What if you discovered that the Fair Trade tea in your cupboard really wasn't fair? How would you feel? If you found out that the extra money you paid for your tea because of the Fair Trade label never really made it to the workers, would you still feel that your conscience was satisfied? Worldwide, millions of consumers, purchase Fair Trade product with a belief that the Fair Trade system works-- that the extra money paid goes to fight poverty, end hunger and ensure that workers in Third World countries are getting a fair wage for their labors. Fair Trade has become a 21st-century buzzword filled with progressive promises of increased labor standards and higher levels of employee welfare. Consumers contribute to Fair Trade as a means of satisfying a desire to, "do the right thing"; "do something good." Some even consider that buying Fair Trade products is a charitable act of duty. What if that was all wrong?

In 2008, a pair of Danish documentary film makers produced The Bitter Taste of Tea. It was aired on Danish television and highlighted issues and concerns that are currently ongoing in the Fair Trade tea industry. The film makers travelled to tea producing countries, visited tea plantations, both traditional and Fair Trade. There they uncovered some truths and realities of Fair Trade. They shake the tree and produce an image of Fair Trade that is unsettling, disturbing and even somewhat shocking.

The film made headlines throughout 2009 and is now finally available to the English-speaking world. A screening was held in January 2010 at the University of California, Los Angeles. The screening was followed by a forum discussion moderated by acclaimed tea author, Beatrice Hohenegger. We've reviewed the film, listened to the discussion and were surprised to learn that Fair Trade is not what we thought it was.

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Tie Guan Yin is a historical tea and was used as a tribute tea to the Royal Court. It is often translated as, "Iron Goddess of Mercy" and is a reference to the Buddhist goddess of love which is associated with the legend behind this tea's birth.
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Tea is for work. Forget all the people who say tea is just for relaxing and only there to help clear your mind. To define tea that way, and to limit tea like that is nonsense. Far more people probably drink tea in the middle of their work day, or while doing household chores. A lot of people don't even take a tea break to do it. They boil up some water, toss in some leaves and pour. Then, of course they hope to make it back to the pot in time to retrieve them - assuming they even remember.

How many pots or cups of tea have been ruined by hard-working folks deep in the middle of cleaning, writing, fixing, making, or just doing?

There is a lot of marketing hype out there about the relaxing nature of tea drinking. Though tea drinking certainly can be calming, the truth is, few people have time to sit back with their cuppa and put their feet up while listening to soft tunes on their iPod. Yes, it's awesome to do that, but how often does that happen? And are those the only times you really drink tea?

Like so many others, you probably work hard every day - maybe even on weekends. Bosses, families, friends, everyone has things to do for somebody, and not enough time to get it done. Relaxation is often the last thing people ever get to do. More often than not, you are tired, but keep working, or you're distracted and you keep going. You may even be thirsty and force yourself to wait for a chance to drink. For many hard-working people, tea really has less to do with taking a break, and more to do with staying hydrated so you can just keep getting things done.

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We are big fans of Henrietta Lovell, the Rare Tea Lady, she is doing some great things promoting loose tea in Britain. We've featured her a number of times in our forums. In this video, she pairs tea with cheese. Watch and let us know if you have ever tried combining the two and what your best pairings were.

Put the kettle on!

Grab your teacup, turn up the volume and listen to these great songs, because tea needs a soundtrack!

The theme in this edition is new music. In fact, it doesn't really get any newer than this. There is is some great stuff here; if you like discovering the newest music, we sat down with our music guy and picked the some of the best just for you.

We've got a great lineup for you featuring songs from albums released in January of this year and others from albums not even available yet. We have the first new music in 10 years from R&B legend Sade and a never-before released track from Johnny Cash. We also have more from Spoon and Massive Attack. We are also featuring a couple underdog Indie bands, The Influence and Cold War Kids. We have have a fantastic song by that woman with the beautiful voice, Charlotte Gainsbourg. There are 15 outstanding songs in all, each one is well worth listening to. Follow the the link to hear from these great artists and more!

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What better way to test out a new brand of British tea than to pit it against a long-time favorite and champion of British blends.

There is definitely a place in the industry for tea bag teas. To those who say that tea bag tea is disgusting and undrinkable, we say - expand your palate. If you were a wine drinker and only drank expensive bottles every night then you would never really know if you have it good. Drinking ordinary table wine allows you to really appreciate a great top-class wine. It's the same way with tea. There are plenty of drinkable teas out there packaged up in tea bags and drinking them will help you appreciate the subtle qualities of a good oolong, or a fresh Darjeeling. Here, in America, when it comes to standard, blended brands, we are limited. However, in Britain, the blended brands are plentiful.

In this review, we are taking the old and trusted PG Tips, and pitting it against a new underdog brand, Make Mine a Builder's. In the process, we are going to learn a little something about tea from our British friends across the pond. Namely, that blended tea brands are more sophisticated and complex than many people realize.

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