There is nothing more uplifting than the beginning of spring — especially after a long, cold winter! Sweet scents of hyacinth and vibrant tulips and daffodils fill us with a sense of well-being and renewal. Our cups runneth over. Speaking of cups, Bigelow Tea is celebrating springtime with our most exquisite Spring Catalog to date. It showcases a fabulous collection of Bigelow gifts, from colorful “On the Go” Tote Bags to the beautifully crafted Flavored and Herb Tea Chest. Green tea drinkers can go green with Bigelow’s All Green Tea Basket, a seagrass basket lovingly filled with Bigelow delights, including the ever-popular Green Tea with Pomegranate.

“On the Go” Tote Bags

Flavored and Herb Tea Chest

All Green Tea Basket

There’s something for everyone: discerning teacup collectors can enjoy Spode® Flower of the Month Teacups with their favorite Bigelow Tea, and organic tea aficionados can relax with treats from the Amber Spa Basket and Organic Tea For Two.

April — Flowers of the Month by Spode®

Amber Spa Basket

Organic Tea For Two

We at Bigelow Tea have put a lot of TLC into the creation of this catalog. Celebrate this glorious season with tea — whether planning the first of many spring tea parties or simply enjoying a beautiful sunset on your back porch while sipping some American Classic Tea®.

60+ years ago, Ruth Bigelow, with her unabashed passion for tea and adventurous taste buds, created a zesty tea, Constant Comment®. Her children and grandchildren were inspired by her. To read more about a true “American classic” and the family-owned company that she founded, read My Mother Loved Tea, written by her son, David Bigelow. And, yes, you can order it from the 2009 Spring Catalog.

Photo courtesy of Redhatsociety.com.

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.”
—Jenny Joseph

Tea seems to be the libation of choice for the ladies with “hattitude.” Free of the inhibitions, which plague the self-conscious “under-fifties” crowd, the Red Hat Society women enjoy celebrating age, friendship, and fun at gatherings that inevitably revolve around tea. They transformed the Tea Party into an art form!

Red Hat Society was founded in 1998 by California artist Sue Ellen Cooper, who set the wheels in motion by giving her friend a 55th birthday gift: a red fedora hat and a copy of Jenny Joseph’s poem, “Warning” (quoted above). The idea caught on and, not surprisingly, word spread. Now, over a decade later, the Red Hat Society has become the largest social networking community for women, with over 30,000 chapters throughout the world. Television shows, stage productions and comic strips have all tipped their hats to the Society. Wherever they go, they seem to cause a stir — people gape at the audacity of their attire and envy their joie de vivre, while newspapers photograph them for the social columns.

At Bigelow Tea, we have been fortunate enough to host a group of Red Hatters from Nampa, Idaho at our Boise facility.  These discerning tea aficionados were interested in how teas, like “Constant Comment”®, are made. A fabulous time was had by all, and several cups of Bigelow Tea selections later the ladies went on their merry way.

To all the Red Hatters out there (and the under 50 Pink Hatters too): come visit us again at Bigelow Tea – it’s always Teatime here!

Easter is here already, with an early jump on the Calendar for April 12th. And along with Easter comes family fun, painted Easter Eggs, chocolate bunnies, and the traditional Egg Roll, including the famous White House Easter Egg Hunt. The White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878, and is designed to encourage children and their families to come outdoors and celebrate the start of the spring season.

Bigelow Tea also wants you to enjoy the new spring season too, and if you are entertaining a large extended family gathering for this Easter, or just having a quiet dinner with your immediate family and friends, we have a couple great suggestions for a festive dinner. Make Bigelow Tea a part of the celebration feast with this outstanding recipe; pairing the traditional Rack of Lamb with our own Plantation Mint® Tea Sauce.

A delicious traditional meal with a striking Bigelow Tea twist. And once you look over this grand entrée, check out this equally grand dessert idea that everyone will love from Bigelow Tea — Constant Comment® Spice Cake. The best of the season to all from Bigelow Tea!

Rack of Lamb with Plantation Mint® Tea Sauce

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 cup canned beef broth
6 Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea bags
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted, at room temperature
Ingredients for the racks of lamb
2 racks of lamb (about 1- ½ pounds each), frenched*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Yield: 2 racks of lamb

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Brush racks of lamb with oil and place them meat-side down in a heavy, low baking dish.
Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Turn the racks of lamb over, brush with mustard, and then apply the crumb mixture with a cupping motion. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and return to the oven for another 10-12 minutes for medium-rare.
Prepare the Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea Sauce while waiting for the lamb to cook. –
Remove the rack of lamb from the oven, let stand for 3-4 minutes, then slice chops. —
Serve a generous spoonful of sauce over each chop.

Method for the sauce:
In a small saucepan, bring beef stock to a boil.
Turn off the heat. Add the teabags and steep for 10 minutes, making sure they are all submerged. Remove the teabags to a small strainer and using the back of a spoon, press as much liquid as possible back into the pan.
Stir in the honey and return to a boil, stirring until the honey is incorporated.
In a small custard cup, combine the flour and butter into a smooth paste, using a fork. –
Just before serving, bring the liquid to a boil.
Turn off heat, add the butter/flour mixture, bit by bit, and whisk until it is incorporated and the sauce thickened.

Constant Comment® Spice Cake

Ingredients:
½ cup milk
5 Bigelow “Constant Comment”® Tea Bags
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1-2/3 cups flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Confectioners sugar

Yield: Yields one 9” round cake.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9″ round cake pan
Combine milk and tea bags in a small saucepan. Heat over medium/low heat until bubbles form around the edge, stirring occasionally. (DO NOT BOIL.)
Remove from heat and let cool (15-20 minutes); remove tea bags squeezing out liquid. — Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the eggs and whisk to blend. Add the cooled milk; continue to whisk until thoroughly combined.
Add flour and baking powder; mix until a smooth batter forms.
Pour batter into pan. Bake approximately 35 minutes, or until center of cake springs back when touched. Cool on wire rack before removing from pan.
Let cool completely before serving. Dust top with confectioner’s sugar.

Christmas is almost here…the economic conditions are not looking fabulous. Now more than ever I want to make sure I am doing the best job possible for this company. I have always been so proud of each one of our teas, as if every one is like delivering a new child, but now more than ever, it is about the employees.

I hear so much about companies, large and small, that have to let go people or worse, close down completely. I have always been highly motivated to exceed everyone’s expectations (anyone close to me here can attest I am like a large bolt of energy that comes into the office every day), and in this economy, I am no different. My family has always cared about the employees (I call them our shareholders) but it means even more today.

I am THRILLED our company is selling lots of tea, has all kinds of new ones on the way and other neat “projects” in the hopper. I went to a seminar the other day where they asked me “what do we do within Bigelow Tea to survive these challenging times”…my answer? Planning and a clear direction that began 10 years ago. Fortunate for us after 63 years we are in a very strong position….I am going to darn well make sure we keep it that way. Time for a cup of “Constant Comment.”

Cindi Bigelow

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

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

1. No purchase necessary.
2. Stories must be original and unpublished. Must be the work of the contest entrant.
3. 100-word minimum, 500-word maximum.
4. 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.
5. You may enter multiple stories, but only one of your stories can be included among the winners.
6. Story emails must be received by December 31st 2008.
7. Contest open to legal residents of the United States. Employees and consultants of Bigelow Tea are not eligible.
8. You agree to adhere to these rules and the judges decisions.
9. Winners will be announced no later than 60 days after contest ends.
10. Winners will be notified by email.
11. Winning stories will be used without limitation on www.bigelowtea.com and/or www.bigelowteablog.com.
12. Prizes are nontransferable.
13. Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

Well our year is coming to a close….and what a year it has been!  Our official year end is June 30 so I might be slightly premature in sending out this entry BUT what a record year.  We sold more teabags than ever before.  Our older more established teas did well like “Constant Comment”, Earl Grey, Chamomile and Green but our new teas did gang busters as well.  We feel so blessed in this company right now-we try and do the right thing every day-work hard, make great tea, be creative and stay focused….all I can say is it is great to see that the consumer noticed.   The fact that we recently became the number one Specialty Tea Company in this country is not something we take lightly and it is only because of you all that we did it!!  THANK YOU for an extraordinary year.

Cindi Bigelow, President

Dear Bigelow Tea,

Recently, I held a bridal shower for my niece, Chessie, at The Colonial Inn in Concord, Massachusetts. We are all big tea drinkers so we decided an afternoon tea would be nice. I had silver teapots overflowing with bright colored spring flowers on the tables and as favors, gave tea cups wrapped up with an assortment of Bigelow teas. Bigelow Tea is a favorite in our family! My sister, Julie, Chessie’s mother, is a Constant Comment fan from way back. Thought you might enjoy seeing the photos:

Sincerely,
Susan O’Neil

Do your tea preferences change with the seasons? If so, start thinking green! Green tea, that is! Green is the color of springtime. It can also represent a fresh, new flavor discovery! Bigelow has a number of fruity green teas including green tea with mango, with lemon and with peach. Each is ready to explore with a light taste that’s ripe for warmer temps.

You can also shake off the last vestiges of winter with teas that bring blooming spring to mind. Like the floral tones of Jasmine tea made from the finest hand-picked teas from the high-elevation gardens. Or take your green to the extreme when you go all natural. Bigelow’s Organic Green Tea has no artificial ingredients.

Can’t quite make the switch from your all time favorites? Bigelow understands which is why they now also feature many tea classics in a green variety, like Earl Grey green and Constant Comment.

So, take your tea green this spring! For a complete line-up of Bigelow greens, visit the green pages in Bigelow’s online store.

Here is a nice letter about a new, and now loyal, fan of Constant Comment® Tea…how did you discover Constant Comment®?  We want to hear your story too!

Dear Bigelow,

My name is Ian MacGregor and I live in Seattle, Washington. This is a
story of how I recently came to discover Constant Comment.

Normally my friends and I meet at one of our homes a few times each week
for a social gathering. Last month, one of my friends brought a new tea
for us to try – tea is a large part of our gatherings. This new tea was
Constant Comment, from Bigelow. Bigelow teas are my favorite but I had
never seen this tea at any of the local markets. We talked a bit while
the water heated and I asked “how does it taste?”, to which she replied
“it’s a surprise”. The water finished, steeping done, I reached for my
cup and was met with the most wonderful aroma of black tea and oranges.
I quickly realized the new tin of Walkers shortbread cookies I bought
would be a perfect addition to our evening. Hours later we had finished
off all 20 bags of this delicious tea – the cookie tin now empty – and I
could only think that next week was too far away. Constant Comment is
now on my favorite teas list, thank you Bigelow.

Sincerely,

Ian MacGregor