Archive for September, 2008
As many of you may know, October is Fair Trade Month. With another October fast approaching, we wanted to share a few ways that you can help promote Fair Trade in your community. Of course, we strongly encourage you to buy Fair Trade tea, but Fair Trade matters across a wide variety of products, including coffee, chocolate, vanilla, sugar, honey, fruit, rice and wine. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Learn more about Fair Trade and how it makes a difference.
- Vote with your dollar - buy Fair Trade Certified goods wherever possible.
- Ask retailers in your community to carry Fair Trade Certified products.
- Introduce new audiences to Fair Trade Certified products - at home, at work, in school, on campus, at your place of worship, etc.
- Give Fair Trade Certified products as gifts.
- Get involved in Fair Trade - host a party, volunteer, donate, etc.
Knowing that Fair Trade helps improve the standard of living for millions across the globe makes Fair Trade Month an easy holiday to celebrate!
September 28 2008 | Fair Trade | No Comments »
Generally reserved for describing black teas, the term “tippy” describes teas having a noticeable proportion of young tea leaf buds, which are lighter than the tea leaves themselves, often golden in color. For an excellent example of a tippy tea, check out our Golden Yunnan Black Tea.
September 27 2008 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
Our friend and loyal customer Olivia M. recently pointed out that our Pomegranate White Tea was included in a lineup of Fair Trade Certified Teas featured in Vegetarian Times Magazine this month! Because we can’t possibly scour every publication in print and on the web, we encourage all of you out there to keep your eyes peeled for Arbor Teas references in the media - if you find something particularly juicy (that we weren’t already aware of) we might make it your while!
September 26 2008 | Media | No Comments »
Some of you may be seasoned Kombucha-brewing veterans, but many of you out there have only just begun to explore the incredible process (perhaps in response to our recent posts on the topic). To keep you out of trouble, we’ve put together the following lists of “do’s” and “don’ts” when brewing kombucha.
Kombucha Brewing Do’s:
- Clean everything thoroughly before brewing or bottling.
- Filter or boil your water before brewing.
- Use refined white sugar; it is healthier for your SCOBY, and results in a more palatable tea with higher levels of the several healthful organic acids. Also, since the SCOBY consumes almost all of the sugar, there is no need to worry about the health risks associated with eating refined sugar.
- Check the pH if you’re nervous. Kombucha generally finishes with a pH of 2.5. Anything lower than 4.6 is safe to drink, since the acidity acts as a preservative. Commercially available pH strips can be used to verify that your brew is ready.
- Watch for mold and throw away a batch that gets moldy.
Kombucha Brewing Don’ts:
- NEVER ferment your kombucha in a metal, plastic, or ceramic container. Finished kombucha is very acidic, and can leach toxins out of some metals, plastics, and ceramic glazes.
- Stay away from teas flavored with oils (such as Earl Grey), as these may damage your kombucha SCOBY.
- Don’t add flavorings — such as ginger or raisins — to the fermenting kombucha; they can damage the SCOBY or encourage mold. Add these when bottling the finished kombucha; the high acidity will preserve the fruit.
September 25 2008 | Kombucha | No Comments »