3 Mar 2010 - posted by Anonymous

Michelle from Tea Global here.   Thanks for your interest in receiving our tea news and special offers.  In the spirit of a new season this issue touches on the beauty of white tea and ideas for  refreshing and delicious iced teas.

If there is any way I can be of assistance to you please feel free to contact me (my contact details on the bottom of this issue).

In the meantime I wish you some outstanding tea moments in your day.

In this issue:

1. Focus on White Tea – Forever Young
2. Iced Tea – The Coolest Drink in Town
3. Does Water Quality Really Matter to Your Cup of Tea?
4. Special Tea Offers
   
5. Tea Quote
   
6. Happenings at Tea Global

1. Focus on White Tea – Forever Young

• 2009 Research from Kingston University in London shows white tea is prized for its anti ageing properties – perhaps we will see even more cosmetic companies including white tea in their formulations.  Read about the findings of this study here:  
• White tea is its own special class of tea – it is less processed than green tea and is simply plucked and air dried.
  
• All the white teas in our private label Stir Tea range come from Fujian province in China, the recognised home of white tea.  The two main styles of white tea are the highly prized silver needle (pictured) with its tender leaf buds, plucked before they open, and the white peony style, shown here, which is a mix of open leaf and bud.
• White tea has a very delicate, sweet subtle flavour with suggestions of honey and peaches – the elegant silver needle is very light while the white peony offers a broader depth of flavour.  The beauty of this tea lies in its simplicity.
  
• Brewed with water just below boiling many of our clients find the same leaves can be steeped several times throughout the day.
  
• White tea is delicious hot or cold – for a special party drink offer non alcoholic white tea cocktails – try our recipe for white peony tea with strawberries and basil or white tea pomegranate with raspberries and thyme.  See these recipes along with suggestions on how to brew iced tea here.
  

To view or order from our full range of white teas click here.  

2. Iced Tea - The Coolest Drink in Town

• Iced tea is refreshing, healthy and delicious.  Enjoy it in its most simplest form or transform into a perfect party drink by adding soda water and garnishing with one of our bloomed flowering green teas or fresh fruit and herbs.
• Black tea is the classic base for iced tea but experiment this month with our white iced tea recipes and herbal blends to discover a new favourite.
• When making an iced tea there are some simple guidelines to follow to ensure a great result – read about these here along with some delicious iced tea recipes including strawberry basil white tea or white tea pomegranate with raspberries and thyme:

3. Does Water Quality Really Matter to Your Cup Of Tea? 

On two occasions over the last week I have been reminded of this question.  The first was when I saw a pot of black tea, which had been placed in the fridge to cool for an iced tea, turn cloudy.  The water used for this brew had been boiled from unfiltered water drawn from a household tap.  Undoubtedly some of the factors in the clouding were the chemicals and minerals present in the water (read how to avoid clouding in your iced teas).

An English visitor contacted me to enquire if water quality could be affecting their brewed tea.  They were not enjoying their favourite tea which they had brought with them from their UK home.  They had  tried several things to improve their brew including purchasing new china cups and a new electric jug, but to no avail.  We agreed it was highly probable that it was the chemicals in the water that were affecting their brewed tea quality.

If you are living in a part of the country where you have great water then consider yourself lucky.  If you live in an area where water is chemically treated to the extent that you can smell or taste the chemicals then you might want to consider using bottled water or filtered water.

4. Special Tea Offers

Complimentary Stir Tea Sample

When you purchase tea online during the month of March 2010 we shall select and include a complimentary loose leaf sample of another Stir Tea with your order.

Plus

Orders over $85 receive a complimentary beautiful “one cup of perfect tea” spoon:

All orders from our website over $85 during March 2010 will receive their very own long handled teaspoon from our accessories range with the message “one cup of perfect tea” engraved on the handle.  This is valued at $9 and is an essential piece for your tea service.

Revolution Tea Range:

All tea in the Revolution tea range is reduced in price by 25% (offer available while stocks last).  Most lines have a bbf date of May/June 2010 and the stock is in pristine condition.  We shall apply the discount to your invoice when we manually process your payment so simply order online as normal.  This is a great range and fantastic opportunity to stock up for the coming months.

5.  Tea Quote

From William Gladstone, Prime Minister of United Kingdom, late 1800’s:

‘If you are cold, tea will warm you: if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are exhausted, it will calm you’.

Great to see some things never change – tea anyone?

6. Happenings at Tea Global

New Stir Tea Releases

Over summer 2009/2010 we have released several new teas in our private label range, Stir Tea.  Over the next two weeks we shall post these on our website and profile them in our next newsletter.

Tea Global Gift Vouchers:

• We now offer Tea Global gift vouchers  – if you are unsure exactly what to choose from our range give this voucher and let the lucky person choose their favourite tea or accessory.
  

Your Tea Stories and Recipes

Please keep your tea stories, ideas and recipes that use tea as an ingredient coming, we love hearing from you.

In the meantime wishing you a fine measure of tea.