Mom always tells you about how important it is to “eat your veggies.”  But perhaps, considering all the health benefits popping up, she should amend this statement slightly - “and drink your tea.”

Luckily for us, the fine folks over at Campbell Soup Company have come up with their finest idea since their now immortalized tomato soup design: combine the two.

That’s right, according to a recent press release, a new line of V8 beverages will have a combined serving of vegetables and fruit in each 8-ounce glass, along with “the antioxidants and cool, crisp taste of,” you guessed it, “tea.”  This new drink, called V8 V-Fusion +Tea, is scheduled to be hit the shelves in the US in October.

I take this as a significant sign that tea is making big steps forward, as this is one of the most well-known healthy beverage brands on the market.

But will it taste good?  That’s yet to be decided.

Your friendly neighborhood Tea Sommelier will be taking his first mini-vacation in 6 years (since before the days of Tavalon!) for the next two days to take a road trip down to my birth state of South Carolina.

But have no fear - I will return next week, after many “hey ya’lls” and super-sweet sweet teas!

Until then, why not try out a few of our tea recipes for yourself?  Or try to create your own!

Be back soon!

I’m very excited to announce our newest interactive promotion - the “HOT” item!

This can be any item on the site, from a 1.3 oz jar of Assam Finest to our Tavalon Mug.  And while it will appear to be just like any other item on our site, it holds a deep, hidden secret: if it is purchased, the customer wins free tea.

Oh, and not just a jar of free tea - a WHOLE YEAR’S WORTH of free tea!

“But Chris,” you may say, “with so many items on Tavalon’s site, how will we ever know which item it is?”

First, you’ll need to check out either our Facebook fan page or our Twitter page (follow us now @TavalonTea) often for little hints that we’ll drop as to the whereabouts of the hot item.

Second, you’ll need a little little luck and a small sense of adventure - the hot item could be anything, so now’s a great time to try something new!

Start the search today, though - it ends next Monday (July 19th)!

Happy hunting!

His skin may be ice cold, but it is tea - not blood - that warms him up.   That’s right, heart throb vampire Robert Pattinson goes all sparkly for a good cup of tea!

And with box office numbers heating up with the recent debut of the third part of the blood-sucking teeny-bopper series, Eclipse, Mr. Pattinson may want to try to cool down with some iced tea as well.

Need proof?  To the left is a pic of the guy on the set of his new movie, Bel Ami, slurping his tea between takes.

And let’s not forget that good old Mr. Cullen really got his first taste of fame starring alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter series.  And Mr. Radcliffe, as you may remember from a  previous post, is a certified tea addict!  Perhaps that is where Robert got his love for the stuff!

In fact, in a recent interview, Pattinson’s wolfish counterpart, Taylor Lautner, also expressed his love for tea.

So whether you are a fan of Team Edward or Jacob (having seen none of the movies, I prefer to stay neutral), there is one thing all can agree on: tea is delicious!

Today, July 1st, may be an ordinary day to most Americans, but just north of the border there’s a swingin’ party going on.

That’s because today is Canada Day, the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada.

This day is not only notable because this Sommelier has many wonderful friends that are from the Land of Maple Syrup, but also because Canadians are crazy for their tea!

In fact, according to a report released in 2007, our kindly Canucks drank more than 274 cups of tea per capita - compare that to Americans, who averaged about 170 per mouth - that’s a considerable difference!

There are many explanations as to why there is such a difference in consumption with two countries so close together.  Some say that it is because of the climate: Canada is, on average, colder so folks are more likely to gravitate to the stuff.  Others believe it is because they never had a historically consequential event such as the Boston Tea Party to stain the image of tea.

My opinion, however, is that Canadians just get it: tea is delicious, healthy and functional.

Happy Canada Day, eh!

With the World Cup in full swing (and Team USA kicking some major ball!), the Tavalon office is abuzz with soccer talk.

While we can’t agree on who’ll win - some say Brazil, some South Korea (my money’s on the good ol’ U. S. of A.!), there is one thing we can all consent to: what to drink.

Watching not just the matches but the background behind the stadiums, as well as the hosting country of South Africa as a whole, leaves us thirsty for one thing: Rooibos.

After all, all the Redbush tea in the world is produced out of this one country, grown mainly in the Cederberg region of South Africa.  And it is the country’s national beverage, undoubtedly being served to many of the elite soccer players from around the world as I write this!

So the next time the referee’s lousy call has you seeing red, reach for a cup of red tea to calm down -  after all, it is only a game, right?  (Tell that to this guy.)

If you are looking to lower your carbon footprint, the first place you may not think of is your teacup.

But, as it turns out, by preparing your favorite beverage in certain ways you can cut your footprint rather significantly!

When talking about climate change, footprint is a metaphor for the total impact that something has. And carbon is a shorthand for all the different greenhouse gases that contribue to global warming.

The term carbon footprint, therefore, is a shorthand to describe the best estimate that we can get of the full climate change impact of something. That something could be anything – an activity, an item, a lifestyle, a company, a country or even the whole world.

According to the Green Living Blog,  drinking four teacups per day for one year, boiling only as much water as you need each time, works out to the same as one 40-mile drive in an average car.

But if you boil more water than needed for each teacup, you are using more energy than is necessary, adding to your footprint.

However, that pales in comparison to adding milk - putting milk in your tea triples your footprint.  That’s a “latte!”  The main reason for this counter-intuitively large contribution is that milk comes from cows, which, as ruminant animals, belch a lot of methane into the air.

Also, as previously mentioned, adding milk to tea virtually negates all health benefits from the tea (it also coats your tongue so most of what you taste is milk, not tea!).

So tell your milk to moo-ve over - take it au naturale!

This past weekend, as most of my regular readers probably know, was the annual World Tea Expo.

And now that it is over and all of us are safe at home again, I thought it would be a great time to recap all the goings-on at the event.

First and foremost, Tavalon exhibited for the first time at the show, with many great results.  Hopefully we’ll be announcing some fairly large developments in the near future!  However, this wasn’t the first time that the founders of Tavalon attended the Expo - in fact, it was six years ago that we all met at the Expo and the idea behind The Future of Tea was born!

There were many new companies at the Expo this year, many of which brought something new and unique to the table, both good signs that the industry is growing!

Of course, it was also wonderful to be able to meet old friends and build stronger connections with our friends in tea, many of whom we only see once a year during this show.

And on a personal note, I had an absolutely wonderful time teaching a seminar on Tea Cocktails (which, my readers will tell you, is a subject very near and dear to my heart).  I was quite nervous about doing it, with only a few days to prepare for it (the original speaker dropped out at the last minute) and having to teach for a full 2 hours, but we all had a great time and got to try some amazing cocktails!

To all my old friends and the new ones I’ve just made, as well as those who couldn’t make it this year, hope to see you next year for another amazing show!

You may notice that, over the next few days, the Voice of Tea is a little bit silent.  No need to worry, though - it is not due to ailment or tragedy.  Rather, I will be doin’ my Tea Sommelier thing in Las Vegas this weekend at the World Tea Expo!

For those who are planning to attend, please remember to drop by Tavalon’s booth, #531, and say hello.  And don’t forget to sign up for my Tea Cocktail Seminar on Saturday afternoon for a session you’ll not soon forget (or maybe you will, depending on how many tea cocktails you have!).

And for those who can’t make it, I’ll be sure to give a detailed report upon my return (minus, perhaps, the stuff that should stay in Vegas!).

Adios, Teamigos!

If any of the wonderful tea lovers that read the Voice of Tea are on the fence about attending this year’s World Tea Expo (just one week away!), I’d like to take the opportunity to enthusiastically urge you to take the trip.

First of all, it is a tea lover’s playground, with virtually all the best tea companies across the globe (ahem, including your favorite tea company at booth #531).

Second, the Expo also offers tons of insightful and entertaining seminars and tastings that you can use to hone your tea skills and enjoyment, including an interactive Tea Cocktail seminar presented by none other than your friendly neighborhood Tea Sommelier!

Still need more inspiration?

OK, here’s the trump card: it’s in one of the most exciting, lively cities in the United States - Las Vegas!

So, in conclusion, going to this year’s World Tea Expo in Las Vegas will be no gamble - you’re sure to win big!