Tea on Tuesday



JANUARY IS
HOT TEA MONTH!

"The Tea Association of the USA spearheaded national Hot Tea Month in the early 90's. It is an effort to celebrate tea and promote the health benefits of this wonderful beverage.

January is the height of the dreaded "cold and flu season". Published research from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University indicates that theanine, an ingredient found naturally in tea, supports the immune system. A cup of tea contains an average of 20-25 mg of theanine. Drinking tea throughout the day may strengthen the immune system which is something important to do during the cold and flu season. Drinking five cups of black tea a day for two to four weeks boosted the body's immune defense system by four times, according to the results of a human clinical trial. According to this study, the data suggests that drinking black tea boosts the body's natural resistance to infection.* While drinking tea may not keep you from getting sick this season, it can help your odds of staying healthy. So why not do something good for your body while having a hot beverage...help stay healthy this cold and flu season and drink your tea every day! www.TeaUSA.org "


The above excerpt was forwarded to me in an email. I wasn't aware that January was National Tea Month!! Susan from Over a Cup of Tea, is also holding a class later in the month, in Broadway,Va, discussing and tasting the 4 teas from the plant camellia sinensis: white, green, oolong, and black. I signed up - and will report back what I learn!! If you live in the area, and want to join, the class is limited to 12 participants.

Right now, to celebrate National Tea Month, I am warming myself over a fragrant cup of Twinings African Rooibos red tea. I always pronounced it 'rooey-boe'- Twinings informs me that it is pronounced 'roy-boss'!

This red tea comes from the Cedarberg Mts in central S. Africa. The rooibos plant leaves are harvested in the summer, fermented, and dried in the sun, til the leaves turn a deep mahogany red. Very yummy, and caffeine free too!!

Today's photo is a thrift shop trash rescue- a beautiful vintage eggshell porcelain teacup was tossed due to hairline cracks. I brought it home, amazed that it survived the donation box, the trash, and the ride home to my house, with no new chips or cracks!!! The hairline cracks are old and on the inside, rendering the cup useless for tea, but no ruining its appearance from the outside.

My friend Teresa, sent me some lovely cherry blossom fabric from Japan, which was perfect for this cup. I took a curtain tie back (purchased from the thrift store), cut it, and superglued it around the edge of the cup, sewed the fabric around some polyfil, and VOILA!-the teacup is resurrected as a pin cushion!! This one of a kind pin cushion will be in my Etsy store tomorrow!

Be sure to visit Patty and Kimmie for more participants of Tea on Tuesday! And, please, join us again!!!!!

Oh, and a PS - Be still my heart- I just found out that Waterford Crystal makes a crystal teapot with infuser!!! That will DEFINITELY be on my Christmas list for next year!!!!!!

13 comments:

  1. January is Tea Month? After looking at the snow and feeling the freezing temps outside: how appropriate.

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  2. How informative! While a true Seattle coffee hound, I just might be drinking tea after my first two cups of joe each day.
    The pincushion is beautiful! Oh, got your block yesterday and it is already sewn into the top. Only one more row to go.

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  3. sorry not to join you again this week... she said sipping her hot cup of tea made with love by her daughter having just cleaned out the chicken house & taken the dog for a walk in the cold. (The mum not the daughter - she was at college !!)

    The tea went down well !

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  4. Mmm, January tea month?! Being an avid tea drinker this one is new to me. The health information is interesting but it leaves out green tea.

    I am delighted that you were able to find such a wonderful find in a thrift store and maybe I should keep an eye on our local one. Who knows I might find an interesting item for photographic props.

    Your imagination is not lost on me, as I find the pin cushion an excellent idea for giving the cup a second life.

    Wishing you a wonderful week,
    Egmont

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  5. How cool is that about the immune system .... I always think there must be some special thing in tea leaves grown in sunshine, dried in sunshine - sunshine in a cup! And I love your resurrected tea cup .... what a brilliant idea! It will be a pincushion that stays put and doesn't roll around when you try to jab it with a pin ;)

    Happy T today Pat .... thank your for playing every week (early or late makes no difference at all!) - XOXO Kimmie

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  6. very informative tea today AND I adore your tea cup rescue ... what a thing of beauty you've turned it into ... giving it a new life!
    I'm ready for an afternoon cup of something hot!
    oxo

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  7. I *love* your new pin cushion -- will check your Etsy shop for it and other treasures. Learning how to pronounce Rooibos is good! I've always wondered about that. My favorite tea was Red Rooibos from Trader Joe's, but they recently stopped carrying it. Now I know to look for Twinings. Thanks!

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  8. Anita Caldwell SchmitzJanuary 5, 2010 at 7:06 PM

    Glad you're enjoying the African Rooibos tea! I know it's only "cheesy" Twinings Tea, and is no comparison to the better, home-made, stuff. I tried it and wasn't crazy about it and I don't know any other tea connoseurs other than you and I. LOL! I figured you could appreciate it. Thank you for those teas! They are great! My favorite is the peppermint. It's so refreshing! I'm actually drinking my Strawberry tea out of my "new favorite" mug, as we speak! :o)

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  9. I love your tea tutorial this morning, even a day late! Very informative! Also love your rescued tea cup, and my favorite colors too. You can't have too many pin cushions!
    I bought a Stash tea for us to try out, it is Lemon Ginger Herbal tea and made my mouth water to just say the name. Lennie

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  10. I love Twinings teas, too...they make some wonderful fruity black teas perfect for any time of the day.

    So glad you found the beautiful rejected tea cup...it makes the perfect pin cushion.

    Happy day, Pat.

    oxo Judy

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  11. Great tea info. Your pin cushion is fabulous. What a good idea.

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  12. Hi Pat.. what a cute idea! I love one of a kind pin cushions! Stay warm :)

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  13. I'm in the over 5 cups of black tea a day group -just hope adding milk doesn't negate the health benefits. Your teacup pincushion is very pretty.

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