Teatime Tuesday: American Tea Companies

 

Teatime Tuesday: American Tea Companies

Continuing with my dive into tea companies thanks to our jigsaw puzzle, this month’s post is about American companies. (You can check out the post about British companies here: http://www.lindashentonmatchett.com/2026/07/teatime-tuesday-british-tea-companies.html.

We all know about the “Boston Tea Party” when hundreds of pounds of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor setting off events that led to the American Revolutionary War. Because of that, coffee became the drink of choice for most American citizens until the mid-1800s when congress imposed an import duty to help pay for the Civil War. For every pound of tea purchased, the federal government received fifteen cents. The duty on coffee was four cents per pound, but when the government became the primary buyer to supply the drink to soldiers, the market collapsed.

Savvy businessmen and marketers, George Gilman and George Huntington Hartford saw an opportunity

and changed the name of company from Gilman & Company to The Great American Tea Company. As one site put it, Gilman “assumed with the word “great” in the name people would assume it was a “great” company. He wasn’t wrong. By the end of 1862, they were operating five stores in New York City. The company continued to grow and after the war was renamed The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 giving the company greater access to the rest of the nation. In honor of the railroad’s completion, the company adopted the acronym A&P. By 1878 A&P had stores in Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Newark, and Washington, DC.

Other food products were soon added to the business, and by 1881, they had a chain of more than one hundred grocery stores and had a delivery route of more than 5,000 homes. By 1915, they operated more than 1,600 stores. Coffee was added to the mix, and by 1941 Eight O’Clock coffee was the best-selling brand worldwide. The tea company was no more.

Ferndell, another brand featured on the jigsaw puzzle, began in 1862 as part of the Sprague Warner Company as a retailer of coffee, tea, and spices. The company is said to have done well, but little information could be found other than to say it “shuttered its doors in the 1990s.”

R.C. Bigelow, Inc. (known as Bigelow Tea Company) was founded in New York City in 1945 by Ruth C. Bigelow and remains a family-run company today. Intriguingly, Mrs. Bigelow was an interior design, not a tea maker by trade. Her first tea was “Constant Comment,” a black tea flavored with orange rinds, a recipe inspired by a colonial tea recipe. Mention in The New York Times by food writer Jane Holt gave the tea the boost it needed to become highly popular. Sold for $0.75 for a 2 ¼ ounce bag, the tea was considered expensive until an article by food writer Clementine Paddleford touted that the tea is “so flavorful that three-quarters of a teaspoon makes six bracing cups of aromatic spiciness.”

The company did so well that by 1950, Ruth and David Bigelow sold their brownstone and moved to

Connecticut where they purchased a small factory in Norwalk. Five years later, nearly everything in the company was washed into the Norwalk River during a flood, but the family persevered, and several months later were able to recommence operations. In 1960, son David joined the firm, and the senior Bigelows retired. Constant Comment continued to be successful, but in 1974, the company introduced new flavors, all of which have been highly popular. To prevent the Charleston Tea Plantation being sold to developers, Bigelow purchased the land in 2003. The farm was the site of the first tea made entirely from US-grown leaves. Renamed the Charleston Tea Garden, the facility offers trolley tours of the gardens and walking tours of the factory.

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Swedish Sunrise (Coming September 15, 2026) 

Espionage. Diplomacy. Resistance. Is there any room for love?

Weeks after being accepted into America’s Office of Strategic Services, Birgit Westgard finds herself in Stockholm, Sweden - “Casablanca of the North.” The job is supposed to be easy: typing and filing. Then her handsome boss taps her to be his “plus-one” at social events where they collect intelligence, plant propaganda, and dance the nights away. How much longer can she remain impervious to his charm?

Silas Cronin is one of the lucky ones, and his plane crash lands in neutral Sweden. Bored with cooling his heels in an internment camp, he raises his hand when the government comes looking for someone who can type. Suddenly, he’s in Stockholm, mired in intrigue and subterfuge, and more than a little attracted to his new secretary who wants nothing to do with him. Is she right that wartime is no time for romance?

Pre-order link: https://books2read.com/u/3RRqyv

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%26P
https://www.britannica.com/money/Great-Atlantic-and-Pacific-Tea-Company-Inc
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-great-american-tea-company.178300/
https://blog.englishteastore.com/2013/04/16/companies-that-started-as-tea-sellers/
https://www.tedkennedywatson.com/2018/03/08/since-1862-ferndell-coffee/
https://www.bigelowtea.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigelow_Tea_Company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwMnyNUWTg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRvckzDCv_g

Photo Credits:  

Puzzle Poster: Author photo of poster

Advertising Circular: Public Domain

Constant Comment Box: By Own work by uploader; photo released under cc-by-sa-3.0 and GFDL, Fair use.

Charleston Tea Garden sign: By Own work by uploader; photo released under cc-by-sa-3.0 and GFDL, Fair use.

Teatime Tuesday: British Tea Companies

 Teatime Tuesday: British Tea Companies

Jigsaw puzzles and tea are two of my favorite things, although I came to both later in life. Hubby and I now own about fifty(!) jigsaw puzzles, and one of our recent purchases from White Mountain Puzzles is “Teatime.” As an inveterate researcher, I couldn’t help but investigate the various business displayed. Today I’ll be sharing about two of the British companies.

Twinings:
Founded in 1706, Twinings has the honor of holding the world’s oldest continuously used logo as well as being “London’s longest-standing ratepayer” (taxpayer for us Americans). The company has occupied the same building at 216 Strand since its founding.

The Twinings family originally hailed from Gloucestershire where they were weavers. However,

business took a bad turn during a recession, and the family went to London in 1684 to find work. When he was old enough their son Thomas was apprenticed to a weaver but changed careers (somewhat unusual for the time), and he went to work for a tea merchant. He then found employment with the East India Company and by all accounts did well for himself.

Coffee house were popular places for men to hold meeting, and in 1706, the savvy young Thomas purchased Tom’s Coffee House where he also sold tea which was gaining in popularity. He soon realized he was selling more dry tea than brewed tea and changed his business model to include selling the dry tea to other coffee houses and wealthy households. By 1717, he was so successful, he was able to purchase adjacent houses and expand his business. After Thomas passed away in 1741, he son Daniel took over and by 1749 was exporting tea to the American colonies. According to the Twinings website “when the Boston Tea Party dumped English tea into the harbor to protest against the British imposing taxation without representation, a local writer noted ‘…it was not Twinings tea the Boston rebels tossed into the sea.’”

Good to know.

Horniman's

The second brand pictured on the puzzle is Horniman’s which was founded in 1826 by Quaker John Horniman who lived in Newport, Isle of Wight. At this time, tea leaves were sold “loosely,” which allowed dishonest traders to add filler such as hedge clippings or dust (Wikipedia). John came up with a way to use mechanical devices to fill pre-sealed packages thus reducing his cost of production, but more importantly guaranteeing a high-quality product.

He was a marketing genius and heavily promoted his tea as “pure.” The illustration on his materials shows the harvesting and processing of the tea being done in a small, rural setting “under the watchful eye of Horniman’s Tea Company.” Additional verbiage touted, “imported free from the usual injurious mineral facing powder.”

According to the Horniman website, John also “emphasized how tea could improve the drinker’s life…

marketing centered on women from upper-class background…and the go-to tea for the household.” Customers could also receive coupons and discounts, and “if someone bought enough tea, they could get discounted or free clothing, jewelry, cutlery, and/or children’s toys.

His tactics worked. By 1891, Horniman’s was the largest tea trading business in the world.

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About Eye of the Beholder (Apron Strings Tea Tales)

Shunned for his appearance, a disfigured veteran encounters acceptance and love where he least expects it.

Left with physical and emotional scars after the Great War, Hank Drake has been shunned by polite society as the Ugly Duckling. Fine by him. He’d much rather be alone. Until he meets the kind proprietress of a tea stand at New York’s World’s Fair who isn’t repulsed by his appearance. Can he hope for acceptance…or even love?

Grace Sutton has no interest in marrying and is tired of her parent’s snide comments that she’s still single on the eve of her 40th birthday. After she loses her job thanks to budget cuts, she decides it’s time to follow her dream of feeding others. Armed with Mrs. Canfield’s cookbook, she opens a refreshment stand at the World’s Fair unaware how one man will turn her life upside down and upset the apple…er, tea cart.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Pz88KO

Sources:
https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/history-of-twinings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinings
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/hornimans-pure-tea/
https://postcardhistory.net/2025/04/the-history-of-hornimans-pure-tea/

Photo Credits:

Tea Puzzle: Courtesy White Mountain Puzzles

Thomas Twinings: By Unknown author - http://www.twickenham-museum.org.uk/detail.asp. Public Domain.

John Horniman: Courtesy Sarah Montgomery http://www.quakersintheworld.org

Horniman's Advertisement: Courtesy https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/hornimans-pure-tea/ 

Teatime Tuesday: White Tea

Teatime Tuesday: White Tea

Because caffeine tends to “disagree” with me, I stopped drinking coffee many years ago. I was eventually introduced to herbals “teas” which are actually tisanes or infusions. A couple of years ago, I discovered green and white teas which do contain caffeine but not enough to cause issues. Jasmine, a green tea, is my absolute favorite, but I also partake a white tea, a lighter, brighter flavored tea.

According to The New Tea Companion, white tea “was originally named after the tiny white or silver hairs that cover the bud {of the Camellia sinensis plant) as it develops at the top of each tea shoot.” White tea was originally only made in China from two varieties of the team plant, but with the popularity of white tea, it is now being produced in other parts of the world.

For tea aficionados, there is a difference between white teas. Some are made from only the new leaf bud

and gathered before it starts to unfurl, while other white teas are made from the new bud and one or two young open leaves. Purists will notice these white teas look significantly different from Yin Shen White Needles.

I’m still dabbling with white teas but find that almost all when brewed have a very pale, almost champagne-colored liquid. Some popular varieties in addition to Yin Shen are Bai Mudan (White Peony), Monkey Picked White Tea, and Darjeeling. The aroma is light, soft, and sweet, which author Jane Pettigrew describes as “velvety.” (I’m not sure how to interpret that!) Others have used words such as floral, grassy, honey, fruity, melon, peach, apricot, vanilla, chocolate, citrus, herby, mild, subtle, delicate and sweet. Because it is the least processed of the three teas (black, green, white), the level of antioxidants in white tea is higher than that of others.

In addition to its antioxidants, white tea is a great source of fluoride which can help protect your teeth from bacteria and sugar. Some studies have shown the compounds in white tea may protect against osteoporosis, heart disease, and insulin resistance.

What I find most beneficial is taking time to brew the tea, sitting down, and enjoying the fragrance and taste – being in the moment – which lessens my stress level. If you’ve never tried white tea, I highly recommend you give it a try!

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Dutch Dawn

Will they survive the 500-mile journey to freedom?

Isak Westgard is only six missions short to be rotated stateside. Then the unthinkable happens, and he crashes in the occupied Netherlands where the chances of him making it back to England are slim to none. The beautiful and tough-as-nails resistance courier begs to differ and claims she hasn’t lost anyone yet. The problem is the longer they’re together, the less he wants to escape.

 
Annaliese Claasen has escorted her fair share of refugees and downed Allied pilots to safety - too numerous to remember. Until now. There’s something different about the Norwegian-American lieutenant, and it’s more than his good looks. Can she get him out of the country before losing her heart?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/bMjoxV

Sources:
The New Tea Companion by Jane Pettigrew & Bruce Richardson, Benjamin Press, Kentucky, 2008
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/white-tea-benefits
https://www.teatulia.com/tea-varieties/what-is-white-tea.htm

Photo Credits:
Tea “needles:” By Iateasquirrel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Cup of White Tea: Courtesy of SakiProducts.com
Tea Plants: Pixabay/sxh41920

Teatime Tuesday: Herbal Tea

 Teatime Tuesday: Herbal Tea

“Herbal tea” is a misnomer, as tea is only made from the Camillia Sinensis plant. The more appropriate term is tisane, which like tea should be infused with freshly boiled water. Infusion is a fancy term for the process of steeping (soaking) herbs until the water absorbs the oils and flavors. With a few exceptions most herbs are caffeine-free which is why some individuals prefer them over coffee or tea. Others drink herbal tisanes for their medicinal and healthful properties. Since ancient times infusions have been recognized as an excellent source of antioxidants.

The length of times the herbs should steep depends on the part of the plant being used:

• Roots and bark: 8 hours
• Leaves: 4 hours
• Flowers: 2 hours
• Seeds and fresh berries: 30 minutes or more

Once the required timeframe has elapsed, strain the liquid, wash the container, then pour the infusion

back into the container and store in the fridge for no more than 48 hours.

According to Tea and Herbal Infusion Europe (THIE), as many as 500 plants and 400 parts of plants are used for making herbal and fruit infusions. Some of the more popular contain:

• Cardamom: Great for helping with tummy aches and indigestion
• Ginger: Also great for indigestion, but also has excellent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties
• Lemon Balm, Valerian, and Chamomile: All effective for combatting insomnia and helping you get a good night’s rest.
• Echinacea: Thought to help with colds

Things to remember:

Herbs can be harmful if you ingest too much. Do your research to ensure you don’t combine the wrong herbs. Follow recipes from trusted sources and pay attention to any warnings given. Consult your doctor or herbalist before drinking infusions.

What are your favorite flavors?

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Shetland Sunset:

Bonded by a cause but an ocean apart, will their love survive a world war?

After months in Norway helping his cousins with their fishing business, American Askel Westgard seems trapped when the Germans invade until he has a chance to get back at the Occupiers as part of the Shetlandsgjengen, or Shetland gang, a group of fishermen who transport weapons and equipment from Shetland to Norway under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s just met refuses to join him in safety. Will he ever see her again?

Distraught when the Germans overrun her beloved Norway, Tonje Bondevik refuses to take the occupation sitting down. She joins the fledgling resistance movement, deriving great satisfaction distributing the underground newspaper and performing acts of sabotage…until the day the Nazis come looking for her, and she must flee for her life. Perhaps she should have listened to the handsome Norwegian American when he offered to take her to Shetland.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AWqJk

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbal_tea
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10144634/
https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-make-an-herbal-infusion-1762142
https://www.tea.co.uk/about-infusions

Photo Credits:

Peppermint: Pixabay/Conger Design

Sage: Pixabay/Conger Design

Teacup: Pixabay/Olga Kachor

Teatime Tuesday: It's Not Easy Being Green

Teatime Tuesday: 

It’s Not Easy Being Green

As the beverage of choice in America, coffee is consumed by 60-70% of the population, with tea a distant second. However, according to several studies, tea is gaining popularity for its health benefits and lower caffeine content. Black tea tends to be the most popular with robust, spicy chai tea gaining traction.

Green and white teas seem to be viewed as “relaxing” drinks, although some varieties of each have as much if not more caffeine than some black teas. Made from the same leaves as black tea: Camellia sinensis, green tea has not been subjected to withering and the oxidation process. No chemical changes occur during its manufacture.

Green teas are “initially processed by soaking in an alcohol solution, which may be further concentrated

to various levels.” (Wikipedia). Next comes a series of rollings and firings to shape and dry the leaves. Sometimes, the leaf is alternately rolled or shaped by hand, giving each tea its own characteristic appearance, and rolling and shaping often differs by country.” (The New Tea Companion; Jane Pettigrew).

A number of studies have been done to determine the health benefits, if any, of green tea and include:

• An increase of one cup per day has been correlated with a slightly lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
• Green tea consumption is has been noted to lower fasting blood sugars as well as decrease the blood concentration of total cholesterol.
• A study by the National Institute of Health showed a decrease in body weight, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure.

An interesting feature to tea (black, green, white, or other) is that the caffeine is metabolized slower and more “evenly” than coffee, providing a sort of “time-release” effect thought to last 4-6 hours rather than the “jolt” one gets from coffee.

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Love Under Construction

Can two stubborn people tear down the walls of independence to find love?

Nadine Krause took in boarders to help her family climb out of debt after her father’s death. Business has gone well, and she’s earned enough to expand the house. When her brother’s friend agrees to take the job - the only man in town willing to work for a woman - sparks fly. But not the good kind. Or are they?

Looking for something different, Leo Albrecht takes a project working for Nadine Krause, the spunky owner of Cocoaville’s favorite boarding house. An easy job. Then he manages to injure himself and needs her help to finish making it nearly impossible to ignore his growing attraction. Should he break his rule of not mixing work and his personal life?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/47Gn0q

Photo credits:

Green Tea: Pixabay/Apple_Deng

Tea Drying: Courtesy tea101.com

Tea Leaves: Pixabay/Silke

Teatime Tuesday: Cooking with Tea

Teatime Tuesday: Cooking with Tea

Tea isn’t just for drinking! Like other herbs, tea is a leaf, and as such can be used like you would an herb either in cooking or baking. A current trend is the use of matcha tea as a baking ingredient. A mint-green powder made by grinding the leaves, it is often used in cakes and pastries adding an aromatic “punch” as well as antioxidants. More baking ideas include Earl Grey or chai tea in pound cakes or shortbreads. Peppermint tea adds zip to your brownies in time for the holidays.

You can bake with any tea, however, as one site says, “that doesn’t mean every recipe will taste great when you use any type of tea (think of pizza – you wouldn’t top it with just any cheese.) As such, you’ll want to choose the type of tea with care. The flavor should blend or complement the other flavors in the recipe.

There are many ways bake with tea:

• Tea-infused liquids
• Ground tea leaves
• Tea-infused sugar
• Tea simple syrup
• Tea ganache (yep, you read that correctly. Instead of using milk, try brewed tea)
• Tea glaze

So, how about cooking with tea?

Adding tea leaves to soups, stews, and broths like any herb creates a complex flavor combination sure to please. Green tea goes well with onion, garlic, and ginger. Try your favorite tea as a marinade or rub. Black and oolong tea work well with chicken, turkey or pork, and play well with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and other spices. Tea-smoke duck is a classic Szechuan dish.

Dips, sauces, and dressings can also be “taken up a notch,” to quote a certain TV celebrity chef. Black tea goes well with hoisin sauce for your next stir fry. Or brewed sweet tea blends with sweet and sour sauce as a delicious dip for fried chicken, tempura vegetables, or other deep-fried goodies.

What your favorite not-so-usual way of cooking or baking with tea?

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Legacy of Love, Part of A Cheerful Heart Anthology

Will their love come at a cost?

Escaping Boston to avoid a marriage of convenience aimed at garnering society’s respect for her family name in the shadow of her father’s war profiteering, Meg Underwood settles in Oregon. Despite leaving behind the comforts of wealth, she’s happy. Then the handsome Pinkerton agent, Reuben Jessop, arrives with news that she’s inherited her aunt’s significant estate, and she must return home to claim the bequest. Meg refuses to make the trip. Unwilling to fail at his mission, Reuben gives her until Christmas to prove why she should remain in Oregon and give up the opportunity to become a woman of means. When he seems to want more than friendship, she wonders if her new-found wealth is the basis of his attraction.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4pO3PrZ 

Photo Credits:

Matcha Tea: Pixabay/Asana Kalumpaburt

Tea Leaves: Pixabay/DandelionL

Teatime Tuesday: Traditions Around the World

Teatime Tuesday: 

Traditions Around the World

Tea began in China and slowly made its way around the globe. As each country has embraced the fragrant drink, cultures and traditions arose. Here are just a few:

China: Originally used as for medicinal purposes, tea was eventually enjoyed by the monks for its calming effects. There are several tea ceremonies in China, the most well-known being Gongfu Cha (“making tea with skills”). Oolong is the tea of choice for this ceremony during which guests are served over the course of twenty-five minutes, and at the end the tea is imbibed. Guests hold the cup in both hands and take three sips.

India: Over 70% of the tea produced in India is consumed by the country’s residents. Darjeeling and

Assam are popular, but Chai far outweighs consumption. The Chinese word for tea is cha, and chai is derived from that. Black tea is infused with a number of spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. Served to guests, the tea is brewed in two steps: first with the spices, then with milk and sugar.

Japan: The tea ceremony chanoyu (“hot water for tea”) uses Matcha, a powdered green tea, and as with
the other traditions, is used for guests. The ceremony is complex with many utensils and planned over several weeks. There is a specific vocabulary associated with the ceremony that can last up to four hours!

Russia: Traditional drunk in the afternoons, the Russian ceremony can last for hours. Brewing is done in a small ceramic pot called a samovar creating a concentrated liquid. In the early days, charcoal was used as the heat source. Each person pours a portion into their own cup and mixes it with hot water. The ceremony includes sweets and pastries.

Great Britain: It’s a well-known fact, the British people love their tea, and with it, their tea traditions. High tea originated with the wealthy and the peerage who normally only ate two meals each day: a late breakfast and a late dinner. Developed as a way to assuage hunger between the two meals, high tea takes place in the afternoon and includes three “courses:” finger sandwiches, jam and cream, and small cakes or other treats. The tea of choice is unflavored black tea with milk.

What your favorite way to enjoy tea?

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A Lesson in Love:
He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Her friend talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, blonde leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Photo credits:

Tea crop: Pixabay/Mikhail Mamontov

Japanese Matcha Tea: Pixabay/Teechan

Samovar: Pixabay/Katya36

Teatime Tuesday: A Love Affair with Tea

Teatime Tuesday:

A Love Affair with Tea

Many years ago, my doctor told me to take caffeine out of my diet to solve some health problems. As someone who drank LOTS of coffee, I was not happy with the mandate. However, I was paying her to be the subject matter expert, so I complied.

In search of something to replace coffee, I tried cider, but it was difficult to find out of season, and it was too sugary for my taste (I took my coffee black). Someone mentioned tea, but when I investigated, I discovered that although black tea doesn’t have as much caffeine as coffee, there is enough to cause issues. Several years passed before I learned about green tea and white tea. Both contain caffeine, but research turned up the facts that the amount is small enough for me to handle and our bodies metabolize tea differently that we do coffee, so the effect is less of a “punch” or stimulant.

I’m a happily converted tea drinker and adore green and white teas. Also a bit finicky, I purchase loose

leaves to brew.

The tea plant, an evergreen, was classified by Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753 as Camellia sinensis which is subdivided into two main subspecies known as Camellia sinensis sinensis, the variety originally found growing in China, and Camellia sinensis assamica, the plant that is native to India’s province of Assam. The more than 10,000 different teas founded around the world are made from different varietals of Camellia sinensis. The location, altitude where grown, climate, soil, minerals, cultivation methods, etc. all determine the color, character, and flavor of each tea.

Here are the basic types of tea:

• White tea is the most delicate because it is harvested before the plant’s leaves open and minimally processed.
• Green tea is made from the leaves and buds that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process.
• Oolong tea is partially oxidized tea that has gone through a process of elaborate transformation through withering, shaking, firing, rolling, drying, and baking.
• Pu-erh tea is the only tea defined by its geography (like “real” champaign comes from the Champaign region of France). Pu-erh comes from the Yunnan province in China and has been fermented. It is often stored underground for several years.
• Yellow tea is quite rare and is processed like green tea. However, the drying process is slower to allow the leaves to take on a yellow color.
• Black tea has been quickly and heavily oxidized. This is the strongest of the teas and has the highest amount of caffeine.

Herbal teas are not teas. They are tisanes or infusions of botannicals likes fruits, flowers, barks, herbs, mints, spices, roots, berries, and seeds.

If you haven’t tried tea, you’re in for a treat. Experiment with all of them to find your favorite. Twinings, Stash, and Harney & Sons, all offer bagged tea of good quality yet not highly expensive.

___________________

A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3JghuYI  

Sources:
The New Tea Companion, Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson, Benjamin Press, 2008
A Social History of Tea, Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson, Benjamin Press, 2021
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea
https://www.britannica.com/topic/tea-beverage
https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/blog/steeped-in-history-tea-drinking-in-britain/
https://www.stashtea.com/blogs/education/tea-types

Photo credits:

Pouring Tea: Pixabay/Pexels

Tea Plants: Pixabay/seinfuchs

Herb Tea: Pixabay/Pexels

Teatime Tuesday: Tea During World War II

 Teatime Tuesday: Tea During WWII

According to several sites, about eighty percent of Americans drink tea, however, that wasn’t always the case. Coffee was most people’s drink of choice, especially during the 1930s through 1950s. Perhaps it had a little something to do with that altercation called the Boston Tea Party 251 years ago!

On the other hand, the British consume copious amounts of tea, so there was great unrest when it was rationed during World War II. However, even in rationing individuals received enough to have about three cups a day. The reason for the rationing was to ensure that troops had enough tea for their morale and comfort. More than a beverage, as one site put it, “tea was a symbol of national unity. Drinking it provided a warm, comforting sense of home in the midst of combat. Additional benefits were the caffeine that helped troops stay awake, and the water-based drink helped them stay hydrated. Perhaps they also drank less alcohol.

Another site claims that Prime Minister Winston Churchill called tea more important than ammunition and a quarter pound of Twinings tea was included in all Red Cross packages (an estimated twenty million) and field rations. The site also reports that annual government purchases in order of weight were bullets, tea, artillery shells, bombs, and explosives.

Tea was considered so important that Minister of Food, Lord Woolton told tea company to “remove

their stocks to less vulnerable positions.” Within days of the commencement of war, 30,000 tons of tea were sent to a variety of safe houses outside of London. The tea auctions ceased, and the Ministry of Food became the owner of all tea stocks. Of the 280 tea wholesales, they were allowed leaf in only three grades: high, medium, and low. After Mincing Lane, the center of London’s tea trade was bombed in May of 1941 destroying about half of the brokers’ offices, the removal of tea was sped up and by 1942, most of the contents of the warehouses had been dispersed to five hundred locations across the country.

Citizens of the Netherlands were recipients of Britian’s precious commodity when the Royal Air Force dropped 75,000 tea bombs into the occupied country. The bombs carried tea from the Dutch East Indies and a message from the British encouraging the Dutch they would rise again.

A tragic incident occurred on June 13, 1944 when the British 22nd Armored Brigade stopped for a tea break in the village of Villers-Bocage near Normandy. The Germans took advantage of the situation and attacked the “tea party.” The British lost fourteen tanks, nine half-tracks, four gun carriers, and two anti-tank guns, and over two hundred men in a mere fifteen minutes. As a result of this, the Centurion tank produced at the end of the war was equipped with the “Boiling Vessel,” a cube-shaped electric boiler that allowed the crew to brew a cup without leaving the safety of the tank.

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A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Sources: 

https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/tea-blog/keep-calm-carry-on

https://www.carslaketea.co.uk/tea-and-how-important-is-was-during-world-war-two 

https://jenierteas.com/tea-hub/?p=drinking-tea-during-the-blitz-and-world-war-two

https://authorselectric.blogspot.com/2019/02/tea-during-world-war-ii-jan-edwards.html

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1jXL1LhEsTs

https://www.beachesofnormandy.com/didyouknow/Did_you_know_how_tea_influenced_armored_warfare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss0MHh1I0vc&t=15s