The health benefits of drinking tea have been known for centuries but just recently these benefits are being scientifically tested and proven. Many of the studies have used green tea exclusively but more are being conducted using white, oolong and black teas. These studies and this blog post are focused on the leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant, not other plant-based infusions often referred to as "teas."
The latest research shows tea contains ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate) an antioxidant that has been linked to protection from a wide range of cancers including lung, prostate and breast cancer. This study has been conducted using green tea but the scientists have also begun to look at white tea. The preliminary findings are that white tea may contain even more ECGC than green.
Tea also contains L-theanine. This amino acid, found almost exclusively in tea plants, has been attributed to keeping tea drinkers mentally alert without making them jittery and edgy. L-theanine reportedly affects the brain's neurotransmitters and increased alpha brain waves. The result is a calm, yet alert, state of mind.
Black tea was cited in a study on improving cardiovascular health. The studies showed that consuming black tea improves blood vessel reactivity which reduces blood pressure and arterial stiffness creating a better cardiovascular profile.
The confusion seems to arise in the consumer as to which tea is best. If all tea comes from the same plant then why do the different types of tea have different properties? The answer lies in the way the raw leaf is plucked and processed. White tea only uses the buds of the tea leaf. Green, oolong and black use at least the top two leaves and a bud. Each type of tea undergoes a different process to create the end product.
The Tea Lady maintains that it is better to drink some tea rather than no tea. If one doesn't care for green tea substituting black tea is not going to diminish the health benefits. Is is important to know that tea does contain caffeine. If a tea drinker has caffeine issues or wants to avoid it altogether, there are a wide range of decaffeinated teas available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Cup and Saucer Etiquette...Doing it "Proper"
From the left: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon are all holding their cups correctly. However, Paul McCartney gets the prize for having the whole package since he is holding his saucer and his tea cup. This position is correct because he is sitting away from the table. When taking tea in this fashion, the saucer is always taken up with the cup.Ringo Starr's fingers are the easiest to see the proper way to hold a tea cup. The index finger goes through the handle of the cup, the thumb rests on the top of the handle, and the third finger goes on the base of the handle. The remaining fingers curl under the the third finger to help steady the cup. Notice none of the Fab Four has a pinkie in the air. This is a leftover affectation from the Middle Ages when the upper class ate with 3 fingers and commoners ate with five. Tea etiquette does not dictate that the pinkie be raised.
If one was lucky enough to see the Beatles live or for those of us who have to rely on film clips, it is obvious that Paul McCartney is left handed. However, when setting a proper table for tea every cup and saucer is placed on the right. Whenever possible, liquids are poured from the right side of the guest. If the cup and saucer has been moved to the left, the pourer must awkwardly reach across the guest to pour. Another bit of cup and saucer etiquette that is frequently overlooked is the guest or the pourer picking the cup and saucer to pour. Cups and saucers remain on the table when being filled.
Even though 3 of the Lads from Liverpool are not quite doing it proper the table is still set with fresh flowers and an elegant tea pot. Quite a refreshing change from the "tall, venti, grande" paper cup world we inhabit today.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What is...R.S.V.P.?
By taking the first letter from each word in this French phrase Repondez s'il vous plait (res-pond-ay see voo play) one arrives at R.s.v.p. Even though the literal translation is "Respond if you please" the meaning is implied rather than literal. It can be likened to someone asking "How are you?" If the respondent replies literally, reciting a litany of woes and ills, the inquirer will certainly not want to linger any longer than necessary. So, R.s.v.p. means let your host know if you will or will not attend the function to which you have been invited. It does not mean let your host know only if you feel like it or if you don't have any other better offers.
Sharp-eyed readers may take issue with the lack of capitalization on three of the letters. However, R.s.v.p. is correct as it stands for the imperative sentence Repondez s'il vous plait. The sentence would be incorrect if written "Repondez S'il Vous Plait" in French or English. But Tea Lady, you say, your blog title is in all capitals! Yes, it is and I am taking literary license to title my blog in that manner because it looks better in print.
Some crafty hosts in an effort to get invitees to respond to an invitation will use "The favour of a reply is requested" as a substitute for R.s.v.p. The onus still remains on the invitee to respond. It matters not if the response is affirmative or negative.
According to Letitia Baldridge's book, New Manners for New Times, the use of "Regrets Only" is "a cop-out to help lazy people become even lazier in replying." Baldridge says, "Use 'Regrets Only' if you wish. I would never use it. I expect my friends to be nice enough to reply to my invitations, regardless of whether they accept or regret."*
The proper placement for R.s.v.p. on an invitation is in the lower left corner with a phone number or other form of contact. An exception to putting a contact number under R.s.v.p. would be if a reply card is enclosed with the invitation. This most likely applies to wedding invitations where a phone number or email on the actual invitation would look out of place.
With the plethora of devices available for communicating replying to an invitation should be a breeze. For the most part the days of a handwritten reply to an invitation are by-gone. However, if one really wants to make a statement, a handwritten reply is the ultimate sign of respect for the host. The Tea Lady encourages you to try it sometime. Who knows? Those by-gone days may return!
*New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette, Letitia Baldridge, Scribner, NY, NY, Copyright 2003, pages 424-425. ISBN: 0-7432-1062-X
Sharp-eyed readers may take issue with the lack of capitalization on three of the letters. However, R.s.v.p. is correct as it stands for the imperative sentence Repondez s'il vous plait. The sentence would be incorrect if written "Repondez S'il Vous Plait" in French or English. But Tea Lady, you say, your blog title is in all capitals! Yes, it is and I am taking literary license to title my blog in that manner because it looks better in print.
Some crafty hosts in an effort to get invitees to respond to an invitation will use "The favour of a reply is requested" as a substitute for R.s.v.p. The onus still remains on the invitee to respond. It matters not if the response is affirmative or negative.
According to Letitia Baldridge's book, New Manners for New Times, the use of "Regrets Only" is "a cop-out to help lazy people become even lazier in replying." Baldridge says, "Use 'Regrets Only' if you wish. I would never use it. I expect my friends to be nice enough to reply to my invitations, regardless of whether they accept or regret."*
The proper placement for R.s.v.p. on an invitation is in the lower left corner with a phone number or other form of contact. An exception to putting a contact number under R.s.v.p. would be if a reply card is enclosed with the invitation. This most likely applies to wedding invitations where a phone number or email on the actual invitation would look out of place.
With the plethora of devices available for communicating replying to an invitation should be a breeze. For the most part the days of a handwritten reply to an invitation are by-gone. However, if one really wants to make a statement, a handwritten reply is the ultimate sign of respect for the host. The Tea Lady encourages you to try it sometime. Who knows? Those by-gone days may return!
*New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette, Letitia Baldridge, Scribner, NY, NY, Copyright 2003, pages 424-425. ISBN: 0-7432-1062-X
Friday, September 4, 2009
Tea, Me and........
.........my mother, Ann DeVane LeFevre. My mother is the reason I drink tea. My mother is the reason I enjoy entertaining. My mother is the reason I am the person I am today. 
We just celebrated the 70th Anniversary of her arrival on this
earth. We should all hope to look this good when we reach that milestone. Why is my mother the reason I drink tea? Simply because she didn't drink coffee.
The story goes that at one point in her life she did drink coffee but an acute bout of morning sickness while expecting me turned her palate away from coffee. I say palate because to this day she loves the smell of coffee, offers coffee to guests but she just can't bring herself to drink it.
Growing up, playing "tea party," was a constant for me. For my mother, tea parties were a reality. As the wife of an Air Force officer, she was always hosting a coffee, tea or luncheon for the other officer's wives. It was during the preparation for these events when I learned the true meaning of Southern Hospitality. Silver gleamed, the dining room table was set with cut glass serving pieces, and the china was magnificent against the backdrop of the crisp white damask table cloth. Then there was the food. Oh, my, the food - cheese straws, the staple of every southern lady's repertoire, piled high on a napkin-lined plate along with finger sandwiches and dessert. My favorite was the little cut glass bowl filled with mixed nuts and the little scalloped spoon placed beside it for serving. Of course, I was at school while these festivities took place, but oh what wonderful after-school snacks my sister and I enjoyed on those days!
My mother is the reason I love to entertain. She led by example and I loved watching her prepare for a party. She knew the secret to pulling off a successful event was to have as much prepared in advance as was possible. Spreads for sandwiches were made ahead of time and the cheese straws are easily made ahead. Mother's eye was always focused on details. The simple pimiento cheese sandwich in my lunch box became a delicate delight when she cut the crusts off, trimmed the sandwiches into 4 triangles and arranged on a cut-glass platter. I also learned that for every salty item you needed to have a sweet to balance the flavors. Color was also important. My mother knew very early on that we eat with our eyes as well as our mouths.
All of this background led me to open my own tea room. The mission statement for the Purple Iris Tea Shoppe was "traditional English tea with a Southern accent." I wanted to share with others the gift of hospitality I learned from my mother. When someone would ask me how I made a certain dish look so appealing or how did I get everything done with a limited amount of help I would always smile and say "my mother taught me."
One of the proudest moments of owning the Purple Iris was our first Mother's Day. Our tradition was to describe the items on the tea tray for guests. This month was special because all the items on the tea tray were significant. My daughter calls her grandmother Mimi so this was "Mimi's Low-Country Tea." Every item was special in some way and reflected my mother's example of what it meant to be a gracious host. All month I rattled off the spiel we came up with for the tea tray and did very nicely until the day I served that tea tray to my mother and our family. The emotion of the moment was overwhelming and my assistant finished up the description. I realized that if it hadn't been for my mother I wouldn't have been standing in my own tea shoppe, much less serving tea to the woman I admire more than anyone.
I am the woman I am because of my mother. I can only hope to be half the woman she is when I reach that 70th milestone. I love you, Mommy.
We just celebrated the 70th Anniversary of her arrival on this
earth. We should all hope to look this good when we reach that milestone. Why is my mother the reason I drink tea? Simply because she didn't drink coffee.
The story goes that at one point in her life she did drink coffee but an acute bout of morning sickness while expecting me turned her palate away from coffee. I say palate because to this day she loves the smell of coffee, offers coffee to guests but she just can't bring herself to drink it.
Growing up, playing "tea party," was a constant for me. For my mother, tea parties were a reality. As the wife of an Air Force officer, she was always hosting a coffee, tea or luncheon for the other officer's wives. It was during the preparation for these events when I learned the true meaning of Southern Hospitality. Silver gleamed, the dining room table was set with cut glass serving pieces, and the china was magnificent against the backdrop of the crisp white damask table cloth. Then there was the food. Oh, my, the food - cheese straws, the staple of every southern lady's repertoire, piled high on a napkin-lined plate along with finger sandwiches and dessert. My favorite was the little cut glass bowl filled with mixed nuts and the little scalloped spoon placed beside it for serving. Of course, I was at school while these festivities took place, but oh what wonderful after-school snacks my sister and I enjoyed on those days!
My mother is the reason I love to entertain. She led by example and I loved watching her prepare for a party. She knew the secret to pulling off a successful event was to have as much prepared in advance as was possible. Spreads for sandwiches were made ahead of time and the cheese straws are easily made ahead. Mother's eye was always focused on details. The simple pimiento cheese sandwich in my lunch box became a delicate delight when she cut the crusts off, trimmed the sandwiches into 4 triangles and arranged on a cut-glass platter. I also learned that for every salty item you needed to have a sweet to balance the flavors. Color was also important. My mother knew very early on that we eat with our eyes as well as our mouths.
All of this background led me to open my own tea room. The mission statement for the Purple Iris Tea Shoppe was "traditional English tea with a Southern accent." I wanted to share with others the gift of hospitality I learned from my mother. When someone would ask me how I made a certain dish look so appealing or how did I get everything done with a limited amount of help I would always smile and say "my mother taught me."
One of the proudest moments of owning the Purple Iris was our first Mother's Day. Our tradition was to describe the items on the tea tray for guests. This month was special because all the items on the tea tray were significant. My daughter calls her grandmother Mimi so this was "Mimi's Low-Country Tea." Every item was special in some way and reflected my mother's example of what it meant to be a gracious host. All month I rattled off the spiel we came up with for the tea tray and did very nicely until the day I served that tea tray to my mother and our family. The emotion of the moment was overwhelming and my assistant finished up the description. I realized that if it hadn't been for my mother I wouldn't have been standing in my own tea shoppe, much less serving tea to the woman I admire more than anyone.
I am the woman I am because of my mother. I can only hope to be half the woman she is when I reach that 70th milestone. I love you, Mommy.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Little Red Robe
"Xiao Hong Pao is the little brother of Da Hong Pao," replies Dan Dan the Tea Man to my request for a suggestion of a new oolong. Knowing I can trust my taste buds to this tea purveyor I place my order and wait.
For those of you that know me, waiting is not my strong suit. Especially when I am waiting on something very special to arrive. This new oolong I am going to try is called Xiao Hong Pao and means Little Red Robe. The cuttings for this tea were taken from the legendary Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) which is no longer used for tea production.
As with any retail business, there are always going to be people selling things that are not what they are described to be. That is the case sometimes with Xiao Hong Pao. It may be offered as Da Hong Pao but since that plant is no longer being used, the savvy tea lover will know by reading this blog, that they are being misled. I know my purveyors and trust them to deliver the finest quality product. This is my advice to others as well, especially when delving into the wonderful world of rare and exquisite teas.
The shipment arrives. I "delicately" rip open the package, dump the contents unceremoniously on the table and there it is. A beautiful red shiny package filled with something special. Ignoring the other packages of tea I rush to the kitchen and get the kettle going.
Using Dan's recommendation of 1.5 teaspoons of tea to 8 ounces of water heated to 190 degrees F, I spend what must be the longest 90 seconds of my life waiting for the timer to tick down. I watch the leaves begin to unfurl and perform their ballet and inhale the wonderful earthy aroma wafting up toward my nose.
I tried to be patient and sip slowly but the need to see what the next infusion would yield was too much temptation. By the 5th infusion I was totally hooked on this Little Red Robe and pledged to be a bit gentler in my consumption on our next encounter.
That encounter was today. The weather has cooled; it is grey and breezy. Needing a little pick-me up I decided to try on the Little Red Robe again. This time I savored. I let the aroma and taste envelop me completely.
To order your own Little Red Robe I recommend Dan Dan the Tea Man, Dan Robertson of The Tea House in Naperville, Ill. www.theteahouse.com
For those of you that know me, waiting is not my strong suit. Especially when I am waiting on something very special to arrive. This new oolong I am going to try is called Xiao Hong Pao and means Little Red Robe. The cuttings for this tea were taken from the legendary Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) which is no longer used for tea production.
As with any retail business, there are always going to be people selling things that are not what they are described to be. That is the case sometimes with Xiao Hong Pao. It may be offered as Da Hong Pao but since that plant is no longer being used, the savvy tea lover will know by reading this blog, that they are being misled. I know my purveyors and trust them to deliver the finest quality product. This is my advice to others as well, especially when delving into the wonderful world of rare and exquisite teas.
The shipment arrives. I "delicately" rip open the package, dump the contents unceremoniously on the table and there it is. A beautiful red shiny package filled with something special. Ignoring the other packages of tea I rush to the kitchen and get the kettle going.
Using Dan's recommendation of 1.5 teaspoons of tea to 8 ounces of water heated to 190 degrees F, I spend what must be the longest 90 seconds of my life waiting for the timer to tick down. I watch the leaves begin to unfurl and perform their ballet and inhale the wonderful earthy aroma wafting up toward my nose.
I tried to be patient and sip slowly but the need to see what the next infusion would yield was too much temptation. By the 5th infusion I was totally hooked on this Little Red Robe and pledged to be a bit gentler in my consumption on our next encounter.
That encounter was today. The weather has cooled; it is grey and breezy. Needing a little pick-me up I decided to try on the Little Red Robe again. This time I savored. I let the aroma and taste envelop me completely.
To order your own Little Red Robe I recommend Dan Dan the Tea Man, Dan Robertson of The Tea House in Naperville, Ill. www.theteahouse.com
What is.....a Tea Cozy?
Simply stated, a tea cozy is designed to cover a tea pot and retain the heat of the tea. Tea cozies may be plain or fancy; whimsical or elegant. The best heat retainers are cozies made of fabric with a layer of insulating material inside. The Tea Lady prefers a cozy that wraps around her tea pot leaving the handle, spout and lid exposed.
If one is crafty there are numerous books available for yarn enthusiasts to make their own tea cozies. Here is where creativity comes into play and whimsy begins. A search of tea cozies will bring up a host of images.
Billy Connolly said "Never trust a man who when left alone in a room with a tea cozy doesn't try it on." Apparently the gentleman below may be trusted. While this is not the best way to keep your tea warm, it is certainly an attention getter.
Another version is a cozy that covers the entire tea pot. Again, ones with insulation are much better for retaining heat. The problem arises with a cozy covering the entire tea pot causing the handle to become extremely hot. Many a cherished tea pot has been dropped and broken when the pourer is not aware of the heat of the handle. Use these cozies with caution.
If one is crafty there are numerous books available for yarn enthusiasts to make their own tea cozies. Here is where creativity comes into play and whimsy begins. A search of tea cozies will bring up a host of images.
Billy Connolly said "Never trust a man who when left alone in a room with a tea cozy doesn't try it on." Apparently the gentleman below may be trusted. While this is not the best way to keep your tea warm, it is certainly an attention getter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)