"teas" news and stories

The New Year is always full of possibilities. There are meals to be eaten, recipes to try and, of course, a slew of new food trends that will shape the way we eat and what food issues will be at the forefront of the news. Of all the trends that seemed to be pushing towards the forefront in recent months, these are some of those that look like they're about to have a breakout year.

Single Origin Chocolates - Dark chocolate was the hot item last year, but more companies, including Hershey's, are introducing and promoting single origin chocolates with cocoa beans from one country - or even one plantation - for their unique flavor profiles.

Healthy Soft Drinks - Jones Soda has eliminated high fructose corn syrup from their recipes. Enviga has been fairly successful so far, thanks to the large amount of publicity that it has received, and Diet Coke Plus will be coming to stores in a few months. Look for other soda companies to follow suit.

Healthy Food Labels - Hannaford supermarket introduced a labeling scheme of their own to direct shoppers to healthier foods and the traffic light system was a success in the UK. Don't be surprised to see more obvious messages about what is and is not good for you.

We have seen a couple of interesting mugs in the past, but the design of this one really strikes a chord with me because I drink quite a bit of tea. This tea bag mug is designed with a pocket built right into it for your tea bag - a convenience when you prefer to use a sturdier mug for hot drinks in the evenings, rather than a cup and saucer. If you're not into tea, or brew yours with loose-leaf tea instead of bagged, you can put the pocket to use in other ways. It can be used to hold packets of sugar or sweeteners when serving to guests and can even hold a small cookie or two. But ultimately, this is a nice, large mug for a tea-lover and probably a must-have for those who really love Lipton or other bagged teas.

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After months and months of green and white tea based products, including Enviga, green tea lattes and even green tea vodka, some beverage companies are starting to go back to black teas as the inspiration for their drinks. Nestle and Coca Cola announced this week that they would be concentrating their joint venture project on black tea-based beverages after the group has rolled out Enviga in Europe in early 2007.

The green tea craze was all in the name of the various health benefits that have been attributed to it. Black tea is still a consumer favorite, however, and now there are studies that have shown that drinking any kind of tea can be good for your health, so there is no reason to stay away from it as a drink option. On top of that, green tea seems to have oversaturated the market for the time being and people are probably ready for a change. It will be interesting to see what the group comes up with, since green tea drinks tended to be far more innovative than the average flavored ice tea and perhaps some of the inspiration for those drinks will be applied to black teas now.

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After getting all that Pink tea from the Republic of Tea, it's probably a good idea to have something to drink it out of and, since we're already looking at a lot of pink-themed things for breast cancer awareness month, why not a pink ribbon cup, as well? While buying one tea cup at a time isn't the most practical way to outfit a kitchen, it's nice to be able to get one to support a cause. The Pink Ribbon Tea Cup is another product where a portion of the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and its connection to the charity extends beyond the color outside cup to the little pink ribbon within.

We think that a cup like this would make a great gift set when paired up with some favorite teas. The teas mentioned above would be a good choice, but other purveyors, including Adagio, will give you a wider range of tea options to choose from, although coffee is always an option, too.

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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to raise awareness and help to raise funds for charities that support cancer research, many companies offer special promotions and products. The Republic of Tea is one such company, with a number of products where a portion of the proceeds goes directly to charity. In fact, as of yesterday, the Republic of Tea has contributed over a half million dollars to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which is pretty impressive since it comes just from tea.

Their Sip for the Cure line includes Pink Grapefruit Green Tea, which was their original offering in the collection, Pink Rose Green Tea, Lady Apple Green Tea and Pink Lemonade Green Tea, as well as marmalade, a mug and a teapot.

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