A Passion for Tea!

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Tea- The World's Most Popular Drink

It's true! Tea is actually more popular, in terms of number of drinkers, than coffee.

I acquired my passion for tea on my first extended visit to Ireland in 1995. Every morning, we had a lovely "cuppa" with breakfast. Every afternoon we had another with lunch or a snack. After dinner, it was not unusual to have 2 or 3 mugs with biscuits (cookies to the U.S. folks) while enjoying casual conversation.

And after a night on the town, tea was the drink of choice, as if it might prevent a hangover!(and actually, the caffeine aspect may mean there's some truth to that)

Have a look at some facts about tea...and some of my favorite types.

Readings About Tea
Teas to Try!
Tea Company Links

more...

Tea Technicialities

Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the Camellia sinensis plant, prepared and cured by various methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared from the cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling water,Webster's Third New International Dictionary and is the common name for the Camellia sinensis plant itself.

After water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverage in the world. It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavour which many enjoy.

The four types of tea most commonly found on the market are black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea, all of which can be made from the same bushes, processed differently, and, in the case of fine white tea, grown differently. Pu-erh tea, a post-fermented tea, is also often used medicinally.

The term "herbal tea" usually refers to an infusion or tisane of leaves, flowers, fruit, herbs or other plant material that contains no Camellia sinensis.Dictionary.com search Herbal tea. Retrieved February 15, 2007. The term "red tea" either refers to an infusion made from the South African rooibos plant, also containing no Camellia sinensis, or, in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and other East Asian languages, refers to black tea.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

A Brief History of Tea

Tea is indigenous to southeastern China, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and the Assam region of India. It is widely believed that the Chinese were the first to enjoy tea as a beverage, having done so for centuries. The first record of this usage dates to the first millenium BC. The use of tea as a medicinal herb designed as a stimulant is unclear.

Twinings Teas

I drink Twinings on a daily basis and can personally recommend these choices:

Twinings Lady Grey Tea - 4-pack

Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)

Twinings Four Red Fruits Tea, Tea Bags, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

Amazon Price: $19.45 (as of 01/05/2010)

Usually ships in 6-10 business days

Twinings English Afternoon Tea, Tea Bags, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

Amazon Price: $16.98 (as of 01/05/2010)

Usually ships in 24 hours

Twinings Tastes of Summer Tea, Tea Bags, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)

Twinings Blackcurrant Black Tea - 4-pack

Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)

Readings About Tea

These titles from amazon.com are sources for great info on the traditions associated with tea drinking and for tea time recipes.

The London Ritz Book of A...

Great Tea Rooms of Britai...

Time for Tea: Tea and Con...

Tea and Sympathy

The Sugar Plum Fairy Cook...

Teas to Try!

A Few of My Favorites

Although I drink many varieties of tea, and am always trying new ones, there are a few stand-bys which I consume on a daily basis.

My normal morning teas are from Twinings, mainly the Irish Breakfast Tea and Four Red Fruit varieties.

My afternoon teas are usually either from Twinings (English Afternoon Tea, Prince of Wales) or The Republic of Tea (Blackberry Sage)

When I indulge later in the evening, I prefer fruitier blends, or decaffeinated varieties.

While I was in England, I was addicted to Whittards, especially their English Rose blend. Another tea I drank almost daily while in the UK was Yorkshire Dales.

A Passion for Tea!

Tea- The World's Most Popular Drink

Contents at a Glance

Contents at a Glance

Tea Technicialities

A Brief History of Tea

Twinings Teas

Readings About Tea

Teas to Try!

A Few of My Favorites

Tea Company Links

Online Shops and More

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Beautiful Tea Mugs

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