Tag Archives: tea

The majesty of loose leaf tea, made incredible by Yogi

Have you ever wondered why loose tea tastes better than tea made with a tea bag? Let’s be frank: have you ever realised that loose tea tasted better than tea from a tea bag?

Loose tea leaves are complete or at least bigger compared to the broken scraps found in your common tea bag. Bigger really is better in this case because, bigger leaves retain their essential oils while broken particles allow more of those nutrients to evaporate, leaving a comparatively lifeless flavour.

Yogi is no ordinary tea

No ordinary tea

No ordinary tea

Now, Yogi tea is different, not least because they are made of an amazing mix of spices and not simply tea leaves. However, Yogi tea bags are different too. Their commitment to natural flavour means their many teas are packed individually in heat-sealed envelopes to help preserve the health benefits of the herbs used. This also maintains the freshness and flavor.

But now Yogi are letting you get your hands on their original loose leaf concoctions. Another big advantage of brewing loose leaf is that the leaves have space to swell with water and release their flavour. The water circulation around the tea leaf is also important.

So, Yogi are offering some new flavours. See if you can taste the difference…

Ginger Lemon Chai
- warm pungent ginger balanced by refreshing citrus
Choco Chai, Aztec Spice
- a recreation of the ancient Aztec recipe called ‘Xocoatl’
Good Morning Chai, Roasted Chicory Spice
- roasted chicory, cinnamon, cardamom and licorice brings  a warmth and full-bodied taste
Himalaya Chai, Ginger Harmony
- sweet fennel seeds, spicy ginger and cosy cinnamon for uplifting moments
Classic Chai, Cinnamon Spice
- original recipe is cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and black pepper

Let Yogi Christmas tea warm you up this winter

If you are a fan of tea, especially Yogi herbal teas, then their Christmas Collection is likely to warm you – right down to the cockles of your soul.

It’s a perfect cup of Christmas with its range of warm restful flavour and exotic spices. And there are so many to choose from, its ideal to share with friends.

Yogi teas - share a little love

Yogi teas - share a little love

Each Christmas Collection box contains two of the following tea bags: Classic Rooibos, Sweet Chilli, Choco, Licorice, Jamaica, Bright Mood, Heart-warming, Ginger Hibiscus, Ginger Lemon, Bedtime and Black Chai.

It’s a selection that should meet anyone’s desire for herbal tea, and it makes a nice little gift too.

But, if the purist in you makes you more choosy about the teas in your cupboard then perhaps one of Yogi’s  latest organic creations might interest you:

Ginger – ginger with lemon grass, liquorice, peppermint and black pepper
Pure with Lemon – lemon grass with dandelion, ginger, cinnamon, liquorice, lemon myrtle, lemon peel and peppermint
Ginger Orange with Vanilla – ginger with liquorice, lemon grass, black pepper, orange peel, peppermint, vanilla extract, orange extract

The brilliant Qi teas all began with the mistaken purchase of a book at an airport

It’s fascinating to learn how some companies started. Take for example the beginning of Qi Herbal Health.

There has been a huge increase in the tea business in recent years but few probably started by mistakenly buying the wrong book at an airport. Joe d’Armenia must have been forced to read about the benefits of Green Tea for a few hours, but he was fascinated what he read of the benefits of drinking the tea.

It surprised him more to learn that Green Tea was mostly imported by German brokers rather than directly from China. Following an introduction to Mrs Yu Jing Hong, a minister supervising over the Yellow Mountain Region of China, Joe d’Armenia arranged for tea to be imported directly into the UK.

The Yellow Mountain Region is an area of outstanding natural beauty, remote and unspoilt. The farmers there still farm by organic methods and Joe d’Armenia helped organise more than 400 families into the Xitou Organic Farmers Association, a Fairtrade partnership.

The farmers pride in their tea, blending the teas into wonderful varieties such as pomegranate with white tea or oolong with mint and licorice. Qi Herbal Health has resulted not only in industrial enterprise for the area but also the funding of a local school, greater medical care and amenities such as street lighting and road repairs for the local town of Xitou. Not bad for a journey which began with buying the wrong book.

Dr Stuart’s are selling tea to China!

Dr Stuart’s make quality herbal teas, and news of them has finally reached China.

The Chinese are renowned for their interest in health benefitting herbs, so it is natural that they would be keen on Dr Stuart’s uniquely British herbal teas.

Dr Stuart’s uses only the best of the best herbs for their 21 different teas – all aimed at providing wellbeing, some to help you unwind, some for detox and even some to help get to sleep at night, and there is no doubt that their benefits will be explored by China.

But the possibility of a new market doesn’t mean Dr Stuart’s will forget about the UK; they are a truly British success story. The West Sussex company, along with its herbs, remain firmly rooted in the tradition of an English country garden. Other tea manufacturers might ship their production facilities abroad, but Dr Stuart’s will continue to produce and pack all of its teas here in the UK.

There is a Chinese proverb: “When you drink the water, remember the spring.”

Dr Stuart’s has gone from strength to strength in its homeland of Britain, but it’s good to see great English traditions of herbalism and tea reach out to their ancient counterparts in China – the earliest records of which date back to the 10th Century BC.

Get refreshed with Elderflower & Lemon Tea

Last summer, it seemed like people went elderflower crazy during those sizzling heady months of sun.

Our elderflower champange and elderflower cordial recipes were very popular.

And Dr Stuart’s, purveyor of high quality teas, was not slow of the mark either. Following the huge success of other fruit teas, they created Dr Stuart’s Elderflower and Lemon fruit tea which not only has a beautiful, fragrant taste, but also keeps you feeling great – so you can satisfy your palate as well as your body.

Dr Stuarts are the ‘gurus’ of herbal health refreshment teas are packed with the highest level of ‘Active Botanicals’.

But what are Active Botanicals?
Simply put it is the collective term for herbs picked at the peak of their quality to provide maximum essential oils – better than the food grade normally insisted on by governing authorities.

For more information you can hear what Dr Stuart himself has to say…


It really is attention to quality that makes Dr Stuart’s taste second to none, providing the best flavour, aroma and benefit to wellbeing in each and every mug.

A herbalist in your store cupboard

I’m sure there was a time when tea was kept in a hallowed box in one place in the house. Yet now, I seem to need a whole cupboard for all the different types of tea we drink.

Herbal expertise in a cup

Herbal expertise in a cup

But I must be wrong. Heath & Heather have been blending herbs and infusions since the 1920s. Of course it is true that medicinal herbs, particularly in teas, goes back pretty much as far as the history of man.

What Heath & Heather do is make all these beneficial herbs ready to pick off your cupboard shelf.

Whether it’s wellbeing, relaxation, invigoration or antioxidants that you need, Heath & Heather have got it covered. They’re proud of their association with The National Institute of Medical Herbalists and so they should be, it means they’re able to get quality beneficial teas onto my shelf.

Look out for the new ad – on TV from Monday 25th November

There’s a new advert on TV.

It’s from Clipper teas.

The focus is on Clipper’s Organic and Fairtrade Black Teas, but tea-merchants are well known for providing coffees, herbal teas, cocoa and speciality teas as well.

Clipper - purveyor of numerous blends of tea

Clipper - purveyor of numerous blends of tea

I get to sample so many! On my desk right now are boxes of Clipper’s Red Fruits & Aronia Berry, Blackcurrent & Acai Berry, Green Tea with Manuka Honey, Chamomile, Peppermint, White Tea, Chamomile with Lemon Balm & Manuka Honey and their Instant Organic Hot Chocolate (though that last one is on my desk for an entirely personal reasons).

There’s a serious point to this however. Many children are involved in child labour in the tea industry. Buying Fairtrade means you can act to put something back into the tea growing communities who make a stand for fairness for their families. It’s a chance to help Clipper help others as well.

Chai-tea – I’ve found a new religion

Tea-thoughts

Tea-thoughts

Perhaps for some people tea is the perfect religion.

If you want a moment’s quiet, what better than finding calm in the depths of a cup of warm copper coloured infusions.

Or if you need some healing, then there are a variety of time-tested tastes to ease your ailments.

Are you desperate for a listening ear and sympathy? Invite your friend over for no better reason than the ritual brew of tea-for-two.

And if you really need to know the future, well, you can always get your aunt to read the tea-leaves…

Of course the humble tea bush and all its adherents won’t quite match the majesty of a higher power, but many a prayer has risen on the incense of a steaming cuppa, and many a moment has been satisfied by the perfect choice of tea at that perfect time.

It’s not as if the gurus of tea making don’t know they’re on to something. You’ve surely noticed how shops’ shelves have become increasingly laden with a greater supply of different teas? Continue reading

It’s a fair trade – swap your purchase for a more ethical one

You probably know already that it’s Fairtrade Fortnight.

The Fairtrade Foundation are encouraging every household to swap just one of their everday buys for a Fairtrade version.

It’s so easy to get in on the action…

Fairtrade Farmers for a fair wage

Fairtrade Farmers for a fair wage

Choose to buy Fairtrade Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Pasta, Jam, Bananas, Honey, Peanut Butter, Sugar, Biscuits, Snackbars, Oil, Fruitjuice, even Ricecakes or many other Fairtrade products in place of the type you’d normally buy.

Taste the difference, revel in the justice and hopefully, you won’t even want to swap back.

Then you can register your swaps online at the Fairtrade website.

Remember Fairtrade isn’t about charity, it provides the world’s poorer farmers with a fair wage for the food they put on our tables. So take a look at our Fairtrade Section and see if there’s something you could put on your table with pride.

Mixing decks and a cup of tea – Mr Scruff’s tea shop

Mr Scruff's Make Us A Brew tea shop

Mr Scruff's Make Us A Brew tea shop

It seems a curious British thing to have devoted tea-drinkers at music raves, tea tasting sessions at rock festivals and a DJ who is a master tea-blender, but wonders never cease (at least they won’t if you’ve got a Make Us A Brew cuppa in your hand…)

You may not have heard of Mr Scruff, but you will have heard his music on television shows like The Apprentice and Top Gear, in films, adverts and computer games. Dedicated followers will also know that he likes a nice cup of tea and, like so many of us, can’t stand it when the tea is low quality. Perhaps it was such an experience which inspired him to set up his own tea company.

Organic and ethically traded Make Us A Brew now supply some trendy teas including what’s been titled “the perfect cuppa” and “a caffeinated beverage of the highest order”: The English Breakfast Fairtrade Tea. Also there’s a hedonistic Look Lively Tea (lemongrass, yerba mate & mint), a refreshing Bill Chill Tea (rooibos, pear and cinnamon) and a kicking Mint and Chilli Tea.

Still can’t quite believe it? Mr Scruff’s music’s pretty good too…