A Look at Our Roots

Good afternoon! Hope everyone has had a nice week and is looking forward to starting their weekend with a relaxing cuppa.

Today I thought I'd borrow from a blog over in Belfast to let our followers learn a bit more about where Best International Tea comes from. As you probably know, we are the North American importers of S.D. Bell Teas from Belfast, N. Ireland. Four generations of the Bell family have been crafting fine teas and coffees for 125 years over in Belfast. They also run a very popular cafe in town.

Take a look at this great post from the Hidden Belfast blog to read more about how our teas are served and enjoyed over in Northern Ireland.

Cheers!

A Cup of Tea is Good for Your Heart

We all know that a freshly-steeped cuppa can warm your heart and soul, but this recent study proves that black tea is literally good for your heart! Drinking black tea can help lower risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. From the article:

"In the study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, drinking three cups of tea for 12 weeks (with no milk or sugar) led to highly significant reduction in blood sugar levels and triglycerides, which are unhealthy fats. Triglyceride levels fell by a whopping 39 percent in males and 29 percent in females.

In addition, drinking tea led to an increase in levels of HDL cholesterol, long considered to be the ‘good’ type of cholesterol."

Click here to read the rest and toast a cup of tea to your heart!

Keep Calm & Brew a Cuppa

Tea is not only a great individual soother, but also a relationship-builder.

A fun study out of Ireland shows that 80 percent of Irish people think tea is a source of comfort and 84 percent drink it when they are trying to relax and unwind. Because tea is so important to individuals, it also brings a deeper value to relationships when it is shared. The study also showed that 57 percent of people feel that someone truly knows them if they make them a cup of tea to their liking.

Dr Eddie Murphy, Clinical Psychologist said, “Small courtesies, warm smiles and making a cup of tea the way someone likes it, shows recognition and awareness - that you care about them.
“When people make tea for someone they’re making an emotional connection which in turn increases fondness and trust, thus enabling the relationship to grow and develop.”

So in addition to making you feel relaxed and calm yourself, a cup of tea might just strengthen a friendship too!