A Treasure Trove of Teas

These tea varities from The Republic of Tea are amazing and would make very nice (and thoughtful) gifts. The flavors are delightful and unexpected--Mango Chili, Orange Red Carrot, Plantain Coconut, Black Currant Cardamon as well as anything-but-plain Raw Green Bush Tea. Enjoy the benefits of green tea  and have some very intriguing flavorings as well.

And The Republic of Tea also has an impressive selection of Kosher teas, as well.

http://www.therepublicoftea.com/

Teas for the Spirit and the Body (and taste buds)

How do you choose a tea to drink? On their website, Yogi Teas suggest you choose by either Mood, Flavor or Purpose. An interesting idea and you might want to take a look and see what you decide. There are more than 50 Yogi Teas, each one a discovery and sure to please.

But let’s concentrate on the Flavor and Taste. The Sweet Thai Delight Tea is just that—a delight of a tea with natural coconut and butterscotch flavors. The result is reminiscent of Chai Spice tea but then again different. Have it plain or add milk and perhaps sweetener to enhance the flavor. The Echinacea  Tea has organic Lemon flavor and natural Cinnamon, Cardamom and Ginger Oils for a balanced intriguing and refreshing drink. The Green Tea Goji Berry says that it is naturally invigorating and with Organic Cherry, Blueberry, Raspberry  Flavors, and Natural Lotus Flower Flavor your eyes will be opened.

Yogi Tea bags come individually wrapped with a tag that offers inspiring thoughts—for instance: “Strength does not lie in what you have. It lies in what you can give.” The Yogi Tea Collection takes tea beyond a simple beverage and into a way of living. There are  organic and herbal teas that are grounded in ancient wisdom and in a simple, natural way of living. Whether you want to jump start the day, be a part of  or recover from physical activity, calm the mind and clarify thoughts or revive the spirit and reflect on the world, there's a Yogi Tea to meet that need. And, each one tastes deliciously intriguing.

www.yogitea.com

Smoother Green Tea

Green tea is healthy, right? But the truth is, even some flavored green teas have a little more pungency than perhaps you’d like. Celestial Seasonings, a leader in specialty teas for more than 40 years, is now offering hope for green tea drinkers who would a smoother drink, and yet still enjoy the benefits that green tea offers.

The mature green tea leaves naturally contain high levels of tannins, which can sometimes cause bitterness. Celestial Seasonings has added Bai Mu Dan white tea leaves, which impart a delicate balance to the green tea leaves. The very enjoyable green tea flavors include Goji Berry Pomegranate, Raspberry Gardens, Blueberry Breeze, Decaf Mint Green Tea , Authentic Green Tea, to list just a few.

Another refreshing tea blend from Celestial Seasonings is Sleepytime Vanilla Herbal Tea. The long-appreciated Sleepytime Tea is now offered with a delicate, relaxing vanilla that makes a perfect end of the day cup of tea.

Celestial Seasonings Teas are packed in beautiful boxes inspired by traditional Chinese black lacquer boxes, to reward the eyes as well as the palate.

www.celestialseasonings.com

Teas As You Please, and Help Plant Trees

Honey Vanilla Chamomile, Mint Magic, Sweet Apple Chamomile, Tropic of Strawberry, Country Peach Passion, Bengal Spice.

Vanilla Strawberry Rose, Perfectly Pear White Tea, Powerfully Plum White Tea, Chocolate Raspberry Bliss, Almond Sunset Dessert Tea, English Toffee, India Spice Chai, Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai Chai, Honey Vanilla White Chai…..These are just some of the tantalizing 90 tea concoctions from Celestial Seasonings.

So many varieties--An actual blend master, Charlie Baden, oversees the development of new blends. And every one of them is a box full of the promise of a satisfying, tantalizing aroma and taste all infused into a health-full beverage—herbal or not. Even the packaging is delightfully inspiring. Celestial’s bestselling tea in the entire specialty tea category is Sleepytime. Says a company spokesperson: “People can’t get enough of the tea and the Sleepytime bear!”

Celestial Seasonings earth-friendly approach to making tea includes a focus on sustainable harvests, ethical trade practices and minimal packaging, which saves more than 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills annually.

All this is great but add a little something for the environment and you have the perfect blend of personal enjoyment and responsibility. By simply purchasing tea or clicking on a mouse, Celestial Seasonings tea drinkers can support the planting of trees in developing countries and help promote environmental and economic sustainability around the world. Celestial has partnered with the non-profit Trees for the Future to support the planting of more than one million trees in developing countries. These trees promote economic and environmental sustainability in nations where it is desperately needed.

If you love tea and respect the environment, all you have to do is purchase Celestial’s all-natural teas between now and March 31, 2009. You can also visit www.celestialseasonings.com/trees, where can participate in a free, interactive, Web program that turns “virtual trees” into reality.

There are regional favorites and so many varieties that even some very good things must come to an end so on their website is a page --
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/discontinued.html showing discontinued teas but also suggesting replacements for your retired favorites.

So sip and click.

Tea with Pizzazz

Here is a beverage that has the kick of soda but the benefits of tea—and flavors to delight. TeaZazz is a sparkling tea available in four varieties—Green Tea Lemon, Green Tea Mint, Peach and Original.

It has a dual personality-- mixer or a stand-alone refreshing soft drink.

Also nice is that each bottle contains 2.5 servings, 20 to 25 calories and 6g or less total carbs.

Teazazz the company was founded about two years ago in California by two enterprising women who merged their business backgrounds and experiences in the entertainment and pharmaceutical industries to create a healthier beverage that was fun to drink.

Suggested retail price for a 20 oz bottle is $1.69 As of this writing it is available on the West Coast or by ordering online at www.drinkteazazz.com

Have Your Green Tea and Like It, Too

We know that drinking Green Tea is good for us.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm

“Green tea has been consumed throughout the ages in India, China, Japan, and Thailand. In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, practitioners used green tea as a stimulant, diuretic (to promote the excretion of urine), astringent (to control bleeding and help heal wounds), and to improve heart health. Other traditional uses of green tea include treating flatulence (gas), regulating body temperature and blood sugar, promoting digestion, and improving mental processes...

The healthful properties of green tea are largely attributed to polyphenols, chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. In fact, the antioxidant effects of polyphenols appear to be greater than vitamin C. The polyphenols in green tea also give it a somewhat bitter flavor.
Population-based studies indicate that the antioxidant properties of green tea may help prevent atherosclerosis, particularly coronary artery disease. Research shows that green tea lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol in both animals and people…. Several population-based studies have shown that green tea helps protect against cancer. For example, cancer rates tend to be low in countries such as Japan where people regularly consume green tea.”

Green tea has also been shown to help with weight loss.

But what about that “bitter flavor?” To be honest, drinking plain green tea often requires a strong will to finish the beverage as quickly as possible to get it over with. But with an assortment of naturally flavored Green Teas, you can have your Green Tea and like it, too.

Celestial Seasonings, the forty year old purveyor of teas and other natural items based in
offers about a dozen flavored Green Teas, including there newest, Green Tea Tropical Grapefruit and Cranberry Pomegranate. The boxes are all beautifully designed and the tea bags come two by two with no strings attached. The taste is sublimely soothing with just the right fruit essence to make the beverage more palatable. And both new flavors were launched in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Lipton has Green Tea with Mandarin Orange flavoring, or Mint or Orange Passionfruit and Jasmine as well as quite a few others. These are just more options that will allow you to enjoy the benefits of Green Tea while actually enjoying drinking it.