It's all about the antioxidants

Image: Tools of My Trade by Stephanie Schomer in Fast Company March 2011

A new post in our occasional series on the use of tea to style magazines and other media (aka tea styling).

In an interview with Fast Company published in the March 2011 issue, book cover designer Coralie Bickford-Smith listed Clipper Organic White Tea as one of the "tools of [her] trade." Tea! Of the tea, Bickford-Smith said, "My morning tipple to wake my brain. It's all about the antioxidants." Here's Clipper's description of its organic white:

Our unadulterated white tea is made from the buds and young leaves of the tea bush. It makes a light, delicate and refreshing brew which is a natural source of antioxidants.

Unfortunately Clipper only ships within the UK. Also, you cannot join their Free Tea for Everyone club if you live outside the UK. Clipper Teas are distributed internationally so one can purchase them in U.S. One place for example is Amazon.com. Please let us know other retailers in the comments section.

Finally, a web search for information about the antioxidant concentration in white tea revealed that white tea has the highest level of antioxidants among the teas (green, oolong, and black).

Previous posts in the Tea Styling series
Damask, a romantic setting for tea
Glossy tea settings
Staging with tea

Association of Tea Bloggers

Good news: I am an Association of Tea Bloggers (ATB) member!  My thanks to the ATB selection committee; I am pleased to be a part of the community. 

ATB was launched in June 2009 by the talented tea bloggers Stephen Knoerr of The 39 Steeps, Jessica Pezak of Authoritea, Cinnabar of Gongfu Girl, Lainie Petersen of Lainie Sips, Brittiny Lawson of My Steeped IdentiTEA, Nikki Means of Tea Escapade, and Jason Walker of Walker Tea Review. ATB is an information and resource website for "tea blogger members" as well as a conversation incubator "within the larger community of tea wholesalers, retailers and other tea industry professionals."

A list of members is available here and membership information is available here.

Guidebook to tea in (insert city here)

Image: cover of San Francisco in a Teacup: a guidebook for tea lovers: fifty unique places to have tea in San Francisco and the Bay Area

I have an emerging collection: guidebooks to teashops and tea service.  So far I have two titles; they are San Francisco in a Teacup (1999, paperback) by Ulrica Hume (a gift) and The New York Book of Tea (1995, hardcover) by Bo Niles and Veronica McNiff with illustrations by Susan Colgan (purchased at Mercer Street Books).

Image: cover of The New York Book of Tea: Where to Take Tea and Buy Tea & Teaware

The books are not simply part of a collection; I use them as guides.  When I lived in the Bay Area, I drank tea at Imperial Tea Court (read Rinse, steep, drink: Three friends at Imperial Tea Court) and Lovejoy's, both listed in the Hume guide.

The Niles and McNiff New York guide is 15 years old so some of the shops might be closed, but I am sure that many of the hotels, museums, and department stores listed are still in business and hopefully they still offer tea!  Aside from these categories, the New York guide organizes tea by Tearooms & Restaurants and Japanese and Chinese.  In the latter, I have been to Kelley and Ping (for coffee, not tea, but I have tea-related pictures to share) and purchased tea from Ten Ren Tea in Chinatown (stay tuned for photos from here, too).  Finally, there are new tea shops to discover.  In 2010, Harney & Sons Tea and In Pursuit of Tea opened shops in SoHo.

Do you have any tea guides on your bookshelves?  What are the titles?