ROOIBOS/RED TEA

All true tea comes from the same plant, called the Camellia sinensis. Any leaf that comes from a different plant is considered an herbal tea or tisane. For example, Chamomile flowers, peppermint leaves, Yerba Mat and Rooibos are considered herbal teas because they do not come from the traditional tea plant. Herbal teas are usually 100% caffeine-free and offer a spectrum of health benefits.

ROOIBOS/RED TEA
Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) is also called Red Tea because of its vibrant, ruby-red color. Rooibos consists of tiny, flat leaves and has a sweet, full-bodied flavor without a trace of bitterness. Rich in antioxidants and health-promoting properties, Rooibos has many of the same health-promoting properties as Green Tea, but is 100% caffeine-free, making it an excellent choice for evening or for people with caffeine-sensitivities.

Rooibos grows in a small area 100 miles north of Cape Town, South Africa with no alternative source available anywhere in the world. It is no surprise that such a remarkable, healthy drink comes from this region. With one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, this small are of South Africa is home to more plant species than the whole of Great Britain or New Zealand (which are 5000 times larger). This region also has 3 times as many species per square meter than the South American rainforest.

In an area so rich in biodiversity, it is especially critical to protect the health of the environment. Octavia Tea supports gardens that place strict controls on conservation of the environment through sustainable natural and organic farming methods. This makes an enormous difference, not only for the health of the environment and wildlife, but also for the people living and working in this region.

Rooibos is prized for its great flavor and health-beneficial antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. In fact, scientific studies suggest that Rooibos contains some of the highest known levels of anti-aging properties of any plant on earth! Like Green Tea, the potent antioxidants in Rooibos are believed to fight aging, cancer and heart disease, support the immune system and improve overall health. Rooibos is also recommended for allergies, headaches, anxiety or insomnia.

BUY HERE

Pregnant women told to drink no more than two cups of coffee a day

That's what they say now... in a few months, they'll probably reverse that and say it's healthy to drink as much as you want.. Anyway - here's the article in TimesOnline, and remember, ALL of our fabulous freshly roasted gourmet coffee is also Decaffeinated, as are a number of our exquisite Tea's: ( here's the Decaffeination process)

Pregnant women are advised to drink no more than two cups of coffee a day to cut the risk of giving birth to underweight babies.

The new guidance from the Food Standards Agency comes after research that links caffeine consumption to small babies. Underweight babies are also more at risk of premature death or suffer other developmental problems later in life.

Caffeine is also found in tea, cola, chocolate, cocoa, energy drinks and some medicines as well as coffee.

Scientific research has already linked caffeine consumption to a higher risk of miscarriage during pregnancy. Lower birth weight can also result in spontaneous miscarriage.

The new advice from the watchdog is for pregnant women — and those wishing to become pregnant — to limit caffeine intake to 200mg a day, the equivalent of two average-sized cups of instant coffee.

The previous recommended caffeine intake was a maximum 300mg a day or three cups of instant coffee.

Freshly brewed coffee, which is commonly served at coffee chain outlets, contains an average 140g of caffeine in an average-sized mug.

A cup of tea contains 70mg of caffeine, a 330ml can of cola 40mg, and a 50g bar of plain chocolate 50mg, according to the agency.

The revised limits of caffeine for pregnant women are being introduced after advice from the FSA’s independent Committee on Toxicity, which has decided that low levels of caffeine can harm the unborn child.

Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at the FSA, said: “This new advice doesn’t mean that pregnant women have to cut out caffeine completely, simply that they should be careful and make sure they don’t have too much. We would emphasise that the risks are likely to be very small and believe our new advice, which is based on new research and has been considered by leading independent scientists, is sensible and proportionate.”

Researchers at Leeds and Leicester universities studied the caffeine consumption patterns of 2,645 low-risk pregnant women with an average age of 30. Women whose intake of caffeine was over 200mg a day were more likely to give birth to smaller babies. The study took place between September 2003 and June 2006.

Most women in pregnancy however already drink less than 200mg a day and most in the study drank tea so the revised advice is unlikely to affect many women.

The British Coffee Association in a statement said that in light of the new research it will be immediately revising its own guidance to healthcare professionals and consumers on coffee consumption.

Dr Euan Paul, spokesman for the association, described the new study as a robust review and analysis of all the current evidence pertaining to the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy.

He reminded pregnant women that they can still enjoy decaffeinated coffee throughout their pregnancy.

Health chiefs are anxious that women do not replace caffeine drinks with alcoholic drinks or very sweet soft drinks.

Last week scientists also found that a weekly glass of wine or two during pregnancy did no harm to infants and could benefit their performance on some tests linked to behaviour and vocabulary.

Tanzenia: Coffee factory mulls higher Green tea farmer prices

Factory mulls raising producer tea prices By Joas Kaijage.

Bukoba Kagera Tea Company (KTC) Ltd mulls raising producer prices for green tea in order to motivate farmers. The move comes amidst fears of slumped processing at the KTC factory.

With capacity for two million kilogrammes, the factory is projected to process about 890,000 kilogrammes only this year. According to KTC Executive Director Dr Peter Mgimba, the factory would not meet its target of at least processing one million kilogrammes this year because of low farmer morale.

Currently, the factory pays farmers Sh100 per kilogramme of green tea leaves without deducting transportation charges as in other regions but farmers are apparently still disenchanted. Dr Mgimba said training for farmers and higher producer price were in line with a number of other KTC interventions to boost production. Recently, KTC in collaboration with the Tanzania Small Hawkers Tea Development Association organised a course for tea extension officers and farmers at the UYOLE Agricultural Institute in Mbeya.

The chairperson of the Kagera Tea Farmers Association (KATEA) Mr James Rwegoshora said Kagera Region had only 178 hectares under tea cultivation after farmers abandoned about 100 hectares. Mr Rwegoshora said tea farms formerly covered 1225 hectares but most farms were abandoned after the factory was privatised in 2000. As a result Mr Rwegoshora said the farms have attracted both local and foreign investors under increasing attention also of local authorities that have started reallocating some of them.

HOW COME?: Loose tea leaves gather in a cup's center

Kathy Wollard
October 13, 2008

If you make a cup of tea using loose tea, and then stir it, why do the leaves gather in the center at the bottom of the mug? asks a reader.Albert Einstein is perhaps best known for the Theory of Relativity, which explained the puzzle of space, time, and gravity. But in 1926, he also discovered the Tea Leaf Paradox, explaining the puzzling behavior of leaves in a tea cup.If you've ever ridden a swiftly moving merry-go-round, or gone around a curve too fast in a car, you're familiar with centrifugal force. Centrifugal force throws objects outward from the center; it's why a washer's spin cycle leaves clothes plastered to the wall of the washer basket.

So when we stir loose tea in a cup of hot water, the leaves "should" end up in an outward-flung ring around the bottom.Instead, they group obediently in the center. How come?According to Einstein, the leaves' motion reveals the circulation of water in the cup. Stirring makes the water spin around a central axis, and spiral out from the center. But the water down below is slowed by friction with the cup's bottom; its spin is weakened.

The rotation difference creates a circulation system in the cup: Water at the top, strongly spun outward, travels down the wall and across the cup's bottom, and then flows back up the central axis. It's this current that ferries tea leaves to the center bottom of the cup.But Cleveland State University physicist Jearl Walker says that there is one thing Einstein failed to notice in his cup of tea. Just after the spoon is removed, before the leaves settle, they form a central ring. Tea leaves outside the ring are dragged inward by the current.

Tea leaves inside the ring are pulled out to join it. As the spinning water slows, the ring contracts in size. Finally, the leaves come to rest in a central heap.Some 80 years after Einstein wrote his paper, the Tea Leaf Paradox has inspired one scientist to invent a new way of "reading" blood cells. At the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., scientist Leslie Yeo was using an electric field to spray drops of liquid from a needle. When one drop landed in the wrong place, he found that small bits of solid material were spinning around in the drop. The liquid was being stirred by a "wind" of charged particles created near the electrified needle. So Yeo decided to do some experiments in a tiny cylinder. He discovered that the liquid's swirling particles always settled in the center on the cylinder's bottom. But why?Puzzled, Yeo found the answer in Einstein's paper on the tea paradox.

Yeo, now based in Australia, realized that the effect could be used to spin blood cells out of whole blood. Using a credit-card sized kit, he says, doctors could do blood tests in the office, with no waiting for outside lab results. Reading the tea leaves, Yeo expects that it might take up to 10 years to develop a working device.

Gourmet Tea: Selection of the month... RED

Winter Mint, Red Tea
One of our best-selling teas throughout the year, Winter-Mint blends Rooibos, sweet vanilla & a touch of chocolate-mint into a soothing treat & healthy alternative to dessert.

Also called Red Tea, Rooibos is rich in antioxidants & anti-aging properties. People who order this tea keep coming back for more. This tea's rich, dessert-like flavor that is often compared to a chocolate-mint dessert! (NET WT 4 oz) approx. 50 Servings

Price: $11.50 Buy it HERE

Focus: Red Teas

RED TEA

Known for its ability to promote rest and relaxation, Red Tea contains many of the same health-promoting properties as Green Tea and is 100% caffeine-free.

Also called Red Tea because of its vibrant, ruby color, Rooibos (pronounced Roy-boss) has a sweet, full-bodied flavor without a trace of bitterness. As a source of powerful antioxidants, Rooibos strengthens the body’s immune system and contains some of the highest known levels of anti-aging properties of any plant on earth. Rooibos is also known for its ability to replenish the skin from the inside out and is recommended for mild depression, allergies, headaches, anxiety or insomnia.

This therapeutic Herbal Tea offers many of the same health-promoting properties as Green Tea but is 100% caffeine-free, making it an ideal choice for evening or for people sensitive to caffeine.

One of Our best sellers : Winter Mint

One of our best-selling teas throughout the year, Winter-Mint blends Rooibos, sweet vanilla & a touch of chocolate-mint into a soothing treat & healthy alternative to dessert. Also called Red Tea, Rooibos is rich in antioxidants & anti-aging properties. People who order this tea keep coming back for more. This tea's rich, dessert-like flavor that is often compared to a chocolate-mint dessert! (NET WT 4 oz) approx. 50 Servings