Clipper launches two new ranges to co-incide with Fairtrade Fortnight.

Where would we be without a nice cup of tea?

Tea plays such an important part in our lives, that it's impossible to imagine life before Tea.

1) Tea was discovered by accident, over 5.000 years ago, by the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nong, when a leaf fell into a pot of drinking water that he was boiling.

2) Early American settlers used Tea as money in the 1800's. The floods of 1830 were the first financial black Tuesday.

3) The Queen drinks nearly 5000 cups of tea per year - the same as an African Elephant drinks in three years!

4) Clippers, the ships used for tea transportation, were regularly raced across the oceans, culminating in a breath-taking finale up the Thames.

5) Earl Grey tea is made from the shavings of the Earl Grey family. What's left over goes into scented bath products.

6) Coffee is actually watered down Tea. Mud is actually watered down coffee, just solidified.

7) The Beatles nearly ruined their career when John Lennon exclaimed "We're bigger than Tea."

8) Oasis copied the Beatles in the 1990's and tea was a favourite of the Gallagher Brothers. "F*cking Mad for it" exclaimed Liam when asked if he wanted a cup of tea

9) In the 1950's Tea was banned in five American counties, after a breakout of "Tea Sniffing" struck the country. Famous "Tea Sniffers" include Ronald Reagan, Lord Charles and that guy from TV with spiky hair who cooks

10) Tea bags were originally made from the sails of old ships run aground & fermented.

11) Money needed to maintain Tea production resulted in the Opium wars, with British fighting for the right to sell opium in China, undisturbed.

12) The editor of Vogue once fired a large number of female secretarial workers for "wasting their time at tea dances".

Why not try one of Clipper's lovely new brews?

Clipper have boldly gone where no tea company has gone before, and harnessed the ancient Indian powers of Ayurveda. Madonna, Cindi Crawford, and Goldie Hawn all practice Ayurveda, which aims to maintain and balance the energy and health of mind and body.

Under the guidance of a registered Ayurvedic Yogi Practitioner, Clipper has formulated the Ayurvedic range, specifically to stimulate, calm or detox.

Clipper Organic Ayurvedic Stimulating Tea has the refreshing taste of black tea enhanced with the rich perfume of rose and warm, fragrant hints of cinnamon and coriander to exhilarate the senses. Believed to balance the Pitta Dosha (comparable to fire) trend in Ayurveda.

Clipper Organic Ayurvedic Calming Tea, brightly coloured with soft, soothing notes of Green Tea and natural jasmine, believed to balanced the Vata Dosha (comparable to air) trend in Ayurveda

Clipper Organic Ayurvedic Detox Infusion is a crisp tasting, lively balance of rosemary, ginger, oregano, turmeric, aloe vera and lime, believed to balance the Kapha Dosha (comparable to earth) trend in Ayerveda.

Look out for these tantalising teas in independent health food stores and selected Waitrose supermarkets costing £1.99 and you too can be like Madonna, Cindi Crawford and Goldie Hawn, enjoying a graceful, harmonious and vigorous life.

Clipper Organic Fruit Teas

Clipper have launched four aromatic, refreshing Organic Fruit Teas, all benefiting from having no artificial flavours.

Clipper's Organic Orange and Coconut, Organic Red Fruits, Organic Lemon & Ginger and Organic Wild Berry share the natural sweet taste of real fruit, with a hint of spice, ready to dance on the palate, and they're all free from caffeine and chemicals too

Only £1.49 for 20 teabags and packaged in unbleached paper with totally biodegradable packaging, these organic fruit teas are as good for the environment as they are to the tastebuds. Available at all good independent health food stores and Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco look out for the Clipper logo and enjoy fruit teas with a real fruit taste.

Check out www.clipper-teas.com

Check out www.fairtrade.org

Some Unusual things to do with Tea

1) Making new paper look old

When I was doing a project in high school, I found a great way to make new paper look old using Stash black tea. Take some white paper of your desired thickness, and tear off the rim so that it's jagged and worn looking. The paper can be crinkled a bit for added efect. Then get yourself a cup of hot water to dip a tea bag (or two) into. Dip a fresh teabag in the hot water, and run it along the paper. ( I like to use gloves because the tea can stain my fingers ). Blotting on edges and in random areas adds character too. Let the paper dry, and add your designs! This tea-bagging can be done a few times to the same piece of paper, depending on how old you want it to look. This is a fun idea for treasure maps, birthday invitations, and for poetry gifts.

2) Tea and Greeting Cards

To whom it may concern. Hello, this is what I do with your tea bags. I like it. I make greeting cards.

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