Over at Ya-Ya’s Tea Board blog, there is an announcement about the latest issue of the free online magazine about tea called The Leaf. As pointed out at the blog, there are two articles about different Tea Expos from this year as well as the announcement of the re-opening of the Wisteria Tea House.

Additionally you will find gong fu tea tips from Master Ling Ping Xiang, an exploration of the Japanese tea masters, an article about Zen and tea, another article called Vegetable Tea, and another called Seeking Tea, Finding Dao. There’s bound to be something for an tea lover.

Source: Ya-Ya’s Tea Board – http://blog.yayateahouse.co.nz/2008/08/18/the-leaf-issue-3-just-published/

The Leaf, Issue 3 – http://the-leaf.org/Issue3/

With the new deal Pepsi has with Starbucks to manufacture, distribute and market the Tazo teas, Pepsi now owns almost 40% of the ready-to-drink teas. Coke only has 9% share with Nestea and Gold Peak according to our source. Tazo was acquired by Starbucks in 1999.

As we have mentioned in posts before, the ready-to-drink market is becoming bigger all the time. We love our iced sweet tea. Now they are saying this category expects to make $15 billion in sales by 2012. Last year, these types of teas had $7.4 billion in sales. We think buying teas are a healthier alternative to sodas. I just wish they would use something like stevia, agave nectar or real cane sugar for sweetening instead of the high fructose corn syrup found in so many of them. I get tired of reading bottle labels.

Looks like Pepsi has some congratulations coming for achieving such a big share of the ready-to-drink tea market and its newest agreement about Tazo ready-to-drink teas. Kraft will continue to handle the tea bags and latte concentrates.

Source: http://adage.com/article?article_id=130445

You’ve probably heard of dude ranches where people can go for vacation to ride horses and get a taste of the cowboy’s life with ranching chores. Seems the Darjeeling tea estates in the lower Himalayas are now offering the same type of thing for those who enjoy experiencing new things on their vacations.

Over the years, the Darjeeling gardens have been training tourists at no charge. Now that has changed. There seems to be a diversity of how you can take advantage of this new twist in tourism. At some gardens such as the Makaibari plantation, you can live with the workers, share their meals, help them pluck the tea leaves, and tour the factory where the leaves are processed.

At the other end of the scale, you can pay about $220 a night for a stay in a bungalow at the Tumsong garden. There you get not only the bungalow but meals, sightseeing, and transport from the airport about 60ish miles away, you also see the whole tea process from plucking to packing. Some students who receive actual tea training go on to set up tea businesses in their own countries.

Source: http://www.7days.ae/en/2008/08/26/indian-tourists-are-in-time-for-tea.html