Adagio Teas triniTea Electric 32-Ounce Tea Maker

© Ugur Akinci

An electric tea make specifically designed to brew tea. 

The water is heated in the top chamber. Once hot, it is then released to the brewing chamber at the bottom where you place your tea leaves or bags. You set the brewing time and the tea-type setting (black vs. green tea). When the time is up, Adagio beeps 3 times. The brewed liquid is dropped to the carafe down below, ready for your enjoyment. Your tea is kept warm for you as long as you like.

Makes  FOUR 8-oz cups of tea at a time for a total of 32 ounces.

PROS: 

• Small enough to fit into even the smallest dorm rooms.
• Separate settings for black (212 F degrees) vs. green tea (180 F degrees).
• Brewing  time setting between 2 and 7 minutes.
• Built-in timer eliminates the need to look at clock to prevent over-steeping.

CONS:

• Older units (which had a drippy carafe problem) beep 4 times when the tea is ready. If that is your set, you may consider return it for a full refund or exchange with the new and better models that beep only 3 times.
• Some consumers think the tea is not hot enough. This is a personal matter that only you can decide. If you like your tea scalding hot and boiling, this set is probably not for you.
• Less-than-satisfactory customer service, should you need it. Best advice: the unit comes with 90 day warranty. If something goes wrong during that period, return it for a full refund. Amazon, for example, has a great return policy for cases like that.

What the reviewers said:

“Over all this is a good tea maker. I love the timer aspect which makes it so much easier to brew the different teas. I just wish it made more than 4 cups...” 

“It's the only automatic tea maker I could find that actually steeps the tea for a time you select. A nice feature is the ability to select a lower steeping temperature for green tea. The tea tastes great. I highly recommend this unit...”

“This machine is fantastic. It allows me to brew my tea while I'm accomplishing another household job. The tea comes out perfect both in the green tea cycle and on the black tea cycle...”

“If the pot isn't positioned properly on the burner the tea doesn't brew or if it does, it leaks all over (has only occurred a couple of times)…”

Available at a discount at Amazon.

Insurance company: Drinking tea "may help prevent" tooth decay

© Ugur Akinci

Here is another news story about well-documented health benefits of drinking tea: it may prevent or slow down tooth decay (unless you dump your cup with heaps of refined sugar).

Expatries insurance company released a quote by Dr Carrie Ruxton, a member of the Tea Advisory Panel (of UK), that drew attention to the "antibacterial properties" of tea which " has been known for decades."

The panel confirmed in a study that "compounds in tea, known as flavonoids, are able to disrupt the bacteria in the mouth that cause dental decay."

Excellent news for teenagers since dental decay usually starts in those ages due to poor eating habits, including too much candy and chocolate.

Dr. Ruxton favored black tea over the green for more potent flavonoids that it contains.

"Flavonoids also inhibit the breakdown of starch from our foods whilst we are chewing them. This helps to prevent build up of plaque," the good doctor reminded.

Taylors of Harrogate, Yorkshire Gold Tea

Stash Premium English Breakfast Black Tea

 Photo credit Patrick George

Bigelow Green Tea

© Ugur Akinci

Bigelow Green Tea is a reasonably priced smooth green tea that comes in gluten-free tea bags.

Steep it in hot water just 2 minutes and you'll be done. But I don't mind leaving my bag in the cup till the water gets lukewarm. This blend is so light, over-brewing won't make it bitter.

There is no outstanding texture or feel to this tea as you'd have with any STASH blend, for example. It's your average straight-forward and pure green tea that you can jazz it up with a slice of lemon or a drop of honey, for example.

As almost all green tea commercially available out there today, Bigelow Green Tea (names after Eunice and David Bigelow)  has zero fat, calories and carbs, and lots of good health-preserving antioxidants.

Enjoy a cup today after meal!  Available from Amazon.

Linden Tea -- A Relatively Unknown Help for Chest Cold and Congestion

© Ugur Akinci

My sweet grandma used to put a pinch of linden leaves and flowers into a boiling cup of water, seep it for a minute or two, and then filter out its water and have us kids drink it on those cold winter night to fight off anything from coughing to chest cold. Still to this day I make myself a cup of linden tea from time to time to savor its unique herbal taste and gentle flavor.

In case you've never seen a linden plant before, this is what a linden plant looks like.

And this is how it looks like when it's dried up, ready for brewing.

You can either buy it by weight and then add it your self to a boiling pot of water (keep it in for only two minutes) or use pre-made linden tea bags.

The color of your linden tea should be a medium golden-wheat brown and it should be clear, not cloudy.

It's a great soothing tea for parched throats or if you have a slight cold and want a healing touch from inside.

A Hot-Bodied Invigorating Tea -- CHAI SPICE by Stash

© Ugur Akinci

Stash company is so far ahead in bringing us one high-quality tea blend after another.

Here is my latest favorite: CHAI SPICE.

As its red packaging suggests, this a tangy, spicy, hot-textured  blend, perfect to take care of that 3 p.m. afternoon slow-downs.

It's got black tea, cinnamon, ginger root, cinnamon flavor, clove oil, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom oil. It comes in decaff version as well.

You want to give your taste buds a workout? Then this is your tea for sure. But take it easy. If you drink two bags in a row, for example, it may upset your stomach or give you a headache. Don't let your teabag sit in your cup for too long.

I prefer one a day, at most two, sometimes with a slice of lemon for that extra metabolism kick. It's enough to rev up your system a notch or two.

Also recommended: try it with milk for a milder ride late at night.

You can cool it off, save it in the fridge, and try it later cold as well. A few ice cubes will transform this strong cinnamon-clove blend into a delicious ice tea offering indeed. Perfect for hot July and August afternoons.

A delectable tea for waking up from any siesta. Enjoy!

Available (both regular and decaff) from Amazon.

Green tea consumption linked to better dental health

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Periodontology, routine consumption of green tea can help promote superior dental health.

In the study, Japanese researchers analyzed the oral health of 940 men based on three indicators of periodontal disease: clinical attachment loss of gum tissue, periodontal pocket depth and bleeding upon probing of the gum tissue.

The research team found that every cup of green tea consumed was associated with an additional decrease in all three symptoms related to periodontal disease.

"Periodontists believe that maintaining healthy gums is absolutely critical to maintaining a healthy body," says Dr David Cochran, chair of the department of periodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

"That is why it is so important to find simple ways to boost periodontal health, such as regularly drinking green tea - something already known to possess certain health-related benefits," he added.

Although researchers have been unable to pinpoint the exact mechanism responsible for the reduction of symptoms, they speculate that the antioxidants in green tea are capable of reducing the body's inflammatory response to periodontal bacteria in the mouth.

For more information on discount dental plans call 1-888-632-5353
© 2010 Brafton Inc.

Tea houses define Taichung identity

A general view of Taichung

It would be a pity to visit Taichung without a trip to a tea house. For local residents, tea drinking has become a way of life.

Taiwan may have a long tradition of drinking tea at home or at public gatherings, alone or with friends, but Taichung residents have taken the tradition to another level.

Traveling through the city of 1 million residents, visitors will notice tea houses of various styles and sizes scattered almost everywhere.

Many kinds of teas are served, including traditional Chinese standbys like oolong tea as well as modern variants such as “bubble red tea” or “pearl milk tea” — milk tea mixed with tapioca balls — and coffee.

“Starting when I was in high school, I think I must have gone to tea houses hundreds of times, whether to study or have a casual chat with friends,” said 36-year old Trevor Huang, adding that it was “trendy” at the time and remains so today.

Steve Wang, 24, said that whenever friends visit from out of town, the first place he takes them is a tea house because it is “a natural thing to do.”

Click here to read the rest

Is a bike mug holder your cup of tea?

A hot beverage holder on the handlebars is a dream concept, but there are problems with the execution of the design.

Helen Pidd with the Soma Morning Rush Coffee Holder for cyclists. Photograph: Graham Turner

Is there anything more smug than someone riding a bicycle while drinking a cup of tea?

Every time I lifted the cup from its handlebar-holder while waiting at traffic lights, I swear I could hear the drivers behind muttering in disapproval. As if it wasn't bad enough that I had plonked myself in front of them, delaying their acceleration out of the lights by, oooh, at least a second or two, I had the nerve to quench my thirst while I waited for green.

Click here to read the rest

Univ of Washington Study: Tea Drops Ovarian Cancer by 54%

Women might want to skip the coffee and opt for some tea instead.
 
A new University of Washington study involving more than 2,000 women says drinking at least one daily cup of green tea reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 54 percent.
 
And the benefit isn't just with green.
 
A similar study from the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm says two or more cups of Black tea also slashes the risk by nearly 50 percent.
 
Previous research suggests the same cancer protecting properties in both teas also helps reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as boosts brain power.

Green Tea May Prevent Large Kidney Stones

Here is another benefit attributed by the scientists to the "miracle drink" of our times: green tea.

According to a report published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal CrystEngComm, drinking green tea may prevent formation of large kidney stone by altering the shape of the calcium oxalate crystals. Green tea's active component phenol has been shown to flatten the calcium oxalate crystals and thus prevent the formation of large kidney crystals. The smaller stones can be passed much more easily and painlessly through urine.

The image below shows the flattening process attributed to green tea consumption.

Green Tea and Longer Telomeres

From Times Online:

"Research suggests that green tea has antioxidant, antithrombotic, antiviral, antibacterial and anti-cancer properties, and may help to lower bad cholesterol. Researchers in Hong Kong also found recently that people who drank three cups a day had longer telomeres — the repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes that normally shorten with age — than others. They suggest that chemicals called flavanols in green tea help to keep cells younger. Green tea is also known to help to fight gum disease and possibly mouth cancer"

Green Tea May Prevent Oral Cancers

A new scientific study showed that drinking green tea may help the fight against oral cancer.

59% of the 41 volunteer subjects with "pre-malignant mouth lesions" who drank green tea showed a positive response, while only 18% of those who took placebo showed the same positive effect.

However, we must add that 41 subjects is too little a number to produce really robust statistical results.

Probably that's why the chief scientist of the study, Dr. Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulo, a professor in the department of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said "the findings were encouraging but did not provide definitive proof that green tea can prevent cancer." We agree with him from a statistical point of view.

The subjects were given green tea extracts for 3 months varying between 500 mg and 1,000 mg.

During the 28 months that the study was conducted, 15 people actually did develop oral cancer.

Want your "Certified Tea Sommelier Certificate"?

For the first time in North AMerica, there now exists a Certified Tea Sommelier Certificate program, offered by GEORGE BROWN UNIVERSITY of Canada.

Created in partnership with the Tea Association of Canada, this certificate has been designed for those professionals wishing to enter the distinguished world of a tea sommelier or for those so committed to the consumption of tea that they wish to become tea sommeliers themselves.

Learn how to cup, taste, blend and consume teas from all around the world. Take a global tour of countries that grow and produce tea from the comfort of the classroom.

Once you have completed the certificate and a final competency exam, you will be certified as a Tea Sommelier by the Tea Association of Canada.

For more information, call 416-415-5000, ext. 2517, or e-mail cehospitality@georgebrown.ca. You are also invited to attend an information session.

Certificate Completion: You must complete HOST 9119 (Tea – An Introduction) prior to taking the other courses in this certificate. You must complete the courses in section A prior to taking the courses in section B or the stage experience.
Compulsory Courses (Eight)
Section A
HOST 9119 Tea – An Introduction
HOST 9122 Tea – China and the Far East
HOST 9121 Tea – India, Africa and Beyond
HOST 9120 Tea – Preparation and Consumption

Section B
HOSF 9261 Tea – Menu Design and Food Pairing
HOSF 9262 Tea – Sensory Development and Evaluation
HOSF 9260 Tea – Service Training
HOSF 9263 Tea – Tea Garden Management

plus
Stage experience
Also see: Promoting tea with a Canadian twist. (Tea Association of Canada and Tea Council of Canada continue to promote tea to the Canadian market with focus on ... An article from: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

Indian Police Stations to Serve Tea

In an effort to modernize public service, police stations in Gujarat, India will soon start to serve tea and coffee to those who are waiting to appear in court.

Citizen Facilitations Centres (CFC) will have tea and coffee vending machines in all 500 police stations in the state of Gujarat.

Here is the rest of the story...

Drink Green Tea to Lower Your Risk of Dying From Pneumonia

Here is yet another good science new from the green tea front: Japanese women who drink 5 or more cups of green tea a day have lowered their risk of dying from pneumonia by 47%, according to Ikue Watanabe of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan.

Even if they drank only 1 cup of green tea a day their risk still dropped by a whopping 41%. Not bad for a pleasant past time, isn’t it?

Watanabe studied 19,079 men and 21,493 women between 40 and 79 years old over a period of 12 years.

However, the study could not verify the same effect for men.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September, 2009