Thursday 27 August 2009

Coffee keeps Britain working

According to PR Fire, new research conducted by Lyons Coffee, highlights several interesting office habits of British office workers including the fact that 12.8 million office workers make a coffee to gather their thoughts during the day before returning to work. It was found that following this 'coffee break', 19% take a toilet break and 14 % take a cigarette break. Brits are also allegedly claiming back lost hours from occasions where they take less than half an hour to have their lunch; A reported 7.3 million lost hours...

With the change in financial health of the country, more and more employees are reluctant to take breaks lest they be viewed as not being as hardworking as their other colleagues and thus lose their jobs. 45% of 45-54 year olds surveyed were found to be more likely not to leave the office for lunch. Psychologist Donna Dawson said,

"The present credit crunch has made people cut back on extras such as take-away coffees, and it has also made the office a much more competitive place with money tight and people afraid to lose their jobs, workers want to be seen to be prudent and company-loyal, by cutting their lunch-hour and breaks to a minimum. Older people, who are closer to redundancy and also wiser in the ways of office politics will be keener to do this. However, research shows that if a 15-minute break is not taken every two hours, then concentration and productivity actually go down."

So the humble coffee can take some of the credit for keeping office workers fresh and focussed during a long, hard day at work and aiding in productivity...

Very interesting statistics can be found at the site. I particularly like the one where it was found that men were found to be more likely to take FULL lunch breaks than women, with a 5% difference in the figures. Make of that what you will gents!

Is gulping hot tea linked to cancer?

I know that this is probably old news, seeing as it was reported in March 2009 but according to Iranian Scientists, drinking large quantities of hot tea could be linked to an increased risk of oesophageal cancer. Notably, this is concerning tea which is drunk at 70c or higher and the risk is lessened when milk is added to tea, thus cooling the overall temperature. The article said,

"Drinking a cup of tea in under two minutes straight after it was poured was associated with a five-fold higher risk of cancer compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured..."

Furthermore, a doctor commenting on this issue suggested that tea drinkers simply wait until their tea goes from 'scalding' to 'tolerable' before drinking it. In addition, it was said that in Iranian cultures, there is more of a tradition of drinking tea at such a high temperature and that in the UK, as 'we' tend to add milk to our tea, this cools the tea enough for it not to be risky.

Who knew?

Tamayokucha Green

According to the literature, this is a tea which is steamed as it is dried and so retains a sweet, light flavour with no bitterness. I would have to agree. The tea was light and refreshing with a slight tinge of a spinachy 'green' flavour BUT without the bitterness that I encountered when tasting Whittard's Sencha. Admittedly, I had brewed the Sencha for a little longer that it should have been but even when brewed lightly it still bore the bitter aftertaste.


Tamayokucha was a very pale green, almost yellow colour when brewed for the suggested length of time and sweetened to my taste. I must apologise for not having taken photos of the actual cup; I still have not tracked down a transparent mug suitable for reviews. I do have a few spare white mugs which I might use to photograph from above so that you can appreciate the colour. One thing I also noticed about Two Leaves and a Bud's tea sachets was the quality of the actual tea bag. It appeared to be made from a form of muslin, thin and transparent enough to let you see the contents BUT with amazing strength and an almost plastic texture...as though it had been reinforced. I comment on this because I have had many an incident with a tea bag that has ripped in my mug, spilling the contents everywhere!
Overall rating: 3/5
Light, refreshing and a great everyday tea that I'd recommend to anyone, especially as it was light in caffeine, so perfect for those of us who consume large quantities on a daily basis!
Note: I do not use any sophisticated equipment or methods in brewing my tea. I merely use a kettle and mug! I am not an expert in any way; I just enjoy a good cuppa'!

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Exciting tea samples to be reviewed

Good morning tea (etc) lovers,

Just a quick post to say how excited I was to wake up to a package all the way from Colorado, from the Tea Company 'Two Leaves and a Bud'. (A link to the site can be found in my link list)Reviews and photos of tea loveliness will follow shortly. For now, have a look-see at my pretty package (no laughing please!)



So there you have it. Lots of new flavours to try and share with you... I must apologise for the lack of tea reviews and general posting recently. I've been drinking one particular tea over a period of time so that tea will be reviewed in a post to come. I've also been trying to resolve issues with the speed of my computer and uploading of photographs.
Look forward to sharing stuff with you!
CBC

xx

Sunday 16 August 2009

Best Biscuits for Dunking?

On the suggestion of my friend and fellow blogger, The Aimless Wanderer, 'AW', I'm looking at which biscuits are the best for dunking into tea. AW's dilemma is that the biscuits she tends to use are fine on the surface but then on finishing the tea, she finds a mass of melted dunked biscuit.

Personally, I am not a dunker. I love biscuits with my tea but I do not dunk them into my tea. I also love a nice slice of cake to accompany my 'cuppa', preferring to keep tea and accompaniment separate.

My favourite 'tea biscuits' are:

Bourbons
Nice
Custard Creams
Shortbread

I must add that I do like other biscuits, including chocolate digestives BUT I prefer the above whilst drinking my tea.

However, according to a Telegraph article online, published some months ago, the chocolate digestive is the favourite biscuit of the nation. The article further delves into good 'dunking' practice and techniques.

Apparently, chocolate digestives came out in front of the others because,

"...their coating protected them from the effects of the hot tea..."

According to the source, the choc digestives can withstand, on average, at least eight seconds in tea OR coffee. For more information on biscuits related etiquette, you might also like to take a look at Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down!

Happy Dunking!

CBC

Thursday 6 August 2009

Fizzy Milk?

When I first saw the headline, I almost thought it was my eyes deceiving me...or a misprint. Nope. The Coca-Cola company is planning to launch a new product on the US market bearing both the qualities of cola in its fizziness and milk in its nutritional value (I must add that I am not sure whether milk will still bear any nutritional value once it is carbonated). I imagine it to taste like cream soda which is not unpleasant, just an acquired taste.

I am a little disappointed to learn that there are no plans for a British version of this product. It seems like it will be more a novelty than ACTUALLY a substitute for milk or a cunning way to get more children to drink milk...Still, I would love to see (and taste) its effect on tea, coffee or hot chocolate (*gag*)


Mmmm...curdled. Will there be a soya version for the lactose intolerant amongst us?

Tuesday 4 August 2009

'Cake and tea' - the perfect partners

This topic has been one I have been considering for a while. I recently posted about biscuits and dunking and whilst I don't dunk my biscuits, I have them with my tea. I also enjoy a slice of cake along with my tea. However, if the cake is covered in icing, (e.g. cherry bake wells or lemon slices) it somehow detracts/overpowers the flavour of the tea so I rarely have this sort of cake with anything other than ordinary everyday black tea (with milk and two sugars...well one and a half.) If I am drinking lightly flavoured tea, I prefer to have this without a 'bit on the side'.

BUT, I have found the most ingenious way of having any tea with cake and not getting a marring of flavour. Have a fake cake on the side! A website and London store, All the Fun of the Fair sells the cutest knitted cakes, tea cosies and other gifts. It also runs classes to learn the art of knitting and crafting! I stumbled across this site some time ago whilst looking for crafting supplies and wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy!

CBC

x

p.s. I will be paying a visit to Carnaby street very soon...(after my exam hopefully!)

Chocolate Ecstasy Tours?

Me neither... I hadn't heard of them before today BUT I sure as heck won't forget them in a hurry. Chocolate Ecstasy Tours started in 2004 after its founder Jennifer Earle wanted a way to share all the hidden chocolate shops in London with fellow chocolate lovers.






Prices start from £35 for 3 hours of chocolate induced highs and includes chocolate sampling, VIP discounts and a hot drink (for the Mayfair Chocolate tour)

I think that this would make a lovely present or treat for a chocolate lover or a day out with a difference. I must admit that for an unemployed 'student' as myself the prices do seem a bit much but on removing my student hat, this is a reasonable price for a unique tasting experience...well worth trying.

Another addition to my 'To Do' list methinks!

CBC

xx

(Photo Source )