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While sipping tea recently with a friend, I was impressed by her sugar dispenser, a little glass bauble which puts out exactly one teaspoon of sugar each time you invert it. I sheepishly admitted that I don't get out much, and I might even have uttered the word "newfangled." Then she told me the piece was actually old. Oops. 

So I shouldn't have been surprised that the tea-focused segment that I caught on TV yesterday was actually a month old. Pop-culture medicine man Dr. Oz was spouting age-old wisdom anyhow: his "Teas to Fight Disease" are nothing new, but perhaps they've reached a new audience in recent months. Of course I'm thrilled by the possibility that Oz's Oprah-fueled fame is providing well-brewed advice to reduce the incidence of diabetes, Alzheimer's, and various cancers with black, green, and white teas, respectively. But I'd like to highlight an aspect of his article which was not at all its focus.  

When we talk about tea as a healthful beverage, we often focus on antioxidants, the benefits of caffeine intake (or, paradoxically, the benefits of reduced caffeine content when compared with coffee), or the beverage's super-soothing effects. But tea was flavored water before flavored water was hip - that is, before you could bottle flavored water and charge people for it. One of the greatest health benefits for tea drinkers is that they're upping their water intake without consuming extra sugar or calories - of course, as long as they're not drowning their tea in cream and sugar. Don't get me wrong: I love cream (or milk) and sugar in my tea, but it's not as necessary as I think it is. And so my favorite feature of the Dr. Oz feature was his little "Flavor Meter" for each tea, showing which teas were sweetest and which were strongest. His list was painfully short, excluding red teas and herbals blends, but maybe I'll create my own someday. For now, I'll be satisfying my sweet tooth with healthy cups of Darjeeling, matcha, and Silver Needle teas.

What are some of your favorite sweet-without-sugar teas? (And when you do need some sweetener, doesn't that old-timey glass dispenser sound positively tea-lightful?)

What is High Tea exactly?  Low Tea and High Tea are like small meals, almost like snacks, served with tea.  Low tea, which gets its name from being served on a low table, like a garden table or coffee table, would be served somewhere between noon and 5 PM and hence sometimes goes by the name Afternoon Tea.  High Tea is typically served around 5 - 6 PM and is a heartier snack, with meats, breads and of course tea.  High Tea got it's name from being served on the dining table which was typically the tallest table in the house.

In today's nomenclature 'High Tea', which the name itself strengthens, is considered a fanciful event with fine finger foods, scones and gourmet tea.  Historically, High Tea was drank by both the working class, as they would want a small snack when getting home after a long day, and also by the children of the upper class as a snack before a heavier dinner that they may not have the patience for.  Either way, if you use the term 'High Tea' in today's society, expect to need reservations and a jacket.

Now to the important information; how to host High Tea or throw a High Tea party.  Here are a few things to consider:

1) Sending written invitations always adds an air of sophistication to a party.  If you feel snail mail invitations are a little above the call of duty, try sending an evite from evite.com.  It's free, and you can choose tea related themes which will set the tone for your party.

2) Include the dress code in the invitations.  Dressing up is fun, but only if everyone knows about it.  Large hats for the ladies are great for conversation and photo opportunities.

3) Think of the aesthetics of your menu as much as the taste.  White table cloth and serving on crystal or fancy serving platters will make the simplest of cookies look like the queen's affair.  

- Tea Sandwiches are perfect - think special ingredients like nuts, unique spreads and herbs.

- Anything miniature is good - think Mandarin Oranges, Baby Corn and miniature Artichoke.  These bright colors will help dress up the table as well.

- Small cookies and crackers for adding delicious spreads are a must.  Want to really impress your guests?  Consider finding a scone recipe and make at least one of the menu items homemade.  

- To stick with tradition, serve two or three finger foods that involve meat.  Cold cuts are always easy and go well with just about everything.

4) Now for the tea.  Try serving a multi-course tea menu.  

- Start with a traditional tea with a twist, like Vanilla Creme Earl Grey.  This can be served with the scones to get things started.

- Bring out the veggies and  meats with a kettle of a soft, but well rounded tea like Silver Needle.  

- Finish up with the desserts while serving a unique, decaf dessert tea like Tiramisu Rooibos.

Let us know how it goes.  We'd love to see photos of your High Tea parties.  Post them in our Spill It Forum under Tea Photos.

How is it that you enjoy your night time tea? Do you enjoy a cup of herbal in the quiet after the kids go to bed? Do you sip a cup during the nightly news? I take mine out to the front porch and sip my tea while I drink in the night. Listening to the night sounds of suburbia, Killdeers winging through the dark... Sometimes watching a bat fly in and out of the streetlight catchng insects.

Other times I sit quietly with prayer beads in hand and ask the Universe to help plot my course to contentment, pray for the end of suffering and war... or pray for things closer to home and my heart... or I simply give thanks for the blessings I have.

These are prayer beads I made for a friend fighting breat cancer.

Do you have a night time ritual invovling tea?

If you're like me, you drink tea at all hours of the day... right up until (and sometimes past) bedtime.  This post is about one of those nights...  I love to sit outside, while drinking my favorite cup (or pot in this case) of decaf or herbal, in the summer when the night bloomers are active and take in the aroma of night blooming jasmine... Some orchids, too, only emit their lovely fragrances at night.  One of my favorite night time specticals is the opening of my night blooming Epiphylum cactus flowers. 

It starts out like this...

Then begins to open...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the bloom grows larger...

You can literally watch it move and open...

 

When it is fully open, it resembles an angel with glowing white skirts...

There are diiferent varieties... Some that grow upright, like thick trees with many blooms at once.  There are several of these blooming now in my neighborhood.  Mine is a vine with flat segments...

Women have used teas to improve their complexions for centuries and beauty consumers of today are no different. Studies have credited tea with a relieving such skin conditions as acne and rosacea, and helping to protect against ultraviolet rays which cause wrinkles and skin cancer. One study actually credits tea with rejuvenating the skin! 1 Currently, there is a vast array of products containing tea on the market ranging from cleansers to creams. Although the tea most commonly associated with skin care is green tea, researchers have found that white, rooibos, oolong and black all offer positive benefits to skin.
White, green, oolong and black tea come from the Camellia sinensis plant, the difference being the length of fermentation. Rooibus tea hails from the Asplathus linearis which native to South Africa . Regardless of the variety or plant of origin, each of these teas contain powerful antioxidents and have been found to be equally beneficial to skin health.2

There are two ways to use tea to get better skin: by drinking it or applying it topically. Drinking tea is a direct and enjoyable way to increase your body's antioxident levels 3, and brings with it numerous other benefits to your health. Using it topically is also easy: Dab tea right onto your face and let it dry for 15 minutes, following up with a clear water rinse. The astringent properties in the tea called tannins calm swelling, redness, and irritation to naturally sooth your skin.

Tea is also used by dermatologists to help heal more serious skin conditions. One study found that a 2% green tea ointment used for six weeks resulted in a decrease of acne lesions by 58% in study participants.4 Some creams containing tea have been found to relieve itching for those suffering from eczema, while others protect against damaging sun exposure.
Medical research is bearing out what the Ancient Chinese knew 4,000 years ago. Tea, in whatever variety you choose, can be an important contributor to healthy skin.

1.http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0429_

030429_teaimmunity_2.html
2.http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/9/2248.full
3.http://www.now-university.com/Library/DietarySupplementSupport/Antioxidants/080008.htm
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19363854