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'Tis the season for Tea Parties

Posted by Oliver pluff on


Dear Oliver, December is an important month in the history of tea in the “New World” as earlyEuropeans dubbed the lands across the Atlantic. These early settlers were relianton European goods and services for many of the staples that they wereaccustomed to using and enjoying in their daily lives. Tea was one of the valuablecommodities primarily traded by the East India Company.   By 1773, the East India Company had a virtual monopoly on tea shipped to thecolonies, which was set in place by British Parliament in the Tea Act. This actgranted the company preferred status and a monopoly on tea exports to thecolonies, exemption on export taxes, and refunds on certain surplus teas. All thiscut out independent colonial shippers...

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Happy Veteran's Day

Posted by Oliver pluff on


As the United States prepares to honor its Veterans this November 11, it is interesting to note the role of tea and coffee as traditional staples for troops both stateside and overseas during times of training, deployment, and conflict.

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August Transitions and New Beginnings

Posted by Darren Hartford on


I have always enjoyed August. To me it is a month for transitions and new beginnings. I grew up in Maine and every year at the start of this month, the temperature seemed to change ‘overnight’ and I had to wear jeans and put away my shorts. Combined with the start of the school year, August is also a transition away from summer and into fall. August transitions extend beyond the weather and into new schools, new friends, new jobs and settling into new routines. For this August, to help you with whatever transition you are going through, I am introducing a new herbal blend, two new tea blends and a new coffee blend to help you settle into a...

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Bohea Barbecued Brisket Recipe

Posted by Darren Hartford on


A dear friend (and great photographer) shared the following recipe for using Colonial Bohea Tea as a dry rub for Brisket. I thought I would share, Hope you enjoy! ~Oliver Dinner last night was TOO good and TOO easy not to share!  My mom got us an instant pot for Christmas, and it has been one of the greatest kitchen appliances I have ever owned. I have been so grateful. And I am striving to use the extra time that it provides for me with wisdom and care. One of the phrases that has been going through my head the last few weeks is “don’t waste the minutes”. I used Oliver Pluff’s (I’m going to sound like an advertisement here,...

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Memorial Day

Posted by Darren Hartford on


"If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us." * In 1868, as the tradition of Memorial Day (or Decoration Day) was just beginning, a group of former Union Soldiers gathered to remember their fallen comrades of the Civil War. The quote above comes from the leader of their group, Major General John Logan.  He issued the challenge to honor the memories of those left behind. I have spent the majority of my life serving our country and there are two holidays that have special meaning to me; Veteran's day, where we honor Veterans still among...

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The Origins of the Tea Brick

Posted by Darren Hartford on


  Estimated to be formed around 350 A.D., tea bricks have become a part of Chinese and European culture throughout the ages. Before tea bricks where introduced to Europe, tea bricks were used in China as a form of currency, food, and medicine. From the 9th century on through the 20th century, tea bricks were classified into five different quality categories of value. All the bricks, even to this day, are scored on the back with indentions to allow for easy breakage off the larger block.  When the bricks were assessed for quality, the highest quality bricks were given to the Emperor. There are multiple steps in the process of producing a tea brick. During the Sung dynasty, tea gathering...

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Cocoa and Cacao Shell Tea

Posted by Darren Hartford on


19th Century Drinking Chocolate Ceramics, London. Special thanks to: GEORGE C. BIRLANT & CO. (Antiques), Charleston, 843-722-3842, www.birlant.com. Photography: Kyle Brown. All Rights Reserved. As far back as 1556, when an unknown European noted that drinking chocolate was the “most wholesome and substantial of any food or beverage in the world, because whoever drinks a cup of this can go through the day without taking anything else,” drinking a cup of chocolate was esteemed for its sweet tasting and practicality. While tea was a popular social beverage among the wealthy, demand for chocolate climbed because “drinking chocolate was affordable to all classes of people.”[1] Chocolate is made from cocoa beans off the cacao tree; the cacao tree “originated near… the Amazon River of...

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The Origins of Earl Grey Tea

Posted by Darren Hartford on


Bergamot Orange watercolor illustration (Citrus Bergamia), by L. Osbeck The origin of “who first put leaf to water” is completely unknown to culinary historians. Before the mid-nineteenth century, botanists failed to decipher tea’s formula; however, many tales provide what human record does not. Like all teas, Earl Grey’s “distinctive quality… comes from essential oils that leach flavor and caffeine into a cup of hot water.”[1] The exact source of the Earl Grey blend has remained a mystery, except that it is based on Chinese tea. Unlike other Chinese blends, Earl Grey tea contains the flavoring agent, bergamot oil. Before bergamot became tied to the Earl Grey blend, it had a bad reputation as being a taste enhancer for lower quality teas....

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Bohea Over Ice

Posted by Darren Hartford on


I started a tea business in 2009 with a business plan of becoming the “Ben and Jerry’s of iced tea”. After sampling over 300 broken orange pekoes from India and Sri Lanka, we selected single estate teas from a couple of gardens: an organic black tea from south India with crisp, floral tones, and a bold, fruity black tea from Sri Lanka. We found a small but loyal market for our specialty iced teas. But the sales were not enough. Then we met Colonial Williamsburg who called on us for help creating their Early American tea line. We studied tea history for 6 weeks and then we sourced the tea products from the same gardens that supplied the British East...

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Transcript - South Carolina Gazette, November 1774

Posted by Darren Hartford on


Crest of the South Carolina Gazette. Photography: Kyle Brown. All Rights Reserved. The South Carolina Gazette reported on the dramatic confrontation between the colonists and British sea captain Samuel Ball, an agent of the British East India Company.Full transcript of the article describing the inquiries and the destruction of the tea is below:CHARLES-TOWN, November 7, 1774.The same Day arrived here, in the Ship Britannia, Capt. Samuel Ball, jun. from London (amongst a Number of other Passengers) Samuel Carne, Esq; formerly of this Town; Thomas Attwood, Esq; appointed Chief-Justice of His Majesty’s Bahama-Islands; the Hon. William Gregory, appointed to succeed the late John Muray, Esq; as an assistant-judge and Justice of His Majesty's Courts in the Colony, and also to a...

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