End of Module Evaulation

Overall, I am pleased with the progress that I have made throughout this module. I have learnt a lot about myself as a designer and how I work when I need to take things into my own hands.

In terms of everything that I have done overall, I am very happy with my outcomes as I have managed to achieve a professional standard to them that I have been striving to achieve. I have definitely found that the attention to the smaller details within a brief is what can really make a difference when it comes to making a brief look alright or look amazing.

My time management has been fairly good during this module, as opposed to ones during the last two years. I have found this to be highly beneficial for my design practice and has allowed me to excel my expectations of what I initially believed that I could achieve. This is certainly something that I am to continue during the Final Major Project module, and to push more with too to get them tighter.

The thing that I have most enjoyed about this module has to be the competition brief that I entered for the Tigerprint Black & White Print brief. It has really opened my eyes to the possibility of what can be achieved with something so simple to begin with, and has certainly got me thinking more about the range of outcomes that are possible within a brief.

My biggest downfall has to be when I come to completing a brief, I would get so close to finishing and then instead of wrapping it up and drawing a line under it I would just leave it until later, which I do believe if I hadn’t had done that and just got it finished when it was actually finished with the design boards done then I would have had more time towards the end of the module to continue designing. This is something important that I have learnt, and will definitely be keeping this in mind when I approach the end of briefs throughout the FMP module.

I didn’t work on a collaboration during this module, but I do have some planned for the next which is going to be interesting. I do feel like I have come a long way when it comes to them, and I think if I take forward what I have learnt from this module about myself into a collaboration, then this will allow me to feel a lot more confident with myself and my abilities that I can bring to the table.

I am definitely completing this module with a smile on my face, and hope that this continues for the rest of my time on the course.

Attendance: 3

Punctuality: 5

Quality of work: 4

Quantity of work: 4

Collection - Crit Response

I didn't get any feedback for this brief from the crit, which is understandable seen as I only really took research along.

After the crit though, and seeing other peoples briefs as well as reflecting on everything that I have done for this module so far, I am not really feeling this brief. I don't know what it is because I was pretty excited about it when I first got the idea and started it.

It just feels a bit like I am going to be basically taking the Twinings website and putting it into a book I guess. Basing the project on that brand, I am obviously going to get most of my research from them. I don't know, just not happy with it.

I've discussed this with a number of people and what not, and I have decided to no longer carry on with this brief. I am going to do a different one that I will be happier to work on.

Again, as I explained for the Make My Mark brief, if I do have a bit of time at the end of the module, I could look at doing something with the research I have already collected, but I wont carry on with my initial intentions for this.

Collection - More about tea C - F

Collection - More about tea # + A - B

I've put off starting to do the research and recording about every single tea variety that there is available, mostly because I am not sure how to blog my recordings. First thought was individual blog posts for every one, but then I realised it would take up 105 posts - oh dear! And doing just one for every single one will be far too long. So I'll put them into ranges, so like A - E, etc, depending on how many are within the range.

#

1706
In 1706, Thomas Twining first set up shop on London's Strand. In the age of coffee shops, he was the man who loved tea and was dedicated to discovering the world's finest. We created our special 1706 tea for tea-lovers like Thomas.

Bright, strong and full of flavour, it's a blend of only the highest-quality teas from Africa, India and Ceylon.

Ingredients
Black tea is a natural source of antioxidants that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals

All natural ingredients:
- Black tea from several origins

Apple Crunch

A beautiful apple orchard. Where round, juicy fruits glisten red, green and gold in the crisp autumn sun. Did you know that apples are thought to be ancient symbol of love? You're bound to fall for this refreshing, mellow-sweet blend, made with real apple pieces. Made with all-natural ingredients - nothing more, nothing less. Naturally caffeine free with no added sugar, enjoy any time of the day. Fancy yours chilled? Let the infusion cool down first, before adding some ice and lemonade.

Ingredients
- White Hibiscus
- Rosehips
- Natural Flavouring
- Apple Pieces
- Hibiscus
- Lemon Peel
- Roasted Chicory Root

Apple and Pear Green Tea

We've taken the crisp, English apple and sweet pear and blended them together with this light tasting, golden Chinese green tea, which will transport you to the tea gardens in an instance.

Ingredients
Green tea is a natural source of antioxidants that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals

All natural ingredients:
- Green tea
- Natural flavouring (13%)
- Natural apple flavouring with other natural flavourings (11%)

Assam

Imagine a land where elephants and tigers wander freely, and where lush green paddy fields sit under stormy skies.

That place is Assam in North East India. The tea it produces is one of the world's most famous - a rich and strong, deep-amber tea that goes perfectly with brunch or after dinner instead of coffee.

Ingredients
Black tea is a natural source of antioxidants that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals

All natural ingredients:
- Black tea from Assam, India

Black Tea flavoured with Orange and Cinnamon

A full bodied black tea with an orange and cinnamon flavour.

This tea is only sold in our International markets and is exclusively available to Twinings Direct in the UK.

Ingredients: 
- Black tea from several origins
- Cinnamon Bark (20%)
- Orange Flavouring (6%)
- Orange Pieces (1%)

Black Tea flavoured with Vanilla

An indulgent black tea with vanilla and caramel flavours.

This tea is only sold in our International markets and is exclusively available to Twinings Direct in the UK.

Ingredients:
- Black tea from several origins
- Flavourings (17.5%)
- Vanilla Pods (0.5%)

Blackberry, Apple and Vanilla

A rich, full flavoured infusion inspired by the classic tastes of autumn. The warming, indulgent taste of vanilla creates the perfect balance when blended with the sharper notes of blackberries and juicy green apples.

As it's naturally caffeine free and with no added sugar, you can enjoy its warming, soothing flavour on a chilly autumn evening.

This autumn seasonal edition is perfect to warm you up after sweeping up your garden leaves!

Ingredients:
- Hibiscus, Orange Peel, Orange Leaves*, Blackberry Leaves* (9%),
- Rosehips, Natural Apple Flavouring (6%),
- Natural Blackberry Flavouring (5%),
- Liquorice Root*, Natural Vanilla Flavouring (3%)
*All our herbs are gently steamed, the process is gentle to protect their delicate taste

Blackberry and Nettle

Tea and cake. Toast and jam. Rhubarb and custard. Some things are best in pairs. And blackberries and nettles are one of nature's couples, growing together in the autumn hedgerows. We think they work well together in this infusion, too.

The rich, juicy flavour of the berries is complemented by the peppery tang of the nettle. One sip and you'll be in a sunny English meadow.

Ingredients:
- Hibiscus, Orange Peel, Blackberry Leaves (10.5%),
- Nettle Leaves (10%),
- Rosehips, Natural Raspberry Flavouring, Liquorice Root, Natural Blackberry Flavouring (1.5%),

Blackcurrant Burst

On hot summer's day ripe blackcurrants hang heavy in the sun, glistening like jewels. You can almost taste their mouthwatering juiciness. From your very first sip, this blend captures the sweet tang of lusciously plump blackcurrants, picked in their prime. Made with all-natural ingredients - nothing more, nothing less. Naturally caffeine free with no added sugar, enjoy any time of the day. Fancy yours chilled? Let the infusion cool down first, before adding some ice and lemonade.

Ingredients:
- Hibiscus
- Rosehips
- Blackberry Leaves
- Natural Flavourings
- Liquorice Root

Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla

For this infusion, we've gathered flavours from all over the world; from meadows in England to the exotic lands of the Orient. The result is a luxurious drink with a deep-rose colour and a soothing taste.

With the zingy flavour of blackcurrants, woody notes of ginseng, and creamy, rich taste of vanilla, there's no better treat for warming you up on a cold evening. Wherever you are.

Ingredients:
- Hibiscus, Orange Peel, Orange Leaves, Blackberry Leaves, Lemon Peel, Rosehips, Natural Blackcurrant Flavouring (5%),
- Liquorice Root, Natural Vanilla Flavouring (3%),
- Ginseng (2%),

Blackcurrant and Lavender Infusion

The rich combination of sweet blackcurrant and lavender loose leaf tea provides a delicious autumn taste, transporting you to picturesque views of fiery golden leaves, vibrant holly berry hedgerows and fields of golden crops ready for harvest. Take comfort in the fresh and fruity flavours as they provide a touch of warmth as the evenings get colder and the nights draw in.

Ingredients:
- Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple Pieces, Orange Peel, Lavender* (8%),
- Elderberries, Natural Blackcurrant Flavouring (4%),
- Safflowers
* All our herbs are gently steamed to protect their delicate taste

Blackcurrant and Mint

People have been using mint as a healing herb for centuries. Not only is it packed with aromatic oils, it's also renowned for helping digestion, leaving you feeling fresh and zingy.

We've blended mint leaves with the sweet, tangy taste of blackcurrants for this limited-edition infusion. So lock the doors, grab a cup and take in the fresh aroma. You'll feel refreshed in no time.

This is our summer seasonal edition - but we've still got a few boxes left to remind you of sunny days now gone!

Ingredients
- Hibiscus, Peppermint Leaves* (10%),
- Blackberry Leaves*, Apple Pieces, Orange Peel, Rosehips, Natural Blackcurrant Flavouring (5%),
- Liquorice Root*
*All our herbs and Flowers are gently steamed; the process is gentle to protect their delicate taste

Blended to Calm

Traffic, deadlines, rain, bills: Sometimes we need to take a minute and just breathe. We've blended our Calm infusion just for those moments.

A special blend of camomile, rooibos, lavender and cocoa beans, its gentle flavour will help you to soothe your troubled mind and ease your worries away. Any time of day or night.

Ingredients:
- Cocoa (27%),
- Rooibos (19%),
- Camomile (Matricaria) (15%),
- Ginger Root, Peppermint, Lavender (5%),
- Lemon Verbena, Hops, Chicory Root, Juniper Berries

Blended to Cleanse

It's not always easy finding time to look after yourself. But our Cleanse infusion will help you care for your body from the inside out. It's a blend of nature's most helpful ingredients: spearmint, which has been used to help digestion for centuries; nettle, thought to be cleansing; and Milk Thistle, believed to have antioxidant properties.

Together, their soothing taste will leave you feeling fresh and revitalised.

Ingredients: 
- Dandelion Root, Burdock Root (15%),
- Milk Thistle Fruit (15%),
- Peppermint, Spearmint (15%),
- Aniseed, Nettle (5%),
- Liquorice Root

Blended as a Digestif

Starter, main course, pudding, cheese, biscuits. For those special occasions where dinner goes on all evening, our Digestif infusion will round things off nicely.

It's a delicate blend of peppermint leaves and fennel seeds, both of which are reputed to help digestion, with spearmint, dandelion roots and liquorice. And with a fresh, cooling taste, it will cleanse your palate at the same time.

Ingredients: 
- Peppermint (30%),
- Fennel Seeds (30%),
- Dandelion Root, Spearmint, Linden, Liquorice Root

Blended as a Morning Detox

Brush away your sleepy cobwebs with a cup of our Morning Detox infusion. It's a special blend of milk thistle, tangy lemon rind, honey-scented limeflowers, and zesty lemon verbena, a plant known for its intense citrus flavour.

Bright and refreshing, each sip of this infusion is a little golden sunrise.

Ingredients:
- Lemon Peel (35%),
- Lemon Verbena (24%),
- Limeflowers (21%),
- Liquorice Root, Ginger Root, Milk Thistle (5%),
- Peppermint

Blossom Earl Grey

To capture the moment when Orange trees flower as winter turns to spring, we've created a stylish mix of sweet orange blossom flavour and citrus bergamot.

The result? A black tea that brightens your day and warms you from the inside out. Great news - although initially launched as a Limited Edition, Blossom Earl Grey is now permanently available, following popular demand.

All natural ingredients: 
- Black tea
- Natural bergamot favouring with other natural flavourings (7.5%)
- Natural Orange Blossom Flavouring (2%)

Blueberry and Apple

Autumn. A time for kicking through the leaves and watching the world change colour. And for those days when night time comes too soon, we've blended the taste of sweet, juicy blueberries with the flavour of tangy apples.

The deep-red colour and bright, warm taste of this infusion will lighten up even the darkest of evenings.

Ingredients: 
- Hibiscus, Natural Apple Flavouring (10%),
- Natural Blueberry Flavouring (10%),
- Rosehips, Apple Pieces, Liquorice Root

Brazilian Black Tea

Brazil is a little more famous for its coffee, but tea has been grown there for nearly 200 years, with black tea being produced in an area of upland Brazil near Registro.

Ingredients:
Black tea, just like green tea, comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
- After plucking, the leaves are laid on drying trays & withered to remove some moisture and make more pliable
- The leaves are then rolled and may be cut
- "Broken" leaves are laid out & a heady mixture of warm air, aromatic juices, bacteria & enzymes leads to oxidation (a natural reaction that affects strength & colour)
- Oxidation is stopped by firing (with hot air) when the leaves are the right (brown) colour depending on the region
- The leaves turn black as they dry
... and finally, are sorted or graded by size

Collection - Ideas

As I've explained previously, and highlighted in my brief, the thing that I am doing for this brief is a Tea Festival, from the brand Twinings. The main focus of the brief over everything for this module is the 'catalogue' that will be full of information about all the different teas that Twinings have to offer, as well as other information such as about Twinings, how to make the perfect tea, etc.

I quickly noted down my initial ideas for what I believe should go into the catalogue I am creating, based on the research that I have made so far (this may change as I research more).

scan what's going into catalogue sheet

What I then started thinking about, was what doing the Tea Festival will involve, so I did a quick mind map for this.

scan mind map

Collection - Twinings Tea Range Lists

I have put quite a bit of thought into how to present the list of teas that are available. There are a number of them that appear on the list more than once, and some have more than one variety of that tea. To try and get my head around this and start to come up with possible ways to have them, I printed the list out to attack with pens.

First off, in each of the different categories of teas, I grouped together each of the teas that have more than one variety of them. For instance organic, decaf, etc. I wrote the different varieties next to the original one.

scan list 1
scan list 1
scan list 1
scan list 1

Once I had this list finished, I printed out a second version of the original list - this time crossing out all of the repeats of flavours that I could find. I kept the originals of the ones that have more than one variety, and this will represent the whole lot of them. Once I did this, I typed up this new list.

scan list 2
scan list 2
scan list 2
scan list 2

From this list, as shown on it, I counted up how many varieties of teas there are (this has since changed). All together, on this list there's 107 varieties of flavours of tea in the Twinings range.

The next thing that I decided to do was to take out each of the 'types' headers, and print out the list again. Then using the previous lists I wrote next to each individual tea which of the types they fall under. Some come under just one and others come under more. Once I did this, I typed up the new list.

scan list 3

scan list 3

Now, I sort of have my head around this, but not in a way that I can really explain it. With the information that I have gathered so far to do with the different varieties, I quickly noted down how I believe it would work best to present them in the catalogue that I am creating. (I also went on to quickly write down a few more notes too which will be put on to the next blog post).

scan ways to have them in catalogue notes

What I have decided is to

• have individual teas in alphabetical order - this section will contain all of the information about each of the teas, including tastes, benefits and what not
• have the different 'types' section - this will have the information about each of the different types of teas, i.e fruits, black, etc, and in this will also be listed each of the individual teas that fall under the categories
• glossary - I'll also have a glossary at the back that simply lists all of the different teas available, and give them page numbers or something for if the person looking at it does want to find out more about a specific one

So now I have this pretty much down for what I am planning on doing, I got to altering the list that I now have so that the list of teas are now in alphabetical order. Whilst doing this I made the names bold so that they stand out over the rest of the information accompanying them. Whilst doing the list, the number of tea varieties changed a bit, and I noticed a few doubles that I didn't see previously.

The total number of teas that I now have on my list is 105.

Collection - Twinings Range

I've spent quite a while now trying to grasp and find out how many different varieties of teas are actually available and what they actually are. Turns out they don't just have a list of them all. I will send them an email explaining my project and ask if it would be possible for me to get a list from them, but for now I'm going to try and piece together all of the different ones that I come across on their website.

The link that I am using for this is http://twinings.co.uk/teas

When doing the lists, I will list all of the ones that are available in each category whether I have already listed them previously or not, and then once I have finished I will make more sense of it and take off the repeated ones.

Black Teas

• black tea flavoured with vanilla
• 1706 blend
• assam
• chai
• darjeeling
• earl grey
• english breakfast
• lady grey
• lapsang souchong
• organic blend
• organic earl grey
• organic english breakfast
• traditional afternoon
• english breakfast decaffeinated 
• yunnan
• earl grey loose tea
• lady grey loose tea
• blossom earl grey
• sunshine grey
• jasmine earl grey
• lavender earl grey

Earl Grey Teas

• earl grey loose tea
• lady grey loose tea
• earl grey
• earl grey decaffeinated
• lady grey
• signature earl grey black tea
• blossom earl grey
• organic earl grey
• sunshine grey
• jasmine earl grey
• lavender earl grey

Everyday Teas

• english breakfast
• english breakfast loose
• everyday tea
• everyday decaf
• english breakfast decaf
• black tea flavoured with orange and cinnamon
• organic english breakfast

Fruit Infusions

• blackberry and nettle
• blackcurrant and mint
• blackcurrant, ginseng and vanilla
• blueberry and apple
• cranberry and pomegranate
• cranberry and sanguinello orange
• cranberry, raspberry and elderflower
• echinacea and raspberry
• pomegranate and raspberry
• raspberry, strawberry and loganberry
• strawberry and mango
• lemon, lime and orange blossom

Moment of Calm Infusions

• blackberry, apple and vanilla
• camomile and limeflowers
• camomile
• camomile and spearmint
• camomile and spiced apple
• camomile, honey and vanilla
• cherry and cinnamon
• lemongrass and lavender
• orange, mango and cinnamon
• organic camomile
• organic honeybush and lemon
• rooibos, strawberry and vanilla
• winter spice infusion
• african honeybush and lavender

Revive and Cleanse Infusions

• lemongrass and eucalyptus
• lemon and ginger
• organic peppermint
• peppermint
• peppermint and eucalyptus
• sweet fennel
• nettle and fennel
• nettle and peppermint

Green Teas

• green and black tea blend
• green tea
• gunpowder green
• green tea and lemon
• lemon green tea
• pure green tea
• jasmine green tea
• light and delicate green tea
• cranberry green tea
• orange and lotus flower green tea
• peach and cherry blossom green tea
• tangerine and verbena green tea
• mango and lychee green tea
• apple and pear green tea
• pomegranate green tea
• decaffeinated pure green tea
• pineapple and grapefruit green tea

Redbush Teas

• rooibos and peppermint infusion
• rooibos, orange and cinnamon infusion
• redbush
• rooibos, strawberry and vanilla

Speciality Black Teas

• 1706 blend
• assam
• chai
• darjeeling
• earl grey
• english breakfast
• lady grey
• lapsang souchong
• organic blend
• organic earl grey
• organic english breakfast
• traditional afternoon
• english breakfast decaffeinated 
• yunnan
• shine grey

Benefit Blends

• blended to calm
• blended to cleanse
• blended as a morning detox
• blended as a digestif

White Teas

• finest china white tea
• white tea and pomegranate
• white tea
• ceylon silver tips white tea

Loose Teas

• rooibos and peppermint infusion
• finest brazilian black tea
• finest assam 2nd flush black tea
• finest china white tea
• rooibos, orange and cinnamon infusion
• finest high grown ceylon black tea
• lapsang souchong black tea
• finest kenyan black tea
• finest chinese oolong
• finest sri lankan black tea
• peppermint infusion
• finest yunnan black tea
• fair ladies golden rings green tea
• blackcurrant and lavender infusion
• lemongrass and peppermint infusion
• signature earl grey black tea
• yerba mate infusion
• decaffeinated traditional english black tea
• gunpowder moroccan green tea and mint
• jasmine pearls white tea
• jin shan tien hua green flowering tea
• long jing green tea
• tai ping hou kui green tea
• roasted pu-erh black tea
• russian caravan black tea
• traditional english black tea
• indonesian oolong
• five golden flowers green tea
• osmanthus green tea
• high growth ceylon green tea
• pearl over oyster green tea
• jade pillar white tea
• korakundah black tea
• satemwa antlers black tea

Herbal Sensations

• double mint sensation 
• camomile and maple sensation
• lime and ginger sensation

Simple Fruit Infusion Teas

• blackcurrant burst
• apple crunch
• orange crush
• lemon zest
• winter spice

There's quite a lot of repeats, especially in the black teas and earl grey sections, and then the loose teas ones are mostly the same as others but obviously not coming in a tea bag. 

What I'll do is get all of the different flavours, and then have the different varieties that are available of that flavour - such as decaf or organic or what ever. There's definitely a lot to choose from!

Collection - Benefits of Tea

One of the things that made me consider trying tea in the first place is the benefits that it has to offer, so I've had a search into this.


Benefits of Tea
"It's great when something you love is also good for you - such as drinking tea! Over the years, there have been numerous reports about the benefits of tea.

The main one being that they're a good source of antioxidants - 'flavonoid antioxidants' to be exact. As well as tea, you can also find them naturally in foods such as fruit and vegetables.

Along with other antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A and chlorophyll, flavonoid antioxidants can help keep our body's cells and tissues healthy by mopping up 'free radicals' - atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons, hence 'free'. Although all living organisms make free radicals, they're also present in things like pollution. And while we all need free radicals, a build-up in our bodies can damage cells and DNA. So that's a big thumbs up for tea!" (link)


Top 10 Health Benefits
"1. Tea contains antioxidants. Like the Rust-Oleum paint that keeps your outdoor furniture from rusting, tea's antioxidants protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.

2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee. Coffee usually has two to three times the caffeine of tea (unless you're a fan of Morning Thunder, which combines caffeine with mate, an herb that acts like caffeine in our body). An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or interferes with sleep -- switch to tea.

3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your bathroom pipes clear. A 5.6-year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.

4. Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking and other risk factors. The authors suggest that this may be the work of tea's many beneficial phytochemicals.

5. Tea gives you a sweet smile. One look at the grimy grin of Austin Powers and you may not think drinking tea is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's likely to blame for England's bad dental record. Tea itself actually contains fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and gums.

6. Tea bolsters your immune defenses. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infection. When 21 volunteers drank either five cups of tea or coffee each day for four weeks, researchers saw higher immune system activity in the blood of the tea drinkers.

7. Tea protects against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects. While the overall research is inconclusive, there are enough studies that show the potential protective effects of drinking tea to make adding tea to your list of daily beverages.

8. Tea helps keep you hydrated. Caffeinated beverages, including tea, used to be on the list of beverages thatdidn't contribute to our daily fluid needs. Since caffeine is a diuretic and makes us pee more, the thought was that caffeinated beverages couldn't contribute to our overall fluid requirement. However, recent research has shown that the caffeine really doesn't matter -- tea and other caffeinated beverages definitely contribute to our fluid needs. The only time the caffeine becomes a problem as far as fluid is concerned is when you drink more than five or six cups of a caffeinated beverage at one time.

9. Tea is calorie-free. Tea doesn't have any calories, unless you add sweetener or milk. Consuming even 250 fewer calories per day can result in losing one pound per week. If you're looking for a satisfying, calorie-free beverage, tea is a top choice.

10. Tea increases your metabolism. Lots of people complain about a slow metabolic rate and their inability to lose weight. Green tea has been shown to actually increase metabolic rate so that you can burn 70 to 80 additional calories by drinking just five cups of green tea per day. Over a year's time you could lose eight pounds just by drinking green tea. Of course, taking a 15-minute walk every day will also burn calories. Sign up for iVillage Special Offers" (link)


13 Reasons Tea Is (Healthy and) Awesome
"Tea can boost exercise endurance. Scientists have found that the catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved muscle endurance.

Drinking tea could help reduce the risk of heart attack. Tea might also help protect against cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.

The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a boatload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. But don’t rely solely on tea to keep a healthy body — tea is not a miracle cure, after all. While more studies than not suggest that tea has cancer-fighting benefits, the current research is mixed.

Tea helps fight free radicals. Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (“ORAC” to its friends), which is a fancy way of saying that it helps destroy free radicals (which can damage DNA) in the body. While our bodies are designed to fight free radicals on their own, they’re not 100 percent effective — and since damage from these radical oxygen ninjas has been linked to cancer, heart disease and neurological degeneration, we’ll take all the help we can get.

Tea is hydrating to the body (even despite the caffeine!).

Drinking tea is linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. When considered with other factors like smoking, physical activity, age and body mass index, regular tea drinking was associated with a lowered risk of Parkinson’s disease in both men and women.

Tea might provide protection from ultraviolet rays. We know it’s important to limit exposure to UV rays, and we all know what it’s like to feel the burn. The good news is that green tea may act as a back-up sunscreen.

Tea could keep waist circumference in check. In one study, participants who regularly consumed hot tea had lower waist circumference and lower BMI than non-consuming participants. Scientists speculate that regular tea drinking lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome (which increases the risk of diabetes, artery disease and stroke), although it’s important to remember that correlation does not equal causation.

Regular tea drinking might also counteract some of the negative effects of smoking and might even lessen the risk of lung cancer (good news, obviously, but not a justification for cigs).

Tea could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. Studies suggest that compounds in green tea could help diabetics better process sugars.

Tea can help the body recover from radiation. One study found that tea helped protect against cellular degeneration upon exposure to radiation, while another found that tea can help skin bounce back postexposure.

Green tea has been found to improve bone mineral density and strength.

Tea might be an effective agent in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases, especially degenerative diseases (think Alzheimer’s). While many factors influence brain health, polyphenols in green tea may help maintain the parts of the brain that regulate learning and memory." (link)


8 ways tea could benefit our bodies

(link)

Tea & Health

"Tea drunk without milk contains no fat, starch or sugar - and it is completely free of calories. Using semi-skimmed milk adds 13 calories per cup, but also has the added benefit of valuable minerals like calcium. Four cups of tea with milk provides you with a fifth of your daily calcium requirement.

The body absorbs warm drinks more quickly than cold drinks; therefore a cup of tea replaces lost body fluid more efficiently making it an excellent way to refresh your body after exercise." (link)


Tea 4 Health
"- How a cuppa can keep you kissing pretty
When you're puckering up for that kiss it's nice to know you've got a perfect set of pearlies and drinking tea can help contribute towards your teeth and a clean bill of health.

Tea is a great natural source of fluoride, which is added to water and toothpaste because it can actually strengthen tooth enamel. Tea can also help to cut down the build up of plaque on your pearly whites and apart from the fluoride in water, the tea plant is in itself a rich source of fluoride since it actually absorbs the compound from the soil via its roots.

Both black and green teas contain fluoride and they appear to help control bacterial growth that can result in dental plaque.

- Getting to the heart of the matter
Long stressful days at work, lack of exercise, too much convenience food that is high in fat and sugar but low in fibre, can all take its toll. A well-earned tea break is often the way to catch your breath, but it can also help maintain heart health as part of your healthy diet and lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise.

Studies from around the world are finding that the some of the ingredients in tea may help towards maintaining a healthy heart. A national study of 1,764 women in Saudi Arabia showed that tea drinkers were 19% less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than non-tea drinkers. In Holland, 806 men who consumed the greatest amount of catechins (a type of flavonoid) were 51% less likely to die of heart disease during the 10-year study period, compared with men who consumed the lowest amount.

Further studies are looking into how tea could help your heart. The results from trials so far show that flavonoids may prevent the oxidation of the so-called bad cholesterol in the blood that leads to the build up of plaque in artery walls, as well as helping to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system." (link)



On one of the websites that I looked at it had a comments section, and someone left this...

It made me laugh, and is also a very good point to make from an interesting angle. I'll keep this in mind.

Collection - Twinings 'Pick & Mix'

So it turns out that they sort of do what I thought would be a good idea for my brief. They don't have every single flavour available though and it's a lot of effort to go to to do it. I think the idea that I have for the tea festival is still a strong one to do though. This is definitely something to be influenced and take notice of though.

Collection - Twinings 'Free Samples'

On the Twinings website, they do offer you free samples. Although it is limited to just two tea bags and a very specific range to choose from.

(link)

Considering that I don't like normal tea, and have tried peppermint, camomile and earl grey, I may as well try and order two of the new flavours I haven't tried. They hve said on the website though that there's a 2 - 4 week delay on receiving them due to high demand so they may not come in time. I can try though.

I've ordered the Lemon & Ginger one and the Assam one.