If you are a tea professional, there's nothing worse than having your urologist tell you to quit drinking tea because you've been diagnosed with a kidney stone. That's what happened to me a couple of years ago.I was surprised to find tea on my doctor's list of Foods to Avoid, a list I'm sure is…
The Book of Green Tea
This book offers the authentic poetry of great tea: Let us rejoice and drink deeply. - James Norwood PrattThank goodness! The Western world has once again fallen in love with green tea. For many, drinking green tea has become a new practice spurred by an interest in tea’s healthy attributes, while others consider it a…
The Oldest Tea in Britain
300-year-old green tea from China.British researchers have found what they believe to be the oldest tea in Britain, and to the surprise of contemporary British tea drinkers, the tea is green!The unassuming box of Chinese tea was acquired around 1700 by a ship’s surgeon James Cuninghame. Cunninghame subsequently gave it as a gift to the…
How did tea get its name?
A Country House Teatime in Somerset, England."The thing we call a tea would taste just as sweet if we called it by any other name."How differently would the words of Juliet have sounded if only Shakespeare had known the beverage we call tea? It's too bad that the Chinese beverage would not appear in London…
The Young Face of Tea in America
Could tea be the new fountain of youth?The fact that tea sales in the US are up 20% since 2000 would be reason enough for teaists to be excited about the growing number of converts who are joining our flock. But the bigger news—and the reason that this tea trend will continue for quite some…
Green tea may lead to cancer treatments without hair loss
18th century tea botanical print.The good news from Penn State researchers last week is that a powerful catechin found in green tea may lead to new treatments for some cancers. The better news is that these new treatments might be accomplished without the debilitating side effects of existing chemo-therapies, such as hair loss.Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, commonly known as…
The Latest Buzz on Tea and Caffeine
Caffeine is the world's most popular drug, easily surpassing nicotine and alcohol, and more than 85% of Americans ingest significant amounts of this legal drug on a daily basis—usually via coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate. While most consumers can easily tolerate 300mg of drug daily, you might want to avoid caffeine up to eight hours…
The First Written Mention of Tea by an Englishman
Dutch East Indiaman (Dutch East India Cargo Vessel)The earliest mention of tea—as “chaw”—by an Englishman is the famous Wickham letter of 1615.The letter was found in a set of old records entitled Japan Miscellanies, consisting of copies of letters from Richard Wickham, the East India Company’s factor at Hirado (Japan’s only port of trade to…
Tea at London’s Maids of Honour
How do I top off a morning after viewing the world-class gardens at Kew? I like to stop for tea at the Original Maids of Honour, located outside the garden wall on Kew Road. It’s my favorite refreshment stop along the short walk back to Kew station for the 30-minute tube ride to Central London.Those who…
Afternoon Tea at Claridge’s Hotel in London
I was delighted to spend a leisurely August afternoon with my writing partner Jane Pettigrew at one of the most stylish of all London hotels—Claridges. On the way, Soho traffic became so snarled that we had to abandon our cab and walk a few blocks. Finally, fifteen minutes late and a bit stressed, we were greeted…