Traveling Lightly: Tea on the Road

Packet of Coffee Bean & Teal Leaf's English Breakfast (Ceylon) tea

I’m flexible when I travel. I pack the minimal amount of clothing needed and take pride when only one pair of clean underwear is left on the day of return.

I’m cool with forgoing comfort for convenience. The little bottles of shampoo and conditioner provided by the hotel save me packing space and hassle. Avoided is the gooey mess that sometimes greets you when your poorly sealed shampoo bottle explodes during travel.

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Salada vs Salada

Two teas with the same name, produced in different countries that share a border. How did we get to this point?

Salada tea was founded by Peter Larkin in 1892. The Montreal businessman pioneered the manufacture of reliable blended tea — packaged in foil and easy to distribute — as an alternative to the inconsistent loose tea commonly sold at the time (and gaining in popularity again today, but I digress.)

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Irish Breakfast vs English Breakfast Tea

Cup of CTC Irish Breakfast Blend from Upton Tea Imports

The last time I ordered from Upton Tea Imports, they slipped in a bonus sample of CTC Irish Breakfast Blend. I love a good Irish breakfast tea as much as I love a good English breakfast tea, but what exactly is the difference between the two?

The answer, my friends, comes with a brief but digestable history lesson. And if we are to do this properly, we can’t ignore the Scottish contribution to the genre.

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5 Health Benefits of Tea

Trader Joe's Organic Sencha Green Tea

Tea lovers rejoice! You may be improving your health and wellbeing with each sip. Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant which you’ve probably consumed in the form of white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, or pu-erh (or pu’er) tea. Some herbal teas (also referred to as tisanes) have health benefits too, but that’s a subject for another time.

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Oolong Tea Tasting

Cup of oolong tea with teapot and Formosa Oolong Choicest packet in the background

Oolong tea is primarily grown in Taiwan (Formosa) or the Fujian province of China. Its production involves brief exposure to sunlight for oxidation, more so than green tea but less so than black tea. As with green and black teas, much variation exists within the oolong category.

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