A Nice Cuppa

The Benefits of Tulsi Tea

Rachel Rubin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:21 +0000

I discovered Tulsi Tea through an ad. Taking up two pages in a issue of body + soul magazine was an ad by Organic India claiming “One Cup of Delicious Tulsi Tea… One Woman Able to Determine Her Own Future.” This intrigued me because I was wondering how a tea could help women’s rights, which is how I interpreted the claim, but while reading the fine print to determine if the claim was true, I discovered an interesting herb: Tulsi.

It surprised me that Tulsi is an herb because I assumed that Tulsi was a brand name. It is used as a medicinal herb in Ayurveda Medicine and is known for Tulsi, “The Queen of Herbs,” is a sacred herb in India. (It is also known as Holy Basil but is in no way related to the traditional basil plant typically used for cooking.) The secret to Tulsi is that it is full of antioxidants. We all know that studies have proven that antioxidants have several health benefits and the more we can get into our system the better.

Many people associate tea with antioxidants, especially after all of the research released in the past few years, however not all teas contain antioxidants. It is specifically the green tea plant and white tea plant that have been proven to contain a high amount of antioxidants and have all the health benefits. The problem I find is that green and white tea contain caffeine. Most people drink herbal tea when they don’t want caffeine, but many popular herbal teas don’t offer health benefits - they just taste good. However, Organic India has introduced its line of Tulsi Tea that is both free of caffeine and full of health benefits associated with antioxidants.

(Photo courtesy of Organic India)

Tulsi has been used as a medicinal herb in India for thousands of years. It is even named after a goddess! Tulsi was a goddess and devotee of Lord Vishnu and Indian scriptures say she was re-incarnated as the plant Tulsi. “It is said that in order to express her devotion to her beloved Lord, she took this form as a herb which would be offered in worship and service to Him (Garg, 1982).” Tulsi is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition and is worshipped in the morning and evening by Hindus at large.

Tulsi is relatively new to parts of the world other than India. I’m sure studies proving or disproving the health benefit claims found all over Organic India’s website will be published soon enough. Meanwhile, the tea tastes good and since it does not contain caffeine, I like to have a cup or two before bed. After all, if it has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years it must have SOME benefits.

By the way, Organic India’s claim of helping women “determine her own future” seems to be valid. Organic India works with family farmers in India and trains them how to maintain organic farmland in turn for them growing the Tulsi plant. The farmers are paid premium market rates for their crops. Making a partnership with a company like this would be advantagrous to native Indian farmers which is a benefit to all.

What Is So Special About Jasmine Tea?

Rachel Rubin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:00:24 +0000

I really love Jasmine Tea. I used to only drink it at Chinese restaurants. Recently I found some I really like at a tea store near me called Teavana. When I fill up my 8-ounce tin container of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls it costs me almost $50! But I love the way it tastes and since it is made from green tea it is good for my health and I keep going back for more. I guess I never really thought of why it is called “jasmine tea” before. I finally decided to find out a little bit about this unique tea.

Jasmine tea is made by layering tea leaves with jasmine flowers. Each day, flower pickers harvest the field and select the flowers ready to bloom. They are kept someplace cool until that evening, when the fresh jasmine blossoms. Since their scent is strongest at night, they are placed with the tea leaves and their fragrant oil actually flavors the tea. The quality of the jasmine tea comes from how many times this process is repeated. Lower quality jasmine teas usually undergo this process 2-4 times. More expensive teas can go through this process 12 or more times. Of course the quality of the tea leaves used also gets incorporated into the price.

I find the entire process incredibly romantic. The time it takes to pick the flowers and lay them with the tea them each night is intriguing. I hope all of you tea drinkers out there opt to try some high quality jasmine tea in the near future. I usually purchase jasmine pearls (rolled leaves) and blend them with a second type of loose tea so I can mix the flavors together. It is a lot of fun to make my own tea blend.

Photo by Paris Associates

SoBe Energy Coolatta available at Dunkin’ Donuts

Rachel Rubin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:00:17 +0000

SoBe Beverages, best known for their bottled energy drinks, has teamed up with Dunkin’ Donuts to offer a new beverage this summer: the SoBe Energy Coolatta. The cherry citrus-flavored will be a nice addition to Dunkin’ Donuts popular line of frozen slush drinks which includes Coffee Coolatta, Lemonade Coolatta, Vanilla Bean Coolatta, and other fruit flavors of Tropicana and Strawberry.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ SoBe Energy Coolatta became available at participating restaurants nationwide on June 4. Coolattas are available in the following sizes and suggested retail prices: 16 oz. small size-$1.99; 24 oz. medium size-$2.99; 32 oz. large size-$3.49.

Customers can get an additional pick-me-up by entering for a chance to win $10,000 and other exciting instant prizes in the national SoBe Energy Coolatta “Rip It Up” sweepstakes, located at http://www.coolatta.com/. Visitors can play an interactive game with the SoBe Energy Coolatta band and receive additional chances to win the $10,000 grand prize by inviting friends to visit the site.

Source: PR Newswire

Coffee from Green Mountain and Jane Goodall to Save Chimp Habitat

Rachel Rubin — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 06:00:17 +0000

Earlier this week Green Mountain Coffee Roasters unveiled its latest coffee, Gombe Reserve–In Cooperation with the Jane Goodall Institute. “Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has always had a values-driven approach to coffee, believing that coffee can help the greater good. We’re thrilled to work with the Jane Goodall Institute to bring this great coffee to market and, ultimately, protect the chimps,” says Lindsey Bolger, director of coffee sourcing and relationships for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

The coffee is grown by members of the Kalinzi Cooperative, a group of 2,700 small-scale farmers who live near Gombe National Park in Tanzania. The park is the site of Dr. Goodall’s groundbreaking research into chimp behavior, and the world’s longest-running field study of a wild chimpanzee group continues there today.

Just outside the park, however, social and economic pressures are closing in. A burgeoning human population struggling to survive has effectively deforested the land all around Gombe National Park. And this area is not alone. Chimpanzees in the wild are on the brink of extinction. At the turn of the last century, about 1 million chimpanzees lived in 25 countries across western and central Africa. Today, their number has dwindled to perhaps fewer than 200,000, with significant populations found in only four countries.

Coffee can help provide a solution. Because coffee beans thrive under the shade of a forest canopy, they grow in harmony with chimps. Coffee farming gives farmers an incentive to preserve the forest, and a chance at economic stability.

“Our effort to involve local citizens in restoring the forests and practicing sustainable agriculture is the most important work we can do to ensure a future for the Gombe chimpanzees and the people of Africa,” said Dr. Goodall.

This unique coffee, described to have “floral top notes and vibrant flavors of tropical fruit” will be available for a limited time online at www.GreenMountainCoffee.com/Gombe. The 12-oz. bag sells for $17.95.

Source: Business Wire
Photo: Green Mountain Coffee

Drink your Tea, and Eat it too . . .

Rachel Rubin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:00:57 +0000

One of the latest cooking trends is the use of tea in recipes. I have seen Ming Tsai prepare food using a tea smoking technique in his wok. I recently made the Junshan Chicken with Silver-Needle Tea recipe from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop which called for infusing a little bit of water with alot of tea and adding it into the stir-fry. And I have found an interesting website dedicated to cooking with tea.

TeaChef, created by Adagio Teas, is a community for tea and cooking lovers developed to cultivate the (rather new) practice of cooking with tea. Each month TeaChef provides free samples of tea and encourages you to experiment and come up with a recipe using this tea as an ingredient. The current tea is Kukicha, a green tea from Japan that is an unusual combination of green leaves and thin white twigs. Recipes are submitted and members vote on the best recipe at the end of each month.

Last month Golden Monkey tea was featured. I actually received a sample of this but unfortunately did not get a recipe completed in time to submit. But you can view the recipe archive to see all of the creative things people came up with. There are recipes for desserts, chicken dishes, fried rice and even jelly. But it was the recipe for Golden Monkey Banana Cream Pie by Julie Delos Santos that won last month’s challenge.

I can’t wait to see what recipes people come up using the Kukicha tea blend. I love being exposed to all the tea varieties that are featured each month and to see all the wonderful ways to cook with tea.

Captain Michael’s of Savannah

Rachel Rubin — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:00:06 +0000

Michael Groover, husband to restaurateur, best selling cookbook writer and TV Food Network star Paula Deen, has recently partnered with Savannah Coffee Roasters, a Savannah-based company, to develop new products that will expand the famous family’s business. The silver-haired harbor ship pilot who is often seen on his wife’s two television programs “Paula’s Home Cooking” and “Paula’s Party” is launching “Captain Michael’s of Savannah,” a line of high quality coffee, to be sold in specialty markets and online.

According to Michael Groover, coffee is a topic that he knows very well. “In my job, you have to be alert the minute you step on board. To me, waking up to a special cup of coffee is second only to waking up next to the one you love.”

Michael Groover’s famous wife, Paula Deen couldn’t agree more. “Michael is passionate about everything he does in life - his family, job, and yes his coffee! This coffee is truly as wonderful in the morning as it is after dinner at night. It has my stamp of approval for sure.”

Captain Michael’s of Savannah is 100% Colombian coffee made from a blend of coffee beans grown, by a collective of local growers, in the beautiful Valle del Cauca region of Columbia. These specially selected beans are shipped to the historic city of Savannah where they are roasted to subtle perfection by renowned coffee roasters Hayden Banks and Rande Duke, owner of Savannah Coffee Roasters L.L.C. The coffee beans are French-roasted to order, so that the end result will be a fresh, rich, medium-bodied coffee that creates a smooth and well balanced brew. Captain Michael’s coffee is available in whole bean or ground forms, and in regular and decaffeinated versions. A 12 ounce bag will initially sell at retail for $9.49 for regular coffee and $9.79 for the decaffeinated version.

Captain Michael’s coffee can be purchased at www.pauladeen.com and specialty retailers.

Source: PR Newswire
Photo courtesy of PaulaDeen.com

Coffee Beanery Provides ‘Green’ Cups

Rachel Rubin — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:06:55 +0000

Earlier this week Coffee Beanery announced that they are now providing environmentally friendly cups in all of their U.S. stores when serving cold beverages. These new cold cups are made from corn and are fully compostable. The “greenware” cups open up more disposal options that have a reduced environmental impact.

On April 1st the new cups were rolled out in all U.S. stores and are now being used to serve all of their cold beverages. “Coming into the warmer part of the year we wanted to make sure that we were ready to make a statement that we want to do our part to be socially and environmentally responsible,” said JoAnne Shaw, Founder and President of Coffee Beanery. “Our cold drinks really drive the business in the hot summer months, so this will make a very big impact.”

Coffee Beanery is one of the first coffee chains to offer an environmentally friendly cold cups at all of their stores. Hopefully other big name chains will be soon to follow.

Source: PR Newswire and Coffee Beanery

Get Crafty with a Tea Party

Rachel Rubin — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 06:00:23 +0000

Adorn Magazine calls itself “the crafty girl’s guide to embellishing life.” The Spring 2007 issue has a really cute feature on tea parties. They make it look like so much fun that I want to grab my art supplies and start creating! As a supplement to the magazine article, several web exclusive features are available on Adorn.com. The recipe for petits fours is so colorful and perfect for Spring and there is also instructions to make your own apron.

The really fun part is the instructions to adorn your own teapot. I would have never thought of decorating my own teapot, but why not? I love coffee cups and unique teapots, why not make one of my very own. Instructions are provided for unique ways to paint your own pottery at a ceramic studio.

Photo from Adorn Magazine.

“Free Iced Coffee Day” at Dunkin’ Donuts on March 21

Rachel Rubin — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 06:00:52 +0000

Visit any Dunkin’ Donuts this Wenesday, March 21st and you can receive a free 16 oz. cup of Dunkin’ Donuts’ premium iced coffee. Free Iced Coffee Day will last for 24 hours and is in celebration of the first day of Spring.

“We look forward to treating everyone to a free cup of our delicious, freshly brewed iced coffee to celebrate the arrival of spring,” said Robert Rodriguez, Dunkin’ Donuts brand president. “As the category leader, Dunkin’ Donuts has been brewing iced coffee for more than 25 years and we are thrilled to be kicking off another iced coffee season with this all day, nationwide event.”

In the press release issued by Dunkin’ Donuts on March 1, 2007, the company claims that iced coffee is the second most frequently sold product at their restaurants after hot coffee. To find the Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant nearest to you, visit the store locator on the Dunkin’ Donuts website.

Whatcom County Coffee, Washington State

Rachel Rubin — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 06:06:42 +0000

Oriignally published on Well Fed on the Town by Jennifer Novic.

Before you head back to Vancouver (or British Columbia), Canada, and are in the United States on the I-5 in Washington State, there are several coffee stands you may be tempted to try out. Some are easy to spot off of the freeway while others are not. Some have wonderful service and great coffee while others have okay coffee but lousy service. I love it whenever my father comes up here from California spouting the goodness of Starbuck’s (*pfft*) and isn’t open-minded about trying other coffee houses! I do have to laugh though, because I generally don’t drink a Starbuck’s unless I am visiting California!Here are a few reviews on places in Whatcom County, Washington State:

Mugshots is located in Ferndale, Washington. I may be a bit biased, because I generally grab a cup of either Chai Tea or coffee from these folks once a week or every other week. They are off from the freeway a bit, but they are well worth it. The service is superior and the coffee is wonderful. During the holidays they bring out Egg Nog as a creamer and flavors such as Gingerbread or Pumpkin Spice. They offer many other treats such as muffins (which I think may be homemade, but am not sure). You can find them off of the Portal Way exit (exit 263) in Ferndale, Washington at 5750 Vista Drive. They only stay open until about 7pm from what I recall. If you have any questions you can call them at (360) 312-9181.

Cruisin’ Coffee has locations through Whatcom County and even as far south as Everett and even as far east in Washington State as Yakima. The ones I have visited are in Bellingham, namely at the Airport Cruisin’ Coffee, which is just west off the I-5 at exit 257 (Bakerview), as well as the Cordata location, and the Lakeway Drive Cruisin’ Coffee. I have also been to the Lynden Cruisin’ Coffee as well. All except the Iowa Street location are open 24 hours a day. Everyone I have been to I have been greeted with kind hospitality as well as great coffee. I have had a few coffees that tasted bitter in nature, but overall I have been pleased with my experience there. For a location nearest you (or your trip up or down the I-5 corridor), you can visit the locations part of their website.

Custom Coffee, in Ferndale, Washington, is located outside of Haggen’s grocery store (which, ironically, is host to a Starbucks). I have been here a handful of times while grocery shopping or stopping in this town, and every time I have been here I have either had problems with the lack of hospitality (good customer service) or the abundance of bitter coffee. If you are in the retail sector I suggest brushing up on your customer service skills a bit. Granted, I have not been there in over a year, but suffice it to say, I have dealt with rude and rushing cashiers/servers at least three times there, and it was enough to turn me off (along with the bitter coffee).

Curb Shots, is located off the Portal Way exit in Ferndale, Washington (exit 263). This is convenient to the freeway and I have always been greeted with a smile. I am not so keen on the coffee as much as other places, but the smile and the service is something that speaks for itself. Of course, there are other drinks to choose from besides coffee.

Whatever your taste or pleasure, you’re bound to find something if you are driving on the I-5, whether you are headed north towards British Columbia, Canada, or south towards Seattle. I am always open to trying coffee stands but must say that my heart pretty much is stuck with Mugshots. If I am in another area I usually give another coffee stand a go. In fact, there was one coffee stand I just happened across once while heading towards the Costco in Bellingham off of the Guide Meridian by Glynn’s Shamrock Pub called Island Espresso, but it looks like it’s gone and torn down. I always wondered how they fared with only one person serving a multitude of vehicles waiting for some coffee. All I know is they had the best milkshake I ever had (yeah, you can actually order milkshakes at most stands, isn’t that crazy?).

And if you aren’t into coffee, there are many other fantastic choices to choose from, such as Chai Tea, hot or cold chocolate, a variety of sodas (we call it “pop” up here, much to the dismay of my Californian family members who are accusing me of losing my Californian roots!), some even serve Italian sodas and milkshakes.