By Lindsey Goodwin, About.com Guide

Whether you call it high tea, low tea or afternoon tea, afternoon tea is an occasion to socialize and relax in style with friends. Selecting a great tea for afternoon tea is just one of the many aspects of the occasion, but it's often largely overlooked by people putting on or attending afternoon teas. This list of top ten afternoon teas includes old and new favorites that are well suited to pairing with afternoon tea fare.

Earl Grey Tea

Marko Goodwin
Earl Grey is the world's most famous flavored black tea. It gets its citrusy flavor from the essential oil of bergamot (an orange-like fruit). The natural sweetness of Earl Grey lends itself to pairing with many afternoon tea sweets, like scones, Madeline cakes, shortbread cookies and lavender cookies.




Marko Goodwin
Assam black tea is grown in the mountainous region of Assam, India. It is known for its robust, malty and sometimes tannic (astringent) flavor.

Many people enjoy their Assam tea with a little milk and sugar. With milk and sugar, Assam teas are ideal for afternoon tea sweets. Without them, Assams can stand up to flavorful savory foods, like finger sandwiches, quiche and cheddar herb scones.


Ceylon Black Tea / Sri Lankan Black Tea

Lindsey Goodwin
Ceylon teas include white, green, oolong and black varieties, but Ceylon black teas are the most popular choice for afternoon tea. Famous black teas from Sri Lanka (formerly known as "Ceylon") include:

Orange Pekoe, which does not taste like oranges, and is actually a tea grade made in India and Sri Lanka
Nuwara Eliya, which is floral and light
Uva, which is sweet, woodsy and good with milk
Dimbulla, which varies widely
They're all great with a range of afternoon tea foods.

Darjeeling Black Tea

Lindsey Goodwin
Darjeelings are teas from Darjeeling, India. Darjeeling black teas are a classic pairing for afternoon tea foods.

You might have a choice between spring-plucked Darjeeling First Flush and summer-plucked Darjeeling Second Flush. Darjeeling First Flush is more floral and green in flavor, while Darjeeling Second Flush has a distinctive fruity flavor. Both work well with savory afternoon tea foods, and Second Flush is also great with chocolate, fruity desserts and pastries.


Chamomile "Tea"

Marko Goodwin
Chamomile is an herbal infusion with a floral, apple-like flavor. Many people select it for afternoon tea because it is naturally caffeine-free. It also pairs wonderfully with afternoon tea sweets, especially scones and fruity confections.

Chamomile is also a key ingredient in many tea blends, such as Chamomile Chai and David Rio's Caramel Chamomile.


Mint "Tea"

Marko Goodwin
Like chamomile, spearmint and peppermint are caffeine-free herbal infusions. Peppermint is more common in the U.S., but spearmint also has a loyal following thanks to its its sweeter, mellower flavor. Some herbal infusions combine mint with other herbs.

When considering whether or not to pair a mint infusion with your afternoon tea fare, ask yourself, "Would I ever use mint as an ingredient in this dish?" You'll likely find that both types of mint "tea" are great with a range of finger sandwiches, fruity sweets, chocolaty sweets and nuutral sweets (like vanilla pound cake or plain shortbread).


Smoked Black Teas: Russian Caravan / Lapsang Souchong

Lindsey Goodwin
Lapsang Souchong and Russian Caravan are both popular smoked black teas. They have a strong, smoky flavor that's ideally paired with equally strong foods. I particularly recommend them with heavy sweets, smoked salmon finger sandwiches and flavorful quiches.

Specialty smoked black teas include Tarry Souchong, Smoked Earl Grey and Smoked Tanzanian Black Tea. These can be paired in a similar manner to Lapsang Souchong and Russian Caravan.


Rose Congou Tea
Rose Congou is a black tea blended with rose petals. The rose petals make it an inherently romantic, Victorian style of drink, so it's a great fit for afternoon tea. Try sweet, perfumey Rose Congou with scones, creamy sweets (like shortbread or strawberry shortcake) and savory-sweet finger

Gunpowder Green Tea
Green teas aren't nearly as popular as black teas during afternoon tea. However, Gunpowder Green Tea has a bold flavor that can stand up to select afternoon tea foods, like savory pastries, ham or chicken tea sandwiches, and dishes with mint. Be sure to brew Gunpowder Green with cooler water and a shorter brew time than you'd use for black teas.


Lavender Teas / Tisanes
Brewed on its own or as part of a tea blend, lavender is a common "tea" for afternoon tea. Popular lavender blends include Lavender Earl Grey and herbal melanges with ingredients like lavender, chamomile and mint. The sweet, perfumey flavor of a lavender infusion or lavender tea blend is ideal with uncomplicated afternoon tea foods, like scones and Devon cream, simple petits fours or shortbread cookies.

Black tea and Brits

Brits shun traditional tea for loose leaves and green varieties
Industry

Figures from Mintel, a market research firm, suggest that tea drinkers in the UK are shifting from traditional brews to healthier green tea. In fact, green tea sales have doubled in two years since 2009 to reach £22 million ($29m) in 2011, whereas consumption of "builder's tea", a mix of black tea, sugar and milk, is falling. Sales of English Breakfast tea bags fell by £7 million, or roughly 2%, to £463 million. Although black tea still remains the most popular variety by far, young people in particular are turning away from the traditional cuppa. Furthermore, young people are also the biggest users of loose leaf tea, with 12% of people aged between 25 and 34 making tea without the use of tea bags, compared to 10% of people aged 65 and over.

Easter tea ideas

Great tea for Easter.
A tea party is a wonderful way to celebrate this special time of the year: loved ones and food! If you are a Christian believer, you may even add a little devotional time or even a time of prayer.
Rose Tea Recipe: Ingredients

This recipe will make one gallon of rose tea.

8 bags of earl grey tea - can use loose tea
1 large orange or two medium ones - sliced
1 cup of white sugar
3 tablespoons of rose water
1/2 gallon of hot water - 2 quarts
2 quarts of ice

Rose Tea Recipe: Method

In a large pot place your hot water, your tea bags and the orange slices

Add the sugar and mix with a spoon. In another container, add the ice and then pour the tea. Add the rose water and mix. Serve.

The rose also offers a soothing property to the nerves and emotional /psychological state of mind. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant. It is increasingly used in treatments for conditions of stress: nervous tension, peptic ulcers, heart disease, among others. There is indication that rose essence may also positively influence digestion, bile secretion, womb disorders and circulation. In addition, a tea made with rose petals (pour 150 ml of boiling water over 1 /2 grams of rose petals) often soothes a mild sore throat.
    To brew rose hip tea, which by the way is truly delicious, roughly chop up entire rose hips. Cover with distilled or purified water and boil for 30 minutes (longer if desired). Strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth and add a bit of honey.

Article from about.com on green tea vs. black tea.

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa021103a.htm

My day

It was so exciting to see people excited about tea today.  I brought a gift to a person who enjoys tea and she is also trying to lose some weight.  Of course I told her about green tea and how it helps suppress appetite and the many health benefits of green tea.  She was so excited to receive this gift of tea and cup to have her tea in.  I just love sharing gifts of tea with others and seeing them excited and thankful.  It is a blessing to me. 
Enjoy that cup of tea and hope you try some of ours someday. 
Blessings! 

Tea benefits

Another great article about tea and some remedies.   Enjoy!

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/mao-shing-ni-lac-dom-phd/try-some-tea-therapy

If you want to check out some of our teas we offer check our site trinitea4eternitea.yolasite.com

January is National Hot Tea Month

This article from TeaUsa.org

A Grateful Toast… “To Our Health!”
Recent research findings have reported that drinking black tea may improve the body’s defenses and quicken the response to bacteria and viruses – giving people more of a reason to brew themselves a hot cup of tea this January in celebration of National Hot Tea Month – and possibly ward off pesky germs.

The study, published in the May 13, 2003 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that participants who drank 20 ounces (the equivalent of x cups) of black tea per day produced five times the amount of certain germ-fighting immune cells as those who drank the same amount of coffee. Researchers predict that these findings suggest that tea drinkers may have a better chance of fighting off an infection than non-tea drinkers because of this increased immune response, though further research will be needed to confirm their predictions.

In addition to this research, volumes have been published about the potential health benefits of tea, which contains flavonoids, substances that may act as antioxidants to reduce oxidative damage in the body and help maintain healthy cells and tissues. A multitude of research studies point to drinking tea as a way to promote health and potentially reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and certain types of cancer.

This body of credible research grows every day. Here are a few recent findings about the potential health benefits of tea:

• New clinical research published in the October 2003 Journal of Nutrition found that consuming 30 oz. of black tea daily – the fluid equivalent of 2.5 cans of soda – reduced Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol levels by more than 10 percent in mildly hypercholesterolemic adult study participants.
  
• According to a recent study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, study participants who drank four cups of tea per day had significantly lower risk of death following a heart attack – a decrease of up to 44 percent.
• A Dutch study published in the May 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) found that the incidence of myocardial infarction or heart attack decreased by 43 percent in the study participants who drank more than three cups of black tea per day.
  
• More good news on the protection of heavy smokers from oxidative damage by tea drinking was published in the October 2003 Journal of Nutrition. The clinical intervention study found that heavy smokers who consumed four servings per day of green tea had 31percent lower levels of 8-OHdG (a biomarker for oxidative damage to DNA) in white blood cells. Oxidative damage to DNA is one factor which increases cancer risk and the researches suggest that a significant reduction of DNA damage found with green tea drinking may help reduce cancer risk in smokers.
  
• Another study, published in the July 2003 issue of Annals of Epidemiology, examining the protective nature of black tea against rectal cancer found that women who drank the equivalent of 2.5 cups of tea per day or more had a 60 percent drop in rectal cancer risk, as compared to women who drank less than 1.2 cups of tea per day.

“Research continually illustrates the potential for flavonoid-rich tea to contribute to healthful dietary patterns in a significant way,” said Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Chief, Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston.

“Tea is an ideal beverage -- delicious, refreshing, soothing and healthful,” said Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the USA. “This January, for National Hot Tea Month, we can all feel extra good about lifting a tea-filled glass and toasting to our health.”

Milk Tea

Things You'll Need

• 1 to 3 tsp black tea, or 1 to 2 tea bags of black tea 1/2 cup water 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice Evaporated or condensed milk Sugar or simple syrup (optional) Crushed or regular ice (optional)

 

1. • 1
     Boil the water and steep the tea for three to five minutes. Use as much tea as you would use for a whole cup of tea, even though you are using only half as much water. If you're not sure how strong to make the tea, err on the stronger side. The cream and sugar will overwhelm weak tea.
   • 2
     Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of ice. This will melt and bring the tea down to room temperature or colder.
   • 3
     Use condensed milk if you want a sweeter drink, and evaporated milk if you want a less sweet drink. Add the condensed or evaporated milk to taste. Traditionally, creamier is better--the milk in iced milk tea isn't a flavoring like it is in English tea, it's an essential ingredient.
   • 4
     Add as much crushed or regular ice as you like. Because ice waters down the flavor of milk tea, traditional milk tea is cooled in a refrigerator or served at room temperature, but if you want the chill of iced tea without waiting for your drink to cool, you'll need to add more ice and drink it rather quickly.
   • 5
     Adjust the sweetness with sugar or simple syrup to taste.
   • 6
     Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator. Iced milk tea will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
   • 7
     Experiment. There's no one way to make iced milk tea, so play with the strength of the tea and the proportions of tea to milk and ice. Try using different types of tea, or add flavorings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, rosewater, or hazelnut syrup.

Tea Around the World

I am getting closer to my talk on Saturday and it has been fun researching all the countries and their history of tea.  I enjoyed reading about Russia and the samovar which is used for tea preparation and the traditional Russian tea glass holders.  Tea is very popular in Russian prisons.   
Here is a recipe for Russian Fruit Tea- Combine 1/2 cup apple cider, 3-5 cloves and 5-6 tablespoons of Orange Pekoe Tea.  Add a small amount of boiling water and steep for 7-10 minutes.  Strain the tea. 
To serve, pour a small amount of the strained concentrate into a cup and fill the rest of the cup with boiling water.  Sweeten to taste with honey or fruit jam.  Enjoy!
Watch for more info on other countries and their history to follow in next few days.

Cherry Puffs

Great recipe to go with black tea or Kenya tea from the book The World in your Teacup.
Enjoy with your cup of tea and with your friends!

9 oz. pitted frozen cherries, thawed and drained

3 tbls. Black cherry jam or preserves

¼ tsp. almond extract

2 10 ounce packages butter puff pastry shells

2 tbls. Almonds, ground

Powdered sugar for tops of puffs (optional)

Oven 400 degrees. Bake shells according to package directions and allow to cool.  While baking combine cherries and cherry conserve together in a saucepan until warm and mixed well.  Take off heat and add almond extract. Spoon a few ground almonds into each cooled shell and then spoon cherry mixture on top of the almonds.  Sift powdered sugar on top if you like.  Serve warm or at room temp.

Taking a nap/caffeine break combo

Quickly drink a cup of cool black tea then take a 20 minute nap.  After the 20 minute nap, the caffeine should start kicking in and you would have gotten some rest while waiting, says Dr. Breus.