Thanks to About.com for the Image

Has it really been more than 25 years since Drew Barrymore first stole our hearts in the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial?

Coming from a legendary Hollywood family, Barrymore has definitely proven herself in the acting world.  She has even found success in the dual role of producer and actress on hit films like Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

With that schedule, it’s no secret this girl’s got some serious stamina! We at Bigelow Tea think that she can attribute some of her energy to all that iced tea she’s been drinking.  Whether it’s meeting with a former boyfriend or just a quick stop on the way to run some errands, she definitely stays healthy and hydrated with some delicious iced tea!

In fact, tea even has this actress singing — catch her in the critically acclaimed biopic Grey Gardens singing the song “Tea for Two!”

But that is all going to change.

I promised myself starting this week, I am going to make the most of this summer!  I am going to walk in the morning before I come to work and I am going to try and leave by 6 pm each night and do something “summery.”  What does that mean?  Play tennis, play a few (emphasis on a few) holes of golf or even better have dinner on the beach.

I still have some weeks to go and I plan on packing in the good times.  Okay enough whining.

On a business note, our company has had the best July and August (well at least the first couple of weeks so far of August-month isn’t over yet) in our history. To all you tea drinkers buying our tea in the summer THANK YOU!   I hope you are making fresh brewed iced tea and even coming up with a few of your favorites to make your own recipe.

Okay, just a short entry today.  Time to get ready to have a backyard bbq.

Cindi Bigelow

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

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

That “nice cup of tea” sure packed a wallop throughout history!  Of course we all know the story of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, a revolt against “taxation without representation” in Boston. It’s one of the many historic events that we have explored in the Bigelow Tea Blog in detail.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Another “Tea Revolution” in our history was the introduction of the tea bag in the early 20^th Century – revolutionizing the way people make and enjoy their cup of tea. And remarkably, about that same time iced tea was introduced, at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the hot summer sun being the mother of invention. July 4^th celebrations have not been the same since.

So there’s really nothing revolutionary about how to spend this 4^th of July; a family picnic, cooking out, watching the fireworks…and with that hot summer sun – lots of iced tea!

Bigelow® Green Tea with Pomegranate & Blueberry Iced Tea

Check out these iced tea varieties from Bigelow Tea, mix and match, stir and pour; they make for a perfect recipe for your July 4^th celebration, and your independence from that summer thirst!

From the Bigelow Family to yours – a safe and happy holiday.

Constant Comment and Plantation Mint Iced Tea

The Tea Council of the US reports that only in the US is more tea consumed cold instead of hot; and there’s no better month to brew some cold refreshing iced tea then June — National Iced Tea Month!

Peach Chai Iced Tea

The Tea Council traces the history of iced tea back to 1904 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, when people weren’t interested in hot tea — because it was just too hot. One clever vendor added ice to the tea — and an industry was born!

Herbal Iced Tea

As you get ready to enjoy a cold, refreshing glass of iced tea this summer, Bigelow Tea has ideas for you to spice it up a bit, with their own special iced tea recipes.

• Constant Comment and Plantation Mint Iced Tea
• Peach Chai Iced Tea
• Herbal Iced Tea
• Blueberry & Pomegranate Sparkler — Iced tea with a twist (contains alcohol)

Blueberry & Pomegranate Sparkler

In the 90s, ready-to-drink iced teas skyrocketed in popularity and continues to grow today. Thanks to a recent partnership between Bigelow Tea and AriZona Beverage, now you can get Organic Green Bigelow Tea in a ready to drink, beautifully decorated bottle, right out of the refrigerator!

So, when the temperatures heat up, crack open the ice and enjoy a cool, refreshing glass of Bigelow Tea — on the rocks!

I am so thrilled to share with you our newest teas. We just launched the most amazing bottled organic green teas… Lemon Ginger, Acai White Cranberry, Original Green and Mango Lychee.

Of course I would say they are amazing BUT they really do taste so good. We didn’t want them too sweet so we lightly sweetened each with organic cane juice (only 50 calories per serving). They are loaded with vitamins, antioxidants and they have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. But it is the beautiful delicate flavor that I truly love.

We wanted something that had the light taste of green tea married with delicious, appealing flavors. It took over a year to get the exact right formula. Yes, I know I sound like a commercial but I am proud of how they turned out!

So you want to try them… well, be patient. They are now rolling out in convenience stores and in delis throughout New York City thanks to our partners at AriZona Beverages (they bottle and distribute for us — and they are great to work with!).

Perfect for the health conscious consumer who wants a delicate ready to drink beverage… just in time for summer and the hot weather (I think the hot weather is coming, isn’t it??)…. enjoy.

Cindi Bigelow

Thanks to freshhealthnews.com for the image.

Jennifer Aniston has been winning audiences’ hearts from the small screen to the silver screen since she starred in Friends over a decade ago. Aniston certainly has come a long way from those days as Friend Rachel Green, and has since starred in several blockbuster movie hits.

The recently-turned 40-year-old maintains a super-svelte physique through a super healthy lifestyle. One way she helps maintain her fit physique is with tea.

While filming The Baster, due out in 2010, Aniston was spotted sipping iced tea on the New York City set. With the summer heat on its way, we’re sure that iced tea will be in high demand by more than just movie stars.

She doesn’t just drink tea on set. She has also been known to go on tea dates with former flame, Vince Vaughn. This is one tea-drinking celebrity we’ll all be seeing a lot more of! Catch her in her most recent film Management, which came out in May.

What are your plans this Labor Day? Perhaps attending a traditional end of the summer barbecue? Taking one last dip in the ocean before heading home? Traveling to New York City where the first Labor Day Parade was held? Maybe you’ll catch some of the 43rd annual Muscular Dystrophy Telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis? We recently spoke about this event, and Muscular Dystrophy in relation to green tea, in our blog, Raise a Cup or Seven to Green Tea Health and Hope.

Whatever your plans, before you begin putting most of your white clothes away, be sure to relax with a tall, cool glass of your favorite iced tea! For great iced tea recipe ideas, go here.

Source: The History of Iced Tea.

¹Thomas Sterling, “A Toast to Tea,” Reader’s Digest (Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest Association, Inc., March 1979), 61.

Our appreciation goes out to Flawed Hollywood for providing this image.