On May 25, 2009, Cyclone Aila made landfall in southern Bangladesh and eastern India. The Times of India reported that the storm took an unusual turn directly to the north, causing it to rip through areas rarely affected by tropical storms, including the famed Makaibari Tea Estate in India’s Darjeeling region. A relief effort is underway to help the managers, workers and families at Makaibari who were affected by Cyclone Aila, and Arbor Teas has committed to raising whatever funds it can to assist in rebuilding effort.
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July 01 2009 | Media and Miscellaneous | No Comments »
A cupping term referring to a high-quality tea having a good balance of flavor and body, allowing the tea to be consumed without blending or the use of milk or sugar. Generally reserved for black teas. At Arbor Teas, many of our organic black teas are considered “self-drinkers.” One excellent example of a self-drinking black tea is our Singampatti Oothu Black Tea, from southern India. Try some today!
June 25 2009 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
This year’s Ann Arbor Green Fair (the 9th annual!) was bigger and better than ever! Arbor Teas was honored to be a part of it for a second year, and happy to see so many customers (new and old) come by and say “hi!” The organic iced tea was really flowing - several hundred samples were doled out in just three hours! We were sampling both our organic kukicha green tea and our organic pomegranate white tea that day. While it was a close call, the crowd favorite seemed to be the pomegranate white, although there were an awful lot of “purists” who really favored the fresh, crisp green tea flavor of the kukicha (it was the GREEN Fair, after all…).
As a fun sidenote, we had another little “Free Tea for a Year” contest during this year’s Green Fair. Well, we are excited to announce that the winner is Jennifer R. of Ann Arbor, MI. She will begin receiving monthly installments of organic loose leaf tea through the Arbor Teas Tea of the Month Club! Congratulations, Jennifer!!!
June 23 2009 | Media | No Comments »
The best time to sweeten iced tea is while it’s still hot (if you used the conventional “hot-brewed” method). This allows the sugar or honey to dissolve completely. But if you cold-brew your iced tea, or your iced tea drinkers prefer different levels of sweetness (or none at all), then your best bet is to offer simple syrup, which is basically sugar that’s already been disolved in water.
Simple Syrup Recipe: Bring 2 cups of cold water to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of plain granulated sugar. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add flavorings, if desired (about a tablespoon of any liquid extract). Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then pour into a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator.
May 29 2009 | Iced Tea | No Comments »
Refers to the method of producing tea predominantly by hand, with great care and a high level of human involvement (as opposed to a predominantly mechanized approach). Generally involves hand plucking and often hand rolling, but occasionally includes some closely supervised use of machinery. At Arbor Teas, all of our organic loose leaf teas are produced by way of orthodox manufacture (with the exception of our Japanese green teas, which belong to a special catagory of tea production all their own). For an excellent example of orthodox manufacture, check out the hand-plucked and hand-rolled leaves of our Mao Jian Green Tea!
May 22 2009 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
Growing concern over obesity-related diseases prompted a team of German researchers to investigate the effects of white tea extract on the human body. They conducted in vitro studies to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fat metabolism, more specifically the effect of white tea extract on cultured human subcutaneous preadipocytes and adiopocytes (fat cells).
The study, published this month in Nutrition & Metabolism, found that white tea extract effectively inhibits adipogenesis (the production of fat) and stimulates lipolysis activity (the destruction of fats). According to the abstract, this means white tea extract “can be utilized to modulate different levels of the adipocyte life cycle.”
The abstract and full study can be found here, on Nutrition & Metabolism’s Web site.
May 22 2009 | Tea and Health | No Comments »
The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair offered an opportunity for merchants from around the world to show off their wares. Little did tea merchant Richard Blechynden know it would also mark the beginning of America’s love affair with iced tea! In the midst of a sweltering St. Louis summer, Blechynden’s efforts to promote Indian black tea at the fair were proving unsuccessful. Hot tea was the last thing on the minds of those attending the fair. So, the enterprising merchant and his staff set out to develop an apparatus in which their brewed Indian tea would flow through iced lead pipes, creating a chilled beverage that was very well-received by fairgoers. Not only was Blechynden successful in promoting Indian tea at the fair, he also uncovered America’s seemingly endless thirst for iced tea - a thirst that has yet to be quenched to this day!
May 21 2009 | Iced Tea | No Comments »
So Earth Day 2009 is nearly upon us, and that seems like a good enough reason to show off what we’re doing here at Arbor Teas to reduce our impact on the planet. We’re not usually ones for the “hard sell,” but this may be the one time of year that we’ll make an exception. The degree to which we’ve minimized our environmental “footprint” is a real source of pride for us here at Arbor Teas, and every once in a while we can’t help but brag. So, in case you were looking for a few more reasons for Arbor Teas to become your tea source (or if you just want to take comfort in knowing that your source for tea is doing everything it can think of to reduce it’s envirommental impact), here you go!
Reason #1 - Exclusively Organic Teas: We are deeply committed to organic agriculture, offering an entire catalog of organic teas and tisanes. Organic farming excludes the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), resulting in a variety of benefits to flora and fauna, air and water qulity, and our climate. Arbor Teas offers one of the largest catalogs of USDA certified organic teas available.
Reason #2 - Green Packaging: Our packaging is specially designed to minimize its “environmental footprint,” relying on parchment-lined paperboard and glassine-lined kraft paper instead of tin-plated steel. This shift reduced the carbon emissions associated with our packaging by over 80%!
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April 21 2009 | Sustainability and Green Business | No Comments »
That’s right, your favorite on-line retailer of organic loose leaf teas has a presence on Facebook! You are warmly invited to join us there for first notice of upcoming events, sales and exclusive offerings. We’re excited about the prospect of greater interaction with our friends, fans and customers made possibile by social media outlets like Facebook - let’s get the conversation started today!
April 21 2009 | Media | No Comments »
An infusion of any botanical ingredients (such as herbs, fruit, flowers, etc.) other than those derived from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Covers a broad range of beverages, including fruit blends, herbal teas, and the like.
April 21 2009 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
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