Tea Blog

While most of these reports seem to focus more on the gadget side of things, I’d like to start off this month with one of the wackier bits of offbeat tea-related news I’ve heard for a while. Consider this headline from a recent edition of The Japan Times – Viagra-green Tea Cocktail Combats Cancer. No, it’s not a joke. At least I don’t think so. Apparently, Japanese researchers have found that erectile dysfunction drugs and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound that’s plentiful in green tea, can be of some use in preventing the growth of cancer cells. Given that this is a good clean family site, I’ll leave it to the reader to insert their own joke.

I’d like to say that this next bit of news is a little more down to Earth, but it’s not. Based on research that shows that taste is reduced up to 30 percent at an altitude of 35,000, British Airways and Twinings recently announced that the latter have come up with a tea blend that allegedly tastes better at higher altitudes. According to a recent press release, the tea is “a blend of Assam, Kenyan and high grown Ceylon tea.” If you prefer your tea with a little fizz, perhaps you could request a Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale on your next flight.

Is it tea or is it coffee? The jury might still be out on this curious creature that was recently mentioned in the British press. It’s a tea-like beverage that’s made from the leaves of the coffee plant. While I know of at least one merchant out there who’s hoping to make this the next big thing, it’s actually nothing new, having been consumed in Ethiopia and assorted other places for quite some time. Here’s the perfect cup in which to drink such a concoction, one that has one side designed for tea drinkers and one for the coffee people.

Since this report has been a bit lighter on gadgets than usual, let me close by directing you to the site for an avid collector of one of the great tea gadgets of all-time – the teawaker. It’s a distinctive type of tea maker that’s long been popular in England but not so much here. More information on what a teawaker is at Sheridan’s site or you can check out my article from a few years back.

Disclaimer: This is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your physician for your particular needs.

© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.