Allison Bojarski of the Gothamist has written a review of T-Salon and Emporium of the Flatiron district in NY City. Its great to know that in NY City there are cool restaurants where you can get a nice afternoon tea and cakes. Around here in Princeton, NJ, I wish one could go for a spot of tea when one wanted. But no restaurant or hotel currently serves the traditional afternoon tea around here.

Here is the link to the article

Tour of Hope Application Process is now open! To apply now, click here. Tour of Hope is a cross country cycling tour Sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lance Armstrong Foundation, and supported by many many others including Jaya Teas. The 2005 Tour of Hope promises to be an exciting event for the cyclists who will ride with the tour, and the many millions of cancer survivors who will support the tour.

You can participate either by signingup to do the cross country tour, or by volunterring your efforts to help organize the tour. Please visit the Tour of Hope website for more information.

Miami Herald has an article on tea that has some one speculating that high end teas might have reached a tipping point because Tazo has started a national advertising campaign to promote their teas.

Now, I like Tazo Zen - when nothing else is available. But there is no comparison between Zen and a Darjeeling First Flush that can just wow you on the basis of its aroma and flavor. No blending required! As for the tipping point, we can only hope its true. We hope Zen can indeed create some renewed interest in teas.

Here is the article if you want to read more.

Judging from the news report, Indian tea industry is hell bent on driving the value of tea out of it! Apparently, the Tocklai Experimental Station in Jorhat, Assam has come up with a way to reduce the tea leaves into a pill that can be sucked or chewed. This obviously reduces the flavorful beverage with almost meditative qualities into nothing but a caffein delivery system! Way to go Tocklai!

Its ironical that this is coming out of the labs of the same industry that is trying to convince the world that the wonderful flavors of Indian tea are worth spending extra bucks! Indian tea industry would do better than to spend valuble resources on this kind of cockeyed research; instead, why not spend some time and effort on improving the quality of tea?

Here is a recipe for Tea Biscuits courtsey Diane’s Desserts. Thank you Diane, for letting us have the recepie. Please visit Diane’s Desserts she has new recepies every week!

Servings: Makes 10-12 biscuits

Comments: These biscuits taste so delicious spread with either butter or strawberry jam.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk all at once. Stir just until dough clings together; no more. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for 10-12 strokes.

Roll or pat to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter into flour before each cut. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in 450 degree F (230 degree C) oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm with butter and jam or preserves.

Recepie contributed by Liisa! Thank you Lissa!

The 2005 Bristol-Myers Squibb Tour of Hope for raising cancer awareness is about to begin the application process. Formal application process is done on line on the tour of hope website, which is www.tourofhope.org.

Led by Lance Armstrong, the six times Tour de France winner and a cancer survivor, Tour of Hope is a cross country cycling tour undertaken by select few cyclists who have been touched by cancer in one way or the other. The selection process is quite rigorous and selected individuals are required to undertake a 16 week training process developed by the personal trainer of Lance Armstrong.

If you are a cancer survivor, or if you know any one who has been touched by cancer, consider signing up. Click here to go to the sign up page.