Culture When times get tough, there’s no better time to band together and help each other out.

Humanitarian Tea Projects

Abby Morrison

Right now, the world is in a difficult season. But when times get tough, there’s no better time to band together and help each other out. Here are some tea projects doing good out there, as well as some ways that you can help.<

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Culture A carefully crafted menu of homemade treats...yum!

21st Century Tea Time with Friends and Colleagues

Heather Edwards

Sharing tea with friends today can still be a dress-up affair with a carefully crafted menu of either bakery-bought or homemade treats, especially for birthdays and celebrations like graduations or promotions, but we all know that casual and convenient are more likely to be the themes today because it’s so easy and fun to do.

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Culture Flag of Turkey

Turkish Tea

Diana Rosen

Diana Takes us to Turkey in this article dedicated to Turkish Tea and traditions! Read on for some delicious recipes to incorporate into your own tea traditions! Şerefe!

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Culture Tea goes great with your Thanksgiving feast!

THANKSGIVING

Diana Rosen

For some, Christmas begins right when Halloween ends, but we like to take time for November's special day of thanks! Celebrate your gratitude with (you guessed it) a little TEA!

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Culture Tea filter has more than 1 meaning

Is Tea Millennial?

Natasha Nesic

If you've been anywhere near your Facebook feed recently, it seems that tea has been getting bigger and bigger in social culture. Blame the Millennials! This current generation of pesky kids has a lot to answer for, Instagramming their leaves all over the place. Question is: does that make tea a "Millennial thing"? And come to think of it--what the cup does "Millennial" mean, anyway?

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Culture Tea Field

ALL ABOUT TEA: Pu Erh

Heather Edwards

It is not fresh, but intentionally and carefully aged, sometimes for decades. It does come in loose leaf varieties but generally puerh comes in a compressed form: bricks, rounds, knobs, balls. It always begins as green tea despite its dark color. And, it is a signature tea from the province of Yunnan in mainland China.

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Culture Fringe? Or "fringe?"

The Real Scandal in Bohemia

Natasha Nesic

This summer has seen the resurrection of "boho chic": overwrought gypsy skirts and peasant tops that should have been buried for good in 2005. Ten years later, boho brings back the paisley circus tents. But someone must told them to cut it out, so they put in more cutouts. Plus fringe, tassels, and finally meshing it all up before it was released to the hangers, where it has been picked up by fashion's desperate hangers-on.

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Culture The Ideal InTEArview

Fashion Infusion: The Business Tea

Natasha Nesic

You've done it! You've finally arranged that super important awesome business meeting of a lifetime. Now for the venue. Chances are that you'll be meeting between 11am and 4pm, which narrows down your options. A coffee shop won't cut it, especially not if you intend to impress. A stately tea, however, is just the right touch.

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Culture Forget Christian, meet Earl Grey.

Because You Always Wanted A Monocle

Natasha Nesic

Because You Always Wanted A Monocle: Earl Grey Style 101. A black blend of rusty-sweet, followed by floral afternotes, all under the influence of bergamot's heady scent. Not to mention the way those cornflowers bobble like drunken tutus as it steeps, a small respite from the loneliness of paper-writing or deep space.

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Culture Popsicles aren't just for kids

End-of-Summer Tea Delights Abound

Diana Rosen

The calendar indicates that summer is drawing to a close, however, the temperatures remain high, the lure of water sports stays strong and the desire for something cool and refreshing to eat or drink is easily satisfied with our favorite ingredients: Tea!

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Culture Tales & Tea for Tolkien's Birthday

Tales & Tea Leaves Map Out a Tolkien Journey

Diana Rosen

Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" are legion, so it's no wonder that one of our most popular collections is Tales & Tea Leaves, spectacular teas in six reusable tins in a terrific 9"x9"x1.5" shadow box you can hang on your office wall or place on the kitchen counter.

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Culture Crowds at the Victoria Tea Festival

North of the Border: Tea in Canada

Tiffany Picard

If you’re reading this article, chances are you know that tea is hot, hot, hot in the U.S. But did you know that a parallel tea movement is happening a few miles north of the border? Across Canada, tea shops and tea communities are blooming like Jasmine Pearl leaves in a teacup.

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Culture Hit the books with a cup of tea

Back To School: Tea Education

Samantha Cappuccino-Williams

'Tis the season for back-to-school! While many people have been waiting for this all summer so they can get a break from their kids, others are eager to get back to learning themselves. But you don't have to wait until September or be enrolled in a traditional school to achieve such self-improvement, especially when it comes to tea.

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Culture Back to class

Campus Tea Time

Christine Banks

It's back to campus time for college students. How do you feed your tea addiction if you're living in a dorm? Hopefully your dorm is outfitted with 21st century electricity! At other schools, it's purely a safety rule since they can't check that every appliance has an automatic shutoff and students' lives are more important than convenience. Therefore, check the rules so you don't get in trouble. Don't say we didn't warn you!

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Culture Part of the Adagio Teas display

2011 World Tea Expo Recap

Cynthia Fazekas

This year's World Tea Expo seemed to fly by all too quickly. First, let me state the obvious: Las Vegas is HOT. It was a toasty 103° F when we walked out of the airport to the taxi line. The dry heat did not make you feel like you were melting, but simply disintegrating on the spot. The need for iced tea was great indeed!

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Culture Lady Gaga toting fancy teaware

CelebriTEA Tastes

Christine Banks

While coffee mostly dominates the U.S. cultural lexicon (for now!), more and more celebrities are embracing tea. Sure, we can see tea featured prominently on TV shows like The Mentalist and NCIS: Los Angeles, but do the stars actually enjoy tea like the rest of us?

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Culture Our trade show booth detail.

Preview: 2011 World Tea Expo

Cynthia Fazekas

June is very special to tea people, for later this month the "who's who" of specialty tea will gather in Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo. It is a business-to-business trade show, devoted solely to specialty tea - the good stuff! For three days, industry veterans and "newbies" will attend classes, sample products, and discuss industry news.

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Culture Alice in Wonderland

Tea Adventures in An Online Wonderland

Robert Schmelter

Social networking has made it easier for enthusiasts to unite online in praise of a common passion. For some, it may be friending a favorite band on MySpace. Others track the comings and goings (and random thoughts) of their favorite celebrities on Twitter. A fan of Jimmy Buffett? You and thousands of other Parrot-heads can share your favorite concert memories on Facebook.

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Culture A waiting cup

The Way of Tea

Mikael Zaurov

There was once a famous Chinese master named Zhao Zhou. He was so famous that he had visitors all the time who would come seeking the meaning of enlightenment. One day two young seekers knocked on his door begging for words of wisdom. Zhao Zhou welcomed them into his small hut and told them to sit down at a table where an old monk was already sitting. "Please tell me the meaning of Buddha," the first student asked. Zhao Zhou replied, "Drink some tea!"

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Culture Japanese Tea Garden

Introduction to Japanese Tea Ceremonies

Cinnabar

Seattle is home to two authentic locations where one can witness the beauty and noble art of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Join tea-blogger, Cinnabar of GongfuGirl.com as she brings us to the Shoseian and Ryokusuian tea houses located each respectively at the Seattle Arboretum and the Seattle Art Museum.

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Culture 'Thai' Tea

Blending Teas

Christine Rillo

Inspired by all the different signature blends on our website? You too can take a crack at blending something tasty and unique. Check out this article on getting the inspiration and idea for a blend. Then head over to our website to purchase a blend or make one of your very own.

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Culture Tea by Candlelight

Steeped in Romance

Christine Rillo

Want to incorporate tea in your Valentine's day festivities? Check out this list of simple ways to infuser a little tea into your romantic evening. Also read up on some useful facts and conversation starters regarding our favorite beverage.

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Culture Olympic Pu-Erh

Olympic Worthy Tea

Christine Rillo

In 2008, the 29th Olympics were hosted in the largest tea-producing country in the world; China. As tea is one of China's gifts to the world, many Olympic-exclusive teas and merchandise were produced. Come check out what special products were offered during this special event.

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Culture Teacup

Tea Girl Survives Coffee Town

Cynthia Fazekas

A good cuppa in the city that lives for coffee? Cynthia Fazekas, our fearless wholesale manager survives in this coffee-centric town by seeking out some great tea places. Come read about her adventures in Seattle as she check's out the city's best food and tea.

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Culture A healthy choice for college students

Tea in College

Kate Lynch

College: late nights, lots of work, bad food, parties, and...tea? Check out from resident college student Kate Lynch on how tea really is the perfect college drink. That's even excluding beer!

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Culture Tea and School Bullies

Tea and School Bullies

Mr. Tea

I love tea, I drink like four cups a day. But the kids at school keep picking on me saying that it is for girls. One guy even poured pepper into my tea when I wasn't looking and I drank it. Yuck!

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Culture Samovar

An Introduction to Tea Ceremony and Tea Customs

Chris Cason

As the second-most popular beverage in the world, it is not surprising that many practices have developed worldwide to enjoy tea. In this installment of TeaMuse, we'll take a journey through the world of tea (no passport required!) and explore the many customs that have been infused into different cultures.

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Culture Madonna

Editorial: Tea with Madonna

Michele Deppe

Fashion, and its 'beautiful people', are somewhat of an enigma to me. I appreciate great clothes, the sumptuousness of fine fabrics and the ritual of changing with the seasons. I've lingered over Ralph Lauren ads and wanted to step right into them. Give me the horse, the estate, and the outfit, please.

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Culture Ti Kuan Yin Statue

Ti Kuan Yin: Iron Goddess of Mercy

Diana Rosen

Ti Kuan Yin (aka Guanyin,) the famous oolong tea with leaves as black and as rich as iron, is a variation on the name for the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin (Guanyin.) How the two became synonymous with one another began, like many stories, with a fable...

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Culture

Examples of Tea in Art

Diana Rosen

Capturing the quiet pleasures of tea is a theme in many paintings, book illustrations, and even on tea accessories themselves. The complex yet serenely colorful scenes of chanoyu (the Japanese tea ceremony) often animate room screens, teapots and the other exquisite art and accessories of Japan.

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Culture Tea in Literature

Tea in Literature

Diana Rosen

The venerable tea master, Lu Yu, wrote the first known book on tea, Cha Ching or The Classic of Tea, A.D. 780, in which he espoused on the proper utensils, the finest spring waters, and the ideal temperatures for brewing. Among the factual data is a fount of poetry...

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Culture Flute Player

Tea Inspired Songs and Music

Diana Rosen

Would you like a cup of tea? To many of us, that is music to our ears. So it's no surprise that the sounds of tea plucking and preparation have led to many a song for voice and instrument praising our most delightful brew.

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Culture Editorial: Ordering Tea Online

Editorial: Ordering Tea Online

Melanie Uy

he morning rush line has formed and under a flurry of orders, start pulling shot after double shot of espresso, foaming milk in large stainless steel pitchers, and mixing it all together in the frenzied joy that is coffee bartending. Cappuccino, large double mocha, small skinny latte... tea, please. The customer repeats his order and it seems as if the world has suddenly paused.

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Culture The Future of Tea

The Future of Tea

Wendy Rasmussen

Tea is an incredibly ancient beverage. For thousands of years leaves have fallen into the cups of great rulers, philosophers and spiritual leaders. Man has learned the way of the leaf. We have made this revered beverage a central part of almost every world culture. Can there be anything new to add?

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Culture Tea History: Cults and the Vow of Chastity

Tea History: Cults and the Vow of Chastity

Arizona Buddhist Militia

We are on a mission to rescue tea from the cult of exoticism, decadence, and habit. Previous revolutions in tea have had their day, but we find ourselves now in an age of idle chatter and soggy grounds. The following dogma is not intended as a set of universal rules, nor is it the truth of tea, nor a new way to judge others. Rather, the "Vow of Chastity" is a self-imposed exercise in restraint.

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Culture Tea and Superstition

Tea and Superstition

Jane Pettigrew

The most ordinary objects and foods are often associated with all sorts of everyday superstitions, and tea is no exception. All sorts of events and behavior to do with tea drinking are thought to bring bad or good luck.

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Culture Japanese Tea Ceremony: Zen & Leaves

Japanese Tea Ceremony: Zen & Leaves

Jane Pettigrew

A Japanese cup of tea is, in fact, a quiet interlude during which host and guests strive for spiritual refreshment and harmony with the universe. The Japanese Tea Ceremony captures all the elements of Japanese philosophy and artistic beauty, and interweaves four principles - harmony (with people and nature), respect (for others), purity (of heart and mind), and tranquility.

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