Teajo Blog and Articles

Teajo Teas back at Tampa Downtown Market- December 2, 2008

We will be back serving our naturally flavored iced teas and hot teas at the Tampa Downtown Market at the latest by Friday, Dec. 12. We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and look forward to seeing you at our booth in less than 2 weeks. Also, over the next few weeks, we plan to roll out a new tea flavor or two at the market, so stay tuned!

Black and green tea most popular so far at Tampa Downtown Market- November 11, 2008

Thank you to all those who have stopped by our booth and taken the time to sample our teas. After 2 weeks at the Tampa Downtown Market, we have noticed that the most popular tea flavor so far has been Tropical Mango with Lemon Ginger Green coming in at a close second. For those who are used to drinking traditional black tea, the Tropical Mango with its black tea base provides them with a familar taste. Those whose palettes are comfortable with green tea are gravitating towards the Lemon Ginger Green. Last week, we also noticed an increase in the number of people who ordered the Orange Ruby Rooibos. Rooibos, even with its wonderful naturally sweet flavor, is a new concept to many, so it will take time for people to develop a taste for this herbal infusion.

Over time, we expect our customers to have their favorites, and we will try and keep those flavors around. However, we will also try and introduce new flavors over the next couple of weeks. Specifically, we will be offering a black tea infused with cranberries to coincide with the start of the holiday season.

Teajo Teas - Tampa Downtown Market Opening Postponed- October 24, 2008

Due to weather, the opening of the Tampa Downtown Market has been rescheduled for Friday, October 31, 2008. The market will still take place in Lykes Gaslight Square Park from 10 am to 2 pm.

Teajo Teas to serve flavored black, green and rooibos at Downtown Market in Tampa- October 21, 2008

Teajo Teas will be one of a number of gourmet food purveyors and local businesses participating in the Friday Downtown Market in Tampa. This market will take place every Friday from 10 am to 2 pm at Lykes Gaslight Square Park in downtown Tampa beginning October 24.

Our presence at the Downtown Market (www.tampadowntownmarket.com) will now offer our local Tampa Bay customers the unique opportunity to purchase our teas and tea accessories without necessarily having to order from our online store. We will also be serving individual glasses of specialty flavored iced tea and hot tea, so if you have a few minutes during your lunch hour, please do visit our booth on Franklin St. We will be offering flavored green tea, black tea as well as herbal infusions.

Teajo black, green and rooibos teas - From harvesting to your glass- October 6, 2008

One of the most important aspects of our teas is that they are harvested without the use of pesticides or harmful chemicals. Once harvested, the teas are processed and then shipped to one of our facilities in the U.S., where they are kept in a warehouse for flavor blending and distribution. Depending on the tea varieity (black, green, white), processing of the tea leaves can involve one or more of the folllowing steps: (1) Withering - reduce water content in the leaves, (2) Rolling - release oils to provide aroma, (3) Oxidation - oxygen is absorbed (4) Drying/Firing - even and thorough drying to stop oxidation process.

The flavor blending process is very simple. We take only natural ingredients and combine them with the tea leaves. No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors ever touch the teas. For example, our Lemon Ginger Green tea is created by taking Green Assam tea leaves and blending them, often by hand, with natural bits of lemon and ginger. These natural bits are created from whole dried fruits and spices, so the lemons had to be dried and cut as did the pieces of ginger. Sometimes we also add natural flavoring or other garnishes, such as safflower or lotus petals, which help bring out certain flavors within the blend. For best results, the blended tea should not be consumed for approximately 24-48 hours to allow the flavors and aromas to properly infuse.

We focus on maintaining our tea inventory on a just in time basis, so that your tea is tastes fresher when you purchase. Many companies buy years of tea inventory to bring down their costs and provide you with a less expensive product. However, the price you pay as a consumer is in quality, taste and freshness.

Teajo black teas, green teas and rooibos - Where are they harvested?- September 22, 2008

We talk a lot about providing grower fresh teas and that we carry a very high quality grade of teas. I'll bet many of you are curious as to who is growing these teas and where they are harvested.

With the exception of our Rooibos herbal infusions, Teajo teas originate from a region called Assam, which is situated in the eastern foothills of the Himalayas. Our grower operates tea cooperatives in this region and has been doing so for over 25 years. Most people in the U.S. do not realize that there is a good chance that the tea they are drinking contains some remnants of tea from the Assam region. In most cases, large tea buyers or consolidators purchase the tea from Assam and then proceed to blend with teas from other regions and countries to make products such as English Breakfast tea or generic Black tea.The difference in our case is that we do not blend with other tea types, so our black and green teas contain only pure Assam tea leaves primarily for reasons of quality and freshness.

More about the harvesting process in the next blog.

Still a Tea Bag Drinker? - It's Time to Switch to Loose Tea- September 8, 2008

Are you still drinking tea from a tea bag? My goal is that by the time you finish reading this article, you will reconsider your tea bag ways and think seriously about switching to loose tea. If better quality, freshness and flavor are not important to you, then continue with your tea bags. Otherwise, you may want to read some of my arguments below in favor of loose tea.

Convenience Factor
I hear the following excuse all the time..."I don't have time to make loose tea and like the convenience of the tea bag..." We as Americans are so caught up in convenience and instant gratification that we continue to sacrifice quality and flavor, not to mention health benefits when it comes to tea. Making loose tea is so simple that it takes only requires a marginal increase in time over using a tea bag. All you need to brew loose tea is either (a) an unbleached tea filter pouch or (b) a Smart Tea Maker or similar brewing device. Visit http://www.teajo.com/teainfo-preparing.php to learn more about the brewing options for loose tea. If using a Smart Tea Maker, you are looking at an investment of less than $20 to enjoy great loose tea. You can also purchase a box of 100 unbleached tea filters for less than $6.00. In terms of time, it may take a few more minutes to prepare loose tea vs. tea bag preparation. But isn't it worth a few extra minutes of your time for superior quality and taste?

Quality/Freshness/Flavor
While there are some tea bag products that try to duplicate the quality and freshness of loose tea, few of them come close. Tea bags traditionally contain dust or fannings, which are the lowest grade of leftovers after the tea leaves are processed. There are a few companies that are now placing higher grade tea into their bags, but they still fall short of loose leaf quality. Break open a tea bag, look at the contents and compare the size of the leaves to that of loose tea. Do you notice how much larger and more defined the loose tea leaves are? There is an entire grading system for tea leaves, which is based on the leaf size and texture. I will not go into detail here but will expand upon tea grades in future blogs. The other differences you will notice are the superior aroma and freshness of loose tea, especially when it comes to flavored teas. Unless the tea bags are individually sealed, they are exposed to air and will lose flavor and freshness much quicker than loose tea. The tea bag also restricts the amount of space needed for the tea leaves to expand, which also affects the infusion process.

Health/Environment
When you are finished drinking loose tea, there are no staples, nylon or silk bags to throw away. Loose tea is much more environmentally friendly. The worst offenders are the pyramid shaped silk tea bags which purportedly offer the quality of loose tea in the convenience of a bag. What is the point of putting a healthy, organic product like tea into a synthetic, non-environmentally friendly bag and throw them both together in boiling hot water? These pyramid tea bags look pretty, but considering their ridiculous cost, they are still lacking in quality and flavor when compared to loose tea.

In the end, it comes down to having enough compelling reasons to change any habit. If you decide to make the switch to loose tea, I have the feeling you will not return to tea bags. I understand that not everyone feels the same way about quality and flavor as I do when it comes to tea. If this is the case, stick with your box of 100 tea bags for $2.99. It is not worth your time or money to convert to loose tea. However, if you really care about what you are drinking and you still drink tea from a tea bag, it is time for you to make the change.

The winner of the Teajo Teas Gourmet Feastival Drawing is...- September 1, 2008

Congratulations to Laura Klopp of Brandon, FL, who is the winner of a Smart Tea Maker, 2 oz. of Very Raspberry and 2 oz. of Lemon Ginger Green!

Gourmet Feastival Event Photos- September 1, 2008

We had a great time at The Gourmet Feastival, as our Teajo Flavored Iced Teas received great reviews from the many who attended the event at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center last Thursday.



Our three more popular flavors, Lemon Ginger Green, Very Raspberry and Red Mango Rooibos.



My wife, Sheetal, and I posing at our booth before the event.



With my good friend, Johnny, who with his wife, Sally, were both a tremendous help during the event.



Serving tea as the crowd begins to roll in.



Sampling all the flavors!



Nice crowd of happy people tasting great food, fine wine and of course, refreshing iced teas!



Sheetal and Sally taking a breather!

Taste Teas from Teajo at Gourmet Feastival in Tampa- August 27, 2008

Today at Teajo Teas, we are preparing for an exciting event, the 17th Annual Gourmet Feastival (www.gourmetfeastival.org), which takes place on Thursday, August 28 from 6 - 9pm at the Tampa Bay Perfoming Arts Center. The event will feature fine cuisine and beverages from restaurants, caterers and other purveyors from the Tampa Bay area. All proceeds from the event go to a wonderful cause, the Centre for Women (www.centreforwomen.org).

Please join us and look for our booth (Teajo Teas), as we will be providing samples of Tampa Bay's freshest and all natural, flavored iced tea, such as Lemon Ginger Green and Red Mango Rooibos! We will also be offering a special promotion for our local customers in the Tampa Bay area. If you order at the event, we are offering free delivery and a 10% promotional discount.

Please come out and enjoy some great food, have fun and support a noble cause!