A recent article in Fresh Cup Magazine talked about the trend toward limited-edition beverages. What started as wintertime holiday specials now extends year-round with seasonal offerings based on Valentine s Day, St. Patrick s Day and more. However, there are other approaches to limited-edition beverages, such as the limited-run, weekly bold coffees at Starbucks.

Last week, Starbucks served Organic Yukon Blend. Starting today, it s Italian Roast Bold Coffee. The weekly bold coffee offering will continue through May 3rd.

Do limited-run drinks like these tempt your tastebuds, or do you usually opt for old favorites instead? Do you prefer holiday/seasonal drinks or featured menu items? Have you tried any of Starbucks bold coffees, and if so, what did you think of them?

Personally, I enjoy limited-run menu items at my regular haunts, but I tend to shy away from them at places I don t frequently visit. It s rare that a short-term product will get me to visit somewhere outside my usual spots, but I ll make the effort if it s something really special or if it s a one-time opportunity, such as an event or an overlap with a visit to a city where a limited-run option is offered. (Actually, I m notorious for checking out as many food and beverage hotspots as I can whenever I travel. I even went so far as to document a cross-country move with a tour of tea businesses in six different cities on World Tea News.) What about you?

Limited-Run Beverages originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 15:40:12.

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Most of us are busy people. Those of us who have kids tend to be even busier! Here are a few recipes to help you celebrate St. Patrick s Day with a full schedule and/or with kids, courtesy of Linda Larsen, About s guide for Busy Cooks, and Stephanie Gallagher, About s Kids Cooking guide:

• Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe lets you cook tender corned beef in the slowcooker. The cabbage is added at the end of cooking time so it stays slightly crisp.
• Corned Beef and Cabbage Tarts are a handheld twist on the classic St. Patrick s Day recipes. They combine red cabbage and cubed corned beef with Gruyere cheese for a treat you can enjoy on the run or serve to kids with ease.
• Watergate Salad isn t Irish, but it is green! Stephanie said, "This retro salad has been a favorite for parties and potlucks since the 1970s and will add a touch of whimsy to any St. Patrick s Day celebration."
• This American version of Irish Soda Bread is sweet and cake-like. In other words, it s perfect for kids. It s also delicious with strong tea, like an Assam black tea or a Ceylon black tea.

Photo (c) Stephanie Gallagher
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Busy Cooks & Kids Cooking originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 17:00:02.

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One can not fail to note in connection with the introduction of coffee into England that the beverage suffered most from the indiscretions of its friends. On the one hand, the quacks of the medical profession sought to claim it for their own; and, on the other, more or less ignorant laymen attributed to the drink such virtues as its real champions among the physicians never dreamed of. It was the favorite pastime of its friends to exaggerate coffee s merits; and of its enemies, to vilify its users. All this furnished good "copy" for and against the coffee house, which became the central figure in each new controversy.

From the early English author who damned it by calling it "more wholesome than toothsome", to Pasqua Rosée and his contemporaries, who urged its more fantastic claims, it was forced to make its way through a veritable morass of misunderstanding and intolerance. No harmless drink in history has suffered more at hands of friend and foe.

Did its friends hail it as a panacea, its enemies retorted that it was a slow poison. In France and in England there were those who contended that it produced melancholy, and those who argued it was a cure for the same. Dr. Thomas Willis (1621–1673), a distinguished Oxford physician whom Antoine Portal (1742–1832) called "one of the greatest geniuses that ever lived", said he would sometimes send his patients to the coffee house rather than to the apothecary s shop. An old broadside, described later in this chapter, stressed the notion that if you "do but this Rare ARABIAN cordial use, and thou may st all the Doctors Slops Refuse."

As a cure for drunkenness its "magic" power was acclaimed by its friends, and grudgingly admitted by its foes. This will appear presently in a description of the war of the broadsides and the pamphlets. Coffee was praised by one writer as a deodorizer. Another (Richard Bradley), in his treatise concerning its use with regard to the plague, said if its qualities had been fully known in 1665, "Dr. Hodges and other learned men of that time would have recommended it." As a matter of fact, in Gideon Harvey s Advice against the Plague, published in 1665, we find, "coffee is commended against the contagion."

This is how the drink s sobering virtue was celebrated by the author of the Rebellious Antidote:

Come, Frantick Fools, leave off your Drunken fits. Obsequious be and I ll recall your Wits, From perfect Madness to a modest Strain For farthings four I ll fetch you back again, Enable all your mene with tricks of State, Enter and sip and then attend your Fate; Come Drunk or Sober, for a gentle Fee, Come n er so Mad, I ll your Physician be.

A Dr. Willis, in his Pharmaceutice Rationalis (1674), was one of the first to attempt to do justice to both sides of the coffee question. At best, he thought it a somewhat risky beverage, and its votaries must, in some cases, be prepared to suffer languor and even paralysis; it may attack the heart and cause tremblings in the limbs. On the other hand it may, if judiciously used, prove a marvelous benefit; "being daily drunk it wonderfully clears and enlightens each part of the Soul and disperses all the clouds of every Function."

It was a long time before recognition was obtained for the truth about the "novelty drink"; especially that, if there were any beyond purely social virtues to be found in coffee, they were "political rather than medical."

Dr. James Duncan, of the Faculty of Montpellier, in his book Wholesome Advice against the Abuse of Hot Liquors, done into English in 1706, found coffee no more deserving of the name of panacea than that of poison.

George Cheyne (1671–1743), the noted British physician, proclaimed his neutrality in the words, "I have neither great praise nor bitter blame for the thing."

Special dietary needs are no reason to skip the festivities this St. Patty s Day! Check out these recipes from Teri Lee Gruss, About s Gluten Free guide, and Jen Hoy, About s Macrobiotic guide, for ideas on how to celebrate with special dietary needs:

• Gluten and Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread is also known as "Freckle Bread" or "Spotted Dog" due to the raisins that dot its surface. This fast, easy recipe is delicious with strong black teas, but can also be eaten with Japanese sencha for extra green on St. Patty s Day.
• This Gluten-Free Barm Brack recipe is laced with fragrant fresh lemon peel, plump raisins and chopped candied ginger. I recommend using 3/4 cup black tea in lieu of 3/4 cup water for extra flavor.
• This Gluten-Free Creamy Potato Leek Soup is great alongside Gluten/Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread. It can also be made dairy-free.
• For recovering the day after St. Patrick s Day, Jen (the Macrobiotic guide) suggested two green smoothies: the Mango Pineapple Green Smoothie and the Ultra Green Smoothie. They re also a healthy way to start celebrating on St. patty s Day!

Photo © 2010 Teri Lee Gruss, licensed to About.com, Inc.
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Gluten-Free & Macrobiotic Recipes originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 16:58:31.

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Today s St. Patty s Day blogathon focuses on the Coffee/Tea site. While Japanese green teas are an obvious choice given their vibrant green colors and Irish Breakfast tea is a natural pairing for many Irish sweets and breakfast foods, there are plenty of other ways to incorporate coffee and tea into your St. Patrick s Day celebrations:

• This collection of Basic Coffee Cocktails includes Irish Coffee, as well as other easy recipes, like coffee-infused vodka, B-50 shots and the Chocolate Mocha-Tini.
• The Summer Green Tea Latte is a healthy, caffeine-rich and very green way to start you St. Patrick s Day festivities. Later in the day, it can also be spiked for a refreshing, alcoholic treat.

Do you have any other ways to celebrate St. Patty s Day with coffee or tea? Share them below!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Coffee & Tea originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 17:01:25.

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Today, I noticed two very interesting coffee articles in The New York Times. Brew a cup of coffee, take a look and share your thoughts in the comments!

The first article was a Q&A with Ken Nye of Ninth Street Espresso in "The Diner s Journal." He answers questions about third wave coffee and more in his third Q&A with the paper. (The first was a readers Q&A on coffee and the second was on the economics of coffee bars.)

The second article I noticed today was in the "Urban Eye" section. Entitled Java Huts, it s about New York City s emerging third wave/ultra-premium coffee scene.

Read back-to-back, these articles almost made me wish I were still living in "The City That Never Sleeps," especially now that there are enough sources of quality caffeine for even the snobbiest of coffee drinkers to pull all-nighters with ease. Then again, as someone based in Portland, OR, I have plenty of fantastic coffee roasters and baristas (not to mention a much lower cost of living) right where I am. New Yorkers, how do you feel about your city s coffee scene? How do coffee fanatics in more established coffee cities (like San Francisco, Portland or Chicago) feel about New York s push toward better coffee?

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin

Coffee in NYC and Beyond originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 18:45:35.

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If you re planning on a more intimate gathering for St. Patrick s Day, be sure to check out these Irish cocktail recipes and recipes for cooking for two from Colleen Graham, About s Cocktails Guide, and Kevin Weeks, About s Cooking for Two Guide:

• This Irish Martini recipe transforms your favorite Vodka Martini into a lucky libation.
• Everybody s Irish is a cocktail that Colleen said, "will get everyone in the spirit of the Irish." It contains Irish whiskey and it s green.
• Kevin said, "There is nothing more Irish than Guinness. Made using water from the Liffey River, it is one of the most famous beers (specifically a "stout") in the world." He suggested using it as ingredient in Steak and Guinness Pie, a staple of English and Irish pub fare, and buying a few extra pints to pair with your meal for two.
• Corning your own beef takes some advance planning, but it s easy to make and delicious.

Photo © Kevin D Weeks
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Cocktails & Cooking for Two originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 17:04:14.

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Starting today and ending May 3rd, Starbucks will offer one bold coffee each week. They re kicking the series off with Organic Yukon Blend. Here s a look at what the coming weeks hold (each of which are accompanied by an animated short):

• Italian Roast
• East African Blend
• Komodo Dragon Blend
• Cafe Verona
• Cafe Estima
• Gold Coast Blend
• Sumatra

The idea of Starbucks pushing bolder coffee is intriguing, but I have to say that some of these animations are well done, and a few border on offensive, while others are (sometimes intentionally, sometimes not) hilarious. (In the Sumatra video, the theme is adventure, so a man ventures outside of the routine by going to a different Starbucks that s right across the street from his usual Starbucks. Right...)

What do you think of these promotional videos? Do you plan to try Starbucks new "bold" coffees?

Bold Coffees at Starbucks originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 13:40:24.

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For many adults, St. Patrick s Day isn t complete without alcohol. Today s St. Patty s Day blogathon focuses on mead recommendations from About.com Wine Guide Stacy Slinkard and Beer articles from About.com Beer Guide Bryce Eddings. If these whet your whistle, check back again in two days for St. Patrick s Day cocktail recipes!

• Mead is a true Irish treasure. Check out Stacy s article on Mead Basics and her St. Patrick s Day Mead Recommendations.
• Looking for green beer to add to your festivities? Check out Bryce s step-by-step guide to making green beer.
• If you prefer your beer to be more flavorful than colorful, go beyond Guinness and read up on the classic Irish beer, the stout, with Bryce s Layman s Guide to Stout.

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Wine & Beer originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 17:02:22.

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Today s St. Patrick s Day blogathon post is for the crowd pleasers! Help family and friends enjoy the holiday even more with these tips from About.com s Baking guide, Carroll Pellegrinelli, and Entertaining guide, Donna Pilato:

• Carroll said, "Besides having an awesome name that just rolls off the tongue, Barm Brack, is the Irish version of a combination of fruit cake and Christmas Pudding." I love that it s soaked in black tea before baking, making it a fantastic pairing for black tea. I particularly recommend a citrusy Ceylon black tea for baking and pairing with this treat.
• If you re looking for a green-themed dessert for St. Patty s Day, try this Pistachio Cake recipe. It s moist, tasty and fantastic with Darjeeling 2nd Flush black tea, many Japanese green teas, Colombian coffee or Costa Rican coffee.
• Donna shared her sound advice for Enjoying St. Patrick s Day Even If You re Not Irish. My favorite suggestion? Sip an Irish coffee! (You can learn to make Irish coffee with this video or this basic Irish coffee recipe.)
• If you re celebrating with family, check out Donna s guide to A St. Patrick s Day Party for the Whole Family. If you want a nice, strong loose-leaf tea to substitute for a bagged Irish tea blend, try an Assam. (Traditionally, Irish Breakfast tea came from Keemun, but these days bagged Irish Breakfast teas are usually a blend of teas from Kenya, Assam and other areas.)

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - Baking & Entertaining originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 10:57:51.

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Next up in the St. Patrick s Day food blogathon, I m featuring two international food sites.

Barbara Rolek, guide to Eastern European Food, often writes about my husband s childhood favorites. (He s from former Yugoslavia.) Below, she has shared a Hungarian recipe and a Polish recipe that, while not Irish, still suit St. Patrick s Day festivities very well.

And, of course, St. Patrick s Day wouldn t be complete without some recipes from Ireland, which Elaine Lemm (guide to British/Irish Food) has shared in the process of organizing this blogathon.

• Hungarian Beer Bread is a no-knead, one-rise recipe that can be formed into rolls, loaves, sticks or pretzels. As sticks or pretzels, their crunch makes them perfect snacks for enjoying with St. Patrick s Day beer!
• If you swap pork for beef in this hearty Polish recipe for smoked pork butt and cabbage, you have twist on corned beef and cabbage. Barbara said leftovers can be turned into soup or another meal over noodles.
• Elaine recommended starting off the day s long festivities with a Full Irish breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage and potato fadge and a couple of slices of soda bread. Yum! I d recommend adding a cup of (what else?) Irish Breakfast tea.

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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - International Cuisines originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 11:54:52.

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Every now and then, About.com guides work together to share fun content amongst sites with similar subject matter. Right now, a group of food guides are working to share St. Patrick s Day recipes from a variety of About.com food sites. I ll be featuring two areas of content every two days until St. Patrick s Day, so keep checking back for new recipes and links!

To kick things off, I m featuring two Southern Food recipes from Diana Rattray, About s guide to Southern Food, and two locovore-friendly recipes from Molly Watson, About s guide to Local Foods. These are two of my favorite sites from About Food, so I hope that you will enjoy what these food-writing mavens have to say as much as I do!

• Basic Corned Beef Dinner is a delicious corned beef dinner, made with a variety of spices and vegetables. Diana said, "Feel free to add turnips or cut-up rutabagas to this recipe." Yum! If I ate beef, I d definitely pair this with a nice, strong cup of Assam black tea.
• Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder is a quick and easy crockpot soup that s made from corned beef dinner leftovers. Diana said, "Serve this chowder with hot baked rolls or biscuits for a great family meal."
• Butter Braised Cabbage is easy and delicious. Molly said, "Gently cook chopped cabbage in a bit of butter and salt for a meltingly tender, richly flavored side dish perfect to serve with roast meats of all kinds - including corned beef or roasted lamb."
• Potatoes & Cabbage are cooked with a bit of cream and topped with cheese for a hearty dish perfect for a vegetarian nod to St. Patrick s Day. Delicious! I could see this being especially good alongside a cup of Lapsang Souchong.

Photo (c) Diana Rattray
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St. Patrick s Day Blogathon - U.S. Regional Cuisines originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 11:50:22.

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Love to hone your skills with the aid of video tutorials? Check out these coffee videos on topics like how to pull the perfect shot, how to use a French press and more:

• This new video on how to pull the perfect espresso shot will give you the basis for crafting more complex espresso drinks. For more detailed instructions, check out this espresso shot photo tutorial.
• Once you know how to pull a shot, you can earn to make amazing cappuccino. Yum! (This is also a new video. It was made by the same videographer as the espresso shot tutorial.)
• If you re looking for an easy, fun coffee recipe, check out this video on how to make Irish coffee. And, if you love coffee cocktails, check out these lists of basic coffee cocktail recipes and intermediate coffee cocktail recipes.
• If you like the pure, full-on flavor of French press coffee, learn how to use a French press with this new video.
• If you prefer the concentrated flavor of boiled coffees (which are commonly called "Turkish coffee," but are also prepared in Greece, across the Baltics and elsewhere), watch this video on how to brew and serve Turkish coffee. (Side note -- There are many variations on this recipe. For ideas, check out this recipe for Spiced Turkish Coffee.)

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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Hot Coffee Videos originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 10:49:48.

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Last week on Lost, there was a coffee/tea reference. (Spoiler alert!) Benjamin Linus was complaining about people not exercising proper coffeemaker etiquette, when John Locke walked in and said he d prefer Earl Grey. Ben said, "Tea?! Now that s a gentleman s drink."

This little exchange got me thinking about coffee and tea on TV. Of course, British shows often reference tea. My favorite recent find was Spaced, which often references tea (including Lapsang Souchong), but also has a great coffee reference in which a character is eating instant coffee straight out of a tin.

British shows tend to reference tea in a nostalgic way, but American shows tend to view it differently. From the American version of The Office associating tea with the question of whether or not Andy is homosexual to the rather unsavory (but funny!) 30 Rock "Sun Tea" episode, there seems to be quite a range of American ideas about tea s cultural meaning or role.

On the other hand, American TV shows tend to take coffee for granted -- it s everywhere and it s not discussed much beyond a basic need for it in daily life -- but British media has a different approach. It s often portrayed as more exotic and sexy, most notably in the Nescafe Gold Blend advertisements from the 1980s and 1990s.

What are your favorite coffee/tea references on TV? What do you think about the ways different cultures address coffee and tea on TV?

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Coffee & Tea on TV originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 16:06:08.

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From fun to informative, here are a few of the coffee links I ve happened upon (and thoroughly enjoyed) over the last few weeks:

• 20 Excuses for a Coffee Break includes fun products, tasty treats and useful resources.
• Brew Methods is a fantastic resource for coffee brewing in its many forms.
• Imbibe s Vacuum Pot Tips is a practical guide to vacuum-pot brewing, as described by Blue Bottle Coffee s owner.
• Real Simple s Best Coffeemakers List runs the gamut from Bodum s $34 French press to the $180 Krups KM7000 Grind and Brew coffeemaker.
• 100 Cool Coffee Hacks includes ways to make a better cuppa, reduce your coffee spending, remove coffee stains and more.
• Real Simple s List of Seven Buzz-Worthy Coffees profiles some of their favorite beans from Counter Culture, Stumptown, Gimme! Coffee and more.
• New York Times Coffee Hub includes the latest NY Times coffee news items, plus a collection of coffee links from around the web.

What are some of your favorite coffee web resources?

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Coffee Links From Around the Web originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 10:54:46.

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First, Canadian chain Tim Horton s paired better coffee with their fast food offerings (most of which are doughnuts).

Then, several American doughnut shops upped their coffee game. Next, McDonalds introduced their McFrappe line (and, boy, did the Huffington Post have some things to say about it!).

Now, Burger King is introducing Seattle s Best Coffee in some stores starting July and planning to expand availability across the nation by September. There seems to be a trend going on with fast food chains taking their coffee more seriously (and it s certainly arguable that Starbucks improved food menu could indicate that coffee chains are taking their food -- fast or otherwise -- more seriously).

What do you think about "specialty" coffee drinks becoming widely available in fast food chains? Are they a convenient way to grab a cuppa? Are they something that could threaten the sustainability of local coffee shops? Or do you think that quality differences are over-hyped, and that the "new and improved" coffee drinks will be little better than the foods they re served alongside? Share your opinions on this controversial topic in the comments below!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin

Fast Food Coffee originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 20:10:46.

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There s a new section on the site! It s dedicated to teabag reviews, including traditional flat bags, tea sachets and pyramid bags. So far, I ve reviewed a number of teas from David Rio, including Organic Power Fruit Green Tea, Organic Mint Chocolate Infusion and, of course, Organic Earl Grey. In the coming weeks, I ll be adding reviews of pyramid teabags from new tea company Tea Spree, reviews of Choice Tea s new (well, new-ish) organic tea sachet line and reviews of traditional, flat teabags from British tea company Ahmed Tea. If you love the convenience of teabags, be sure to check back for more teabag reviews soon!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Teabag Reviews originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 12:09:50.

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Whether you re just getting into tea of have been drinking it for years, there s always more to learn. These tea videos (listed from beginner to advanced) cover a range of topics from finding the right tea for you to how to pair a variety of teas and foods:

• Find the right tea for you -- From basic black to oolong (pictured here) to rarer types (like white and puer tea), these are the basic types of tea. Bonus article: Five Easy Ways to Drink Whole-Leaf Tea
• How to brew a cup of tea -- These are the basics of how to brew tea.
• Benefits of whole-leaf tea -- What s the difference between teabags and loose-leaf, anyway?
• Pairing tea with food -- You re probably familiar with classic coffee pairings, but do you know how to pair tea and food? Learn how with this easy guide.

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Tea Education Videos originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 22:58:21.

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How well do you know your teas? Can you identify them by only the appearance and aroma? Test your skills in part six of "Name This Leaf!"

At first glance, this looks like one particular tea, but closer investigation proves otherwise. Its wiry buds (or tips) have some down (fine hairs) on them, but the down doesn t cover the entire surface. The aroma is delicate -- a little floral, a little earthy, with hints of citrus, stonefruit, milk chocolate and/or white grapes, depending on its exact origin and processing.

The last five "Name This Leaf" answers were Asamushi Sencha Green Tea, Silver Needle White Tea, Dragonwell/Long Jing, Rooibos/"Red Bush Tea" and Houjicha Japanese Green Tea. Do you know the what this mystery tealeaf is? (Hint: I m looking for the tea type and the region of origin.)

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Name This Leaf 6 originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at 19:34:41.

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In Brazil, the Giant of South America, and the world s largest coffee producer, the methods of cultivation naturally have reached a high point of development, although the soil and the climate were not at first regarded as favorable. The year 1723 is generally accepted as the date of the introduction of the coffee plant into Brazil from French Guiana. Coffee planting was slow in developing, however, until 1732, when the governor of the states of Pará and Maranhao urged its cultivation. Sixteen years later, there were 17,000 trees in Pará. From that year on, slow but steady progress was made; and by 1770, an export trade had been begun from the port of Pará to countries in Europe.

The spread of the industry began about this time. The coffee tree was introduced into the state of Rio de Janeiro in 1770. From there its cultivation was gradually extended into the states of São Paulo, Minãs Geraes, Bahia, and Espirito Santo, which have become the great coffee-producing sections of Brazil. The cultivation of the plant did not become especially noteworthy until the third decade of the nineteenth century. Large crops were gathered in the season of 1842–43; and by the middle of the century, the plantations were producing annually more than 2,000,000 bags.

Brazil s commercial coffee-growing region has an estimated area of approximately 1,158,000 square miles, and extends from the river Amazon to the southern border of the state of São Paulo, and from the Atlantic coast to the western boundary of the state of Matto Grosso. This area is larger than that section of the United States lying east of the Mississippi River, with Texas added. In every state of the republic, from Ceará in the north to Santa Catharina in the south, the coffee tree can be cultivated profitably; and is, in fact, more or less grown in every state, if only for domestic use. However, little attention is given to coffee-growing in the north, except in the state of Pernambuco, which has only about 1,500,000 trees, as compared, with the 764,000,000 trees of São Paulo in 1922.

The chief coffee-growing plantations in Brazil are situated on plateaus seldom less than 1,800 feet above sea-level, and ranging up to 4,000 feet. The mean annual temperature is approximately 70° F., ranging from a mean of 60.8° in winter to a mean of 72° in summer. The temperature has been known, however, to register 32° in winter and 97.7° in summer.

While coffee trees will grow in almost any part of Brazil, experience indicates that the two most fertile soils, the terra roxa and the massape, lie in the "coffee belts." The terra roxa is a dark red earth, and is practically confined to São Paulo, and to it is due the predominant coffee productivity of that state. Massape is a yellow, dark red—or even black—soil, and occurs more or less contiguous to the terra roxa. With a covering of loose sand, it makes excellent coffee land.

Brazil planters follow the nursery-propagated method of planting, and cultivate, prune, and spray their trees liberally. Transplanting is done in the months from November to February.

Coffee-growing profits have shown a decided falling off in Brazil in recent years. In 1900 it was not uncommon for a coffee estate to yield an annual profit of from 100 to 250 percent. Ten years later the average returns did not exceed twelve percent.

In Brazil s coffee belt there are two seasons—the wet, running from September to March; and the dry, running from April to August. The coffee trees are in bloom from September to December. The blossoms last about four days, and are easily beaten off by light winds or rains. If the rains or winds are violent, the green berries may be similarly destroyed; so that great damage may be caused by unseasonable rains and storms.

The harvest usually begins in April or May, and extends well into the dry season. Even in the picking season, heavy rains and strong winds—especially the latter—may do considerable damage; for in Brazil shade trees and wind-breaks are the exception.

Approximately twenty-five percent of the São Paulo plantations are cultivated by machinery. A type of cultivator very common is similar to the small corn-plow used in the United States. The Planet Junior, manufactured by a well known United States agricultural-machinery firm, is the most popular cultivator. It is drawn by a small mule, with a boy to lead it, and a man to drive and to guide the plow.

The oldest coffee-growing district in São Paulo is Campinas. There are 136 others.

Bahia coffee is not so carefully cultivated and harvested as the Santos coffee. The introduction of capital and modern methods would do much for Bahia, which has the advantage of a shorter haul to the New York and the European markets.

On the average, something like seventy percent of the world s coffee crop is grown in Brazil, and two-thirds of this is produced in São Paulo. Coffee culture in many districts of São Paulo has been brought to the point of highest development; and yet its product is essentially a quantity, not a quality, one.

From buying organic to not brewing ore than you use, there are plenty of ways to green your coffee habit. I recently happened upon this cool list of ways to reuse coffee grounds after brewing. Suggested uses include deodorizing drains and fertilizing radishes, carrots and mushrooms, both of which can also be done with used tealeaves. Do you reuse your coffee grounds? If so, how do you use them?

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Tip for Greening Your Coffee Habit originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 23:54:23.

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Certain trees growing wild in the Comoro Islands and Madagascar are known as caffeine-free coffee trees. Just whether they are entitled to this classification or not is a question. Some of the French and German investigators have reported coffee from these regions that was absolutely devoid of caffeine. It was thought at first that they must represent an entirely new genus; but upon investigation, it was found that they belonged to the genus Coffea, to which all our common coffees belong.

Professor Dubard, of the French National Museum and Colonial Garden, studied these trees botanically and classified them as C. Gallienii, C. Bonnieri, C. Mogeneti, and C. Augagneuri. The beans of berries from these trees were analyzed by Professor Bertrand and pronounced caffein-free; but Labroy, in writing of the same coffee, states that, while the bean is caffein-free, it contains a very bitter substance, cafamarine, which makes the infusion unfit for use. Dr. O.W. Willcox, in examining some specimens of wild coffee from Madagascar, found that the bean was not caffein-free; and though the caffein content was low, it was no lower than in some of the Porto Rican varieties.

Another source reports that Hanausek found no caffein in C. mauritiana, C. humboltiana, C. Gallienii, C. Bonnerii, and C. Mogeneti.

Drinking of coffee by mankind may be attributed to three causes: the demand for, and the pleasing effects of, a hot drink (a very small percentage of the coffee consumed is taken cold), the pleasing reaction which its flavors excite on the gustatory nerve, and the stimulating effect which it has upon the body. The flavor is due largely to the volatile aromatic constituents, "caffeol," which, when isolated, have a general depressant action on the system; and the stimulation is caused by the caffein. The general and specific actions of these individual components, together with that of the hypothetical "caffetannic acid," are considered under separate headings.

Coffee may be considered a member of the general class of adjuvant, or auxiliary, foods to which other beverages and condiments of negligible inherent food value belong. Its position on the average menu may be attributed largely to its palatability and comforting effects. However, the medicinal value of coffee in the dietary and per se must not be overlooked.

The ingestion of coffee infusion is always followed by evidences of stimulation. It acts upon the nervous system as a powerful cerebro-spinal stimulant, increasing mental activity and quickening the power of perception, thus making the thoughts more precise and clear, and intellectual work easier without any evident subsequent depression. The muscles are caused to contract more vigorously, increasing their working power without there being any secondary reaction leading to a diminished capacity for work. Its action upon the circulation is somewhat antagonistic; for while it tends to increase the rate of the heart by acting directly on the heart muscle, it tends to decrease it by stimulating the inhibitory center in the medulla.

The effect on the kidneys is more marked, the diuretic effect being shown by an increase in water, soluble solids, and of uric acid directly attributable to the caffein content of the coffee taken. In the alimentary tract coffee seems to stimulate the oxyntic cells and slightly to increase the secretion of hydrochloric acid, as well as to favor intestinal peristalsis. It is difficult to accept reports of coffee accomplishing both a decrease in metabolism and an increase in body heat; but if the production of heat by the demethylation of caffeine to form uric acid and a possible repression of perspiration by coffee be considered, the simultaneous occurrence of these two physiological reactions may be credited.

The disagreement of medical authorities over the physiological effects of coffee is quite pronounced. It will be noticed that the majority opinion is that coffee in moderation is not harmful. Just how much coffee a person may drink, and still remain within the limits of moderation and temperance, is dependent solely upon the individual constitution, and should be decided from personal experience rather than by accepting an arbitrary standard set by some one who professes to be an authority on the matter.

Looking for a coffee or tea gift for your Valentine? Check out these romantic ways to celebrate, including top-rated coffee chocolates and an award-winning chamomile liqueur:

• Experience the perfect harmony of tea and chocolate with The Tea Collection by Charles Chocolates and Teance.
• Pair Vosges Matcha Bar with a tin of matcha (or a package of any other Japanese green tea) for the green tea lover in your life.
• Celebrate New Orleans style with the Vosges Creole Bar, an invigorating blend of dark chocolate, coffee and chicory.
• Savor the seductively dark flavor of Theo Coffee Dark Chocolate with the coffee that was used to flavor it -- Theo Blend from Cafe Vita -- for a delicious experiment in flavor.
• Treat your Valentine to the rich flavors of Belgian chocolate, hazelnuts and cafe au lait with Cafe-Tasse Lait Cafe.
• Pick up Ritter Sport Cappuccino as a last-minute addition to your Valentine s Day gift.
• If you re looking for an all-natural, handmade sweet for your sweetie, choose Dufflet Coffee-Hazelnut Chocolate Tumbles.
• Can t decide between wine and tea? Try one-of-a-kind Wild Monkey Marsala. It has the flavor of marsala wine in a black tea.
• For a spicy-sweet Valentine s Day treat, try award-winning, chamomile-infused J. Witty Spirits Organic Chamomile Liqueur.

Are you giving (or hoping to receive!) something coffee- or tea-related this Valentine s Day? Share it in the comments below.

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Valentine s Day Gift Guide originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 22:52:40.

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Lately, a few posts on fun tea products have been circulating the Internet. I have to admit, I m amazed by how many people have forwarded them to me! So, in the spirit of sharing, here they are:

• Cool Products for Tea Lovers, including the Teastick, pictured here (front)
• Clever & Creative Tea Packaging
• 20 Presents for Your Valentine That Don t Suck, including the Submarine Tea Diffuser from the first link

Do you have any links to fun, whimsical or especially creative tea products? Share them in the comments below!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
Interested in drinking whole-leaf tea? Learn about five easy ways to drink whole leaf.
Interested in learning more about tea? Sign up for the free, easy Tea 101 e-course.

Fun Tea Products originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 11:37:41.

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The great London fire of 1666 destroyed some of the coffee houses; but prominent among those that survived was the Rainbow, whose proprietor, James Farr, issued one of the earliest coffee-house tokens, doubtless in grateful memory of his escape. Farr s token shows an arched rainbow emerging from the clouds of the "great fire," indicating that all was well with him, and the Rainbow still radiant. On the reverse the medal was inscribed, "In Fleet Street—His Half Penny."

A large number of these trade coins were put out by coffee-house keepers and other tradesmen in the seventeenth century as evidence of an amount due, as stated thereon, by the issuer to the holder. Tokens originated because of the scarcity of small change. They were of brass, copper, pewter, and even leather, gilded. They bore the name, address, and calling of the issuer, the nominal value of the piece, and some reference to his trade. They were readily redeemed, on presentation, at their face value. They were passable in the immediate neighborhood, seldom reaching farther than the next street. C.G. Williamson writes:

Tokens are essentially democratic; they would never have been issued but for the indifference of the Government to a public need; and in them we have a remarkable instance of a people forcing a legislature to comply with demands at once reasonable and imperative. Taken as a whole series, they are homely and quaint, wanting in beauty, but not without a curious domestic art of their own.

Robinson finds an exception to the general simplicity in the tokens issued by one of the Exchange Alley houses. The dies of these tokens are such as to have suggested the skilled workmanship of John Roettier. The most ornate has the head of a Turkish sultan at that time famed for his horrible deeds, ending in suicide; its inscription runs:

Morat ye Great Men did mee call;
Where Eare I came I conquer d all.

A number of the most interesting coffee-house keepers tokens in the Beaufoy collection in the Guildhall Museum were photographed for this work, and are shown herewith. It will be observed that many of the traders of 1660–75 adopted as their trade sign a hand pouring coffee from a pot, invariably of the Turkish-ewer pattern. Morat (Amurath) and Soliman were frequent coffee-house signs in the seventeenth century.

J.H. Burn, in his Catalogue of Traders Tokens, recites that in 1672 "divers persons who presumed ... to stamp, coin, exchange and distribute farthings, halfpence and pence of brass and copper" were "taken into custody, in order to a severe prosecution"; but upon submission, their offenses were forgiven, and it was not until the year 1675 that the private token ceased to pass current.

A royal proclamation at the close of 1674 enjoined the prosecution of any who should "utter base metals with private stamps," or "hinder the vending of those half pence and farthings which are provided for necessary exchange." After this, tokens were issued stamped "necessary change."

Bryce Eddings (About.com s Beer Guide) has come out with another great coffee/tea blog post! The last one was on coffee beer. This one is on tea beer and links to a review of MateVeza an IPA brewed with yerba mate "tea". (Pictured here; yerba mate is technically a high-caffeine tisane.) Check out what Bryce has to say about tea beer on the About Beer blog, and if you know of any good tea beers other readers (or I) should check out, please post them here!

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Tea Beers originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 21:10:13.

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It was not until 1689 that there appeared in Paris a real French adaptation of the Oriental coffee house. This was the Café de Procope, opened by François Procope (Procopio Cultelli, or Cotelli) who came from Florence or Palermo. Procope was a limonadier (lemonade vender) who had a royal license to sell spices, ices, barley water, lemonade, and other such refreshments. He early added coffee to the list, and attracted a large and distinguished patronage.

Procope, a keen-witted merchant, made his appeal to a higher class of patrons than did Pascal and those who first followed him. He established his café directly opposite the newly opened Comédie Française, in the street then known as the rue des Fossés-St.-Germain, but now the rue de l Ancienne Comédie. A writer of the period has left this description of the place: "The Café de Procope ... was also called the Antre [cavern] de Procope, because it was very dark even in full day, and ill-lighted in the evenings; and because you often saw there a set of lank, sallow poets, who had somewhat the air of apparitions."

Because of its location, the Café de Procope became the gathering place of many noted French actors, authors, dramatists, and musicians of the eighteenth century. It was a veritable literary salon. Voltaire was a constant patron; and until the close of the historic café, after an existence of more than two centuries, his marble table and chair were among the precious relics of the coffee house. His favorite drink is said to have been a mixture of coffee and chocolate. Rousseau, author and philosopher; Beaumarchais, dramatist and financier; Diderot, the encyclopedist; Ste.-Foix, the abbé of Voisenon; de Belloy, author of the Siege of Callais; Lemierre, author of Artaxerce; Crébillon; Piron; La Chaussée; Fontenelle; Condorcet; and a host of lesser lights in the French arts, were habitués of François Procope s modest coffee saloon near the Comédie Française.

Naturally, the name of Benjamin Franklin, recognized in Europe as one of the world s foremost thinkers in the days of the American Revolution, was often spoken over the coffee cups of Café de Procope; and when the distinguished American died in 1790, this French coffee house went into deep mourning "for the great friend of republicanism." The walls, inside and out, were swathed in black bunting, and the statesmanship and scientific attainments of Franklin were acclaimed by all frequenters.

The Café de Procope looms large in the annals of the French Revolution. During the turbulent days of 1789 one could find at the tables, drinking coffee or stronger beverages, and engaged in debate over the burning questions of the hour, such characters as Marat, Robespierre, Danton, Hébert, and Desmoulins. Napoleon Bonaparte, then a poor artillery officer seeking a commission, was also there. He busied himself largely in playing chess, a favorite recreation of the early Parisian coffee-house patrons. It is related that François Procope once compelled young Bonaparte to leave his hat for security while he sought money to pay his coffee score.

After the Revolution, the Café de Procope lost its literary prestige and sank to the level of an ordinary restaurant. During the last half of the nineteenth century, Paul Verlaine, bohemian, poet, and leader of the symbolists, made the Café de Procope his haunt; and for a time it regained some of its lost popularity. The Restaurant Procope still survives at 13 rue de l Ancienne Comédie.

History records that, with the opening of the Café de Procope, coffee became firmly established in Paris. In the reign of Louis XV there were 600 cafés in Paris. At the close of the eighteenth century there were more than 800. By 1843 the number had increased to more than 3000.

How well do you know your teas? Can you identify them by only the appearance and aroma? Test your skills in part five of "Name This Leaf!"
This deep blue-green tea has long, needle-like leaves with some particulate. It has a distinctive grassy or oceanic aroma that people tend to love or hate. Good quality tealeaves in this category tend to have a sheen.

The last four "Name This Leaf" answers were Silver Needle White Tea, Dragonwell/Long Jing, rooibos/"red bush tea" and Houjicha Japanese green tea. Do you know the what this mystery tealeaf is? Bonus points if you can name the level of processing (there are three levels within this category) or give brewing tips on how to yield the best cup! (Hint: Unless you re doing a professional cupping, boiling water is the last thing you want to use.)

Photo (c) Marko Goodwin
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Name This Leaf 5 originally appeared on About.com Coffee / Tea on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 02:16:10.

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Probably no coffee house in Europe has acquired so world-wide a celebrity as that kept by Florian, the friend of Canova the sculptor, and the trusted agent and acquaintance of hundreds of persons in and out of the city, who found him a mine of social information and a convenient city directory. Persons leaving Venice left their cards and itineraries with him; and new-comers inquired at Florian s for tidings of those whom they wished to see. "He long concentrated in himself a knowledge more varied and multifarious than that possessed by any individual before or since," says Hazlitt, who has given us this delightful pen picture of caffè life in Venice in the eighteenth century:

"Venetian coffee was said to surpass all others, and the article placed before his visitors by Florian was the best in Venice. Of some of the establishments as they then existed, Molmenti has supplied us with illustrations, in one of which Goldoni the dramatist is represented as a visitor, and a female mendicant is soliciting alms."

So cordial was the esteem of the great sculptor Canova for him, that when Florian was overtaken by gout, he made a model of his leg, that the poor fellow might be spared the anguish of fitting himself with boots. The friendship had begun when Canova was entering on his career, and he never forgot the substantial services which had been rendered to him in the hour of need.

In later days, the Caffè Florian was under the superintendence of a female chef, and the waitresses used, in the case of certain visitors, to fasten a flower in the button-hole, perhaps allusively to the name. In the Piazza itself girls would do the same thing. A good deal of hospitality is, and has ever been, dispensed at Venice in the cafés and restaurants, which do service for the domestic hearth.

There were many other establishments devoted, more especially in the latest period of Venetian independence, to the requirements of those who desired such resorts for purposes of conversation and gossip. These houses were frequented by various classes of patrons—the patrician, the politician, the soldier, the artist, the old and the young—all had their special haunts where the company and the tariff were in accordance with the guests. The upper circles of male society—all above the actually poor—gravitated hither to a man. For the Venetian of all ranks the coffee house was almost the last place visited on departure from the city, and the first visited on his return. His domicile was the residence of his wife and the repository of his possessions; but only on exceptional occasions was it the scene of domestic hospitality, and rare were the instances when the husband and wife might be seen abroad together, and when the former would invite the lady to enter a café or a confectioner s shop to partake of an ice.

The Caffè Florian has undergone many changes, but it still survives as one of the favorite caffè in the Piazza San Marco.