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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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Art
Da
Hong Pao (photo: sina.com) |
The visual arts on a massive scale. The kind of
which can only be seen
in China. Each production is an undertaking of seemingly inhuman
proportions, telling tales that are both
epic and fundamentally simple. Acclaimed Chinese film
director, Zhang
Yimou, this
week presented the fifth in a series of massive scale musical
productions he has become renowned for. His most recent production
titled
Impression: Da Hong Pao is performed in southeastern China, in the Wuyi
mountains, a dramatic
natural backdrop. This region might be known to tea drinkers
as the
home of a special oolong tea; the legendary Da Hong Pao which is among
the finest and
rarest of teas. Yimou's latest production
"incarnates local folk tales, tea culture, and town life."
Yimou is most known to westerners as the genius behind the dramatic
opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Olympic Gamesin Beijing,
and the
brilliantly colorful martial arts films House of Flying
Daggers and
Hero. He has since moved forward with his theatrical
talent, and
continues to present shows and tell tales to thousands of people.
The five productions of his Impressions series are: Liu
Sanjie,
Lijiang, West Lake, Hainan, and as of this week; Da Hong Pao.
A sixth one,
Impression: Putuo is currently in production.Yimou
makes impressive and dramatic use of natural landscapes to
support his already impressive shows. They combine gigantic storylines
with simple and fundamental human themes.
Click through
to learn more about
this impressive series of shows
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Editorial
 There is a Holy Grail for the tea industry, but
it isn't what you think it is.
Some
folks in the tea industry say that in order for tea to get the
recognition it deserves someone is going to have to become the Starbucks of Tea.
Believe it or not, it's a phrase that is tossed around in trade
journals and at trade shows. A shop on every corner, in every town
across America. Each one situated across from your friendly, but aging,
Starbucks store in a true standoff of American brands.
The American message about tea will be revitalized and modern. Images of wrinklies, china cups
and Zen enlightenment will be buried.
The image of tea will be updated and everyone will be stopping off for
a cup. There will be glitz and glamour, and somebody is going to make a
hell of a lot of money. All for the benefit of the American
consumer.
It will be a great day
for tea drinkers and for American industry.
A new, shiny brand, selling a wonderful product that deserves the
limelight after so many years in the shadows. It will be proof of
American ingenuity and perseverance. It is the future of American tea,
the story of how one small company took advantage of a growing demand
for tea and took on a global giant in true, underdog fashion. It will
be talked about in business schools for decades.
But what does it really mean? Only more overpriced tea. Just like it is
now, some things will never change.
The Holy Grail of tea is
far more mundane and far more boring.
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 Put the kettle on!
Grab your teacup, turn up the volume and listen to these great songs, because tea needs a soundtrack!
This music compilation features some more great
songs of 2009 including a modern retrospective by some artists we've
listened to for years.
We kick it off with Yo
La Tengo and Spoon. They are followed by M.
Ward, Great Lake Swimmers and Pete
Yorn (and actress Scarlett Johannson) with a set of
modern Americana rock. Death Cab for Cutie leads off an alternative set which includes trance-master Moby
followed by the Fleet
Foxes. The Monsters of Folk and Jason
Isbell (formerly of the Drive-by Truckers) rock us out before
we reach back a few years for a set of awesome indie tracks by The Republic Tigers, Bon
Iver, and Arcade
Fire.
This sets us up for our look back to some great artists of the last 20
years with some new songs released in 2009. Dolores O'riordan starts it out
before Zee
Avi covers one of Morrissey's
hits, which, of course sets us up for the Moz himself as he Throws his arms around Paris.
Legacy band Echo and the Bunnymen also
released a new album in 2009, and their style is as relevant as it was
back in 1984. We finish up with a great song by Modest
Mouse and British supertalent Bat for Lashes.
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Editorial
 Drinking
tea just for the health benefits is like having sex just for the
exercise.
There
is something about tea that sometimes inspires one to think about sex.
Perhaps it's the hot, steaming liquid, or the sensuous, complex flavors
that bathe the tongue and slip down your throat. Maybe it's the
aromatic smell of the tea - firing up your senses as the natural and
earthy scents reach your nose, unconsciously turning on more primal
urges. Maybe it's the elemental nature, the combination of
earth, fire
and water captured in a cup in that you hold in your hand, close to
your face. It might be the steam, wafting over your cheeks, warming and
moistening your skin. Maybe
it's not the tea at all.
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Giveaway Winner
The winner of giveaway #3 is:
Melissa
Munn
of South Carolina
Melissa won a kilogram Gift Box of various organic Darjeeling
teas from Boston Tea Campaign.
A special thanks goes out to the Boston Tea Campaign for their very
generous contribution for this giveaway.
Thanks to all those who entered and even if you didn't win, we encourage you to shop for tea
from our sponsor. We choose and invite companies to
sponsor our giveaways based on the special and unique qualities of
their business. Boston Tea Campaign's
business model provides value and savings to consumers on a product
that is usually over-priced at most companies. Darjeeling tea is widely
considered to be the finest tea in the world, and Boston Tea Campaign makes it
affordable and accessible. You can shop online with them here.
Their tea is not only certified
by the Tea Board of India to be Pure
Darjeeling tea, it is organic
and laboratory-tested to be some of the cleanest and purest tea on the
market.
Congratulations to our
winner!
(Who is a really nice person!)
Click through to read a short Q&A with her
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People
 Winston Churchill is probably the most famous man
in modern British history. His powerful oratory helped hold the spirit
of his nation together at a time when all seemed lost. He is a hero of
almost indescribable magnitude, but also a scone-gobbling thief...
He is famous for quotes like this, "A lie
gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its
pants on."
But what happens when he
travels into the country to visit an old school mate?
During tea he is introduced to a young girl who is in the employ of his
friend, Lord Cavendish. She helps tend the gardens around the castle. The young girl
says something to him that fires up his oratory and becomes part of
what is now remembered as a powerful, influential and inspiring speech.
Who was that girl? What
did she say during tea that day?
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Giveaway
Free Tea!
This giveaway is closed. We hope to announce the winner very soon!
Sponsored by:
In this
giveaway, one lucky winner will have delivered to their door a gift box
of organic tea from Boston Tea Campaign. The prize is a full kilogram of
tea certified to be genuine Darjeeling tea
by the Tea Board of India
Included in the
prize will be:
- An award-winning 2008 First Flush black tea, blended
by the BTC teamaster
- A 2008 Second Flush black tea, blended by the BTC
teamaster
- A single-estate tea from the Ging Garden, a heritage
garden planted in 1864, located in the Lebong Valley in West Darjeeling
- An all-season blend of Darjeeling green tea
The winner will receive 250 grams of each tea for a total of 1 kilogram
(2.2 pounds) with total retail value of $49.00
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