Archive for March, 2008
We’re always trying to “raise the bar” in all aspects of our business - environmental performance, customer service, and certainly tea quality. To that end, I recently attended an advanced training session on tea evaluation (called “cupping”) in Las Vegas, NV, presented by the Specialty Tea Institute. Yes, they have institutes for this sort of thing. You might think that Las Vegas would be an unlikely place for such an event - and you would be right. Strangely, a vast majority of tea-related events seem to occur in Las Vegas, amid the flashing lights, cigarette smoke, and “pling-pling-pling-pling-pling-pling” of the slot machines. Wierd.
The cupping session explored - often in substantial detail - a variety of topics, including:
- The physiological differences between people with different tasting abilities - mainly the size, shape and (most importantly) density of taste buds on the tongue;
- The effect that steeping time and temperature have on tea, as well as the effect of multiple successive steepings;
- Considerations for matching or replacing one tea with another (such as matching the flavor profile, leaf grade, or other relevant factors);
- Detecting taints or flaws in the manufacture and/or storage of tea.
continue reading »
March 19 2008 | Tea Preparation | No Comments »
A recent editorial on Renal and Urology News reflects on the many “pharmacologically active” substances that mankind has discovered amongst “nature’s pharmacy,” including products such as quinine (antimalarial), penicillin (antibiotic), paclitaxel (chemotheraputic), and the like. In reference to the recent Japanese study regarding green tea’s prostate cancer benefits that we covered previously, the article suggests that Camellia sinensis could be considered the latest “wonder plant:”
The latest wonder plant may be tea, reportedly the second most widely consumed drink on the planet after water. Of the three types of tea—green, black, and oolong—the most hope is pinned on the green variety, which is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant… Green tea is a rich source of antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols… A substantial and growing body of research has examined the potential health benefits of brewed green tea or green tea extracts.
And the good news just keeps on coming! With so much research and hype about tea these days, we’ll try and keep you posted on major, credible research studies as they become publicized. Stay tuned!
March 17 2008 | Tea and Health | No Comments »
That’s right, Arbor Teas is this year’s official tea sponsor of the Ann Arbor Film Festival! We’ll be serving fresh-brewed premium-quality organic tea throughout the festival, so if you like good cinema and a good tea, and you live in the southeastern Michigan area, you really need to check it out! The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest-running showcase of independent, experimental, and artistically-inspired films in North America. We view our support of artistic venues such as the Ann Arbor Film Festival as complimentary to our support for organics and fair trade - the arts are just another essential dimension for a healthy society. Okay, enough soap box for now, back to tea…
March 17 2008 | Media | 2 Comments »