Tea and Travel, World Tea Expo

World Tea Expo 2014: Day One, May 29th

Current Trends and Future Outlook for Tea: The first session of the morning featured a panel of leading industry market analysts. They presented their research on areas for potential growth in the tea industry. David Sprinkle, Jonas Feliciano and Lynn Dornblazer had their own take on how changes in the market would affect tea sales. Here were some of the take-aways: Growth expected in the Restaurant industry Never underestimate the importance of convenience for the consumer Growth opportunity for premiumization […]

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Tea and Travel, World Tea Expo

California Here I Come! World Tea Expo 2014

For some reason the song “California here I come, right back where I started from”, was popular in our household when I was a kid – not because we missed California. We had never been there, but perhaps because my Grandmother used to make the trip by plane in the 1940’s and 50’s to visit her brother in Turlock and would go on to Laguna Beach for some of the winter. She missed that casual artsy life in later years […]

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Style and Design

Tea, Pottery and an Infographic

Emma Bridgewater Revitalizes an Industry The Emma Bridgewater website is a feast for colour-hungry tea ware browsers. There are teapots, mugs, cups and saucers in floral, dot and animal themed patterns. My favourite pattern is “Black Toast” – stylized calligraphy floating on a milky background – a classic! Located in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the pottery has been producing casual everyday pieces for the home since 1985.  Her business has helped to revitalize a town that built its reputation on fine porcelain […]

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Tea Culture, Tea Knowledge

White Tea: Defined and Simplified

Myths and Vagaries A few months ago I watched uncomfortably as a fellow tea sommelier asserted that the reason they had presented White Tea first was that “it was unoxidized”. I know this to be untrue, but I could understand how they might believe it. There is wide spread misunderstanding of White Tea with inaccurate information lounging everywhere on tea retail websites eg. “white tea contains almost no caffeine”. Another eg. “try our Anji Bai Cha White Tea”. Nope. It’s […]

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Social History of Tea

Dressing for Downton: “Yes, Milady. Spadina House Awaits Your Visit”

  Toronto’s Spadina House plays host to Downton Abbey’s Costumes   Season 4 of Downton Abbey has just ended and filming of Season 5 has begun, although in North America we will have to wait a year to view it. For those of us in Toronto suffering withdrawal from the series, it’s wonderful to know that we can indulge ourselves during the hiatus with an up-close look at Downton costumes. “Dressing for Downton” is an exhibit of 20 mostly Edwardian […]

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Social History of Tea

Family Tea Relic: The Thonet Cafe Chair No. 14

  Grandpa Joe Up-cycles a Tea Chest My Grandfather worked as a furniture salesman in the early part of the last century. As well as selling contract furniture, he enjoyed attending auctions and finding furniture that he could adapt or repurpose. Ever resourceful and talented, he managed to outfit his home with items that he rebuilt or repaired. He made several lovely pieces from salvaged wood. There were spinet desks made from rescued cherry wood, a cedar-lined chest made for […]

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Globe-trotting, Social History of Tea, Tea and Travel

Traquair House: Did Robbie Burns take Tea here?

  Traquair House, located in the borderlands of Scotland, announces itself as the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. Surrounded by lush lawns, ancient yew groves and a good-sized maze, it holds its history and age well. It has been visited by 27 of Scotland’s monarchs including Alexander I, Mary Queen of Scots, James VI (James I of England) and Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart). It was originally built as a hunting lodge for Scottish royalty in the 12th Century. […]

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Globe-trotting, Tea and Travel

Man on the Ground for Min River Tea

 An Interview with Chris West The tea community in the western world is still relatively small. So small that most of us follow and interact with the same people on social media sites like facebook, Google+ and Twitter. This is where I initially met Chris West of Min River Tea.  He has lived in China for 9 years and became a tea drinker gradually. Living in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province he is surrounded by neighbours and friends who invariably […]

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Tea Science

Antioxidants in Tea: The Mystery Revealed

Although there are inconsistencies to the many and varied claims of the health benefits of tea – Green Tea in particular – one benefit that all can agree on is that tea contains high levels of anti-oxidants.  Anti-oxidants offer protection against free radicals, but what are they and how do they interact to keep us healthy? Meet the Players The Enemy:  A free radical is an atom or molecule that has an unpaired electron in one of its orbits. An […]

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