What an awesome first half of the season for baseball fans everywhere!  The races really seem to have shaped up and I’m sure it will be a sprint to the World Series for many teams.

I’ve got to tell you I wasn’t surprised to see that Joe Torre and Terry Francona are enjoying the best two records in baseball so far. I won’t say it’s because of all the Bigelow Green Tea that they drink but I’m sure it isn’t hurting.  It was really exciting to see Joe and the Dodgers playing the Mets here in New York before the All Star game.  And of course Terry and the Red Sox will be playing the Yankees several times before the season is over then it’s on to the playoffs.

Stay tuned!

Bob

The summertime blues are a good thing – really!  Bigelow Tea is embracing summer with a celebration of nature’s most healthy and nutritious fruit -blueberries!

Image courtesy of Ehow.com

They’re delicious, versatile, filled with antioxidants and contain Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene.  Fresh, frozen or canned – they’re all good!  Not only are they tasty, low in calories and a fabulous source of fiber – they’re also a national treasure.

Did you know that the United States produces more than 90% of the world’s blueberries?  Produced in 35 States, blueberries are native to North America and harvested from mid-April to October, peaking in July.  In recognition of this precious national harvest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proclaimed July as National Blueberry Month.

Summertime conjures up memories of blueberry pie with ice cream on a lazy summer afternoon – home sweet home. Add some of our very own Bigelow Tea blueberry concoctions to your summer recipe collection!  Whether starting the day with our melt-in-your-mouth Blueberry Harvest® Muffins or enjoying a healthy Melon and Blueberry Fruit Salad, you’ll want to tantalize your taste buds with some refreshing blueberry libations:

Something sweet…

Pomegranate Blueberry Iced Tea

Bring 1 quart water to a boil; add 2 Bigelow® Pomegranate Pizzazz and 1 Blueberry Harvest® herbal tea bags – steep for 10 minutes. Pour into pitcher and refrigerate until chilled. Serve in a tall glass with ice. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

...or something “naughtea”

Blueberry Harvest Delight

Make tea by infusing 2 cups boiling water with 6 Bigelow® Blueberry Harvest tea bags. Remove tea bags and chill. Add 1 cup Blue Curacao and ¼ cup Grand Marnier, stir – add ice. Shake and strain into martini glasses, garnish with fresh blueberries.

Mmmm..mmm. Yes, “summertime, and the livin’ is easy…”

One of my greatest joys at Bigelow Tea is the work we can do to try to make a difference.  We just finished producing 100,000 boxes of a special tea made just for our troops fighting for our safety in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We wanted to do something to thank these men and women who put their lives on the line each day to fight for freedom so we decided to send them our version of a thank you card.

We packaged up our American Classic Tea, tea grown 100% on American soil, into a specially designed box and over wrap thanking each of our soldiers for their hard work.  My good friend Duke Saltus came up with the most beautiful package I could have ever hoped to see (and I mean it).  We then contacted my other friend from High School, Jeff Hill who basically runs the USO in America and he coordinated getting all 100,000 cases overseas (not an easy task I might add).

The production lines were running at full speed to package up this very special product.  The employees were beaming and now our outstanding service men and woman are getting a tea packaged with great care for them to enjoy by themselves or with a mate….a time for them to stop and reflect on their fine work and know that the people back here in the United States could not be more proud of all of them!

Cindi Bigelow

Are you ready to bare it all at the beach, or at the gym this summer? Maybe you should grab some Green Tea, to quench your thirst and help you look your best. You can enjoy the health benefits, great taste – and even the convenience with the new Bigelow Tea Organic Iced Teas!

Of course weight training can help you keep your abs flat, while whole grain products and Green Tea have been shown to reduce your risk of cancer, but did you know that the catechins in Green Tea can increase metabolism?

It’s no wonder that in a recent study about healthy drinks that Green Tea was named one of the best for you. If you’re wondering what drinks to avoid, check out the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America, but you won’t find Green Tea on that list!

Whether you need a cool refreshing drink, or a relaxing moment with a hot cup of tea, Bigelow Tea has calorie free Green Tea to help you -  hot, fresh brewed, organic, iced and ready to drink!

I love my Constant Comment® iced tea so much that I drag an insulated sports bottle around with me wherever I go, especially when I plan on having to do something that requires a lot of time. So I fill up the sports bottle with ice, Constant Comment®, sugar and a straw and carry it with me to our stallion barn, to have when holding horses for our farrier, and out to the wash rack when bathing the horses. In fact just about everywhere.

One afternoon, I had the ultimate in time consuming tasks to perform; washing, combing out tangles, and braiding our Thoroughbred stallion, Miraculus Time’s beautiful thick floor length red chestnut tail. After a trip to the wash rack, I tied him up close to his wall mounted grain bin, grabbed the combs, brushes, and conditioner and put my sports bottle in the grain bin. I started in the front with his mane until I had the last of the tangles free, sipping a few times and replacing the bottle in the bin. Miraculus is a brilliant red, very kind stallion, who follows every move you make with his ears forward and his eyes aglow. I finally got around to going behind him to attack the 4 and a half foot long mass of tangles that comprised his tail. After about 20 minutes he stepped forward a few steps and started making some very strong sniffing noises.

A few minutes later he started rattling things around in his grain bucket with his nose. Since stallions are very curious and mouth around on everything, I thought nothing of it and let him go ahead and enjoy himself. It wasn’t long after that, when I heard some very interesting sounds. It sounded like he was chewing on something and there were definitely gurgling noises. I decided to drop everything and go see what he was doing. Imagine my shock when I found my Constant Comment® bottle with his teeth on the straw drinking my tea!! My straw had teeth marks imbedded in it and he had tea dripping from his muzzle. I laughed until my sides hurt. I guessed that I was the only woman on Earth that had ever shared a mug of Constant Comment® with a REAL STUD!! From then on every time I hold him for a new set of shoes, I set the bottle on the ground beside my director’s chair. Every time he points his nose in that direction, I pour out a handful and he slurps it up and licks my hand (clean!). It really has ruined stallion’s reputations to have one licking your hand that way.

ANNE GEINZER, Constant Comment® Contest Runner Up

I have a quick story to tell from a couple of weeks ago…I had just come back to the office after two days on the road for business.  The weather in New York did everything but cooperate.  What should have been a one day turn around trip to visit an account but it turned out to be a 36 hour extravaganza!  Hours stuck on the tarmac only to have my return flight cancelled before I even landed from my flight out!  The visit was super but the transportation side of the trip was a nightmare.  Getting home was impossible…delays, long lines, cancelled flights.  After another 4 hour delay (yes I was sitting on the plane), they pulled us all off for mechanical reasons.  At that point I cried “uncle,” I knew it was best for me to spend one more night away, so I woke up at the crack of dawn and took an early flight home so I could get into the office at a decent hour.

Starting at 7 am before I even boarded my flight to come back home, I was getting phone calls asking me when I was going to be in the office. When I landed the phone continued to ring with the same question.  I said to myself “geez, tough group, I barely landed back in the area and everyone is all over me!”  Needless to say, I drove home, put on some fresh clothes and headed into the office.  Upon my arrival, one of my teammates jumped out into the lobby and asked me into his office.  Once again I thought “these guys are brutal…no rest for the weary.”  After loading some rather large business issue on my shoulders, I looked at him and clearly explained this was not the proper venue to address such an issue.  He then asked if we could grab a quick bite before our upcoming meeting.  I agreed and off we headed to grab a sandwich in our cafeteria upstairs.

As I was walking into our cafeteria, I could see through the window in the door that ALL of our employees were in there (not at all how the shifts work for lunch breaks) and they had a video on me.  I stopped and almost refused to go in thinking they had made a terrible mistake.  They were obviously celebrating something for me but I had nothing that needed to be celebrated. With that, my associate pushed me through the door and I received the most beautiful round of applause, smiles and cheers.  It was my 25^th year with the company, and I had completely forgotten it!

The room was decorated with balloons, we had two HUGE cakes and I had the most spectacular time.  Just to see the look in each of their eyes when I finally got up to speak and tell them thank you for all they have done to make my 25 years so outstanding.  I am the lucky one…they each made me feel so loved.  One at a time almost each employee came up to me to share stories of a moment we had together and gave me a hug.

I cannot even try to share with you how I felt.  Exhausted but elated…shocked but loved.  It was so wonderful.  What made it even that much more special was how much they caught me off guard.  I was so surprised, I was completely speechless, not to mention welling up with emotion.  25 years at Bigelow Tea…that is pretty darn special!

Cindi Bigelow

July is National Ice Cream Month – what’s not to like? You don’t have to tell us twice, just grab the scoop and a cone! Eating ice cream is always fun, but why not try making some ice cream or other frozen delights using your favorite tea flavors! Bigelow Tea has several dessert recipes for ice cream, sorbet and other frozen treats – with peaches, vanilla, and caramel for perfect summer fun. So, step back in ice cream history, crank up the ice cream machine, and try these two ice cream recipes for starters!

Vanilla Caramel Tea Ice Cream

Green Tea with Peach Ice Cream

According to ice cream experts, balancing the sugar and temperature can be tricky with peach ice cream. It’s a delicate balance between sugar and freezing the ice cream, while not freezing the peaches. Of course, the final outcome is worth the effort. If you are looking for lighter or more portable frozen treats – on a stick perhaps – Bigelow Tea has you covered with fruity frozen tea delights.

Pomegranate Pizzazz Popsicles

Double Raspberry Tea-sicles

Not only will these Bigelow Tea treats please your palate, they also will be a fun family activity, made with all natural ingredients added by you. Once your freezer is full, it’s time to open wide and say YUM!

“Do the right thing and good things will follow“ is the philosophy of Bigelow Tea, championed by Cindi Bigelow who was honored in Progressive Grocer’s Top 100 Women in Grocery.

Cindi is recognized for her many achievements in the industry, not least of which is her dedication and commitment to Bigelow Tea, her employees, customers, community and the environment.

The third annual Top Women in Grocery award program organizers received an unprecedented number of nominations for outstanding female executives, entrepreneurs and industry newbies, precipitating the launch of the first ever Top 100 Women in Grocery award list.  Recognized for their business acumen and performance as top notch industry professionals, the 100 women were also chosen for their proven sense of community, fellowship and philanthropy.

“I am both honored and humbled to be listed alongside such high caliber women,” said Cindi Bigelow, “and it is awe-inspiring to have such a wonderful forum to share each other’s experiences, success stories and words of wisdom.”

For Cindi Bigelow, tea is not just a business; it’s a passion. Representing the third generation of Bigelow leaders, Cindi preaches and practices “Sustainabili-Tea“- in tea production, with people, through environmental initiatives and efforts to preserve the planet. Her unwavering belief is that the small things, over time, add up. They most certainly do!

Check out Progressive Grocer’s June/July awards issue here.

We have mentioned several reports on the healthful benefits of Green Tea, covering a range of conditions including heart disease, cancer and even dementia. We are happy to see that scientists as well as Tea Lovers are taking these health benefits to heart! Now, new research published in the US journal Cancer Prevention Research, finds that a chemical found in green tea appears to slow the progression of prostate cancer.

In this study, Philadelphia-based researchers tested a compound called Polyphenon E., and results pointed to a significant decline in certain biomarkers – molecules that are indicators of developing cancer. Dr James Cardelli, from the Prostate Cancer Charity who led the study, said that this Polyphenon E. compound “may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer.”

John Neate, chief executive of the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “The results of this study suggest that there is merit in further research into the effects of extracts of green tea…on the prevention of prostate cancer and in controlling progression in men already diagnosed with the disease.”

More research includes another clinical study, recently reported at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.  Research leader Saverio Bettuzzi, Ph.D. stated “Numerous earlier studies, including ours, have demonstrated that green tea catechins…inhibited cancer cell growth in laboratory models.” Bettuzzi explained, “We wanted to conduct a clinical trial to find out whether catechins could prevent cancer in men. The answer clearly is yes.”

At Bigelow Tea, we believe in the simple and healthful powers of Green tea, and there’s one area of research that we all to take part in – and that’s a great cup of tea to start your day or take a well deserved break.

Here’s to your health!

Well my week in West Virginia repairing homes has come to an end. It is something that I usually get slightly apprehensive about prior to leaving. I am never sure what to expect.

When all of us walked into the center in which we would be staying for a week, I have to say, I was taken aback. We were going to be sleeping in bunk beds with mattresses that looked like they were left over from 1930, not to mention the top bunk (which I took) was 6 feet high and about 29 inches wide! Then they informed us we would have no cell service. NO CELL SERVICE…are you kidding me. That hurt the most.

The next morning we headed off to our sites to meet the family and start working on their homes. Each site and crew has two adults and usually 5 high school kids. For the entire time, the ritual is the same. Wake up at 7 am, circle up and share morning thoughts, we each have breakfast, load up the van with tons of supplies and head out to work. We would get home sometime around 5:30, shower (if lucky), circle up again, eat dinner, have some sort of evening gathering, then take a van or two of young people to the nearest town for ice cream. Get to bed by 11 (giggle till 1130 pm) and then start all over again.

As the week unfolded, you could see the transformation. The young people really get into the spirit of this trip. They go from “being in their own world” to “waking up” to the world around them. They go from eyes down when they pass you in the halls to a huge bright smile and a warm greeting. The same transformation takes place with the family we are doing the repairs for. They go from shy and somewhat reserved to open and loving. They start to wait for us to arrive each day and then start to hang out with us more and more during the day as the week progresses. The last day, the entire family was out with us, helping, laughing, and sharing stories for almost the full time we were there.

And my crew (as with all the crews) form a bond that is hard to describe! They take care of each other, they support each other, they laugh, they love and they cry. I thought my entire team was truly going to openly shed tears when we were pulling away from our family on Friday evening. As one of my young team members said “it was the most inspirational week of my life.”

Driving home on Saturday, I could not help but reflect back on the last 8 days…how lucky am I? How lucky are all 162 of us that went. To quote another advisor that went on the trip “you go to give and what really happens is you are the one that receives!” Back to the real world, back to hustle and bustle. My job now is to remember that loving feeling, that feeling of accepting everyone, the openness and make it last as long as possible. I will not have to wait another year until I have the opportunity to fill up on another dose of West Virginia.

Cindi Bigelow