Green Tea

with the warmer weather comes a need for ample hydration for our bodies. During the week of May 20-26, Bigelow Tea will be celebrating Drink Water Week. “Water?” you ask… not tea? Well, of course, tea is made with water … so what’s not to love? Water is one of our most precious resources. It’s what makes Earth different from any other planet, and as humans we are made up of 60% water. We couldn’t live without it. In fact, we need plenty of water each day just to nourish our bodies. If you find drinking glass after glass of water monotonous, we have great news: other beverage intake—including tea!—can count towards your daily requirements. Fresh brewed iced tea is fantastic way to hydrate and cool down, and a marvelous flavored alternative to sugary drinks. And with so many varieties of Bigelow Tea, you can have any type or flavor you choose … and even mix and match your own! How about a lovely Perfect Peach and Pomegranate Pizzazz iced tea blend to refresh you throughout the day!   The summer months are fast approaching, and So yes, we are definitely observing Drink Water Week. Boil some right now and enjoy that cup of tea or a tall glass of iced tea! Refreshing isn’t it? Image by Snap® via Flickr.com

May is National BBQ Month, the opening salvo to the highly anticipated summer grilling season! Bigelow Tea and millions of home BBQ enthusiasts love BBQ, and it runs deep in our history. BBQ seems to represent something fundamental for us; not only mouthwatering specialties but the gathering of friends and family on the patio, at the big game or at the family picnic. From Carolina BBQ to the regional styles of Texas and all across the country, the “Low and Slow” of BBQ is a big part of our life’s celebrations. In honor of National BBQ Month, Bigelow Tea is proud to offer two tea-infused specialties—a pork and a vegetarian option. It’s all good for BBQ Month! Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Bigelow Tea Glaze And Seasonal Vegetables Recipe Created by Joy Marr Ingredients: PORK TENDERLOIN: 5 cups boiling water 4 Bigelow Green Tea with Mango Tea bags 4 Bigelow Green Tea with Peach Tea bags 4 Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate Tea bags 1.2-1.5 lb. Pork Tenderloin whole 1 clove garlic, smashed ½ small yellow onion cut into in wedges 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (use only if oven baking tenderloin) 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (can substitute cider vinegar) 1 tablespoon honey (can substitute brown sugar) 1 tablespoon veg. oil ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoons of both Salt and pepper Instructions: Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add the Bigelow Tea bags, the clove of garlic and the onion wedges. Remove from heat and cover – let steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove tea bags squeezing well and discard, along with the garlic and onion. Divide the tea mixture -set aside 2 cups for the glaze to the remaining 3 cups add the vinegar, honey, oil, thyme and salt and pepper- stir. This will be the marinade for the pork. Once the marinade tea has cooled down somewhat, pour into a large plastic bag; add pork tenderloin and marinate for 5 hours or overnight in refrigerator. While pork marinates make the glaze and ready your vegetables both can be set aside or refrigerated covered overnight. Heat your grill to medium; while grill is heating drain tenderloin from marinade -discard marinade- and wipe loin dry, set aside. Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved tea glaze into a small vessel you can work out of. Place pork on grill. Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium. Open grill and brush liberally with tea glaze. Reduce grill to low, continue to cook pork over the next 8-10 minutes, turning pork and coating well with glaze, 2 or 3 more times, until thermometer reads 160′. Remove from heat and let rest for 8-10 minutes. Slice into medallions and serve with glazed vegetables. INSTRUCTIONS FOR OVEN BAKING PORK Prep time approx. 10 minutes Oven time 20 minutes Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. While pan is heating, drain tenderloin from marinade -discard marinade- and wipe loin dry. Carefully add tenderloin to hot pan and cook, turning until brown on all sides, 5-6 minutes. Baste liberally with tea glaze and place skillet with pork in oven and bake for 8 minutes. Open oven and baste liberally with tea glaze again. Continue to cook until thermometer reads 160′, about 12-15 minutes, basting pork again when you remove it from the oven. Transfer pork tenderloin to platter and let rest for 8-10 minutes. Slice into medallions and serve with glazed vegetables. Yield: Serves 4 TEA GLAZE 2 cups reserved Bigelow Tea mixture 3 tablespoons honey ½ teaspoon black pepper Pinch of salt Bring remaining 2 cups of tea mixture to a simmer over med-high heat and cook to reduce. After 45 minutes or so, check it you want to have about 1 cup no less. Add honey, salt and pepper and set aside for later or refrigerate overnight. SEASONAL VEGETABLES WITH BIGELOW TEA GLAZE 1 medium Acorn squash 2 medium carrots, peeled 2 medium Parsnips peeled (can substitute yellow onions) 2 tablespoons butter, salted ½ cup reserved tea glaze Heat the oven to 400′. Place the butter in an oven proof pan and put in oven to melt while oven pr

Here are dozens of Jasmine green tea varieties to try, including Dragon Phoenix Pearls and Yin Hao.

It’s almost here! The Charleston Tea Plantation and radio station 105.5 The Bridge proudly present the 7th Annual First Flush FesTEAval, a fantastic tea happening taking place on Saturday May 18th. Bigelow Tea encourages you to join us on Wadmalaw Island at our Charleston Tea Plantation, a tea-lovers paradise and the location of this annual event, which celebrates the first harvest of the year’s tea plants. There will be top-notch entertainment, food vendors, kid’s areas … and plenty of our delicious American Classic Tea! It’s no wonder that the First Flush FesTEAval was named one of the top 100 events in North America!   America’s Tea Garden is the perfect place for a spring event and of course celebrating our American Classic Teas. It’s TEA-licious! Prepare yourself for an outstanding entertainment lineup too, highlighted by Old Crow Medicine Show, a nationally renowned group of musicians! Other acts on our two busy stages will include The Luke Cunningham Band, Gaslight Street, Quincy Mumford, Sun Dried Vib

The Imus Ranch, founded in 1998 by Don and Deirdre Imus, is a unique organization that provides kids with cancer, and other serious illnesses, the opportunity to have fun again and regain their perspective.  More than just a respite, it instills pride, restores dignity, a sense of achievement and self-esteem experience through a real life “cowboy experience.” Bigelow Tea has been a proud supporter of the Imus Ranch Radiothon, the ranch’s annual fund raiser, for each of the past 15 years. “It’s always great spending time with Don and Dierdre Imus on the Radiothon,” says Cindi Bigelow. “I love the event because of all the amazing stories about these kids about their experiences on the ranch. They are doing some fine work.  Bigelow Tea is glad to be a part of it!” To watch today’s segment of the Imus Radiothon which includes Cindi Bigelow pictured above, visit here and click on “Cindi Bigelow on Support for Imus Ranch.”

Families often lead scheduled lives. So, during Family Wellness Month, Bigelow Tea promotes engaging a specific form of motion with our loved ones: exercise! Studies indicate that children are more likely to be physically active if their parents are. Plus, it’s recommended that youngsters get 60 minutes of active play everyday. Get started with these fun fitness tips: Make chores challenging. Chores can be dull, so turn them into a friendly competition.  Have the whole family pitch in with tasks like vacuuming, lawn care, washing the car or room cleaning. Reward efforts with a movie or a dinner at a favorite (yet healthy) restaurant. Pick up a pedometer. Children of all ages have gadgets, so they’ll love this idea: buy pedometers for yourself and your relatives. Start a group challenge to see who can lead with the most weekly steps. Tally up the results or even set a team goal for the whole family to contribute their results. Add in some variety. Mixing up exercise routines can help keep interest levels up. T

This past October, my husband and I were traveling south to Florida. When we camped for the night, I found a brochure for the Charleston Tea Plantation. We then made a point to visit the plantation, and I’m so glad we did. The factory tour was very informative, I learned a lot about tea growing and processing, and the trolley ride was great, and our driver was funny too! While there, I drank 3 glasses of delicious Plantation Peach tea!! Naturally, we bought some to take home with us. Personally I love iced tea, and when I made this, I wanted to continue to drink the whole pitcher—it was so good. Thank you for saving this piece of history, and making a tour fun and DELICIOUS! M.L. Hobe Sound, Florida

Still trying to figure out Mother’s Day plans? Bigelow Tea has last-minute advice on making Sunday, May 12th quite memorable. First, be sure to pick a gift that shows thoughtfulness and taste. Our dark brown Wicker Teacup and Saucer basket ($25.95) holds a mix of 13 different tea varieties—from Chinese Oolong to Vanilla Caramel—and gives Mom a total of 104 tea bags to choose from. She can refill it later on with more tea, a plant or anything else! For a mom on the go, how about our brand new “Find Your Balance” hoodie? Luxuriously soft with a flattering shape, this hoodie will accompany Mom to the spa, on errands or on any casual day at home. Best of all, it has a tiny pocket on the front that’s just big enough for a key or your favorite Bigelow Tea bag! Don’t stop there! Surprise her with another delight: a delicious treat everyone has a hand in making. Cook up family-friendly recipes like our Pomegranate Yogurt Dip and Fresh Fruit or Chewy Chocolate Mint Brownies. Happy Mother’s Day … and enjoy your time t

Odds are you remember your favorite teacher … his or her name, what grade you were in, what was special about that person. We at Bigelow Tea know how one great teacher can make all the difference in a world of learning. During this first full week in May, for Teacher Appreciation Week, we’d like to take the time out to honor all teachers who try to make a difference in every student’s life. Inspirational, devoted, and always striving for the best for each scholar, the teachers in our lives are a cornerstone of our education and our thirst for knowledge. So how do we show our appreciation for those who go that extra mile for us, push us to do our best, and help us discover our hidden talents?  We give them a moment to themselves and time to relax of course—and what better way to do that than with our Chai Personali-Tea Basket. It contains the perfect assortment of Chai tea flavors, some fabulous chocolate covered graham crackers, and the cutest personali-tea mug that reads “smart, thoughtful, and full of spic

Ondria Witt, our May Fan of the Month, is a mom on the move. We mean that quite literally! As a successful blogger, mother of a 2-year-old, homemaker and church volunteer, Ondria’s daily schedule is jam-packed with activities. We are impressed by all that she accomplishes and so glad to know that she somehow finds time to enjoy her favorite Bigelow Tea: Vanilla Chai! As Ondria explains, she is up every day by 6 a.m. to squeeze in a few hours of work on her Mommy’s Block Party blog before breakfast. The blog has many devoted followers who depend on it for tips, recipes, product reviews and engaging personal stories geared to other busy moms and families. Once breakfast is finished and her husband heads off to work, Ondria is off and running. “I spend the morning hours doing several things at once, like checking email, returning phone calls while entertaining/playing with my son, and doing light housework. Let’s just say I don’t sit down very much,” says Ondria. Spending time with family both near and far is a