The Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, 2009

It’s that time of year again when summer fun begins to come to an end, fall begins, and there’s nothing like a nice hot cup of Bigelow Tea … after running a 5K road race!? Yes, actually! Bigelow Tea is excited to announce our 23^rd annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, taking place on September 26^th in Southport, Connecticut at Wakeman Boys and Girls Club.

The event is always a crowd pleaser attracting hundreds of men, women and children each year. It challenges our community to donate to a good cause, while still having a lot fun. Proceeds from the Community Challenge go to local charities, such as the Connecticut Food Bank, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission, and the Mercy Learning Center among others. Giving back to the community is something Bigelow Tea is always proud to do, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity!

Participants in the Community Challenge have choices: the 5K run, the two-mile fitness walk, or the Kids’ Fun Run. And they are welcome to enjoy the complimentary food and drink and the other activities that are offered! In addition to donating to a good cause and getting your morning exercise,  the grand prize raffle winner this year will win two round trip tickets to anywhere in the United States, even Bermuda or the Caribbean!

So grab the kids and the whole family, and head down to Wakeman Boys and Girls Club this September 26^th. Have some real fun while helping those who really need it!  And in the meantime, get inspired with this video from one of our previous Community Challenges:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bigelow Tea’s Snack Attack Basket!

And for college students headed back to school, there is a special bitter sweet feeling that Bigelow Tea can help out with too: let them feel your love all the way from home with the Bigelow Tea Snack Attack!

What a great way to send TLC and say “I’m thinking of you!” This “Snack Attack” basket has over a full pound of munchies – some sweet, some salty, including Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Chip Key Lime cookies, snack mixes, pretzels and chocolate fudge. (Does contain nuts) Also included in the sturdy, woven wood basket is an exclusive 16 oz Bigelow Glass Mug and a three-flavor variety of 24 Bigelow individually wrapped tea bags. Your college student will love this!

Photo via Wikimedia.org

After all, studying and Tea Time are perfect together. Young men and women off at college often tell us that drinking tea is a great way to start their day and to help them get through long nights of studying. Watch Cindi Bigelow “talk tea” with students at her alma mater, Boston College last fall in our fun video!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re happy brewing cups of Bigelow Tea with teabags, but still curious about some of our loose tea options, we’re delighted to help you with that, too! First, measuring the tea is important; If you’re making a pot of tea, the general rule is one teaspoon per cup, plus one more “for the pot.”

Drop the leaves straight into the pot if you’re using a strainer; or into the infuser basket if that’s your chosen method. Pour the boiling water over the leaves, and then wait 3 – 4 minutes for black tea, a little less for green, and a little more for oolong. Of course, Bigelow Tea can provide you with necessary (and stylish) options for your loose tea brewing. Our butterfly infuser adds a whimsical touch, and can easily fit in a purse or a pocket!

We also have infuser teapots to suit all needs and styles, including pot options for one person, or inviting over the whole crew for tea! Check out our tea pots made of glass, cast iron, or ceramics.

Curious about our loose tea? Go ahead and try some – and “loosen” up with Bigelow Tea!

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With his wonderful laugh and his warm personality, Jose charmed our employees. And, when it came to talking tea, he made everyone smile by explaining how much he enjoys sitting with his lovely wife Susan and sharing a cup of Constant Comment tea. We couldn’t be more pleased.

We’re so glad to know Jose and his family, and we hope he’ll come by and visit more often. In the meantime, we’ll continue to hum the sweet melody he strummed on his guitar while singing, “Bigelow Tea, Bigelow Tea. Nothing like a cup of Bigelow Tea…” That little ditty is, quite literally, music to our ears!

Bigelow Tea is proud and excited to be named “Business Leader for Energy Efficiency” by Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) at its 2010 Energy Efficiency Summit. NEEP created this recognition program in order to highlight the important achievements of businesses, like Bigelow Tea, that participate in energy efficiency programs across the region.

Bigelow Tea was nominated for the honor by both The United Illuminating Company and the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund. According to Roger Parisi of United Illuminating, his company “chose Bigelow Tea because they’re an outstanding company that has a top down dedication to conservation, continuous improvement, the environment and the community.”  As an example of this pledge, Bigelow Tea installed 880 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of its Fairfield, Connecticut headquarters. As Jeff Gaudiosi, Chairman of the Energy Conservation Management Board put it: “RC Bigelow Tea is a great example of what every business in Connecticut should strive for.”

Bigelow Tea’s commitment to the environment is truly an integral part of our business. From using recycled materials in packaging to installing automatic motion sensor lighting in our facilities, Bigelow Tea continually strives to reduce waste and conserve energy. It’s all about our promise to be a good corporate citizen by protecting both our community and environment!

Does that mean we’re retiring from tea?  Never!

Our family company has been making tea for three generations, and we get better every year.  In fact, in a recent interview with World Tea News, our own Cindi Bigelow explained why she’d never consider taking the company public:

Why would I? We are so committed to this business, so committed to the product, the consumer and the employee. As soon as you bring somebody else in, that focus changes. They’d propose things that we don’t feel are good for the family long-term. Their concern is profit; our main concern is our people and our product.

That’s because Cindi knows what fuels her: she’s committed to the quality of our product and the well-being of our employees.  She’d never sacrifice her values for the sake of a dollar — and that commitment has made Bigelow Tea profitable and sustainable for generations.

Last year, while visiting our Charleston Tea Plantation, Cindi stopped to chat with some of the entrepreneurs in Charleston’s tourist district.  She learned a bit about their businesses, but she also recognized a kinship they share with the Bigelow family: each of them is fueled by the desire to succeed, on their own terms, doing what they love.

(Of course, it helps that some of them keep themselves fueled with tea, too…)

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, as we celebrate our own 65 years of success, we’d like to know: what fuels you to succeed?

Here’s some good news for tea drinkers who prefer to limit their caffeine intake: Cindi Bigelow has put together a brand new video demonstrating how to take your favorite caffeinated tea and significantly reduce its caffeine content.

Cindi has covered this subject before, but now—with updated studies and additional detailed information regarding the decaffeinating process—Bigelow Tea realized that it was a good time for a Tea-V (video) update!

Of course, many Bigelow teas come in decaffeinated varieties, and herbal teas are completely caffeine free. But if your favorite flavor or type of tea isn’t available in decaf, this is a proven way to reduce (by over 50%) the amount of caffeine in your cup. Give it a try!

Why “Plus”? These healthy and delicious teas are fortified with probiotics, Omega3, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and choline…not sure what all those good things do for you? Check out this excellent new video where Cindi Bigelow explains all the healthy benefits of these delicious new teas!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cindi Bigelow demonstrates how easy (and fun) it is to make a celebratory martini with an important and delightful ingredient: Bigelow® Green Tea!  This engaging video ends with a gripping contest of who has the better martini shaker technique – mother or daughter? You’ll have to decide for yourself!

Click here to view the embedded video.

And do check out our full repertoire of NaughTEA libations and recipes – Sláinte!

Maybe we’ll see you at our next tea social?  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to be sure you hear about our upcoming events!

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