While sweet tea has hardly vanished from the Southern diet, cut-glass pitchers of the homebrewed stuff have gradually disappeared from the region's refrigerators as more drinkers turn to powdered mixes and premade teas.

Now Hammacher Schlemmer, the New York-based retailer best known for offering airline travelers gadgets they never knew they needed, is trying to resuscitate sweet-tea traditions with its Authentic Southern Sweet Tea Brewer, a machine that reportedly makes brewing a fresh pot of sweet tea as easy as pulling through the drive-thru at McDonald's (which saw its monthly sales jump 6 percent after belatedly adding sweet tea to its menu in 2007).

Southerners have been drinking sweet tea for at least 150 years, when temperance advocates probably started leaving the booze out of popular tea punches. Sugary tea wasn't unknown outside the South, but folks sweltering below the Mason-Dixon line zealously embraced the cooling beverage.

• The Detroit News delights in the ins and outs of tea, from selecting leaves to crafting the perfect brew -- plus a whole slew of tasty tea-based recipes.
• Nabbed from the Sacramento Bee, here's a quiz on how to increase your calcium intake and stave off osteoporosis.
• When is it OK to use canned tomatoes instead of the fresh stuff? Off-season!
• The News (not the band) performs a blind tasting for potato soups.
• Change up that beloved-by-sick-folks standby with Chicken-Lime Soup with Crispy Tortillas.
• Yet another recall hits the news: This time, Canton's Mucci's Food Products pulls products prepared without federal inspection.
• Recipes: Pan-Seared Scallop and Asparagus with Sherry Vinaigrette, Lemon Tortellini with Prosciutto.
• Michigan Events: The sixth annual Epicurean Classic, Michigan Wine Month, and Vinotecca and Vinology.

It's been remarkably frigid out here on the east coast of late and the bone chilling weather seems to be bringing with it another round of sniffles and head colds. Doctors advise that there's not much to do for a cold other than drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. We can't help you with the rest, but I've got a tasty suggestion for making those liquids go down easy.

Whip up a quick infusion of honey, lemon and ginger. Simply grate a half inch chunk of ginger into a large mug. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in on top (you can also add the zest if you're feeling daring) and add a heaping teaspoonful of honey (feel free to adjust the sweetness level to your personal taste). Fill the cup with boiling water and stir to combine. Drink while still warm and repeat as necessary.

It will soothe a sore throat, help with the cough (truly, honey has been found in scientific studies to calm a cough nearly as well as cough syrup) and taste good to boot!

These days, the food photographs I am most drawn to are unstudied shots like the one you see here from Amanda of Slow Like Honey. She's managed to create an appealing scene with nothing more than a tablecloth, journal, mug of tea, toast and a mound of slices apples. Immediately upon viewing, I to long to crawl into quiet, idyllic scene she's rendered out of a few everyday items.

Thanks Amanda, for adding such a lovely morning scene to the Slashfood Flickr pool.

Tea Spot in NYC's Greenwich Village has a relaxed cozy environment that is perfect for escaping the infectious urban anxiety that often characterizes Manhattan. Tea Spot provides a fascinatingly aromatic treasure chest of teas from which to try. Since every tea has its own ritual, the staff is excellent at explaining how it should be drunk and how long the tea should remain in the pot. For example, with chamomile tea, they suggested leaving the tea in the pot for at least 7 minutes.

One of the most important ways to fully experince tea is to be sitting in the right atmosphere, one that is not overrun with people. One of the best parts about Tea Spot is that it's usually easy to find a seat. There are two floors. The bottom floor has few windows (it's mostly underground) but it's spacious and has several tables. Not only can you purchase tea to stay, but you can also buy it, along with tea pots and filters, to go and drink in the comfort of your home.

This past week, I tasted one of their many rooibos teas that seemed to soothe every neurotic bone in my body with its bright euphoric floral aroma and its sweet slightly nutty flavor. There is something wonderfully calming and meditative about the mere act of sipping tea. I poured just a dash of milk into my cup and was transfixed by the change in color from maroon to light red. For me, the experience of tasting tea seems to begin with a visual response. Then, my olfactory senses dominate my gastronomical perception; it's all about the aroma. And finally, the sensations on my taste buds allow me to become fully absorbed by the tea's unique flavor.

You may remember the first Teastick we reviewed in 2005. You know, if you're that cool and read blogs back then. Well, three years is a long time in Teastick development. Have a look at what's new - at right, the Teastick Gems.

Do they remind anyone else of Barbie shoes? Seriously, that's all I can think of when I look at them. But they're not Barbie shoes, they're not; they make tea.

"Teastick Gems are now made with Eastman Tritan™, a revolutionary new material that is FDA-approved, taste-free and with absolutely no Bisphenol-A!"

I have no idea what Bisphenol-A is, but I feel sort of excited that these don't contain it. I looked up what else is made with Eastman Tritan™ but a Google image search brought me a lumber rack, a synthesizer, and an impressive deer. So, let's assume this is a very new type of plastic.

In any case, Teasticks can go in the dishwasher and are obviously a very handy tea-making shape. The Teastick Gems' semi-clear design allow you to watch your tea pearls unfold and make a perfect 10-14 oz. cup of tea. Perfect for a tea lover's holiday stocking!

Want a cup of tea that brews in three seconds?

The holidays tend to stress us out. Stress makes it hard to sleep. The best thing for you when you're stressed? Sleep. Evolution FAIL.

Everyone knows about tryptophan, that magic amino acid present in turkey that totally knocks you out after Thanksgiving. There's actually quite a lot of it in egg whites, soybeans, and parmesan cheese, too.

It probably doesn't occur to you to get up and eat some turkey in the middle of the night to help you sleep. That's because the protein in turkey and many other tryptophan-rich foods gets your mind ticking. If you awaken from a turkey-induced slumber, you'll find yourself thinking clearly and unlikely to fall back asleep. Conclusion: Turkey is the perfect nap-food.

Here are eight foods and drinks that help you sleep, naptime and/or nighttime:

1. Turkey - the classic nap food.
2. Rice cakes - a food with a high glycemic index eaten about four hours before bed can cause the perfect crash.
3. Milk - also has tryptophan, and is very soothing when warm.
4. Yogurt - dairy foods without a lot of protein are ideal.
5. Wine - don't overdo it; one or two glasses is relaxing; more can disrupt your sleep patterns.
6. Bedtime Tea from Yogi Tea - this tea is serious business.
7. Chamomile tea - your grandmother's version of the same thing.
8. Oatmeal - melatonin, people.

I dare you to have them all in one sitting just to see what happens. Thank you and good night.

This post will warm you best with a hot cup of something. For me, that's freshly roasted Gayo Mountain Sumatra.

We give hot tea when someone is having a bad day and needs to talk. We meet strangers over cups steaming coffee for first dates. We slurp on warm soups when we're sick. But why?

Reuters reports that a new study has found that simply clutching a warm cup can inspire warm feelings. We know this to an extent -- loving laundry straight out of the drier, clutching the warm cup on a cold day -- but there's more to it. John Bargh, a professor of psychology at Yale says: "Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer -- more generous and trusting -- as well." Along with Lawrence Williams (University of Colorado at Boulder) Bargh conducted a series of tests to coordinate reactions based on what liquid beverages the person was holding.

When people held warm cups of coffee, "warmth" became a personality trait they would list in other people, where people holding iced coffee wouldn't. When needing to choose between a gift certificate for a friend and a gift for themselves, the heating pad holders chose the former while the ice packs chose the latter.

Looks like there is more truth to "Ice Queen" or "Ice King" than we thought. Maybe all they need is a good, steaming cup of something tasty.

The kids and I spent 3 days last week in the Southern Adirondacks. A family friend, who is quite an outdoorsman, and experienced birdwatcher, purchased about 40 acres a couple years ago near Hinckley Reservoir in upstate New York. He has been telling me that I need to come up for a visit, and we finally took him up on the offer. One thing that he mentioned in advance of the visit was that he wanted me to show him what was edible on his property. The next several posts will all be from that visit.

This is the first interview in a series of interviews called Tea Company Spotlight that I'd like to do with tea owners from all the tea companies around the world.

My first interview is with Mike Morton, the owner and founder of TeaFrog, founded in 2006 and based online out of Oakville, Ontario with distributors throughout Canada. I've spoken with Mike through reviewing many of his teas for the STeaP podcast since late 2007, and he was all too happy to answer a few questions about his company.

BRANDICE: Tell us a bit about starting your company.

MIKE: I have been a tea drinker for all of my life, and until about 4 years ago, the only tea I knew was Orange Pekoe Tetley Teabags. :) My daughter visited Japan in 2004 and the family that she stayed with sent back a gift package of good green tea. At the time I had no idea how to brew it, taste it, etc, and we could not even read the packaging because it was all in Japanese! We figured out how to make it eventually, and were surprised at how amazing it was compared to the teabag store bought that we had been drinking. As I started to research and explore tea, I grew a passion for finding good tea, and sharing what I knew with friends and family. As I grew evermore - lets say, *obsessed* with it, I started to notice that tea was getting more popular, but the outlets for different varieties and flavors for experimenting with were limited. I just naturally took what I knew about business from previous experience, paired it with a passion, and lo and behold, TeaFrog was born! :)

Chris Cason is Tavalon's tea sommelier, and in this clip, he explains out to create simple syrup infused with tea, which can then be turned into a tea soda that sounds really quite tasty! I'm looking forward to trying this out on my own at some point. Have any of you created a unique beverage with tea?

[Source: Tavalon at Viddler]

Are you a writer who also enjoys tea? There's a contest going on over at Felicitea that offers an opportunity to showcase your writing talents for free tea and other prizes. There's only about a week left, so don't waste any time if you read about the contest and want to participate!

Here's the overview, straight from Felicitea's site:

Write: We're looking for poetry, prose, whatever you like. Feel free to haiku or make up a limerick, or write out a concise little paragraph. Just write about tea and it's relationship to you, your friend, or your last cup of coffee.

We want to connect new drinkers to tea, convert a coffee drinker (or other non-tea drinking people) or two over (at least get them to try good tea!) and reconnect tea lovers with what it is they love about tea.

• Tea drinkers it is your responsibility to help the coffee drinkers of the world. You are charged with helping them understand the joy of tea. If you are a convert tell your story. If you love tea, but still enjoy an occasional cup of coffee it's okay, but what about the tea keeps you coming back to the pot all day? Share with the Internets why they should kick that coffee habit. If you have a friend you're nominating, be specific.
• Coffee/Non-tea drinkers this is your chance to tell us why you drink coffee (or something else) instead of tea. This is your chance to tell all us tea drinkers what it is that makes you go for the espresso instead of the Earl Grey. Did you have a bad tea bag experience? Convinced all green tea is bitter? Are you willing to give it a shot but don't know where to start?

For the detailed rules and the prizes, click to read on!

This recent post about Starbucks - as with most posts about Starbucks - caused the typical coffee cacophony over price and quality. Although I happen to like Starbucks just fine, I certainly appreciate a good homemade cup. Unfortunately, quality espresso machines are pricey and people rarely use them enough to meet their ROI ('Fess up: How many of you have a schmancy DeLonghi at home, but still go to Starbucks every day?). As a veteran barista (of both indie and corporate coffeehouses), I've come up with a stock of supplies to help make gourmet coffee at home.

Espresso drinks:

• Moka pot (like this one from Bialetti): Many Italians still brew their espresso the old-fashioned way -- on the stovetop. The pot steeps espresso grounds in boiling water until the bubbles force the creamy coffee into the top of the Moka. Pour it out, and there's your shot.
  
• Milk Frother (like this one from Aerolatte): This bad boy has a high-speed whisker that whips any kind of milk into foamy shape. (For a cappuccino, use half steamed milk/half foam; for a latte, use mainly steamed milk, with a layer of foam on top).