http://www.strandtea.com/blog Strand Tea Company, OREGON Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:57:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We have some tea-mug infusers for sale that could easily be tucked into a person's briefcase or purse, and are great at the office. The infusers feature a removable basket style infuser and a lid that can be used to catch drips from the infuser after brewing or to keep ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=19 Tea is adversely affected by: air, light, moisture, and odor. To keep it as fresh as possible we recommend storage in an airtight earthenware or glass container kept in a cool dark place. Tea is best when it is fresh, so buying amounts you would normally use within a six ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=18 Loose leaf teas simply offer the best variety, quality, and freshness. While the tea bag is convenient and some good tea can be found in tea bags in Europe, it is most often blended highly and goes stale much more quickly than loose tea, because it is "cut and sifted" ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=17 Water heated in a microwave oven tastes "flat" and does not brew tea as well as water heated in a kettle. In a microwave water does not reach the boiling point, and in addition, it heats from the outside towards the inside, so only the outside 1" or so gets ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=16 There are a few ways to prepare good iced tea. The most common is to prepare the tea as one would for a pot of strong hot tea, let it cool to room temperature, and serve over ice. By making the tea stronger, it can be diluted to taste with ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=15 Tea is a versatile beverage and can be brewed in any quantity as long as the ratio of tea is consistent. For most teas, one heaping teaspoon of tea to 6 oz of water is the ratio to follow. Some folklore recommends "a teaspoon per cup and an extra for ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=14 Phytochemical has an accepted definition in science related to "phyto" from plants and "chemical". The biologic activities of plant compounds, or phytochemicals are a main focus of health research. Nutraceutical is a more interesting and newer word in the health literature seeming to be a combination of "nutrient" and "pharmaceutical". ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=13 A number of plant compounds have been found in tea, including amino-acids, minerals, caffeine, and the largest group of all - polyphenols. In the group of polyphenols are flavanols (catechins) responsible for the flavors and aromas of tea, and "antioxidants" which are known for their role in health. Green tea ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=12 There are actually White, Green, Oolong, Black teas. All tea comes from the plant camellia sinensis -the difference between the types of tea relates to the way in which the leaves are processed. White teas are fairly rare, and often used for special occasions or ceremony. New tea leaves are ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=11 Water is the major constituent of tea and greatly affects tea quality. This fact was well known even in ancient China where tea masters sought water from specific mountain springs to brew their tea. In Europe, tea was blended, in part, to adjust to regional water qualities. To achieve the ... http://www.strandtea.com/blog/?p=10