Tea-rivia
Dec 1, 2016
Tea - A Tradition Revisited (Article for Hythe Life Winter Edition)
The British penchant for tea is a national institution, but in a world now dominated by big coffee chains and increasingly complex coffee concoctions our devotion to the humble cuppa is seemingly in decline.
Or is it? There has been unprecedented growth in ‘speciality’ tea over the last decade, but what does ‘speciality’ actually mean? A hundred years ago there was nothing particularly special about loose, whole leaf tea. In many ways we are in fact going back to basics!
Aug 22, 2016
What makes Earl Grey tea, Earl Grey?!
It’s the most popular flavoured tea in the world but we are often asked what it is that makes Earl Grey tea, Earl Grey?!Named after Charles, Earl Grey, a nineteenth century Prime Minister of Great Britain, there are a number stories about why the tea came to be named after him.However, while the origins of its name are uncertain, the distinctive Earl Grey flavour is derived from the oil of Bergamot, a citrus fruit grown predominantly in Southern Italy. Calabria, in Southern Italy, is home to 80% of commercially grown bergamot.
Aug 18, 2016
Caffeine in Tea: Dispelling the Myths!
One of the most common questions we get asked is which of our teas contain caffeine. Indeed, with the constant health claims made about various teas and infusions in the media, it’s unsurprising there’s some confusion.
What is caffeine?
Caffeine occurs naturally in some plants including coffee beans, tea leaves and cacao pods used to make chocolate...
Jul 15, 2016
It pays to buy good tea - but not if your water's unfiltered!
"IT PAYS TO BUY GOOD TEA" - It's a phrase that adorns many a vintage wooden tea chests, but it doesn't come without caveats.Today we talk one condition in particular: the need to prepare your tea in equally good water, which effectively comprises 99% of your brew!Debonair Tea HQ is situated in what we could definitely claim to be the hard water capital of the UK. The White Cliffs of Dover are pretty close neighbours and, given that hard water is formed when it percolates through deposits of limestone and chalk, you can imagine just how hard the water is.
May 23, 2016
Why does a cup of tea solve everything?
In times of crisis, it's a national institution that we find or offer comfort in a simple cup of tea. Putting the kettle on to ease stress during a bad day or ahead of impending bad news is a tried, tested and often successful strategy.
Apr 21, 2016
Tea in Britain - A Brief History On #nationalteaday
While Brits are renowned worldwide for their penchant for a cuppa, the origins of this tradition are, in historical terms, pretty recent. Here's our very brief history of tea in the UK in honour of National Tea Day today.The Chinese are believed to have been drinking tea for around 5,000 years and far from the British being the first Europeans to bring tea to our continent, it was in fact the Portuguese and the Dutch in 1610!
Mar 8, 2016
What is Rooibos 'Tea' Exactly?
It’s delicious drunk with or without milk and sugar, it is high in antioxidants and it is also caffeine free – but Rooibos isn’t really a tea at all.
As a company that has not added decaffeinated tea to our growing range of teas and infusions – because we have yet to find a process that doesn’t completely distort its character – we often find ourselves converting decaf fans into Rooibos drinkers.
Jan 5, 2016
Bitter about drinking Green Tea? You might be brewing it all wrong...
Want to embrace the health benefits of green tea but don't fancy incorporating it into your diet because it all tastes bitter and boring?
We hear this feedback all the time and it breaks our hearts! There is a huge amount of diversity and complexity of flavour in the huge range of speciality green teas produced around the world.
Sep 25, 2015
Tea Production
Like most crops, the production of tea is fairly complex. Here we give a brief summary of how different teas are prod...
Sep 23, 2015
Simple Masala Chai Recipe
Authentic chai does require a bit more patience than instant chai latte powders but it is a much lighter, healthier drink and, actually contains tea! Make with milk or mylk - if plant-based is your bag we recommend oat or almond. Here's our super-simple go-to recipe...
Jul 28, 2015
Super-Spice: The Benefits of Ginger
Here at Debonair Tea, we’re huge ginger lovers and seem to consume vast amounts of the stuff (fresh, ground, stem) in our tea and our food.
We’ve always known it makes us feel good but we’ve recently had our eyes opened to the fact that, from a health credentials point of view, ginger really is the original “super spice”.
Jun 25, 2015
Date Scone Recipe
Ahead of the very first National Cream Tea Day (whatever next?) on Friday, today we share our favourite scone recipe with you.
Louisa first discovered the lesser-known date scone on her travels in New Zealand and thinks that Brits could learn a lot from their Kiwi cousins when it comes to this variation. The sweetness of dates mean that the simple addition of butter is quite adequate for a luxurious afternoon treat...