White tea is the rarest tea in the world. Long praised in Asia, it is just beginning to gain popularity in the Western world. People everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on this rare treat. White tea is used in many blends, and none is more refreshing than White Licorice Tea. White Licorice tea is a delicious blend of fine white tea and star anise to provide the licorice flavor.

The best White Licorice tea should be made from the finest blend of loose white tea combined with high quality whole pieces of star anise. To ensure that you buy only the best quality white licorice tea, it’s important that you understand the important elements in selecting white tea. This includes understanding the most popular cultivars for white tea, the grades of white tea and how and when the tea is harvested. There is no international standard for grading tea, so beyond understanding this basic information, it’s difficult to tell which tea is best.

First, it’s important to choose the best cultivars of the tea and how white tea is classified. The most popular cultivars for white tea include Da Bai, Xiao Bai, Narcissus and Chaicha bushes. Within these cultivars the teas are classified into different grades, primarily based on whether the plucking consists of only the bud and top two leaves of the tea plant or whether more tea leaves are included. In addition, the stringency with which the tea pluckers ensure that the leaves and buds are not damaged during harvest affects the quality and grade of the tea. Harvesting white tea properly is very difficult and requires skill and experience. Using skilled and experienced tea pluckers ensures that only the tea buds that are ready are harvested and that the buds are kept intact to prevent the start of oxidation.

When choosing White licorice tea, you should choose tea that is labeled Silver Needles or White Peony to ensure that you get the very best white tea. Both of these white teas are produced in China and are considered the highest grades of white tea.

Another important feature in choosing a white licorice tea is to determine the type of flavoring used to infuse the white tea with licorice flavor. White licorice tea flavored with star anise will have a milder and sweeter taste than white licorice tea made using licorice root.

One of the most common ways of evaluating the quality of black and green teas is to know when the tea was plucked. First plucked black and green teas are those plucked in the spring, when the tea plants are plucked for the first time during the growing season. The first plucked, or first flush, black and green teas are considered to be better because the weather is cooler. Black and green teas produced from leaves plucked later in the season will not have the same quality because the tea leaves have been exposed to hot weather and lots of sun. So, it’s common for connoisseurs of black and green tea to look for tea that is labeled “first plucking” or “first flush”. However, this standard does not apply to white teas. White teas should have just one plucking each year, because the best tea is plucked during the spring. This is one of the reasons that white tea is so rare. Therefore, you can’t judge the quality of the white tea based on the plucking the way you can with green and black teas - all white tea is first flush tea. In fact, the very best white teas, Silver Needles and White Peony, are only plucked between March 15 and April 10.

Your best chance of choosing really good white licorice tea is to buy from a reputable tea purveyor and to buy a white licorice tea with a base of white tea that you already enjoy. For example, if your favorite plain white tea is Silver Needles, then you can’t go wrong buying White Licorice tea made from the Silver Needles variety of white tea. But, if you’re looking for a new taste treat, you might want to try something entirely new, like a Ceylon white licorice.

Find a good tea shop, whether local or online and see which white licorice teas they offer. If they’re known for only selling the best in loose white teas, you should be able to trust that their white licorice tea will be tasty and fresh.

A good tea vendor is a must when you’re buying tea, particularly white tea. White tea is an investment and you’ll want to ensure that you purchase only the best when you buy. In addition, you want to know that you have access to new flavors and tastes as they’re introduced to the market, but only when they’re available in really good quality teas.

White licorice tea is a great way to wind down at the end of a long day. White tea is low in caffeine and licorice has long been revered for its ability to aid digestion and soothe the stomach. In addition, the wonderful aroma of sweetness and licorice can soothe you after even the most stressful of days.

About The Author:
Jon Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about green tea,oolong tea and chai tea go to goldenmoontea.com

Of all the evils that have affected mankind, slavery or human bondage ranks among the worst. Slavery, in all its various forms from ancient empires like Rome to the ante bellum American South to the slave labor of Hitler’s Third Reich and the Soviet Gulags has ruined millions of lives and degraded many cultures throughout history.

In addition to the direct impact on individual lives, Western Civilization suffered lost opportunity because millions of people were denied the opportunity to succeed.

Slavery is often associated with the cultivation and production of agricultural commodities like cotton, tobacco and sugar where human labor was required to produce and refine products to meet growing world demand.

The story of sugar and its relationship to tea is a case in point.

The British Empire expanded trade worldwide and one of the principal high value products that fueled this expansion was tea. The British developed markets and brought tea to the western world on a mass scale. Between 1700 and 1900 tea in many varieties was cultivated and introduced to every western coountry.

Of course the primary market for tea was the British homeland and through aggressive marketing supported by favorable tax legislation, tea became the main beverage of Britain for all classes of British society.

The British, who had developed a national sweet tooth, liked to add sweetness to their tea, particularly black tea. At first they added honey as a sweetener and most honey was produced by Catholic monasteries and abbeys as a way to produce revenue. But, as the Protestant Reformation took hold in Britain, the monasteries disappeared and the British had to find an alternative sweetener.

Eventually cane sugar became not only a substitute for honey but enjoyed immense popularity and demand for sugar grew rapidly. Annual per capita consumption of sugar in Britain rose by 350 percent, from four pounds in 1700 to eighteen pounds in 1800.

Tea and sugar became a combined commodity in Britain in the 1800s and tea drinking also affected associated biscuit and bread consumption as part of the tea experience. China could meet the demand for tea but demand soon exceeded supply for sugar.

Britain produced sugar through its colonial network in the Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica but a local labor shortage constrained supply. Although cane sugar was high quality and remains an important source of sugar even to this day, sugar production was hard, grueling and demanding work. A tour of historic sugar cane plantations today quickly reveals the terrible conditions surrounding the cutting, and reduction of liquid sugar to raw sugar. More demands were put on the sugar supply by developing markets for molasses and rum in the American Colonies.

Sources of local labor were quickly depleted and the British turned to the slave trade. Soon British ships would leave the Caribbean with their holds full of sugar and return to the islands with their holds full of slaves. During the slave trade period 15-20 million African slaves were uprooted from their homeland and transported to the plantations. The evil practice was finally abolished in the period 1834-38 after the public outcry from anti-slavery groups succeeded. The damage was considerable and the effects of slavery are still with us.

It was often said that where tea went, sugar followed and the end was the evil of slavery. Evil can penetrate even the most innocent of products like tea.

About The Author:
Jon Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about green tea,oolong tea and chai tea go to goldenmoontea.com

Private label bottled water has been proven as an effective marketing promotion and brand builder but care must be taken in the quality of the design in order to avoid ruining the branding message and reducing the quality of the brand.

An important element of any private label bottled water branding effort lies in the basic design of the label. In order to create an effective label and labeling message, a professional design effort is required. Although there are many powerful software products like Adobe Photoshop on the market, understanding the basic elements of design is still required to produce a professional looking label. There is no substitute for professional design and an amateurish label design can seriously degrade a brand.

Design skill is as much an art as a science and dedicated training is required in order to produce a balanced, appealing, informative label for the private label bottled water end product. Graphic design is a major in many universities and colleges and combines course work in color, graphic arts, perspective and other skills before a degree is awarded. A well trained designer however will produce designs and labels of superior quality.

One skill that is not taught in the classroom but must be acquired through practical experience is customer relations and communication with the customer. It takes skill and experience to translate the customer concept into a graphic design and message and the ability to work with the customer controls the success of the project no matter how talented the designer. If the customer is not happy, failure is the result.

The next step in the process is the translation of the design onto a printed label, again within the design parameters of the customer. At this point preliminary customer approval is necessary. After preliminary approval the design must be applied to the label through either a flexo or digital printing process and proper quality printing equipment is required. Generally a small proof run is produced to show the customer for final approval of the label. Clear communication with the customer is required in order to gain customer approval.

Only after final customer approval can the final production run be produced. When production is completed the private label can be applied to the blank bottled water to produce the final private label promotional product.

There are many private label water companies on the market today and many of these attempt to cut corners through using amateur design techniques and low cost labels and printing. The result is almost always disappointing to the customer, production of a cheap looking label message and many times damage to the brand.

When choosing a supplier to produced a private label that carries a high quality effective message, choose a supplier with a reputation of producing a quality product. Your brand message will show the results and your return on your advertising investment will be rewarding.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O. For more information about personalized bottled water, private label bottled water and bottled label private water go to the elementh2o.com website.

One of the most recent trends in Western tea drinking is white tea. Though white tea has been around for centuries, it has only recently become popular outside of the Asian world. And, even in China and Japan, where most white tea is grown, it was traditionally reserved for special occasions because of its rarity. Today, however, tea drinkers all over the world are enjoying white tea more and more.

White tea comes from the same plant as other teas, the camellia sinensis. But, it is harvested before the leaves are fully open and while the buds are still covered with fine white hair. This makes the tea leaves much mellower, resulting in a much milder tea than black and green teas. In addition to being harvested at a different time than other teas white tea undergoes very little processing, and is not fermented.

The leaves are simply steamed and then dried. Sometimes the leaves are even steamed and dried right in the tea fields and dried in the sun to protect the delicate flavor.

White tea’s flavor is much milder than black or green tea and it has a very delicate aroma as well. It brews to a very pale color and has a hint of sweetness. This mild flavor and aroma appeals to tea drinkers who might find black tea too heavy or green tea to have a bit of a grassy flavor. Because of this, white tea has opened tea drinking to a whole new group of drinkers who may not have enjoyed tea before.

In addition to being delicious to drink, white tea is also very healthy. In fact, while few studies have been performed on white tea, it is believed to be even healthier than green tea. In the past, many studies have been done on green tea and its ability to slow the aging process and prevent serious diseases like cancer and heart disease.

The reason that green tea has been shown to prevent disease and slow down aging is because of its powerful anti-oxidant levels. Anti-oxidants are present in high levels in natural tea leaves, but the fermentation process changes these anti-oxidants, reducing their effectiveness. Because green tea, like white, is not fermented it retains more of its natural anti-oxidants.

Therefore, if green tea is a disease preventer, white tea should be just as effective; perhaps even more effective.

In addition, some studies that have been performed on white tea indicate that it is extremely effective in improving the immune system. In particular, white tea seems to have the ability fight off bacteria and viruses. And, white tea is high in fluoride, so that it prevents tooth decay and inhibits the formation of plaque.

If you’ve never tried white tea, you should certainly purchase some for yourself and see if it appeals to you. White tea is much rarer than black or green; far fewer gardens grow it, and typically just one crop is grown each year.

However, particularly if you shop online, you can find very high quality white tea. Sample some Silver Needles or White Peony to get a good idea of what unadulterated white tea tastes like. It’s likely that you’ll find it a very refreshing beverage both cold and hot.

But, for even more variety, scope out the white tea blends. These teas offer a bit more flavor than a plain white tea because additional flavors are added to the tea. The addition of these flavors through the use of natural herbs can also make white tea even healthier. Consider these varieties:

Ginger White Tea - This tea combines rare white tea with the spicy flavor of ginger. White tea provides an incredible boost to the immune system, and ginger has long been heralded for its ability to calm the stomach. Ginger is effective for easing the nausea of morning sickness, motion sickness and the nausea that can be a side effect of chemotherapy.

The combination of immune boosting properties and nausea relief makes this a great gift for a friend who is pregnant or under chemotherapy for cancer.

White Licorice Tea - Another delicious white tea blend, this combination also offers the immune boosting quality of white tea with licorice, which is renowned for its ability to soothe coughs and act as an expectorant. Licorice also is soothing to the stomach. Licorice flavor is a wonderful complement to the delicate flavor of the white tea. When choosing white licorice tea, it’s important to choose a tea that has whole pieces of star anise to ensure the best and boldest licorice flavor.

White Persian melon Tea - This is one of the most refreshing white tea blends. The melon flavor makes the flavor of the tea a bit bolder and fruitier and complements the natural sweetness of the white tea. This is one of the best white tea blends for making iced tea.

As you shop around, you may find other delicious blends of white tea to further broaden your white tea experience. Be certain to choose only the highest quality teas with flavorful herbs to ensure that you get the best flavor in each and every cup.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Spring Water - The Truth

Spring water bottled water companies are very good about manipulating the image of their water and hiding the truth about purity.

Images about bubbling mountain springs, fresh water glacier run off, frothy fresh water streams and other scenes that imply purity are nothing more than hype and spin that would make even the most seasoned politician blush.

There is a wealth of information about spring water that the public should know:

Spring waters fluctuate in quality because the aquifers from which they emanate are constantly in a state of change.

Spring water companies rarely talk about “purity” rather they keep referring to “natural” inferring that “natural “means “healthy”. Polluted rivers and streams are “natural” but clearly not healthy.

If a spring water company does claim to be 100% pure, that statement is misleading. The fact is that the “100% pure” refers not to the absence of impurities in the water, but to the source of the water itself. That is, 100% of the water in the bottle came from an underground source (i.e. a spring), rather than from a surface water source.

Spring water companies claim that their springs are “protected” but this tern needs further definition. The springs are not protected from contamination like acid rain, industrial pollution (TCE, Benzene, Perchlorinate, MTBE, Teflon PFOA, nitrates, fertilizers and a host of other pollutants.) The springs are only protected against unwanted visitors.

If the spring water is processed it is usually only filtered to remove large particles.

Many springs produce water that contain so many impurities the water will not even meet municipal tap water standards.

Most spring water bottlers avoid issuing bottled water analysis reports because of the significant contamination that these reports would show.

Most spring water companies do not bottle at the source instead trucking the water to market.

Purified Water-The Truth

Purified water is water that is processed usually by a steam distillation/oxygenation process that is regulated and tested by the Food and Drug Administration of the Federal Government. The standards are the toughest in the industry - in order to qualify as “purified water” the water must test 99.9% pure.

Purified water represents the fastest growing segment of the bottled water industry mainly because it’s purer than other types of waters. There is a definite health trend today toward healthy living and many health conscious consumers buy because they want something that’s of a higher quality and purity than other options like tap water.

To meet the legal definition of “purified water”, water impurities must be removed to meet the U.S. Pharmacopeia definition (99.9% pure) adopted by the Food and Drug Administration.

Purified water must be tested and the results made available to the public. Any reputable purified bottled water supplier will produce testing reports upon request.

The most effective process for purification of water is a steam distillation/ozonation process that creates pure, good tasting water. It produces water that is 100% water and 0% everything else.

Purified water suppliers have their water tested at regular intervals and the tests are available upon request. Unlike spring water companies, purified water companies are happy to share their test results.

When you compare purified water against spring water the truth is revealed: If you want water that contains contaminants, is based upon hype, word parsing and marketing exaggeration - then drink spring water. If you want to drink water that is 100% pure and provides a healthy lifestyle for you and your family - drink purified water.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O. For more information about bottled water, purified drinking water and bottled water delivery go to http://www.elementh2o.com

As the popularity of private label bottled water grows as a cost effective way to promote corporate brands and advertise, it becomes more and more important to purchase from a reliable supplier.

Promoting a brand must be done with care and the right bottled water supplier will be an asset but the wrong choice can have disastrous brand consequences.

The question then becomes what to look for in choosing a quality supplier of private label bottled water.

Experience and Reputation of The Supplier

Inexperience or a reputation for low quality bottled water can damage a brand significantly. The development and distribution of a private label bottled water offering is an involved process that requires integrated design, production and distribution and care must be taken to produce a quality product. An inexperienced supplier or one who cuts corners to make a profit on a low price deal will do more harm than good.

Deal with a supplier who has many years experience in the private label bottled water business and has a reputation for integrity and quality performance.

Quality of the Design

Quality of design is another critical element in the bottled custom label water business.

In order to do the job right a graphic designer is required in order to produce a label that is accurate and represents a vivid complement to the client’s brand. Amateurish designs are obvious and make a negative statement about the brand.

Many low quality private label bottled water suppliers often design the label themselves without the use of proper design principles and the final product clearly shows up as a low quality, amateurish product.

Quality of the Water

Production of a private label bottled water product requires quality across the board and the water must taste good - otherwise customers will not use or recommend the product.

Low quality suppliers often buy their water on the spot market based on lowest price and water quality suffers. Often tap water or spring water with objectionable taste is used because it is cheap but this reflects poorly on the brand and image effort.

If the price seems too good to be true it probably is and the client’s brand will suffer.

Quality of the Bottle Design

Private label bottled water is a consumer product and an attractive bottle with a high quality laminated label will catch the eye of customers and help create word of mouth advertising. When dealing with consumers, it is the details that count so choose a supplier who has a standardized, attractive bottle.

Dealing with a supplier that buys bottles on the spot market to reduce costs will provide a product that uses low quality bottles with constantly changing bottle designs and will have a negative effect on the brand message of the private label bottled water.

Flexibility of Contracting

Some suppliers offer attractive prices for large quantity of palletized water but storage become a tremendous problem. Water is heavy and bulky and storage is at best cumbersome and expensive. Many low quality bottled water suppliers will take the order and then let you, the customer worry about logistics and storage.

Some suppliers, however, offer the pricing of a bulk purchase with a contract that allows shipments according to the individuals needs of the customer. These types of contracts eliminate the need for customer storage and create significant value in terms of convenience and cost effectiveness.

When shopping for a private label bottled water supplier, look for quality and convenience rather than just price allow. Your brand will benefit.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O. For more information about bottled water, purified drinking water and bottled water delivery go to http://www.elementh2o.com

While British citizens likely saw the first importations of tea from the Orient in the 1500 to 1600s as a sensation that added a little spark to their traditional coffee houses, the government saw something else - money. As this beverage quickly became the favored choice of the lower classes, British nobility saw a way to line the coffers of government.

The Arrival Of Tea And The First Tea Taxes

The exact date of tea’s arrival on British shores is a bit murky. What is clear, however, is that by the late 1600s, tea was a very popular drink in this country. Coffee houses began serving this beverage in abundance alongside more traditional beverages. By 1700, it is believed that more than 500 coffee houses within Britain served tea and even saw sales of spirits decline in favor of tea’s lighter, sweeter, non-alcoholic taste.

Not wanting to lose the valuable source of revenue that taxes on liquor sales produced, the government went into action. By 1676, a tea tax and coffee house licensing act were put into place. As tea’s popularity continued to rise, so did the attempts of the British government to make money off this import. During the mid 18th century, the government raised duties on tea so much that they fell in around a whopping 120 percent!

While taxation and import duties did little to curb Britons’ craving for tea, they did give rise to an illegal black market. Tea traders from the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries began smuggling loads of tea into the country to help Brits enjoy their tea duty free. The cost of doing business on the black market did remain high. So high, in fact, that smugglers often cut their tea with other substances to make their precious cargo go farther and fetch more money.

The smuggling crisis came to an abrupt end in 1784 when the Commutation Act was introduced. This act effectively dropped the tea tax to a more manageable rate of about 12.5 percent. It wasn’t until 1875, however, that government regulations were put into place to stop the cutting of tea with other substances thanks to the Food and Drug Act.

While tea taxes were effectively brought under control in Britain, there were other locations that faced taxation from this government. With the rise of the American colonies came a whole new source of revenue.

Tea Taxes In America

As British settlers poured into the colonies hoping to make new lives for themselves, they brought many traditions with them. Tea drinking was just one of them. This tradition, however, would soon play a pivot role in the founding of a new nation.

The first tea taxes in America are believed to have come about in 1767 when Parliament set a three-pence a pound tax on imports of tea to the American colonies. At this time, however, the American tea tax was still a great deal lower than the fees Brits faced back in the Mother country. It would still be nearly two decades before the Commutation Act passed.

America’s tea taxes were less at the time due to concessions made to the East India Company by Parliament. What exactly happened behind closed doors that gave the colonists preferential pricing at the time remains a mystery to historians. Whatever the case, colonists did enjoy their tea at a lower price than their compatriots back at home had to pay.

Some believe the lower duties and taxes in America were designed to make it easier for the East India Company to compete effectively against other importers, such as the Dutch. Unfortunately for taxpayers, both the company and the British government would soon find themselves facing debts that were out of control.

Following the French and Indian War, which left Britain largely in control of North America, the British government’s debts soared. It is estimated that government debt climbed from around 75 million pounds to more than 130. To recover some of its expenses, Great Britain enacted a series of taxes on the American colonists.

Charles Townshend’s 1767 tax on tea, paper, paint and other supplies was just one of many taxes enacted following the war. By 1773, Parliament approved of the Tea Act, which was created to help the East India Company stay afloat. This act gave the company control over tea sales in the colonies. Thanks to a large surplus of tea in London warehouses, the company prepared to deliver thousands of pounds of tea for sale in the colonies at prices that would put many local merchants and especially smugglers out of business. The tea tax, however, remained in place - much to the chagrin of American settlers, who were fed up with British taxes. Seeing the tea tax as an unfair duty and angered at the preferential treatment given to the East India Company, many colonists began to rally for their rights. As the low-priced shipments of tea came into the colonies, many locations refused to allow the cargo to be offloaded. In Boston, the infamous Tea Party took place as a load of cheap tea sat in Boston Harbor.

While the Tea Act of 1773 would have given the American colonists much cheaper tea - even with the tea tax included - colonists felt agreeing to pay the price meant giving up rights to representation. This was not about to happen in the eyes of such patriots as Sam Adams. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

The British and tea have been synonymous for centuries. Taxes on this import, however, proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back and led to the founding of a whole new country.

About The Author:
Jon Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about green tea,oolong tea and chai tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Today was a perfect fall day. The weather was moderate and cool and the sun was shining all day. It was a good day to be alive and appreciate all the good things that happen in one’s life.

Fall to me is the best season of the year, not too hot and not too cold with beautiful nature all around. As the nights become cooler and the trees start to change color, fall emerges as a way to remember the events of summer and as a time to prepare for the cold of winter.

Fall is a great time for country driving and trips that explore the fall scenery are memorable events. The days are cool enough to create brilliant displays of color but usually warm enough in early fall to travel with car windows open or with the convertible top down. The rush of fresh air is exhilarating.

Fall is also an ideal time for sporting events and other outdoor activity. Football games and rallies, hay rides, clam bakes and a myriad of other events bring families together and add festivities to the enjoyment of fall activities.

Many times, at the end of the day families and friends meet in front of a cracking fire to relive the day. Many also choose to enjoy a full body steaming cup of hot tea.

Tea is the perfect drink, either alone or around friends and family. In addition to is delicious taste, whole leaf tea creates a feeling of well being and relaxation that appeals to the tea drinker mind, body and spirit and there is a tea just right for every tea drinker and occasion.

But at the end of a perfect fall (or any) day one should finish with a tea drink made from the highest quality tea. Bagged tea that is not robust or rich in flavor will frequently be a letdown. Quality tea is the perfect drink for any occasion and many tea drinkers start and finish the day with a steaming cup of their favorite beverage.

Enjoy a hot cup of quality tea on a perfect fall day and it is probable that many other tea drinking days will turn out the same.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Jasmine tea is the most popular flavored tea in the world. Chinese tea gardeners have been producing this delicacy for at least 700 years. Though jasmine tea is already considered a blend, it is often used as the base for additional blends because of the popularity of the jasmine tea base. Jasmine tea is mild and slightly sweet, making it perfect for combining with other flavors, like vanilla.

Jasmine tea is created by plucking the jasmine blossoms just as they are beginning to bloom and adding them to the tea leaves at night to ensure the best infusion of the aroma and fragrance. In most cases, green tea is used as the base for jasmine tea. To make vanilla jasmine tea, the tea is infused with vanilla bean or vanilla flavoring after the infusion of the jasmine blossoms. While vanilla jasmine tea is most often made using green tea, it can be found in black, white and oolong tea varieties, too. The type of jasmine tea used for the base will affect the flavor, caffeine content and health benefits of the vanilla jasmine tea.

While China is still the largest producer of jasmine tea, in part because the Chinese are such large consumers of all varieties of jasmine tea, you can find vanilla jasmine and other jasmine teas produced in nearly every tea producing country in the world. There are Formosa vanilla jasmine teas from Taiwan, Darjeeling and Assam vanilla jasmine teas from India and Ceylon vanilla jasmine teas from Sri Lanka.

Black Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Vanilla jasmine tea made from a black tea base will have a bold flavor and produce a rich liquor. You’ll find this tea to be complex in flavor, with many variances, depending upon the variety of black tea used as the tea base. This is a sweet blend of tea, perfect for serving with dessert. Black vanilla jasmine tea will have the most caffeine of any vanilla jasmine blend.

Green Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Vanilla jasmine tea made from green tea will produce a much lighter liquor, often pale amber or green in color. This tea will be milder in flavor with a very natural taste. Because of the lightness of the tea, the vanilla and jasmine flavors will be much more prominent. The region of the world in which the green tea is grown will affect the flavor of the tea. Green vanilla jasmine tea will have less caffeine than black vanilla jasmine tea and will offer many health benefits.

Green tea is a very powerful source of anti-oxidants, which are important to our health because they combat free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are created as a by-product of our digestive processes. While they are naturally occurring, they are oxygen containing molecules that have the power to damage our cells and DNA. However, a diet rich in anti-oxidants, like those found in green and white tea, help rid our bodies of these free radicals before they can damage our bodies. For many years, Asian cultures, where green tea is a staple beverage, have shown far lower incidences of serious illnesses like heart disease and many forms of cancer. This led to research on green tea’s health benefits. Since then, much research has shown a strong connection with lifelong green tea consumption and a longer and healthier life.

White Vanilla Jasmine Tea- This is the sweetest variety of vanilla jasmine tea you’ll find and likely the most refreshing. White tea, because it is plucked before the tea buds have even opened, and because it is left unfermented, is the mildest and sweetest of all tea varieties. When it is paired with fragrant jasmine and sweet vanilla, it creates a delicious tea that has very little caffeine and could probably serve as all the dessert you need after a fine meal. This tea is equally delicious whether enjoyed iced or hot. In addition, it contains all the health benefits of green tea.

Oolong Vanilla Jasmine Tea - Oolong teas are semi-fermented, meaning that they do go through a fermentation process, but one that is much shorter than that of black tea. A vanilla jasmine oolong tea will be complex in flavor, with fruity notes and a sweet finish. You’ll find it bolder than a green or white blend, but never bitter or strong. The flavor will be significantly affected by how long the oolong tea leaves are fermented and by the country in which the tea was grown. Oolong vanilla jasmine tea will also be a larger leaf tea than the other varieties.

There are nearly endless possibilities in the varieties and flavors you can find in vanilla jasmine tea. Each variety of tea will have its own unique flavors based on where it is grown, how it is processed and the quality of the tea. In addition, the quality and type of the jasmine blossoms and vanilla used to flavor the tea will impact its flavor. Vanilla is grown in several areas of the world, with each area producing a slightly different flavor. Jasmine is also grown in many parts of the world, and the jasmine blossoms are slightly affected by the soil of the growing region.

So, you see, vanilla jasmine tea can have many subtleties and nuances. However, it is easily one of the most fragrant and pleasing teas, in any form. The combination of familiar and comforting vanilla paired with fragrant jasmine can make any variety of tea pleasing to nearly any palate.

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

One variety of tea that is very popular in Asia but just gaining recognition in the US is oolong tea. Sometimes referred to as Wulong tea, as well, oolong literally means black dragon. Wulong, however, refers to the originator of the tea Wu Liang. According to Chinese legend, Wu Liang was busy collecting and processing tea leaves when he spotted a river deer. He stopped to kill and prepare the deer and it interrupted his tea processing for the day, and he forgot to dry out the leaves. He remembered the tea a day later.

By this time it had begun to change color, and Wu Liang was afraid it had gone bad, but decided to finish drying it anyway. After completing the drying process, he made himself a cup and found that he had created a very flavorful and aromatic tea - and oolong was born.

Oolong tea, in terms of processing, falls somewhere between green and black tea. Oolong tea is semi-fermented, meaning that it does go through a fermentation process, but for a shorter time than black tea.

Tea leaves for oolong tea are picked early in the day and then dried indoors to promote fermenting. But, the fermentation process must be stopped when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. Stopping the fermentation process is the most critical step to making good oolong tea. Once fermentation has stopped, the tea leaves are rubbed, which releases the aroma, flavor and texture. Finally, the leaves are dried using charcoal, before they are graded for quality and sent for packaging.

Most oolong tea is grown and processed in China, in the Fujian Province. Chinese oolong tea is exported all over the world, and is known as the national tea of China.

Oolong tea is also grown in Taiwan, and a small amount is grown in the Darjeeling region of India. In Taiwan, oolong tea is referred to as Formosa tea, in reference to the country’s original name. Oolong tea from Taiwan is more difficult to find than Chinese oolong tea, but it is worth the effort. In Taiwan, oolong tea is often fermented for a shorter period of time than in China; sometimes the leaves are only about 15% fermented, compared to the typical 30%. These Taiwanese oolong teas are known as “pouchongs”. In addition, Taiwanese oolong teas are dried in the sun rather than in the sun.



Oolong teas are unfamiliar to many people in the West. However, the flavor of a good oolong tea is one that has wide appeal. They have a fruity flavor and aroma and are one of the most fragrant teas produced. They have far less bitterness than black tea and a less grassy flavor than green tea. All in all, unless over brewed, oolong is one of the smoothest cups of tea you can brew.

Oolong tea is also quite healthy. Because it is partially fermented, its anti-oxidant content is a bit different than either black or green tea. Oolong tea holds an especially high level of the anti-oxidant polyphenol, which contributes to its flavor as well as its health potential. Polyphenol is a very potent anti-oxidant; one of the ones found effective in preventing heart disease and cancer. Many people also report that oolong is very effective at promoting weight loss. Much like green tea, the anti-oxidants in oolong tea seem to speed up the metabolism and help oxidize fat, both of which contribute to weight loss.

Oolong tea is brewed a bit differently than other teas. Tradition calls for you to “wake” the oolong tea leaves before brewing them, to release the flavor. To do this, pour water that is nearly to the boiling point over the leaves in the teapot, simply rinsing them by pouring this water off very quickly. Now that you have awakened the tea leaves, pour a second batch of hot water over the leaves and allow them to steep for about one minute. It’s important not to use water that is too hot when brewing oolong tea. Water that is too hot will reduce the fruitiness of the tea. Over brewing oolong will cause it to be bitter.

True tea connoisseurs brew several pots of oolong from the same leaves. Each infusion will have a different flavor, but each will be delicious.

If you’ve never tried oolong tea, you’re in for a real treat. Most of the best tea shops will carry at least one variety of oolong tea. In addition, many fine tea shops will carry flavored oolong teas. Oolong tea is particularly flavorful when blended with fruit flavors. Since oolong tea has a bit of a fruity flavor on its own, combining it with fruit flavors enhances the flavor of the tea.

So, go to your favorite local or online tea shop and buy some oolong tea. It’s sure to be a favorite - a bolder taste than your favorite white tea, milder than your favorite black tea and just as healthy as your favorite green. It’s the perfect combination of all the things that we find so wonderful about good tea!

About The Author:
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com