter further. Here’s what we learned: although the #1 spot may be debated, year after year the Irish are, indeed, among the top six tea-sipping countries in the world with an average daily consumption ranging from 1.5 kg of tea to 3.2 kg. That’s approximately three to six cups per person per day!
As Friend noted, “Ireland’s close ties to tea have their roots in the country’s history as a part of the British Empire.” The love affair with the beverage began when tea was first imported in 1835 and the preference continues to be for tea that is strong and black. Which explains the saying, “a good Irish cup of tea is strong enough for a mouse to trot on.”
To learn more about Ireland and its tea preferences, view Friends’ full article here.
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14th March, 2008: Tea Makes Food Taste Better: This Latest Trend is Nothing New
Tea has been around for more than 5000 years. The Chinese have been cooking with tea for as long as they have been drinking it. Ancient Chinese uses of tea still found today include steamed fish stuffed with dried Oolong leaves and tea infused boiling water for cooking eggs.
Now, tea as an ingredient in cooking is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. According to Diana Rosen, Los Angeles-based author of several tea cookbooks, “We are discovering what they knew centuries ago: Tea makes food taste better.” In addition to all the health benefits provided by tea, tea also enhances flavor.
Flavor and form are key when using tea in cooking. The flavor of tea should match the dish. Sweet grassy green teas, for instance, pair better with shrimp and other shellfish, according to Rosen. Contemporary examples using different forms of tea as an ingredient include dried tea as a flavorful rub for fish, poultry, pork and beef as compared to brewed tea, which is better suited for soups, baked goods, and cream sauces.
Cooking with tea…it’s the latest trend…be on the look out for tea as an ingredient on the menu at your favorite restaurant!
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12th March, 2008: Spice it Up… Bigelow Tea’s “Add Flavor to Your Life” Campaign Targets Hispanic Market
Bigelow Tea has launched a national Hispanic marketing campaign. The company is excited about ‘Dale Sabor a Tu Vida’ or ‘Add Flavor to Your Life’ as a way to reach out to Bigelow Tea’s Hispanic consumer base. “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 life that is culturally-relevant.”
With Miami, Los Angeles, Houston and New York City being the first cities targeted for broadening the market of Bigelow tea drinkers within the Hispanic community, future marketing efforts in this regard will also include Spanish language website, print, advertising, direct mail, public relations that will extend to promotional events and samplings. The campaign was created by Bauza and Associates.
Bigelow is proud to celebrate its Hispanic consumer base! For more updates go to www.bigelowtea.com/tebigelow.
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11th March, 2008: What a great IDEA!
I am so excited to share some fun news about a super idea generated by a team in our company called IGT which stands for the Idea Generation Team. IGT is made up of 7 employees from diverse departments throughout Bigelow Tea. Since the groups’ inception two years ago, they have met once a month and brainstormed about all different kinds of ideas. For example, one of their fun thoughts was to develop their own cooking show. Two members of the IGT created delicious recipes using Bigelow tea. I have to say, they had a complete ball making up recipes for all of us to enjoy. We got such joy from watching the video they created (especially the bloopers)!
Well last Thursday another one of their ideas become a reality. Next to our corporate headquarters sign on the outside of our building, they wanted to add a beautifully crafted replica of the Bigelow Tea signature teapot logo. Sounds like a no brainer (which of course saying yes to their idea was) but no one else made it happen like they did!
Because of this team’s great work, everyone passing by our building will now get to not only see our formal name R.C. Bigelow, Inc. but it will have placed next to it our lovely teapot emblem.
In my opinion, some of the best ideas are what I call the “V-8” idea-you hear the idea and you react the same as the V-8 commercials “wow, I should have had a V-8”….simple, yet effective….
Cindi Bigelow, President
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
10th March, 2008: Patti Scialfa’s Tea in Life and Art
Patti Scialfa may be best known as the wife of musician Bruce Springsteen and a player in the E Street Band, but she also happens to be an artist in her own right … and a tea lover, to boot!
We first learned of Scialfa’s association with tea after the release of her 2004 recording “23rd Street Lullaby.” Featured in the album is a song of the same name – which was penned by Scialfa and received four-star reviews in Rolling Stone magazine – that opens with a sultry reference to Jasmine tea (view lyrics here.) But, surprisingly, her tea preferences seem to lean in different directions. According to a Smoking Gun write-up, Patti’s backstage digs are furnished “with soy milk, green tea, various protein and energy supplements,” while a Fox News interview exposes her as a serious musician and Earl Grey lover.
To learn more about Scialfa, her latest album, “Play It as It Lays,” or tour information visit Patti’s official site.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
7th March, 2008: Tea Timeline
Have you ever wanted to see the big picture when it comes to tea history? We’ve located an online tea history that can help.
The Tea Page features a timeline which extends from 2000 BC, when tea was grown in India, to 1953 AD when the play Tea and Sympathy (starring Deborah Kerr) was performed at New York’s Ethel Barrymore Theater.
Points of interest along the timeline also include the year 222 when tea was “mentioned as a substitute for wine for the first time in Chinese writings.” And, how in 805, tea was “introduced to Japan as a medicine.” Not to forget our British friends, there’s even a spot in the history for 1597 when the first English mention of tea appears.
For more detailed accounts in tea’s history, view these Bigelow posts: The Japanese Tea Ceremony, How Tea Got to England (Parts I and II), How Russia was Introduced to Tea (Parts II and III), and the History of Iced Tea in America.
Posted by Brenda at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
6th March, 2008: Fruit and Almond Tea Announcement
I have exciting news we have enough ingredients to make 400 cases of Fruit & Almond tea. The tea will be available to purchase online (www.bigelowtea.com) in approximately two weeks. The tea will be packaged in white generic boxes but the foil will be in the standard Fruit and Almond overwrap. I am also working on making it available (on line only) from this point forward. More news to come on that front – but for now, we are making up 400 cases for you amazing wonderful consumers. Thank you so much for enjoying our tea!!!
Cindi Bigelow, President
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comments (3)
5th March, 2008: Fruit and Almond Tea Requests, We Hear you and Thank you!
I have a full court press working on this; we just need a few more days to figure this out! It is hard to get some of the ingredients needed in small quantities but I promise you, my team is all over this!!!!! We have one ingredient that is causing the majority of the problems……
Posted by Cindi at 2:22 pm | Comments (2)
5th March, 2008: Dynamic Duo: Tea & Honey
Like Batman and Robin, tea and honey make a Dynamic Duo. It is delicious and soothing as the blog, Laurelonhealth notes. Now it turns out, like tea, honey has health benefits too! In fact, Reuters reported on a study showing that a spoonful of honey can quiet children’s nighttime cough and help them sleep better. When compared to the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan or no treatment, honey proved to be more effective. The study compared three groups of children: one was given buckwheat honey, the other honey-flavored detromenthorphan, and the third, no treatment. In addition to this report, MSNBC.com also spoke about honey in its report 90 seconds to amazing health. Another study found honey to slow the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which facilitates plaque in the blood vessels. Honey, according to the report, also has antibacterial properties when applied topically to a wound.
Next time you let that honey slowly drip into your tea, just remember, it’s more than just a sweetener…
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