TEA TEA Creating MoMents with tea

Tea Parties

TEAwe love

COVER PHOTO Janice Stenglein

EDITOR Rebecca E. Parsons, cre8tiva@gmail.comPUBLISHER Collective Bias

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This past week was eventful, to say the

least, around our house! We went to the

doctor on Wednesday morning and just before

midnight that evening we welcomed our baby

girl! She ended up being born on what seems to

be a popular date of 12/12/12; she made it just

23 minutes before the end of the day.

So, what does this have to do with Bigelow

Tea? We knew that this weekend would be full

of family members coming and going to visit our

baby girl. So, we decided to make Moravian Tea

Cookies and have them along with Bigelow Tea

available for guests as they stopped by. These

cookies paired perfectly to make a great tea

time, plus a great way to get acquainted with our

baby girl.

My mom was first up to enjoy the tea and

cookies. She was beyond impressed with both;

she also thought the cookies paired well with the

tea. My husband also decided to test out the tea

and cookies, which he loved too! After all that

tea and cookies it was time to snuggle up with

our new bundle of joy and share some precious

moments as a family!

Bigelow Tea

Bigelow Tea and Moravian Tea CookiesKristy Still

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For as long as I can remember my

mom has brewed Bigelow Constant

Comment Tea for her guests around

Christmas time. To keep up with tradition I

had a Christmas Tea Party this year! Along

with the Constant Comment, I had Bigelow

Cinnamon Stick Tea and Vanilla Chai Tea.

I love this tea hot, cold, sweet or

unsweetened. It’s simply divine any way that

you choose to make it!

We all really enjoyed the Christmas Tea

Party with Bigelow Tea! I feel great knowing

that the Bigelow brand is family owned and

operated. They really take pride in what they

do and it shows in every tea bag. This is a

tradition that I want to pass down to my kids.

I think traditions like this are great because

it helps us stay connected as a family and

make great memories together.

Christmas Tea Party!Rachel Rockwell

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We are starting to have some cold weather

here in California. I’m sure it’s not nearly as

cold as other places around the US but highs in the

50’s are considered pretty cold around here. I often

find myself drinking a big cup of tea with a good

book or catching up on my favorite blogs. Last night

I watched an old favorite Christmas movie with a

warm blanket, comfy socks, and a big cup of tea. It

was the perfect evening!

I also recently invited my best friend to come over

to enjoy a cup of tea and to make a few ornaments.

What’s better than great friends, tea, and crafting?

Have you tried peppermint tea? This was my first

time trying it but I have a feeling it’s going to replace

my lemon flavored tea during the winter months. It

has a nice smooth minty taste and reminds me of the

wonderful smells that the holiday season has to offer.

Peppermint

Tea Mug GiftCrystal Owens

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One of my favorite

things to do is

welcome friends and

neighbors into my

home over the holidays.

This holiday season I

transformed my great room

into a sparkling tea house. It

is a cozy and casual space

that beckons my guests to

relax and unwind with their

favorite beverage ~ tea.

This year I am starting a new tradition, a St. Nicholas Tea in honor of Father Christmas. Tea is the

perfect beverage for the holidays. It is a warm, comforting and soothing hot or cold beverage. It is

great as a drink, but it is also an awesome ingredient in many of my holiday goodies. I choose to

serve Bigelow Tea {Americas Tea} because they make two of my favorite teas and they offer a wide

variety of flavors…something for everyone. Most of all, I love Bigelow Tea because of their story and

the deep family history of the brand.

We had a party, and guests gathered and mingled throughout the late afternoon. Each enjoyed their

favorite tea as they chatted and ate. I invited some new neighbors and some old friends to the tea.

I surprised each of my guests with a beautifully wrapped box of Bigelow tea as a take-home gift.

Hopefully, they will enjoy the moments we shared as they sip their tea at home.

Rebecca E. Parsons

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Taking a Tea Break at WorkDaniel Anderson

Years ago, I found that a cup of tea

was the best cure for writer’s block.

I had just landed my first desk job and was

stymied by the blank, white screen when I

should have been writing a speech for the

president of the company. After staring at

the screen for an hour, I made myself a

cup of tea, took a moment to clear my

head, and suddenly the words began to

flow. I continue to write a lot in my line of

work and the deadlines are even more

demanding. Sometimes, a good cup of

Bigelow’s Earl Grey is the only thing that

gets me through the day.

There is something special about brewing

a cup of tea that makes me pause and

calms my nerves. A warm drink is always

comforting, especially on a cold Portland day.

But a cup of tea offers something more than

just a hot beverage. Making a cup of tea

forces you to slow down while you wait for

the leaves to steep. And while I am an avid

coffee drinker, there is something about the

smell of tea leaves that coffee grounds will

never match.

Whenever I am having a tough moment at

work, a cup of tea always seems to help.

The ritual of stepping away from my desk

and spending a few moments brewing a cup

of tea always clears my head and helps me

stay focused during the rest of my day.

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Heirloom IceBox Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Creating Moments with Tea!Shelley R. Zurek

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When I was little, my mom and dad bought me

my first “Big Girl” teacup. It was pink, white

and cream–so girly! My mom saved it for me over the

years, and she finally gave it to me about 10 years

ago!

I shared with Walt, my darling husband, the stories

about drinking tea in my special teacup, dunking

the special cookies with my grandparents, and the

wonderful oatmeal cookie recipe. Bigelow Tea, with

its variety of flavors, let us both enjoy the kind of tea

that we wanted with our cookies. Bigelow Tea just

warms you up and as you sit and enjoy, you seem to

just open up. Bigelow Tea is 100% family owned third

generation, and the #1 tea company in the USA. The

company was started by Cindi Bigelow’s grandmother

in her kitchen in 1945. Cindi Bigelow is the current

CEO of the company and a lovely Blonde Woman

over 45– you know that matters on this blog! Bigelow

understands the need to create special moments with

your family and believes tea is an excellent vehicle to

create special moments. Walt and I agree.

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Tea parties have always been a delightful

pastime in our family. I grew up having

tea with my grandmother. That’s

where my love of tea started.

This past weekend we created a

Bigelow Tea moment by hosting

a family tea party. We served

homemade bread sticks,

shortbread, lemon cake and

of course Bigelow Tea. It was so

nice to sit around the table together

on a cold winter day to warm not only

our bellies but our spirit of togetherness.

Most of all everyone enjoyed making

memories with Bigelow Tea!

Making Memories

With Bigelow Tea Theresa Gould

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I was thrilled to open my email a few days ago to read of an opportunity to “create

a moment” with Bigelow Tea. Bigelow is my favorite brand of tea – and I love

their history. Bigelow has always been a family-owned company, and they focus on

quality. Each tea bag is individually wrapped in a foil packet so the tea leaves don’t

absorb any odors or flavors from other foods.

It was fun to have the chance to give my kiddos the tea party Molly wanted and a

chance to play with sweet friends and enjoy new flavors and recipes. I was ready

to tell them about our tea moment! They were excited, and we immediately got

to work on our planning. We invited my dear friend Laura and her girls over – my

goddaughter Faith and her big sister Allie. And then we checked out Bigelow’s

website. I have to say that I was blown away by the number of recipes found on

the site. It had never occurred to me that you could cook with tea, infusing the

flavors and spices into your food.

We took forever deciding on the recipes we’d use. In the end, we chose a fruit dip,

orange spice pound cake {recipe below} and a delicious raspberry gelatin. When

we moved into the kitchen, the kids were all excited to try the tea and treats. The

overwhelming favorite was the pound cake and Red Raspberry Tea! I liked the

Pomegranate Tea and thought the gelatin was light and yummy.

A Special Moment

With Bigelow TeaColleen Kessler

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A s movie lovers, watching the Academy Awards

is especially exciting for my boyfriend and I.

We love to make a night of it –complete with loads

of snacks, games and drinks to enjoy the show.

Thanks to Bigelow Tea, this year’s festivities were a

bit larger, and definitely more fun! We invited some

of our family members over, and started the night

by watching a few of the films that were nominated

this year. We tend to pick a theme for our viewing

parties, and this year our theme was Life of Pi (our

favorite!), so I knew I wanted to pick snacks and

drinks that were on the lighter side. Life of Pi is such

an incredible story with beautiful visuals, and I highly

recommend it if you haven’t seen it.

I knew we needed Oscar Ballots for everyone to

guess who would win! I placed them on the table for

everyone to grab, along with green tea lemonade as

they walked in. I was so excited that Life of Pi was

nominated in 11 categories, and I guessed it would

win Best Picture or Best Director for sure.

After the red carpet, we headed upstairs to watch

the show. Most of my predictions were correct, and I

was so excited to see Life of Pi take home 4 awards

(the most of any movie that night!) The show was

pretty long, but I’m so glad we had the chance

to see our favorites win. We’ll definitely have to

continue the tradition next year!

Oscar Night: My Viewing PartyJanelle Benjamin-Simms

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Last night my son and I had a nice evening. I enjoyed a warm cup of Bigelow

Peppermint Tea while reading him The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Delighted with the

illustrations, he would point at each of the different characters and objects on the page

and ask, “Waz zat?” Then he pointed at my cup and said, “Waz zat?” I answered, “it’s

daddy’s peppermint tea.”

Throughout the year I enjoy three or four of Bigelow’s 120 carefully blended teas.

Each comes in a convenient foil pouch that helps preserve their freshness. This family

owned company has been around for three generations, and I have seen the Bigelow

box of tea in homes of family and friends my entire life. So it was only natural that one

of Bigelow’s soothing teas might have a home in my kitchen cabinet.

And chances are my little boy will be sipping on the same peppermint tea when

Bigelow is a run by a fourth generation. Ha… last night he was taking little sips from my

cup. He would then open his mouth and make a satisfying “ahhhhh” sound afterwards.

Bedtime Story

With Bigelow TeaSean Weber

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I fell in love with ‘high teas’ while

living in Virginia. We regularly

attended formal teas and hosted

a weekly tea in our home. After

we settled into our house in rural

Nevada, we held a tea for our new

friends. I had tea pots filled with

some of our favorite Bigelow Teas:

Cinnamon Stick, Raspberry Royale,

and Plantation Mint.

When I asked each of our guests

what tea they would like I was met

with the same answer: “No thank

you, I don’t like tea.” I began to panic,

but then I realized that our guests

had probably only had plain black

tea and had never tried flavored teas

before. So I added French Vanilla

Creamer to the Cinnamon Stick Tea

and offered samples. Many of our

guests decided that they liked tea

after all!

Cinnamon Almond & OatSCONeSAlea Milham

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Growing up, my mom had

this little china tea set

from my grandmother that we

were only allowed to use when

we were not feeling well. It was

the only time those cups came

out. For some reason drinking

tea from those little cups always

made me feel so much better.

So when I was asked to try

Bigelow Tea, immediately I knew

I wanted to surprise my kids with

another tea party. I think our last

one was this past summer, so I

knew they would love to come

home from school and enjoy

treats and tea.

When my kids got home from

school and realized they were

having donuts and a tea party,

they were so excited to invite

all their ‘friends’. I love the

excitement and happiness that

these little tea parties give them.

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Jocelyn Brubaker

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I love reading references to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 as one of, if not the

pivotal event that paved the way for the American Revolution. Nearly two

hundred and fifty years later, tea is still singed into our collective consciousness as

a distinctly British affectation.

This past weekend, I escaped to a private retreat in the Ozark Mountains for a

girls’ weekend at my parents’ lake house. We typically have four to six women

from Missouri and Arkansas who gather to unwind, prop our feet up and indulge in

good food, company and conversation for a few days. I was given the opportunity

to sample some of America’s tea, and brought it with me for the weekend to share

since our entire getaway revolved around creating special moments together.

I bought five flavors: Perfect Peach, Orange & Spice, Sweet Dreams (thinking of

my friend who often has trouble sleeping), Cozy Chamomile (my husband has

been drinking quite a bit of chamomile tea and avoiding coffee) and a variety pack

or herbal teas. While we probably didn’t go home to become insurgents and plan

our own equivalents of the Boston Tea Party, we took home some inspiration,

some camaraderie, some sage words from good friends, some quiet moments and

the reminder that we have to work hard in life for the things we hold dear (which is

why we recover with girls’ weekend).

The Boston (Mountain) Tea Party Bethany Stephens

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When I was a young girl, I remember

the excitement there was around

watching the Academy Awards as a family!

We’d usually order pizza, eat popcorn

and snack on goodies while watching the

stars walk up the stage in their beautiful

gowns and well-pressed tuxes to receive

their award. These were experiences

that stuck in my head for a long time,

even now as an adult. Plus, one of my

favorite teas is Bigelow Tea, so I thought;

why not incorporate two things I love into

one awesome party! Thus was born the

Academy Awards Viewing Party with

Bigelow Tea! I was starting a new tradition

for our family and this year, we were routing

for one of my favorite movies – Life of Pi!

I invited several of our friends over for an

Academy Awards Viewing Party featuring

Bigelow Tea and Life of Pi, and let me tell

you, we had so much fun!!! We had Tropical

Fruit Mix, Cajun Nut Mix, a Fruit Platter,

Lasagna, Cheesecake, Cupcakes, and

Bigelow Tea. For the Bigelow Tea, we didn’t

make warm tea (like I typically drink), but we

made Berry Peach Mar-TEA-nis! I had no

idea there were so many cocktail recipes on

Bigelow’s site.

If you love Bigelow Tea and Life of Pi as

much as I do you’ll definitely want to check

out a sweepstakes they’re running through

March 20th. There are some great prizes to

be won, so check it out!

How to Host an Academy Awards (AKA Oscars) Party with Bigelow TeaShannon Gosney

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With my husband often working late, it

didn’t make sense to do a Valentine’s

dinner. Instead I decided it would be fun to

do a Valentine’s breakfast! Of course I picked

up Bigelow Tea to go with our meal. Constant

Comment Tea is the perfect complement to

this meal - the recipe is as old as the company,

and has lasted because it is so delicious!

I think the hits of orange make it ideal for

breakfast.

The breakfast was simple - Constant Comment

Tea with the tags cut into heart shapes, bacon,

and heart pancakes with “Love” written into

them.

Sitting with my cup of tea and sharing

breakfast and conversation with my boys was

great. And capturing the moment when my son

said to his dad, “Come closer... closer...” and

then “Dad... I love you very, very much.”

Valentine’s Breakfast Carolina Moore

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Since we started spending more time together, The Muffin

has been begging me for tea parties. We picked out our

tea flavors and made tea together, then set up shop on the rug

that my Mamom made in our living room. The Muffin wanted

peanut butter instead of King Cake Cupcakes and I wanted

some pomelo. She thought the orange spice tea was a little

strong, but she loved my “I Love Lemon” tea. Next time, I’m

giving her Vanilla Chai and telling her it’s hot chocolate.

We had a wonderful tea party with Lily the frog, a ladybug, and

an alligator. I laughed and laughed, we made toasts over our

tea, and we talked about girlie things. I haven’t had such fun in

a really long time, and I’m getting all weepy thinking about it.

Next time you want to feel closer to your daughter, consider

grabbing some Bigelow Tea and making a date of it. You won’t

regret doing it; you’ll only regret not doing it.

Creating Memories

Tea Time with Bigelow TeaSummer Davis

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What could be better than an Oscar viewing party to root for Best Picture nominee, Life of Pi.

An Oscar viewing party with Bigelow Tea to cheer on Best Picture nominee, Life of Pi! When

we were asked to have a party starring Bigelow Tea and to root for Life of Pi to win Best Picture

– how could we say no? Watching the Oscars with friends along with Bigelow Tea and Life of Pi –

sounded like a perfect evening.

We decorated for the party using a Hollywood Theme and Life of Pi decorations while also

incorporating Bigelow Tea. Did you know that Bigelow Tea is more than a drink? Finding recipes

on their website is super easy. We made several recipes including a Pomegranate Yogurt Dip to be

served with fruit. This recipe was a huge hit, leaving the guests thinking I was a pro in the kitchen.

And what’s an Oscar party without a celebratory drink. Bigelow’s I Love Lemon Gin Fizz, was also

delicious. There are numerous recipes that can all be found on the Bigelow website.

I am a huge fan of Bigelow tea. Why Bigelow tea? One of the reasons is the company that began

in 1945, by Ruth Bigelow, is family owned. Another reason I am a fan of the Bigelow brand are the

numerous choices of teas. They include black tea, green tea, herbal tea, herb plus, decaffeinated

tea, seasonal tea, American classic tea, iced tea, organic tea, loose tea and many more. Bigelow

tea also focuses on quality. All of the tea is individually wrapped in a foil pouch making it so that you

always get a fresh cup of tea.

An Oscar Viewing Party Starring Bigelow Tea with Life of Pi

Shari von Holten

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To those who do not drink tea, this

may simply look like a basket

full of tea. But a tea drinker knows that

this is a basket full of love, relaxation,

health, joy, friendship, and tradition.

Bigelow Tea is still owned by the Bigelow

family and is operated by Ruth’s son and

granddaughters today. Aside from the

family tradition, I love Bigelow Tea

because it is both delicious and

affordable. Another reason I buy Bigelow

Tea is the fact that every tea bag comes

sealed up in a foil wrapper ensuring that

the tea is always fresh.

Tea is more than a drink in our family – it

is a tradition. I hope that my friend finds

a tea or two in this gift basket that she

can add to her family traditions. I also

encourage you to head to Walmart and

pick up some Bigelow Tea. There is a

variety for everyone.

Tea Time

Special Momentscover story - Janice Stenglein

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