History of Red Rose

Red Rose Tea History The story of Red Rose tea began way back in 1894 in Canada. Theodore Harding Estabrooks was born in Wicklow, Carleton County, New Brunswick in 1861. He attended Kerrís Business College in Saint John, New Brunswick and went into business himself in 1894 on Dock Street in downtown Saint John. He was a local business leader that came up with a great idea...produce and pack a quality blended tea that was consistent from cup to cup. Before that, tea was sold loose from tea chests by local merchants and quality varied a great deal. Mr. Estabrooks innovation meant that tea lovers could count on the quality of tea in every Red Rose package - a tradition that continues to this day. Initially, Red Rose was sold mainly in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, but soon distribution expanded into other parts of Canada and into the United States beginning in the 1920's. Distribution initially was in cities near the Canadian border such as Portland, Buffalo, and Detroit. In 1929, Red Rose introduced tea bags for the first time. The business continued to expand and in 1932 a new chapter in the history of Red Rose began. Mr. Estabrooks sold Red Rose to Brooke Bond & Company of England. Arthur Brooke had founded Brooke Bond and Company in 1869, starting with a single tea shop. There was no Mr. Bond, but Arthur Brooke thought it sounded better and what was to become one of the world's leading tea companies was born. During the 1890's, Arthur Brooke expanded beyond tea shops and into the wholesale tea market using vans to deliver his tea all over England. The Brooke Bond name became synonymous with tea throughout the United Kingdom and his company introduced a second brand - PG Tips in 1930. Brooke Bond also became a major brand in the large tea market of India. With the sale to Brooke Bond, Red Rose was part of a global tea company and flourished under the guidance of the parent company and Arthur Brooke's son Gerald, who became chairman in 1910. Following the Second World War, Brooke Bond established their Canadian business in Montreal Quebec and continued to grow the Red Rose tea brand. By the 1970's, Red Rose was sold in much of the United States and Canada. In 1985, Unilever NV acquired Brooke Bond Foods, Inc. Shortly thereafter, Unilever sold the rights to the Red Rose brand in the United States to Redco Foods, Inc. retaining the rights in Canada and other parts of the world. Production of Red Rose tea for the United States market moved to Little Falls, New York in 1988. Today Red Rose is blended with the same care that Theodore Harding Estabrooks established more than a century ago. Red Rose contains high-grown black teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Kenya, India, and Indonesia. The result is a blend that produces a full flavored cup of tea for the tea lover. We think Mr. Estabrooks would be proud.

History of Tea according to Red Rose website

The Story Of Tea
According to Chinese legend, the story of tea began in 2737 BC. Emperor Shen Nung, who was known as the "Divine Healer", always boiled his water before drinking it. He had observed that those who boiled their water had better health. One afternoon, as he knelt before his boiling water, some leaves from a nearby tree blew into the water. The Emperor noted a delightful aroma and, upon sipping the beverage, proclaimed it heaven sent. Since this first cup of tea almost five thousand years ago, the popularity of tea has grown to the point that it is now the second most consumed beverage in the world. Only water is more popular. Shortly after Emperor Shen Nung's discovery, tea's popularity spread to Japan and the rest of the Far East. The Dutch first brought tea from China to Europe and America by 1650. In 1669, the East India Company began bringing tea leaves to England, and in 1721, the company was granted a monopoly on all tea imported into the British Empire. Initially, tea was very expensive and available only for royalty and the upper class. At the time, tea prices were $30 to $50 per pound. One pound of tea makes about two hundred tea bags. During the 1800's, tea clippers raced from China to London and other ports. The first clipper to arrive with its cargo fetched the highest prices. Largely because of this new method of speedy transportation, the supply of tea became more plentiful and thus less expensive.
Tea played a dramatic role in the establishment of the United States of America. In 1767, the British Government put a tax on the tea used by American colonists. Protesting "taxation without representation", the colonists did not allow tea to be unloaded. In December 1773, colonists, dressed as American Indians, boarded ships from the East India Company and threw three hundred chests of tea into Boston harbor. The Boston Tea Party, of course, led to American independence. America was also the birthplace of iced tea. At the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis in the summer of 1904, the weather was very hot. A young Englishman named Richard Blechynden was serving hot tea for days with no takers. In desperation, he tried pouring tea into glasses with pieces of ice. The beverage was a hit and iced tea was born.

Guest Review: Red Rose by Mr. Cotton and His Parrot

I can not claim to be a connoisseur of tea, but I have enjoyed it for many years. Since my personal philosophy incorporates the notion that it is useless to cultivate a taste for caviar when your budget goes no farther than sushi, I can not claim to much experience with high-end teas. I love the Bigelows and the Twinings flavored teas, but for everyday, week-after-week steady enjoyment of a bracing and healthy wake-up drink, my favorite is Red Rose Tea. A blend of Orange Pekoe and Pekoe-cut black teas, it brews a lovely orange-y infusion with a pleasant aroma. It is not finicky about over-brewing. I tend to leave the bag in until the tea is nearly as dark as coffee. Even after this abuse, it never gets harsh or biting in the throat, like some green teas do with overbrewing. This is a tea you can drink every day for year after year, and never have it pall on you. And then there are the cute little figurines enclosed in every box. http://www.redrosetea.com/http://www.bigelowtea.com/http://www.twinings.com/home.php

Review: English Rose

English Rose Flavoured Leaf Tea from Whittard of Chelsea:

According to the box, English Rose has "rose and jackfruit flavouring" and is a "soft" black tea of medium strength.

I find that both before and after brewing, one can smell the roses in the tea. The rose scent isn't overpowering and the black tea can still be smelled.

English Rose has a pleasently floral taste. It is balanced by the black tea leaves so it does not taste like you are sucking on a flower.

I greatly enjoy English Rose and would recommend it to anyone. It is a great tea to drink while working to help keep stress levels down or while relaxing. I, personally, can often be found curled up with a cup of English Rose while writing or working.

Can be drunk black, with milk, with sugar, or both.

Here is the URL for the tea I used. http://www.whittard.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=100735&cid=t1000&language=en-GB
It is also available in larger tins and in tea bags. My preference is for loose tea over tea bags.

Welcome to Tea Love!

Welcome to Tea Love!

This blog is dedicated to the enjoyment of tea.
Reviews of tea and tea paraphernalia will be the main focus. After all reviews, there will be an address or URL where you can get the described item.
Some history of teas will be included.

If you wish to submit a review that you wrote, please send it to me and I will post it for you.

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