It looks like we are having another one of those odd winters. Words like, warmer than most, colder than average, more snow, less snow are being said and at the end of it there is not much we can do to change what goes on. So just sit back and make a nice hot cup of tea and enjoy it. The other day we had 6 to 12 inches of snow but it was too dry to do anything but shovel. After a day or two we had some warmer weather and it was just right for making a snowman. Now the weather has turned warmer and rainier so the snowman has almost melted away but more snow is forecasted so who knows maybe a “snow” relative will be joining the leftovers.

Our production takes on some of the same highs and lows; we have good days, we have bad days, the tea machines run well, they run poorly, but in the end we can look back and realize that we had a far greater percentage of good than bad, but as with the weather, sometimes the bad seems more significant than the good.

You always hear people say “Remember when we had that 6 inches of snow that messed up everything!” or “Remember that ice storm?” When did you last hear somebody say “Remember that beautiful day with sunny skies and nothing bad happened?” We tend to remember the bad or dramatic or funny, and not the good old dull boring everything is fine and everyone is happy. In production, you want everyday to be “boring” with no problems, and everyone happy. We want to make the tea perfectly every time. We don’t want machines to break down, or errors to occur, and even more than that, we don’t want anyone to get hurt. However, when our days are well run, no one, unfortunately, leaves work saying “What a great day for our machines, I’ll remember this day forever!” That’s a shame because those are the days to talk about and remember!

Dean

FAIRFIELD, Conn (January 15, 2009)- Bigelow Tea (www.bigelowtea.com) has long had a reputation for one of the finest cups of tea in the retail marketplace. Now new excitement is brewing as the company launches a full line of organic teas.

The new teas deliver the distinctive flavor quality that has made Bigelow Tea a favorite with tea drinkers for more than 60 years. Bigelow Organic Teas contain only the most tender, hand-picked, organically grown tea and the finest, all-natural herbs and spices available. The full-line launch consists of many consumer favorites now in an organic version in addition to the new and unique blends:

• Organic Ceylon Fair Trade Certified: the rich, smooth, mountain-grown flavor of world-famous Ceylon tea, now in pure organic form
• Organic Imperial Earl Grey: a bold blend of the finest organic black tea with natural bergamot and the delicate malva flower
• Organic Breakfast Blend Decaffeinated: coastal Africa yields this smooth-finished tea with unique malt flavor; naturally decaffeinated
• Organic Pure Green: made from tender, hand-picked leaves for a delicate flavor balance
• Organic Pure Green Decaffeinated: naturally decaffeinated with delicate green tea flavor
• Organic Chamomile Citrus: a soothing, naturally caffeine-free blend of organic chamomile touched with a hint of lemon
• Organic Moroccan Mint: a calming and refreshing, naturally caffeine-free blend of organic herbs, spearmint and peppermint
• Organic Rooibos with Asian Pear: the distinctively sweet, nutty taste of all-natural, caffeine-free South African rooibos is married with the healthful and delicate Asian pear for the perfect blend
• Organic Green Tea with Pomegranate & Acai: pure organic green tea from tender, hand-picked leaves is combined with pomegranate and healthful Acai, the all-natural super Amazaon sweet berry
• Organic White Tea with Raspberry and Chrysanthemum: a blend of rare, organic white tea, sweet raspberry and chrysanthemum for a unique flavor experience

“We put a lot of time and effort into developing exceptional flavors, so our new organics are easy for tea lovers to enjoy,” says Cindi Bigelow, President of the family owned company. “This new line is a natural extension of the traditional purity of Bigelow Tea where every cup of tea delivers goodness. I am also thrilled to say that because of the wide range of delicious flavors, we’re finding that these teas have broad appeal among all of our customers, not just those who are committed to shopping organic.”

Packaging

Packaging conveys the organic quality of the line through soft green colors and botanical illustrations of each flavor’s natural ingredients. The USDA Organic and QAI seals on the packaging certify that Bigelow Organic Teas were produced by socially responsible farmers who meet the organic industry’s natural, earth friendly standards, free of synthetic pesticides and additives. In keeping with the Bigelow family tradition of superb quality and sustainability, the box, tag, string and filter are 100% biodegradable. In Bigelow Tea’s continuing efforts to reduce the consumption of resources, the foil overwrap, essential to protecting the tea’s delicate flavor, natural antioxidants and wholesome goodness, has been reduced in thickness by 12% without compromising the quality and flavor of the tea. This saves over 55,000 pounds of resources annually.

Organic Category Growth

Organic products have seen a huge surge in popularity in the last few years. The global market for organic products reached a value of $38.6 billion (US dollars) in 2006, with the vast majority of products being consumed in North America and Europe, according to Organic Monitor. From 2005 to 2006, US sales in the organic category grew by over 20%. Sales of organic foods are estimated to rise to $23.8 billion by 2010 according to Nutrition Business Journal.

“We’re committed to policies that sustain a healthy environment, so the organic line is a natural extension of that,” affirms Ms. Bigelow. “I’m proud to say we’ve been a pioneer in sustainable production for decades, long before it became a mainstream trend.”

The Bigelow Tea consumer, she adds “looks to us for an exceptionally balanced and flavorful tea experience. Superb flavor profile has always set our products apart, and once again our new organic line delivers.”

About Bigelow Tea Company

100 % family owned Fairfield, Conn.-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®”.

In 2003, the company purchased and restored the Charleston Tea Plantation. Based on Wadmalaw Island just south of Charleston, South Carolina, the only tea plantation in America cultivates several hundred thousand tea bushes that are descendants of bushes brought from China during the 1800′s. The Charleston Tea Plantation has become a “must see” destination for tea lovers and tourists alike who visit the area from around the world and appreciate information and education about tea in addition to enjoying American Classic Tea and products which are produced from the tea grown on the premises

Bigelow Tea products are available nationwide including grocery, supercenters mass merchandisers and health stores. Every variety can be found on the company website, (www.bigelowtea.com), along with an appealing selection of tea chests, tea accessories and other gift items. Tea lovers and enthusiasts will also enjoy interesting and entertaining related stories and facts by visiting the company’s blog (www.bigelowteablog.com).

# # #

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

In the video below Cindi Bigelow, President of Bigelow Tea, dissects a few tea bags and shares her findings so we don’t have to.

Video Highlights:

• Bigelow Tea’s original recipe (which is not found among these recipes) has not changed since the company was founded by Ruth Campbell Bigelow in 1945.
• A look inside a bag of our Constant Comment tea reveals pieces of real orange peel added for a more robust flavor.
• Contrasting Bigelow’s Earl Grey and other Black Teas with a competitor’s, Cindi gives insight into what makes Bigelow Tea the best selling flavored tea on the market.
• For sixty-three years, Bigelow Tea has been hand picked from elevated tea gardens in the mountains, where the conditions are most conducive to growing quality tea leaves with concentrated and complex flavor.
• Bigelow Tea does not use filler, or “tea dust,” a compound used for artificial tea bag enhancement by some competitors.

As Cindi Bigelow points out,“a tea bag is not a tea bag is not a tea bag.”

Photo Courtesy of People’s Celebrity Babies Blog

Elizabeth Hurley, who has been a big supporter of Kids, which helps children with disabilities, for the past 12 years, hosts a special tea party with son Damian, 5 1/2. “We were discussing how nice it would be to do something for Mother’s Day (March 2nd in the UK), and because my son is obsessed with tea parties I thought that other kids could really enjoy one. [Damian] was so excited. He wanted to wear his page boy costume from our Indian wedding! He’s uncannily like me and I’m very in tune with him. He’s a bit of a show-off and makes me watch him sing and dance for hours.”

Looks like tea parties aren’t the only thing Damian is obsessed with…what a nice present for his mother on Mother’s Day.

What a great way to start the holidays! We had the distinct pleasure of coming together and working with Joe Torre, Phil Simms and Terry Francona in New York on a new ad for Bigelow Tea. It was hard work for to put together all of the details and arrangements two days before Christmas but everything went off without a hitch.

Phil Simms (former quarterback for the NY Giants and TV sportscaster for CBS), Cindi Bigelow (President Bigelow Tea), Terry Francona (manager Boston Red Sox), Bob Kelly (SVP Bigelow Tea) and Joe Torre (manager LA Dodgers)

Once again I think we captured something magical for the Bigelow brand and it was so great to see the collegiality and respect that Joe, Phil and Terry had for each other. More importantly they were true professionals toward everyone involved in the project. We even had Cindi Bigelow talking tea and other topics with Joe, Phil and Terry which was captured on video and will appear on bigelowtea.com in the near future.

It was a great way to end one year and begin the next!

Bob

Since the mid 1800’s, tea leaf reading has been used as a way to predict the future. Perhaps not always the most trusted source of information, it has certainly gained popularity over the years. There are even tea sets specially designed to aid in the reading of tea leaves. Known as tasseography, it originated independently in Asia, the Middle East and ancient Greece.

Perhaps the biggest draw to tasseography is that it is something that can supposedly be mastered by any average person — no psychic abilities necessary, just patience. The theory behind it is similar to that of tarot card reading. The leaves are positioned randomly, much as tarot cards are drawn randomly. The many varying positions must be memorized, but once they are, tea leaf reading really is a task that most be people can accomplish.

It must be performed with full loose teas. There are numerous websites explaining the procedure on how to read tea leaves. There are also some wonderful books, like The Art of Tea Leaf Reading.

What do you think of tasseography? Worth a try or old folklore?

The New Year is upon us…time to reflect back on the year we just finished. What we did well and what we could have done better. I always hope my list of what I did well can somehow overshadow what I could have done better but often they are too close for comfort!

Anyway, I am not a big New Year’s Resolution kind of gal but I do have a list of things I want to strive to achieve in 2009 and here they are:

1. Be more patient…not my strong suit at times

2. Take more time for myself…not feel like every minute I need to accomplish something (sure… this one is an exceptionally long “long shot”)

3. Cherish every minute with my children, both are in High School and the minutes are ticking until they are both out of the nest (I am truly dreading that time in my life)

4. Stay as focused on the company as I have been to date…I believe the success of Bigelow Tea is very much based on my 100% commitment (and a cadre of outstanding team members). I don’t want to ever think I am not giving these employees everything I got!

5. Never lose my love of life and people…it is truly a gift that I need to appreciate daily

6. Keep drinking lots and lots of tea…it is my business and it feels good

Okay lets review these in 12 months and see how I do!!! I feel pretty good about 3, 4, 5 and 6…but 1 and 2 …well it is a new year…

Cindi Bigelow

Legend is that tea began in ancient China 5,000 years ago. Shen Nung, a Chinese emperor issued an edict requiring that drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One summer day some dried leaves from a bush fell into a pot of boiling water at the palace, and tea was created. Certainly sounds plausible…but 5,000 years later can you believe the urban legends about tea going around?

We’ve all heard some urban legends (no, not Keith Urban!), those sometimes plausible-sounding but false stories on your e-mail and all across the web. Well, there are several tea urban legends too, like on hot summer days you can cool off with hot tea — it makes sweat, cooling your skin. But it’s not so. For one reason the heat lost by sweating and evaporation on the skin is exceeded by the heat gained by the hot drink.

Another urban tea legend is that tea is a diuretic, which does not have to be true. Tea does not have a diuretic effect due to caffeine unless the amount of tea consumed at one sitting is more than 250–300 mg caffeine, or between five and six cups. In fact, the British Dietetic Association advises that “Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.” And the popular belief is that water is the best for hydration, but tea has additional positive benefits over water.

And the myth that tea contains as much or more caffeine than coffee? It’s the contrary; according to the American Dietetic Association, a cup of tea averages 40 mg of caffeine, compared to 85 plus mg found in a cup of brewed coffee. So enjoy that cup of tea, it’s refreshing and healthful, and that’s no legend.

The Tea Association of the USA first introduced national Hot Tea Month in the early 90’s as a way to help its member companies give their marketing campaigns a single voice. “The National Hot Tea Month campaign has given smaller companies a chance to attach their marketing efforts to a national program,” says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the USA. “The result is a small, regional effort with a much larger, national feel.”

Last year, Bigelow Tea celebrated Hot Tea Month with afternoon tea parties for employees. Why not host your own tea party and join in the celebration? Or try a hot tea you’ve never tried before like Vanilla Caramel or Cinnamon Stick?

Warm up…it’s Hot Tea Month!

So, when you belt it out several times a week during a concert tour, what’s the best remedy? According to Anette Olzon, the powerful voice and femme fatale of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, it’s a cup of green tea with honey before the start of a show.

Photo Courtesy of Nightwish Website

If anyone would know how to soothe those vocal chords, it would be Olzon. Do you think she goes for the exotic flavors such as mango or pomegranate, or is she a stickler for simplicity? Thoughts?