13 May 2010 - posted by Anonymous

Michelle from Tea Global here.   Thanks for your interest in receiving our tea news and special offers. 

In this issue we look at caffeine – friend or foe, discuss the steep time for a cup of tea, offer some Mother’s Day ideas, a recipe and catch up on tea news.

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. Caffeine – Friend or Foe? 
2. Recipe: Earl Grey Tea Biscuits
   
3. Hit the Pause Button – Brew a Cup of Tea
4. Special Offers
   
5. Tea Quote for Mother’s Day
   
6. What’s Happening at Tea Global

1. Caffeine – Friend or Foe?

• All styles of tea are from the leaf of the camellia sinensis and contain caffeine in varying levels.
• Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in the leaves.
  
• The level of caffeine in tea is affected by many elements including the maturity of the leaf e.g the young, nutrient rich bud style, of some white tea is likely to have higher levels of caffeine than those teas made from older leaves.  Generally green tea has less caffeine than black tea.
  
• The Stir Tea range of herbal infusions are blended from plants, herbs and fruits other than camellia sinensis which makes them all caffeine free (and fall outside the technical definition of tea).  
• The caffeine in tea is released into the nervous system over several hours (as opposed to the sudden pick me up associated with other beverages where the caffeine is released quickly).  Tea drinkers who have trouble sleeping may wish to switch to our herbal blends from late afternoon on.
  
• Caffeine is considered to be safe for most people when consumed at a dose of .3 grams or less per day (around 5 cups of tea). 
  
• Brewed tea contains around half as much caffeine as coffee. 
  
• If you prefer decaf then you can remove around 50-70% of the caffeine in black tea by discarding the initial liquor after around 30 seconds and then steeping again as usual. 
• We consider caffeine a friend - an important component in achieving a balanced cup of tea.
  

2. Recipe:  Earl Grey Tea Biscuits

• These are a perfect little something to have with a cup of tea.  The tea leaf adds an interesting texture to the biscuit and the fragrant bergamot flavour is very pleasing.  Click here for the recipe.
  

3. Hit the pause button on life – Brew a Cup of Tea 

In an era of instant, on demand everything, some tea drinkers have become accustomed to enthusiastically jiggling a tea bag in a cup, equating the almost instant colour with flavour and proceeding to drink a cup of tea that is lacking any sense of depth or personality.  Brewing a tea from the Stir Tea range and steeping the tea leaves longer will result in a more full flavoured and satisfying cup.

On the front of each of our tea packets we offer suggested steep times e.g for black tea we indicate a range between 3 – 5 minutes (suited to your personal preference).  These guidelines have been developed and passed down by generations of passionate tea drinkers. 

The reason for the minimum steep period is that when you brew a pot of tea and expose the dried leaf to heat and water a liquor is created that is rich in polyphenols (tannins), alkaloids (principally caffeine) , amino acids (principally theanine), glucides, mineral salts and vitamins. These different constituents dissolve in water at different rates so there are minimum times that you want your liquor to steep to achieve a balance between these elements.  For example around 80% of the caffeine is released in the first minute of infusion, while tannins take longer to release (reference 1).

If you want your brewed tea to be stronger we recommend you try increasing the measure of tea used rather than extending the time beyond the maximum suggested.

To assist our customers to hit the pause button for at least three minutes we are offering a complimentary 3 minute tea timer, on each order over $60.  See Special Offers, point 4 below, for full details.

(Reference 1:  The Tea Drinkers Handbook by Francois-Xavier Delmas, Mathias Minet, Christine Barbaste)

4. Special Tea Offers

Complimentary Stir Tea Sample

With every on-line order until the end of May 2010 we shall enclose a complimentary Stir Tea sample for you to try.  We shall refer to your history of buying with us and enclose something we think you may enjoy.

Plus

Orders over $60 receive a complimentary tea timer to brew the perfect cup of tea

With each website order over $60 from now until the end of May 2010 we shall enclose a complimentary 3 minute wooden tea timer, view here, valued at $7.00.  This is an essential piece for your tea service and is a gentle and visible reminder to be patient with your brew .

Complimentary Gift Wrap

Don’t forget to mention on the notes section at checkout if your purchase is for a gift.  It is our pleasure to offer a complimentary gift wrap.

Revolution Tea Range:

All remaining tea in the Revolution tea range is reduced in price by 50% (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 especially for Mother’s Day –  Sunday May 9th

 From Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 to 1962), First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945:

“a women is like a tea bag, she never knows how strong she is until she finds herself in hot water”.

Celebrate Mother’s Day by creating a special afternoon tea – it can be a grand or modest affair.  Bring out your best cups (or your grandmothers best cups), brew a great cup of tea and enjoy it in the company of family or friends – why not serve our new Black Tea Rose or Elegant Grey  – very ladylike! 

Try offering your own home baked Earl Grey tea biscuits – click here for recipe .

6. What’s Happening at Tea Global:

Winter Tea Classes:

Details of our winter tea classes in next months newsletter.

A selection of New Stir Tea Releases Includes:     

Stir Tea – Elegant Grey – A sophisticated blend of Indian black tea, flavoured with natural oils of bergamot and orange, finished with a sprinkling of cornflower petals  – the May 2010 issue of NZ House and Garden reports that this tea makes for “elegant supping” 

Stir Tea – Black Tea Rose – a timeless and fragrant blend of Indian black tea and rose.  Sweet and comforting this blend is really worth trying.

Stir Tea – Blood Orange Herbal Blend – a succulent blend of rooibos and blood orange delivers a refreshing caffeine free infusion bursting with flavour.  Matt Preston Australian Master Chef discovered Stir Tea herbal blends and Central Otago food on a recent visit to New Zealand, read the full story here.

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.

Regards, Michelle

Michelle Casson
Director, Tea Global Ltd
P O Box 1157, Queenstown 9348, New Zealand

Phone:     +64 3 442 9033
Facsimile: +64 3 442 9324
Cellphone:  021 287 6383
Email:        info@teaglobal.co.nz
Website:    www.teaglobal.co.nz