May is National BBQ Month, the opening salvo to the highly anticipated summer grilling season! Bigelow Tea and millions of home BBQ enthusiasts love BBQ, and it runs deep in our history.

BBQ seems to represent something fundamental for us; not only mouthwatering specialties but the gathering of friends and family on the patio, at the big game or at the family picnic. From Carolina BBQ to the regional styles of Texas and all across the country, the “Low and Slow” of BBQ is a big part of our life’s celebrations.

In honor of National BBQ Month, Bigelow Tea is proud to offer two tea-infused specialties—a pork and a vegetarian option. It’s all good for BBQ Month!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Bigelow Tea Glaze And Seasonal Vegetables

Recipe Created by Joy Marr

Ingredients:

PORK TENDERLOIN:

5 cups boiling water
4 Bigelow Green Tea with Mango Tea bags
4 Bigelow Green Tea with Peach Tea bags
4 Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate Tea bags
1.2-1.5 lb. Pork Tenderloin whole
1 clove garlic, smashed
½ small yellow onion cut into in wedges
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (use only if oven baking tenderloin)
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (can substitute cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon honey (can substitute brown sugar)
1 tablespoon veg. oil
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoons of both Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add the Bigelow Tea bags, the clove of garlic and the onion wedges. Remove from heat and cover – let steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove tea bags squeezing well and discard, along with the garlic and onion. Divide the tea mixture -set aside 2 cups for the glaze to the remaining 3 cups add the vinegar, honey, oil, thyme and salt and pepper- stir. This will be the marinade for the pork.

Once the marinade tea has cooled down somewhat, pour into a large plastic bag; add pork tenderloin and marinate for 5 hours or overnight in refrigerator. While pork marinates make the glaze and ready your vegetables both can be set aside or refrigerated covered overnight.

Heat your grill to medium; while grill is heating drain tenderloin from marinade -discard marinade- and wipe loin dry, set aside. Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved tea glaze into a small vessel you can work out of. Place pork on grill. Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium. Open grill and brush liberally with tea glaze. Reduce grill to low, continue to cook pork over the next 8-10 minutes, turning pork and coating well with glaze, 2 or 3 more times, until thermometer reads 160′. Remove from heat and let rest for 8-10 minutes. Slice into medallions and serve with glazed vegetables.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OVEN BAKING PORK

Prep time approx. 10 minutes

Oven time 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. While pan is heating, drain tenderloin from marinade -discard marinade- and wipe loin dry. Carefully add tenderloin to hot pan and cook, turning until brown on all sides, 5-6 minutes. Baste liberally with tea glaze and place skillet with pork in oven and bake for 8 minutes. Open oven and baste liberally with tea glaze again. Continue to cook until thermometer reads 160′, about 12-15 minutes, basting pork again when you remove it from the oven. Transfer pork tenderloin to platter and let rest for 8-10 minutes. Slice into medallions and serve with glazed vegetables.

Yield: Serves 4

TEA GLAZE

2 cups reserved Bigelow Tea mixture
3 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of salt

Bring remaining 2 cups of tea mixture to a simmer over med-high heat and cook to reduce. After 45 minutes or so, check it you want to have about 1 cup no less. Add honey, salt and pepper and set aside for later or refrigerate overnight.

SEASONAL VEGETABLES WITH BIGELOW TEA GLAZE

1 medium Acorn squash
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 medium Parsnips peeled (can substitute yellow onions)
2 tablespoons butter, salted
½ cup reserved tea glaze

Heat the oven to 400′. Place the butter in an oven proof pan and put in oven to melt while oven pre- heats. Cut the carrots and parsnips on the diagonal into 2″ pieces. Slice the acorn squash into rings 1″ thick rings-then cut in half. Remove the pan from the oven – place all the vegetables in pan and carefully toss with butter to coat. Bake for 10 minutes. Open oven and pour the tea glaze over the vegetables, stirring well to coat. Continue to bake until vegetable are tender- and can be pierced by a small knife point, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Yield: Serves 4

Tea Marinated Grilled Tofu

Ingredients:

8 – 6 inch wooden skewers
1 – 14 oz. package extra firm tofu
3 Bigelow® Green Tea with Pomegranate Tea Bags
3 Bigelow® Earl Grey Tea Bags
2 cups hot water
½ teaspoon salt, plus additional for sprinkling
1 tablespoon honey
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
8 Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned (about 8 oz.)
2 tablespoons canola oil (for brushing)
Non-stick grill spray

Yield: Serves 4

Instructions:

Tofu is a great vegetarian, low-calorie alternative for your grill, and marinating it in tea gives it great flavor and color. A touch of honey adds sweetness and helps to create a beautiful grill marks as it caramelizes.

First, set wooden skewers in water and allow to soak for approximately 30 minutes.

Next, sandwich the block of tofu between two plates lined with a few layers of paper towels. Place something heavy on top plate (like a can) so tofu can drain for 10-15 minutes.

In large bowl, combine hot water and tea bags and steep for 5-7 minutes.

Squeeze out tea bags into bowl, remove, and add salt and honey to tea. Stir until honey is dissolved.

Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes, and add to bowl. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

Thread 2-3 cubes of tofu and 2-3 pieces of vegetables onto each soaked skewer, being careful not to pack the skewers too tightly. Brush each skewer with canola oil and season with a pinch of salt.

Spray a gas grill with non-stick grill spray and preheat to medium-high. Place skewers on grill, and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and tofu begins to form a nicely colored crust.

Note: be very gentle when turning skewers (use a grill spatula), as the tofu is delicate.

Remove from grill and serve hot.

Image by ckelly via Flickr.com

Ziggy Marley, the son of Reggae Legend Bob Marley, has been making music for over a quarter of a century. Ziggy’s most recent CD, Wild and Free, sports the single Forward to Love and features his laid back Reggae sound. Ziggy’s easygoing music matches his mellow lifestyle, so Bigelow Tea was intrigued to learn that Ziggy also loves running. In fact, a morning jog is very important to him, along with enjoying his daily cuppa tea!

In a recent article in Runners World, Ziggy talked running and tea: “In Jamaica, the fishermen go fishing early in the morning, so by the time I’m coming back from my jog, the fishermen are coming in with their boats…I’ll buy some fish and just cook and eat it right there on the beach [and] have some tea.” Ziggy—named Reggae’s heir apparent by Rolling Stone Magazine in 1988—is one of many popular musicians we’ve looked at on our blog.

Ziggy shared that “Running helps relieve my stress … helps me get away from the concerns of business.” And just like with exercise, everything improves when a delicious and serene cup of delicious tea is included!

For Ziggy, we would suggest Green Tea with Mango. It’s an exotic but calming blend—a perfect flavor for him to sip between runs, touring schedules and all of his charity work. Ziggy is involved in Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment (URGE), which works to help children, and Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit providing free musical instruments and lessons to children throughout the US.

Mr. Marley clearly is a very busy man who contributes a great deal to our world. So, we say, get this man a cup! He truly deserves his daily tea!

Image by Bruce Tuten via Flickr.com

Attention exercisers: consider following up your workout with a delicious cup of green tea! A Tufts University study of moderate exercisers found that green tea drinkers lost notably more belly fat than a control group that drank another caffeinated beverage. InStyle magazine even picked up on the story – further suggesting that readers cool down with some green tea popsicles!

The Tufts findings don’t surprise us at Bigelow Tea where we keep a close eye on a growing body of research linking green tea to a host of health benefits. This latest study supports other research that suggests the catechins in green tea may have anti-obesity effects in animals and humans. “Catechins are widely distributed in plant foods,” says Jeffrey Blumberg, senior scientist in the Antioxidant Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. “However, the richest dietary source by far is tea – white, green, oolong and black” (though green tea has the highest concentrations).

The daily dose of catechins in the Tufts study was 625 mg. An average cup of green tea has between 150 –250 mg. It’s important to note that the researchers followed active subjects – which means that you still have to put some time in at the gym or taking walks to keep that trimmer tummy! But we can’t think of a better reward after a workout than a delicious cup or two of green tea! Bigelow Green Tea with Mint and Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon would be perfect après-exercise beverages to keep you feeling invigorated. Or for a special treat (if you’re not in the mood for green tea popsicles!) try a delicious Green Tea Smoothie. Yum!

Image by D Sharon Pruitt, via Flickr.com

Fitness is a passion of ours at Bigelow Tea. It’s never too late to get fit.  And there’s something special about summer that can inspire us to put on our most comfortable pair of sneakers and go out for a walk, run, cycle, or swim!  Maybe you’re dreaming about that bikini that fit you … once upon a time! Or perhaps you just want to regain or maintain that feeling of good health and well-being.  Whatever the reason,  get out and enjoy that sunshine!

Of course, it’s important to remember that you can’t get fit through exercise alone. Your diet plays a major role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Diet and exercise are kind of like Bigelow Tea and water – you can’t have one without the other!

Along with nutritious food, portion control and regular eating hours, there are the drinks that hydrate you while providing you with loads of antioxidants, like green tea!  Research studies have extolled the virtues of dailygreen tea consumption to help maintain a fit and healthy body.  And at Bigelow Tea we wholeheartedly concur! In fact, both caffeine and the polyphenol, EGCg, are reported to be critical fat-burning components – both found in green tea!

Yet, despite all our good intentions, we sometimes need variety … and Bigelow Tea eliminates any boredom factor with our fantastic selection of green teas that come in a cornucopia of flavors and combinations, like Bigelow Green Tea with Mango, Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon, Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate and many more!

So stay fit this summer and be sure to do it with your favorite Bigelow Green Tea!

Image (top) via Weissesroessl.at.

Most women would shudder to think of revealing the contents of their handbag to the public, but Kimora Lee Simmons proudly opened hers up to the world … and guess what was inside? Bigelow Tea! Yes, it’s true. This hard-working businesswoman and celebrity says she “just can’t go a day” without the items in her bag, and green tea is one of them.

Kimora is the star of the reality show “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane,” is also a fashion designer, model, correspondent for E! Television Network and the author of “Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It.” This is one busy woman!

It’s no wonder, then, that tea—and Bigelow Green Tea in particular—is a part of her daily life. Not only is it delicious and soothing, but it can have health and beauty benefits too. In her book, Kimora notes that iced green tea is always in her fridge.

Bigelow Tea thinks it’s super-fun to see what’s inside the purses of celebrities, but we also think it’s great when any one of our customers carries tea bags around on a daily basis! It’s a fact of life: You just never know when you’re going to need a good, hot cup of tea!

Image via missjia.com

Bigelow Tea loves to entice our customers with new blends that deliver both the pleasures and the health benefits of tea. We’ve all got our Bigelow Tea favorites, but we certainly like to switch it up sometimes! So we couldn’t be more excited to introduce three new delicious varieties infused with today’s hottest “superfruits.” And tea drinkers limiting caffeine will be delighted with two of the options. Drum roll, please…

• Bigelow Black Tea with Pomegranate

a rich, satisfying black tea with the  naturally luscious fruit flavor of pomegranate

• Bigelow Decaffeinated Green Tea with Pomegranate

a delicate, decaffeinated green tea gently infused with the naturally sweet flavor of  pomegranate

• Bigelow Decaffeinated Green Tea with Wild Blueberry & Acai

a delicate, decaffeinated green tea with a lively berry twist

“We are thrilled to add three new winners to our portfolio of over a hundred tea varieties,” says company President Cindi Bigelow. “Our newest introductions once again demonstrate the unsurpassed skill of Bigelow’s master blenders in creating teas with exquisite, natural fruit flavors. With three of today’s most popular superfruits as ingredients, we know these new blends will create fresh excitement in the marketplace.”

The new tea blends pack a powerful antioxidant one-two punch. Green and black teas contain polyphenols, a type of antioxidant reported to help reduce the risk for some cancers, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Add to that Pomegranate, acai and blueberry, superfruits that have high concentrations of antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Then add to that delicious!

Bigelow Tea’s Pomegranate line is already wildly popular, now in every specialty tea category – Flavored Black,Green, Decaffeinated, Caffeine-free Herbal and Iced. So whether you drink tea for health benefits, flavor or enjoyment, Bigelow Tea has you covered, and now with three exciting new blends!

We recently found this video from a Green Tea drinker, Bubzbeauty. She woke up wondering, “If green tea can do wonders for our health, what about our skin?” So, after some research and experimentation, she decided to give herself a green tea facial! By combining brewed green tea, sugar and oil, she created a luxurious facial scrub.

As we’ve noted before, green tea is full of antioxidants and can provide a myriad of health and beauty benefits. An article by Suzanne Currie lists green tea as one of the top five ingredients for beautiful skin. She writes:

Green tea is rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation and protect cell membranes. It has been proven to reduce the damage of sunburns and overexposure to ultraviolet light, which in turn reduces the risk of skin cancer. Green tea also contains polyphenol. Recent research by scientists at the Medical College of Georgia shows that the polyphenol most abundant in green tea also acts as a “fountain of youth” it reactivates dying skin cells. In addition to its skin-healthy properties, green tea is also high in vitamins C, D and K, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron.

We’ve used tea as a soothing body spray, as part of a mild astringent toner, and now you can use it for a facial scrub! What’s more, green tea is not sticky, it’s inexpensive and is 100% natural. What more could you want from a skin care product?

We hope you already enjoy Bigelow’s many Green Tea varieties as a beverage. And, perhaps on a snowy day when you feel like pampering yourself, you’ll see what it can do for your skin! Tea and beauty are a winning combination.

Additional Note: Perfect timing, ABC Good Morning America featured a segment this morning on how to use damp green tea bags (from Bigelow) to help diminish blemishes.

Wayne Gretzky’s final game as a Ranger

When we talk about “the great ones” in sports, we pepper our stories with plenty of stats and awards; but once athletic supremacy is established, it’s often the character of the athlete that’s key to the final judgment of who’s the greatest. It’s what makes a hero our hero.

Bigelow Tea has the fortune to work with the likes of Joe Torre, Phil Simms and Terry Francona – all heroes on and off the field – then add to that lineup The Great One, and you have a real dream team! “The Great One” will always be Wayne Gretzky and as you may know, he’s not just a Bigelow Tea fan, but a huge proponent of green teas as well!

The instant Hall of Famer held forty regular-season records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season (and he did it four times) and ultimately saw his number 99 retired by all teams in the National Hockey League.

Statue of The Great One and the Stanley Cup at the Edmonton Oilers’ Northlands Coliseum.

Following retirement in 1999, he turned on his charitable drive, pouring his energy into The Wayne Gretzky Foundation, assisting disadvantaged youths and sharing his belief that hockey contributes to the physical, emotional and social growth of young people. Great One, yes – and a great guy. With Wayne Gretzky on our team, there’s always plenty of action – like right now, as Bigelow Tea and Wayne have teamed up to give you a chance to skate with The Great One at Wayne Gretzky’s 2011 Fantasy Camp IX!

Enter the online only sweepstakes for free by visiting us on Facebook. (Click here for more information.)

And don’t forget our “Gretzky Green” green teas: four antioxidant-packed flavors, featuring English and French packaging, which also serve to promote healthier, lifestyles for all the busy seasons ahead!

The Gretzky Green Tea Gift Set

Images one and three courtesy of commons.wikipedia.org, and wikipedia

“Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.”

George Carlin

Approximately 75 million Americans are affected by diabetes.  And the numbers keep growing – with one out of every three children potentially facing a future with this disease.  That’s why it’s so important to join the movement to Stop Diabetes®.  Launched by the American Diabetes Association, the movement helps raise national awareness about this healthcare crisis: how it can be managed, controlled, and – most importantly – prevented. Since November is American Diabetes Month®, Bigelow Tea would like to highlight a few tips which may help to fight this chronic illness.

First, maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity is one of the greatest risk factors leading to Type 2 diabetes , so it’s critical to follow a healthy regimen combining nutritious food, portion control and physical exercise.  Yes, exercise! This doesn’t mean you have to sign up for the next marathon! Daily walks, gardening, and even working around the house – they all count as physical exercise!

Then, consider drinking green tea regularly. There are volumes of research on diabetes, with some human, animal and clinical trials supporting the theory that catechins found in green tea may help to fight — and may even help prevent — diabetes.  Green tea certainly seems to be a popular libation of choice these days…and placing the health benefit factor aside for the moment, green tea simply tastes great!  So many reasons, so do have yourself a cup and enjoy!

Assorted Green Tea Tin

Photos 1 and 2 via Selectspecs.com and Diabetes.org

Image via National Institutes of Health

Living a healthy lifestyle, rich in quality and flavor is at the heart of our mission at Bigelow Tea. It is a satisfying pursuit indeed, and one that involves finding opportunity in life’s daily challenges.

Celebrating National Celiac Disease Awareness Month in October is exactly such an opportunity. Organizations, individuals, researchers and manufacturers are working to educate and create a higher quality of life that many with the disease thought possible. It’s a big effort.

A little background: “gluten free” is the key for the more than 2 million people across the U.S. suffering from Celiac Disease (CD) an immune reaction and lifelong condition preventing digestion of the proteins from wheat, barley and rye. CD symptoms take multiple forms, and the consequences can be dire, but are usually manageable through diet changes. Sounds simple enough…until you gaze around your grocery and ponder life (and even tonight’s dinner) without those staples.

It’s difficult to imagine doing without breads, pastas, & pizzas.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Diligent planning is the key. For instance, The View’s Elizabeth Hasselbeck, diagnosed with CD after her life-time of symptoms suddenly cleared up while a Survivor contestant, recommends carrying dining cards to restaurants to aid in the daily decisions necessary. Support is key – from family, friends, a growing legion of bloggers and online forums and doctors providing nutritional education and medical advances.

The good news for Bigelow Tea lovers is that almost all of our flavors are gluten free –and very clearly labeled “Gluten Free” or “Not Gluten Free.” Even better news is that we’re part of a growing industry offering tasty choices and alternatives.  So progress is being made, and we raise our cup to a month of awareness efforts to help lead to a lifetimes of satisfaction – and we hope you will also!