Sweet Tea Blog

Loose Leaf Tea vs Tea Bags

Loose leaf tea vs tea bags We at Sweet Tea Junkie have had quite a few folks asking what makes our tea different from the store bought teas? When I explain the differences I like to go into detail about Loose Leaf teas which are in general a higher quality better tasting tea, and tea in ready to steep bags which are generally a lower quality. So if you have a few minutes… Leeeettt’s get reeeaaady to rrruuummbblleee! It’s Loose leaf tea vs. tea bags in a battle to the finish! The Origins of the Tea Bag The earliest known patent for a tea bag (called a “tea-leaf holder”) was filed on Aug 26, 1901 and granted on Mar 24, 1903. The inventors were Roberta C. Lawson…

Recommended Books for Tea Lovers

My love for tea started at a young age. Being born in the South, and having at least six generations of family before me being Southerners it could be said Sweet Tea runs through my veins. In 2005 I started Sweet Tea Junkie as a social media joke simply to see how many “Sweet Tea Junkies” I could find on MySpace. The joke was apparently on me because within a few months I had over 8,000 followers and a business was born. We began as a “tea shirt” company and until 2012 that is all we did. 2012 is the year that I began doing research on tea and what it would take to produce our own line of Premium Southern Style Teas. A year…

Tea in Poetry, Literature and Quotations

Tea in Poetry, Literature and Quotations The subject of tea found its way to the tip of many a writer’s pen throughout time. As a passion for all things tea has developed in me I have inevitably ran across much of this work. From Tea in Poetry, literature and quotations embodying the love for this seemingly simple beverage runs deep. While I am admittedly not a huge fan of poetry (c’mon.. SEC College Football is waay more interesting!), the historical value related to a subject I love (tea) is great. I hope you enjoy viewing tea through the lens of many people across time as much as I have. “Tea in Poetry” A Paradoxical Riddle used in Buddhism to Trigger Enlightenment “Have you…

Tea traditions and culture worldwide

My first experience with tea came at a young age, and what a glorious experience it was! Growing up in the South I had one of those Grandmothers that knew how to make Sweet Tea right and that was the only type of tea I drank for years. In fact, it was my childhood memories of her Sweet Tea that years later developed such a passion in me for good tea that I decided to transition Sweet Tea Junkie from a “tea shirt” company into a “Tea Company.” To this day in the South when someone asks if you want tea, they literally mean Sweet Iced Tea and nothing else. Then again, there are no other types of tea right?! Chances are if you go…

How Earl Grey Tea got its name

In so much of the world around us, we tend to do things simply because that is the way it has been. Have you ever wondered why it is we cut down trees, put them in our homes to be decorated and place presents under them? I’ve had a thousand of these types of questions, and always love finding the history behind some of the traditions we hold so dear. With this premise in mind I’ve decided to find some of the meanings and origins behind the popular terms in the world of tea. I’ll call this the Origins Series. To start this series, we’ll focus on how Earl Grey tea got its name… Earl Grey Tea One of the most popular and storied…

A history of Tea in 500 words

I would like to introduce you to a history of tea in 500 words. You can’t finish your cup of tea that fast! It is widely accepted that the Camellia Sinensis (tea tree) traces its origins to South East Asia. While we don’t know the exact details of who first made tea from the plant we do know that it has been consumed in China for thousands of years. Early on tea was collected and processed from wild plants. The earliest known tea plantations were in Szechuan Province China. Tea remained a regional beverage for years until it was popularized by Lu Yu (733–804), who wrote The Classic of Tea and performed somewhat of a “re-branding” of tea changing the name from Jia 檟 which…

What is Green Tea?

In our last little get together we explored black tea and what it is, this go around we’ll answer the question that likely keeps you up hours each night.. What is Green Tea? OK, so chances are if anything is keeping you up hours each night it isn’t that question, more likely it would be the fact that you indulged in too much tea before bed. When thinking of green tea, likely the first thing that comes to mind is the health benefits that go along with this type of tea. Since everything you read on the internet is absolutely 100% true (and that’s a fact!) there is definitely no inaccurate information out there for you to worry about. All kidding aside, I won’t go…

What is Black Tea

What is Black Tea? If you’ve spent any amount of time around the Sweet Tea Junkie brand whether browsing our website or hanging out with us at any of the many events we attend throughout the year then you likely know that we offer a variety of premium teas, including our signature blend, which is appropriately named Handcrafted Black Tea. When we think of “tea” in the United States, and more importantly “Sweet Tea in the South” it is almost always black tea that we are actually referring to whether we know it or not. One of the most recent estimates given by the Tea Association of the United States (and with a name like that I’d guess they know tea) states that black tea…

How to build a factory cart coffee table

Are you ready to learn How to build a factory cart coffee table? Perhaps you already have one laying around, and want to learn how to restore an old factory cart. You’ve come to the right place but first things first, grab yourself some Sweet Tea… this is going to be a weekend project! Initial Thoughts… One of the more popular DIY projects that I’ve seen quite a bit lately are the old factory carts. Originally these carts were used in factories to move large or heavy parts from one area to another, or by railroads to move passenger luggage more efficiently. Fast forward about a hundred years to today, and you’ll find little to no purpose for these big heavy carts in their original…

Where does tea come from?

The question, where does tea come from? May or may not have crossed your mind while sipping a tall glass of Iced Sweet Tea, or unsweet tea.. if that’s your thing?! At any rate, most of us have no idea where that beautiful liquid gold comes from before it makes its way to our local grocery store or tea shop. When I started Sweet Tea Junkie in late 2005 all I knew was that I really liked Sweet Tea and that folks liked the idea of my “Sweet Tea Shirts,” the question of “Where does tea come from?” simply never entered my thinking. That is until late 2011 early 2012 when I began to seriously consider expanding the Sweet Tea Junkie brand to include our…

Tweets

Categories

Subscribe to Blog Updates

Secure Site, Secure Data