28th November, 2008: Start or Finish Your Black Friday Shopping with a Warm Cup of Black Tea
Black Friday falls each year on the Friday after Thanksgiving and marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. The term derives from an old accounting practice of referring to “in the black” as turning a profit since black ink was used for profits and red for debts. In an article from the November 2008 issue of Real Simple titled “Black Friday 101”, it was reported that 147 million shoppers hit the stores last year, spending an average of $347 each. Fourteen percent went at it before 4 A.M.! Strong “black” tea must have been in order for those folks.
What will this Black Friday bring…in addition to tea as the perfect start to this race for bargains? Well, according to MediaPost’s Marketing Daily, marketers are predicting flat sales this year. As an aside, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt actually moved Thanksgiving up a week to extend the season to bolster business.
Cyber Monday, a more recent phenomena, refers to the Monday following Black Friday when people look for online sales and turn to the Internet for items not found in stores. As the saying goes… “Shop ‘til You Drop.”
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
26th November, 2008: Thankful this Holiday Season!
If what is happening in the world market and throughout the United States does not help give us all balance, then nothing ever will. This holiday cannot be about boxes and bows and gifts and cards…we have to learn to go back to basics….family, love, friends and peace. We have seen market devastation like almost nothing before. The jobs lost, the wealth destroyed, the level of concern on everyone’s part is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. I am promising myself and my family, this holiday we will appreciate everything we have and everyone we have in our life. Every message I give to the employees I tell them we are so fortunate, the business is strong and their jobs are safe.
We are truly lucky in so many ways….I vow to keep that as my guiding light throughout the holidays (and hopefully throughout 2009).
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
25th November, 2008: R&B Singer Jazmine Sullivan Drinks Tea to Soothe Her Voice
Newcomer Jazmine Sullivan burst onto the R&B/Soul music scene in a bold way. With the guidance of mentor and collaborator Missy Elliot, Sullivan has managed to hit number one on the R&B charts with her debut album, Fearless. She is now on tour with soul artist, Maxwell. The 21-year-old from Philadelphia uses her personal experiences to take her music in an open and honest direction. This could be one of the reasons for her success; she is relatable. Another contributor could be tea. “He [Maxwell] makes me this special tea to help my voice recover,” said Sullivan. Want to catch Sullivan and Maxwell in a city near you? Check out Ticketmaster for remaining tour dates!
Photo Courtesy of VIBE.com
Posted by Linda at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
24th November, 2008: Cook with Bigelow Tea this Thanksgiving
In addition to drinking tea, enjoy cooking with tea this Thanksgiving. These recipes are certain to please even your most discriminating guests:
Roasted Turkey with Constant Comment® Glaze
Ingredients:
Glaze:
12 Bigelow® Constant Comment® Tea Bags
1 cup (250mL) boiling water
2/3 cup (160mL) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (30mL) butter
½ cup (125mL) cranberry juice
Turkey and Gravy:
1 10-15 pound (5-7.5g) turkey (thawed if previously frozen)
1 lemon, cut into four pieces
1 onion, peeled and cut into four pieces
1 cup (250mL) chicken stock
2 tablespoons (30mL) cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
Yield: Serves 8 - Prep Time: 20 min. - Cook Time: 10-12 min. per pound -unstuffed
Instructions:
Steep tea bags in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid out of tea bags discard. Reserve tea.
Meanwhile, prepare a glaze by heating butter, brown sugar and cranberry juice into a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Add tea and reduce mixture by cooking over medium high heat for 15 minutes. Set aside.
To prepare turkey, remove giblets and neck from turkey, rinse inside and out and pat dry. Place a cut lemon and a cut-up onion into the cavity and truss the turkey. Place in an open roasting pan breast side up. Brush skin all over with glaze, keep glaze warm on stove and continue basting with glaze every 20 minutes.
Remove turkey from oven and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Discard any unused glaze.
To make gravy, dissolve cornstarch in chicken stock. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat, scraping browned bits. Add stock whisking constantly until thickened; about 1 minute. Strain gravy and serve with turkey.
As a nice alternative, use an oven stuffer roaster chicken in place of the turkey, reducing tea bags to 8.
Ginger Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
6 medium sweet potatoes
4 Bigelow® Ginger Snappish or Bigelow® Constant Comment
½ cup (125mL) whipping cream or half & half
½ teaspoon (2.5mL) salt
2 tablespoons (30mL) unsalted butter
1 egg beaten
*Optional - 1 cup (250mL) miniature marshmallows
Yield: Serves 8 - Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cook Time: 1 hour
Instructions:
Boil sweet potatoes with skins on until tender, 15-18 minutes. Peel and mash.
While potatoes are cooking, heat cream, add tea bags and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes.
To the mashed potatoes, add salt, butter, egg, tea infused cream. Beat until smooth.
Place in 2 quart buttered baking dish, (sprinkle with marshmallows if desired) and bake in oven at 375º for 15-20 minutes or until heated through (and marshmallows are browned*).
Serve hot.
* If made ahead, bring to room temperature, heat for 25 minutes, Top with marshmallows, if desired, and bake another 10 minutes or until marshmallows are browned.
French-style Green Beans and Carrots with Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
4 Bigelow® Green Tea with Pomegranate tea bags
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh French-style green beans
½ pound carrots cut into 1 inch matchsticks
Salt and pepper to taste
Yield: Serves 6
Instructions:
Combine hot water and 4 Bigelow® Green Tea with Pomegranate tea bags and allow to steep for 5-7 minutes.
Place tea in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook until liquid is reduced by half (about ten minutes).
Add balsamic vinegar and sugar. Stir to combine.
Add cornstarch and whisk vigorously, until glaze is thickened and smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine butter and olive oil. Heat until butter is melted, but not smoking, and then add carrots and green beans.
Saute vegetables until just tender, approximately 5 minutes (allow a few extra minutes of extra cooking time if using traditional green beans).
Add pomegranate-balsamic glaze, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.
Note: Glaze may be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
For a soothing cup of tea to go with dessert after the above delectable Thanksgiving meal, go here. To see other fun recipes using tea, check this out. And last, but not least, don’t forget your hostess with a gift of thanks.
Bountiful Harvest Tea Basket
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
21st November, 2008: Bigelow Tea Sets Record for United Way Book Drive
This year the annual Day of Caring held by the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County was organized as a book drive. Sponsored by the United Way, this event aimed to collect books for the Bridgeport Hope School community. The beneficiaries were families that do not have the resources to buy the most basic of learning tools, books.
Bigelow Tea participated in the Book Drive on October 29th. Bigelow’s Fairfield employees more than rose to the occasion. With a goal of 500 books, Bigelow showed up strong, collecting 866 books and cash donations for another 143. Yes, Bigelow Tea was proud to contribute 1009 books to the Day of Caring book drive, twice their original goal! Moreover, according to the United Way, Bigelow Tea collected more books than any other company in the book drive.
What another nice partnership between tea and reading.
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
20th November, 2008: Submit Your Best Constant Comment® Story and Win a Trip to Charleston Tea Plantation
FAIRFIELD, Conn., November 2008 - Bigelow Tea (www.bigelowtea.com) is inviting tea drinkers around the world to participate in the “Tell us your favorite ‘Constant Comment®’ tea Contest.” Do you recall sharing a warm cup of tea around loved ones? Or, perhaps, you remember when “Constant Comment®” tea became a staple in your household. Won’t you share your experience with the world and win a trip to Bigelow Tea’s Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina? The story that makes everyone laugh or cry the hardest will win!
Created over 60 years ago, “Constant Comment®” is deliciously flavored with orange rind, spice and everything nice. To learn the story of how this special tea was created, watch the video featured on Bigelow’s Tea-V Channel here. In it, David C. Bigelow, Co-Chair of Bigelow Tea and son of founder, Ruth Campbell Bigelow, offers family insight into this inspirational woman and her innovative creation, “Constant Comment”® Tea which remains America’s #1 selling specialty tea flavor.
For more information about the contest, please link here, and, as always, for recipes, fun stories and over eighty varieties of tea to buy, visit the Bigelow Tea website and blog.
About Bigelow Tea Company
100% family owned Fairfield, Connecticut-based Bigelow Tea pioneered the specialty tea category more than 60 years ago. Bigelow takes pride in its heritage and successful growth from a one-product, entrepreneurial venture into America’s leading specialty tea company. The Bigelow Tea line includes more than 80 varieties of flavored, traditional, green, organic, herbal, decaffeinated teas and iced teas- including America’s number one specialty tea flavor, “Constant Comment®”. Also, enjoy the Charleston Tea Plantation located on Wadmalaw Island just south of Charleston, South Carolina which is owned and operated by Bigelow Tea and produces American Classic Tea and products.
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).
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PRESS CONTACT INFO:
Elizabeth April-Fritz
Bigelow Tea
203-334-1212
eafritz@rcbigelow.com
Julie Dolan
Creative Concepts
203.259.4202
jdolan@creative-conceptsllc.com
Posted by Elizabeth at 9:29 pm | Comment (0)
20th November, 2008: Being honored by the Boy Scouts was an honor!
I had the best luncheon last week…I was honored with the Boy Scout of the Year award. Yes that is right, I won the “Good Scout” award for 2008 for our area (along with two other distinguished individuals in which I was proud to be a part of). The Good Scout award is presented to those who are good role models for the community (it must have been the Bigelow Tea Community Challenge that caught their eye…I must not be the only one who is proud of how much we raised for local charities!).
At 48 ½ I am now part of the Boy Scouts….I like that! But in all seriousness, what a great organization! They do such fine work in our community. To be chosen for this award was really special for me. I have to say, of all of the awards I have been fortunate to receive in my lifetime, this one means a little something extra!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
19th November, 2008: Having Trouble Concentrating? More Tea Please.
Just like Oliver Twist in the Charles Dickens’ novel asking “Please, sir, I want some more,” you may want to pour yourself “some more”…tea. It seems practicing yoga isn’t the only way to heighten concentration…tea appears to improve concentration too. In yet another study, this time as reported by American Society for Nutrition in August 2008, new research has suggested that certain constituents of tea, namely L-theanine or caffeine, may have modulatory effects on brain state. We’ve spoken before about other research supporting tea’s positive impact on concentration in our entry “Tea Benefits Touted by USA Today”. Among these benefits were findings by neuroscientist John Foxe suggesting that people who drank tea were able to focus better than those who drank a placebo solution.
More promising news for those of us feeling a bit foggy…time for another cup of tea!
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (1)
18th November, 2008: Heidi Klum and Seal Take Time Out for Tea
Photo courtesy of Gossip Girls @ celebrity-gossip.net
No matter how busy their schedules, Victoria Secret Supermodel Heidi Klum and her pop artist husband Seal reportedly make time for each other. Recently they caught up over a three hour tea date in London. Is there anything this cozy couple doesn’t like to do together? You’d never guess…sing.
Posted by Julie at 6:00 am | Comment (0)
17th November, 2008: Win a Trip to our Charleston Tea Plantation, Tell Your Constant Comment® Story!
Do you ever catch yourself reminiscing about special moments over a cup of tea? At Bigelow Tea, we love hearing your stories. That’s why we want you to share your favorite “Constant Comment” tea story for a chance to win a trip to our very own Charleston Tea Plantation.
Orange rind and spice and everything nice!
By December 31, 2008, enter your story in the “Tell us your favorite ‘Constant Comment®’ tea” Contest. The stories that make us laugh or cry the hardest will win!
To All “Constant Comment” Tea Fans,
It is funny, everywhere I go, people like to tell me their favorite memory wrapped around drinking “Constant Comment” tea. The stories usually involve a person sitting around a table with a loved one and having a moment together while sharing a cup. Even the person’s body language changes when they start telling me about their past experience with this special tea. That is how we got the idea that it would be great to invite all of you to share with us your own “Constant Comment” story. Lets rekindle some of those warm moments in your past and bring back some of the beautiful heritage of this unique tea created by my grandmother in her kitchen.
Please enter our “Tell us your favorite ‘Constant Comment®’ tea” during November and December 2008. The stories that either makes everyone laugh or cry the hardest wins a wonderful trip to visit our Tea Plantation in Charleston South Carolina. So take a moment for yourself, sit back, reflect and tell us your favorite story around drinking a warm cup of “Constant Comment” Tea. Cheers to “Constant Comment”
With warmest regards,
Cindi Bigelow
President and Granddaughter of founder, Ruth Campbell Bigelow.
Contest Rules
- No purchase necessary.
- Stories must be original and unpublished. Must be the work of the contest entrant.
- 100-word minimum, 500-word maximum.
- Stories are to be emailed to contest@bigelowtea.com and the story must be included in the body of the email. Stories sent as email attachments will not be accepted.
- You may enter multiple stories, but only one of your stories can be included among the winners.
- Story emails must be received by December 31st 2008.
- Contest open to legal residents of the United States. Employees and consultants of Bigelow Tea are not eligible.
- You agree to adhere to these rules and the judges decisions.
- Winners will be announced no later than 60 days after contest ends.
- Winners will be notified by email.
- Winning stories will be used without limitation on www.bigelowtea.com and/or www.bigelowteablog.com.
- Prizes are nontransferable.
- Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
Posted by Cecilia at 6:00 am | Comments (2)
