Screen Tea's Blog

Mother’s Day Tea Tasting Party

screenteablog — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:14:42 +0000

Mother’s Day Tea Tasting Party
Saturday, May 8th, 2010, 4:00-6:00PM

Come join us for an afternoon of tea!

Learn interesting facts about tea and the techniques in the art of “Cupping.”

Sample a variety of loose-leaf teas and “tea food” from different cultures.

Each person attending will carry home a tea gift.

A great way to celebrate Mother’s Day!

For Further Information:
Website—www.ScreenTea.com
Email—greatgifts@screentea.com
Call—(917) 412-2184

New Location Update

screenteablog — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:45:36 +0000

You may find our teas & products at:

www.ScreenTea.com

Farm2Bistro
177 Franklin Avenue
Nutley, NJ 07110
(973) 667-3276
Mon-Sat 11AM – 10PM
Sun 9AM – 8PM

Farm2Bistro
100 Hibernia Avenue
Rockaway, NJ 07866
(973) 625-3276
Mon-Tue 8AM – 4PM
Wed-Fri 8AM – 10PM
Sat 11AM – 10PM

Valentine’s Day Benefit Tea Tasting Party

screenteablog — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:28:09 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

On Saturday, February 13, 2010, Screen Tea, Inc. hosted a benefit tea tasting party at Farm2Bistro in Nutley, New Jersey. Part of the proceeds from the ticket sale benefited Precious Kids, a local all-volunteer, non-profit group that provides for children and families in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (For further information on Precious Kids’ programs, please go to: http://PreciousKidsMinistries.org.)

In addition to a fun afternoon exploring the world of tea, Precious Kids’ representatives shared at the party their group’s mission, ongoing projects and experiences from a recent medical relief trip to Haiti.

New Year New Location!

screenteablog — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:05:09 +0000

Our products are now also sold at:

Farm2Bistro
177 Franklin Avenue
Nutley, NJ 07110

Mon-Sat: 11AM – 10PM
Sun: 9AM – 8PM

Tea Plantation Visit

screenteablog — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:16:41 +0000

In mid September, my husband and I visited the tea plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.

This was the first, and for a long time, the only tea plantation in the U.S., but it is no longer the only place in the country where tea is cultivated. There are people in the states of Hawaii and Washington who are now also growing tea. This tea garden in South Carolina, however, is still the nation’s only commercially operated tea plantation.

Inside the tea processing plant:

A Tea Flower–There are hundreds of varieties of Camellia Sinensis that are used to produce tea.

The Tea Towel

screenteablog — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:11:19 +0000

What is a tea towel? Simply put, a tea towel is a cloth used to dry dishes.

In 18th-century England, a tea towel was a special linen drying cloth used by the mistress of the house to dry her expensive china, which was considered too precious for servants to handle. As collector’s items, tea towels often show such things as maps, recipes, sports insignia, poems, advertisements and famous people.

Generally, collectible tea towels like those bearing the faces of Prince Charles and Lady Diana can fetch up to $200. A recent e-Bay auction for tea towels showed an Aunt Jemima tea towel set of four going for around $40. A tea towel with an illustration of The Beatles sells for about $150.

Writing from Fresh Cup Magazine — December 2007
Photos from Screen Tea, Inc.

Tea 101 — Rooibos (Red Bush)

screenteablog — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:53:27 +0000

Rooibos (pronounced as “roy-bos”), what people sometimes call “Red Tea,” is not real tea at all. It is a unique South African herbal tisane, which medical science is hailing as a highly effective anti-oxidant and fighter of human cell-damaging free radicals. The broad benefits of Rooibos were discovered around the turn of the century by the local residents of the Cederberg, a spectacularly beautiful area of South Africa’s Western Cape region, where the bush was found growing wild on the mountain slopes. The needle-like Rooibos leaves were cut, bruised, fermented and sun dried, later to be infused to provide a delicious, aromatic beverage, hot or chilled, which was found to have highly beneficial effects.

Rooibos is naturally caffeine free. Benefits that have been associated with Rooibos include, but are not limited to, relieving stomach cramps and digestive problems, easing headaches and tension, soothing baby colic, preventing damage caused by free radicals, and promoting healthy skin. Besides the original Red Rooibos, there is also Green Rooibos. Unlike standard Red Rooibos, the Green variety is made by stopping the natural fermentation and oxidization process of the tea just after it is cut. Instead of being allowed to ferment for long periods of time, which is historically employed for Red Rooibos, the Green is withered immediately, steamed to prevent oxidation, and then rolled and dried. Some people believe that Green Rooibos has a higher concentration of many of the nutrients found in regular Rooibos tisane, including flavonoids, anti-oxidants, and minerals.

High Tea for High Society?

screenteablog — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:07:39 +0000

The terms “high tea” and “low tea” are often confused. High tea–or “meat tea”–is dinner, a hearty combination of tea and supper taken by the working-class English who often missed lunch. After returning from a hard day’s work, people would serve snacks and beverages on the “high” or main dining table of the house rather than in the parlor or sitting room. During the Victorian era, working-class families ate a substantial evening meal, served family-style, with meat, bread, butter, potatoes, pickles, cheese and, of course, tea.

Afternoon tea, on the other hand, would be served at smaller, lower tables in the sitting or drawing room, with dessert-style finger foods and fine china. This afternoon snack is also called low tea.

While we tend to think of high tea as the more sophisticated of the two, low tea is more likely what we are in for when we sit down in a traditional teahouse. Along with tea, this afternoon tradition almost always comes with some sort of sandwiches, muffins, cookies, cakes, scones, jams and clotted cream. There are three basic types of afternoon or low tea: cream tea, which features tea, scones, jams and cream; light tea, with tea, scones and sweets; and full tea, with sandwiches, appetizers, scones, sweets and dessert.

–excerpt from “What Time is It?” by Kennedy Smith in Fresh Cup

Tea & Health

screenteablog — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:52:50 +0000

Recent research exploring the potential health attributes of tea is leading many scientists to agree that tea, both black and green, may contribute positively to a healthy lifestyle.

“Fruits, vegetables, and tea all contain important antioxidants. Research suggests these phytonutrients may contribute substantially to the promotion of health and the prevention of chronic disease. For example, recent research studies reveal the antioxidants in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer cells and support cardiovascular health,” stated Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N, Chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

– Tea Council of the USA, Inc.

World Tea Expo ’09 in May

screenteablog — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:49:30 +0000

World Tea Expo '09 in Las Vegas

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Some tea information copied from the World Tea Expo website:

Tea Defined
Specialty Tea refers to high quality crafted tea wherein the top two leaves and bud are commonly hand plucked versus machine picked and processed by artisans on estates or gardens that harvested the plant. Specialty whole leaf teas, whether single estate, blends or scented teas are above all unique and typically not mass marketed.

A cup of tea, properly defined, is the liquor extracted from the evergreentree Camellia sinensis. The most popular tea types are black, green, white and oolong varietals. Each type is distinguished by the method used when processing the leaves.

Black Teas are made by fully oxidizing the leaves producing a deep, hearty cup that can stand up to the addition of milk and sugar. Many specialty black teas, however, stand perfectly without such additions and in fact, if added,will maskcomplex, rich flavors and aromas.

Green Teas are roasted and/or steamed shortly after the leaves have been plucked to halt the oxidation process and preserve the color of the leaves. There are thousands of different types of green teas. A particular cup’s profile will depend on the tea’s origin, time of harvest and method of processing. Green teas contain many active, healthy constituents and powerful antioxidants.

White Teas are delicately hand-plucked only once a year in early spring. The exact processing technique for authentic white tea is unknown by most. White tea is the least processed of all tea types and only semi-oxidized giving them subtle, refreshing, complex and sweet liquors. The highest grade white tea isSilver Needle, which is fleshy in appearance and covered in white down.

Oolong Teas while more complex and commanding than green tea, are more delicate than black teas. An oolong tea can be slightly oxidized to very oxidized depending on the desired profile. Its beauty is revealed after several steepings of the same leaves. Over the course of several infusions, oolongs release rich aromas and delicate flavors otherwise hidden in the first cup.

Tisanes or Herbal Infusions are often referred to as teas but unless they contain the Camellia sinensis leaf, they are not true teas in the classical definition. Tisanes are often naturally caffeine free infusions.

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Tea Facts
After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world.

Tea comes from the leaves of a tree called Camellia sinensis. Although the tree can grow over 30 feet tall it is often cut short like a bush so that the leaves can be plucked easily when harvesting.

Tea is grown in 36 countries around the world. The most famous tea producing countries are India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Japan and Taiwan. Lesser known areas include Argentina, Bangladesh, Uganda, Malawi, Turkey, Iran, and Brazil. India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tea.

Most tea falls into one of three categories: Black, Oolong and Green. Other categories include White and Yellow.

A single pound of specialty tea will yield about 180 cups of brewed tea. It can also be infused 3 or more times.

Tea was accidentally discovered around 2737 B.C. by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nun who was sitting beneath a tree waiting for his water to boil when tea leaves fell into his pot.

The United States is the birthplace of Iced Tea. Today over 80% of tea consumed here is still sold as an iced drink.