This valentine’s day, give your loved one a gift they won’t expect, but will cherish and be grateful for a long time to come. Give them a box of six different teas wrapped in a beautiful wrapper, along with a elegant tea pot.

Why Teas? Tea is a healthy beverage that reverses the ravages of aging. Its antioxidant properties prevent cardivascular disease, cancer and other deadly illnesses and stop the oxidative damage caused by oxygen free radicals.

Unlike coffee, tea contains only a small amount of caffein which is enough to perk us up in the morning. Tea does not cause dehydration, and can be had in lieu of water to keep you hydrated.

But the most important reason for giving the gift of tea is that this beautiful aromatic beverage has been enjoyed by millions over the centuries for its natural aroma and taste. The Muscatel flavor of Darjeeling, the complex flavors of Assam and Nilgiri teas can’t be duplicated in man made beverages and leave beverages like Pepsi and Coke in the dust.

If your loved one is already a tea drinker, then they will certainly enjoy Jaya teas. If they are not, start them on a path they will come to cherish. Your loved one will appreciate the gift of tea. Afterall, no gift is more priceless than a gift given with a lot of thought behind it.

Happy Valentine’s day to you and your loved one.

A case of skeletal flurosis (thikening of spine) due to drinking instant tea has been reported in Journal of American Medical Association. A 52 year old white female was evaluated for dense lumbar vertebrae after she twisted her back. It took the doctors several years to realize that her fluoride intake had been excessively high. This high fluoride intake was coming from consumption of 1-2 gallons of Instant tea daily. When she switched to lemonade, the fluoride levels in her body went back to normal.

Independent lab tests in two different labs, of 10 instant teas on the market revealed that at least one tea exceeded the EPA safety limit of 4ppm for drinking water, and several exceeded the FDA limit of 1.4-2.4 ppm for bottled beverages. Most contaned fluoride content in the range of 1 to 6.5ppm.

Advice: If you have to drink instant iced tea, drink it in moderation - not 2 gallons per day. However remember the natural alternative is the best alternative: You can make iced tea using loose leaf tea. Simply steep 4 teaspoons of tea in a gallon of hot water for 10 minutes. Once tea is ready, add sugar to taste and leave in the refigerator for about an hour.

Tip: If the tea is too weak for your taste, try to increase the steep time a little bit, or increase the amount of tea. If the tea is too strong, add some water to it. Its a matter of personal taste so don’t hesitate to experiment.

Read more here

Virginia and Sam, of Corsicana, Texas have opened a nice little tea room called Virginia’s Tea Room! If you are ever in Corsicana, do plan on visiting them. They are located at 211 South Beaton Street.

Good luck guys! If we are ever in Corsicana, we will come and visit you.

Here is a website that describes the various grades of tea and how teas are graded. Admittedly grading tea is complicated, but once you get the hang of it, you can easily determine the grade yourself. Or at least you can be sure that you are indeed getting what the tea store is selling you!! So mouse over to this link and learn how to grade teas.

Grading Teas

Alternately, you can mouse over to Jaya Teas section on grading teas which here here.

I love reading success stories, and here is one to inspire you. 18 year old Stephanie Hadsel falls in love with bubble tea when travelling, and decides that she will have nothing less than a “bubble tea house” for Christmas! Mom Alice Hadsel relents and says, “OK, but you have to be a nice girl for the rest of your life”, and provides the organizational skill. Dad, not to be left behind, decides that he is just the accounting pro this small biz needs.

Apparantly today, the Kotznowoo Plaza in Juneau, Arakansas (I meant Alaska!!), is a hot bed of Anime action with teenagers trouping in and out of this sweet little tea shop called “Sweet Dream Tea House”, which offers not only bubble tea, but a 100 different varieties of loose teas, and Japanese Anime movies.

Stephanie is on to something here. Little towns across US are crying for a taste of good tea, and an introduction to life beyond their county line. With the Japanese style seating, good tea, and a good selection of Animie movies, the daughter and mom (and dad of course) team has created a nice product mix to attract a crowd of all ages.

Congratulations girls, and wish you the very best. Now, if you can just agree to keep some of Jaya Teas, we will have come a full circle!!

You can read more about the Hadsel’s success story in the Capital City Weekly here.

ALTHEA ZANECOSKY writes in Philadelphia Daily News about tea…

Why it’s good: The antioxidants in tea have been linked to many health benefits, including protection from heart disease and cancer. Tea is not only soothing, but now there’s evidence that tea can boost immunity.

Research shows : A study published in May 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences looked at people who drank 20 ounces of tea daily for two weeks. The tea drinkers had immune cells that produced a wealth of anti-germ chemicals when exposed to bacteria. In contrast, study participants who drank coffee instead of tea produced no disease-fighting chemicals in response to the same bacteria.

Drink more tea laddie! You can get more of Althea here: You may need to register.