Take a moment to check out this great article in the New York Times today…just another glimpse into the family owned business that is Bigelow Tea!

Have a great weekend!

Colorful Grilled Tofu Sandwiches

Ingredients:
6 Bigelow® Pomegranate Pizzazz Herbal Juice Tea Bags
¾ cup (180mL) boiling water
1lb (500g) firm or extra firm Tofu, drained and cut into 8 slices
2 cups (500mL) baby lettuce or spinach
¼ cup (60mL) balsamic vinaigrette
8 slices whole grain bread
Mustard and mayonnaise if desired
¾ cup (180mL) roasted red peppers, drained
4 slices Swiss cheese

Instructions:
Place Bigelow® Pomegranate Pizzazz Herbal Juice tea bags in a measuring cup and add boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and reserve ½ cup (125mL) tea.

Place tofu into a large dish, pour tea over and marinate for ½ hour, turning once or twice.

Preheat grill and grill tofu turning once after five minutes, cooking both sides for five minutes.

Prepare sandwiches by tossing greens with vinaigrette. Spread 4 slices of bread with mayonnaise and/or mustard, 2 slices of tofu, ¼ of the greens, ¼ of the red pepper and a slice of cheese, cover with another slice of bread. Continue until you have 4 sandwiches.

Yield: Serves 4 – Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grilled Lemon Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 large Portobello mushrooms
8 Bigelow® I Love Lemon Herbal tea bags
1 cup (250mL) boiling water
3 tablespoons (45mL) fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (250mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Clean mushrooms with a soft brush and remove stems. Set aside.
Place 8 Bigelow® I Love Lemon Herbal tea bags into a measuring cup and pour boiling water over tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags.
Mix together tea, coriander, pepper and salt and gradually whisk in olive oil.
Place mushrooms in a zip lock bag and pour marinade over mushrooms. In refrigerator, let marinade for up to 24 hours.
When ready to grill, place mushrooms on preheated grill and cook 8 to 10 minutes per side or until tender, basting frequently with reserved marinade.
Slice mushrooms and place on salad greens, or serve as an appetizer.
They also go very well with steak.

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time 10 mins. – Marinating Time 24 hrs – Cook Time 8-10 min

Calling all students! The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. recently launched its $20,000 scholarship competition.  Called the “Calm-a-Sutra of Tea,” the campaign encompasses a nationwide search for a short, original Internet video which most uniquely depicts tea consumption while incorporating some aspect of tea’s many health benefits. 

“While educating the public on the emerging science supporting the health-related benefits of drinking tea is one of the Tea Council’s main objectives, we also strongly support America’s young people seeking a higher education,” said Joe Simrany, the council’s president.

This year Megyn Price of the CBS hit series Rules of Engagement is serving as the official celebrity spokesperson for the competition.  Price — a new mom and big fan of healthy foods and beverages — supports the council’s platform on educating young Americans about tea’s nutritional benefits through the immensely popular and ever-growing trend of online video.

“I funded my own education in large part with outside scholarships, without which I never would have been able to graduate from college,” said Price.

All entries must be received by August 6, 2008 and will be judged by a panel of representatives of the Tea Council. For full details on this great opportunity, visit the Tea Council website at www.teausa.org/calmasutra.

In 2003, the Bigelow family bought the historic Charleston Tea Plantation to preserve the heritage of tea in North America. Now just four years later, the plantation is thriving and producing tea. What’s more, with all the tender, loving care that the Bigelow family has poured into the facility, the plantation is now also well on its way to becoming a major destination for tourists and tea lovers!  

Tourist-friendly improvements include a new on-site factory with a special layout that allows visitors to walk along a glass partition and watch tea being processed. A trolley and a bus have been added to take tourists back to the fields where they can view spectacular scenery and watch tea being picked and cared for. And, at the conclusion of the visit, guests can unwind on a rocking chair on the porch of the Gift Shoppe and sample iced American Classic Tea fresh from the fields.   

“Over time,” says Mr. Bigelow, “we hope this will become a major destination for tea drinkers everywhere.” 

Want to learn more about the Charleston Tea Plantation and its operation? Keep watching for our next featured post which presents a number of fascinating plantation facts.

Withering Bed – fresh cut tea leaves

Front of Charleston Tea Plantation Facility with banner for First Flush Festival 2008

Just had the most exciting visit to a very large customer!  I had the opportunity to speak with their entire team about some of the great work we at Bigelow Tea are doing in the community as well as from an environmental point of view (check out our past blog entries about the Community Challenge and our work with Solar Panels).   

I think the part I liked the best was that I was able to share with these managers what we have been doing for over 20 years in both of these areas.  The company I was visiting was just embarking on efforts that focused on both the community and the environment, which I highly commend them for, so it was very cool to say Bigelow Tea has been socially responsible and environmentally conscious way before it became “the thing” companies should be doing! 

That is what I love about our family business!  We have wanted to make these kinds of efforts because it is the right thing to do and not because we felt outside pressures from stockholders and customers.  We have been making these positive choices because we wanted to be doing these kinds of activities…pure and simple.

It was just one more reason to make me so proud of our little family tea company!!! 

Cindi Bigelow

Join Cindi Bigelow of Bigelow Tea and learn how to naturally decaffeinate your tea!

FAIRFIELD, Conn., May 2008 – Health-conscious tea drinkers can now learn how to naturally decaffeinate their tea with Bigelow Tea’s (www.bigelowtea.com) newest online “how to” video. Hosted by Cindi Bigelow, President, this short clip explains how to remove 85% of caffeine from your favorite cup of tea.  Today, many people are concerned with their caffeine intake, but in less than a minute using this simple, natural technique, you can avoid the jitters .

In the video, Bigelow explains how fermentation affects the amount of caffeine in green and black tea. She also walks viewers through the steps on how to release caffeine from a cup of tea while still preserving the flavor and health benefits.

Here are the steps:

First, pour enough boiling water to cover the tea bag and allow it to sit for 30 seconds. When you pour water over a tea bag, the first 30 seconds of what comes out of it is the caffeine. Next, remove and discard the caffeinated brew. Then put the tea bag back into the cup and pour fresh boiling water over it. In order to keep in the flavor and the antioxidants, cover and steep the tea based on your personal preference.

Tea fans around the world are encouraged to check out the video, along with tea facts and recipes, on Bigelow Tea’s website and blog.

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 best-known products is America’s number one specialty tea flavor – “Constant Comment®” –   flavored with a delicious blend of oranges and spice. It is available in black tea, green tea and decaffeinated versions.

Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide and every variety can be found on the company website (www.bigelowtea.com).  Tea lovers will also enjoy the company’s blog (www.bigelowteablog.com).

May is National Barbecue Month.  Here are some great recipes to try:
 
Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:
½ cup (125mL) hot water
10 Bigelow® Orange & Spice Herbal tea bags
¼ cup (60mL) brown sugar
1 small onion, diced
¼ cup (60mL) ketchup
2 tablespoons (30mL) mustard

Instructions:
Pour boiling water over tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags, squeezing them for excess tea. Add brown sugar until dissolved. Set aside. In a skillet, add tea, ketchup, mustard and onions. Mix well and simmer until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. This sauce can be used with steak, chicken and pork. It also can be used for baking beans.

Yield: Makes ¾ cup

Grilled Vegetarian Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients:
¼ cup (60mL) butter
6 Bigelow I Love Lemon & C® Herbal tea bags
¾ cup (180mL) boiling water
3 teaspoons (10mL) chili powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 pound (500g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon (5mL) salt
1 – 8 ounce (250g) pkg. Tempeh, crumbled
2 cups (500mL) light Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
Canola oil
12 – 6 inch (15cm) flour tortillas
Lemon wedges as a garnish

Instructions:

To prepare filling:
Place teabags into measuring cup and pour boiling water over bags. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bags and reserve tea.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add tea, chili powder and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onion and salt. Saute until mushrooms are brown and tender.

Add the crumbled tempeh and saute 2 minutes more or until heated through.

Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes.

To assemble quesadillas:
Preheat grill to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly brush 6 tortillas on one side with oil. Place the tortillas oil-side down on large non-stick rimless baking sheet (Use a cookie sheet with sides by turning it upside down). Divide the filling mixture equally among the tortillas, top with cheese, top with remaining 6 tortillas, brush tops with oil.

Gently slide the quesadillas onto the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side, until heated through and golden brown. Remove from grill and let stand for 2 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole and lemon wedges if desired.

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes.

Could it be true? Emerging evidence seems to suggest that consumption of green tea may provide some benefit related to exercise. Specifically, antioxidants found in the drink may help prevent harmful effects of resistance exercise “by reducing the detrimental effects of oxidative stress,” says Stephen Daniells of FoodNavigator-USA.com, a daily online news service focused on food and beverages.
 
In a recent article, Daniells notes that “researchers from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and the Center of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Sports of Santa Catarina State University studied the effects of daily green tea consumption for seven days in athletes undertaking resistance training.” This type of exercise, which includes weight-lifting, “can increase the production of free radicals beyond the tissues’ antioxidant defense capacity … causing oxidative stress.”
 
Results from the study suggested that consumption of the tea offered significant protection against this oxidative damage, providing benefits both before and after exercise.
 
If you are physically active, make sure you receive plenty of antioxidants in your diet. And consider green tea in addition to that sports drink!

If you are a regular visitor to our blog, you might know that Bigelow is very proud to own the Charleston Tea Plantation. This historic site is the only place in North America where tea is grown today and it has quite a tale to tell! 
 
David Bigelow co-chairs the board at Bigelow and is the son of company founder Ruth Campbell Bigelow. As David tells the story, tea’s history here all began when a Chinese botanist brought the first tea plants to America in 1799. The climate of Charleston, South Carolina seemed to present the perfect conditions for growing tea. The area’s high heat, extreme humidity and ample rainfall combined to make it possible to cultivate tea in the “low country.” So, over the years, with varying amounts of success, tea was grown in Charleston.  
 
By 2003, however, the Charleston Tea Plantation was up for sale. Real estate developers were interested and the Bigelow’s ears perked up. “Our oldest daughter, Lori, was particularly concerned,” says David. Lori understood that the tea plantation was a one-of-a-kind gem and urged the family to do something. “We can’t let this place go away,” she said. The family agreed. As a result, the Bigelow family bought the plantation … and saved a piece of history. 
 
For continuing coverage of the historic Charleston Tea Plantation, stop back soon! Upcoming posts promise to reveal more details about the plantation and its operation. 

Fields of Tea Bushes

the growing of new tea bushes from clippings of existing bushes

Visitors on the Tea Trolley