Brewton Brewings

Posted in General

Hello. My name’s Patsy and I ride herd over the Alabama branch ofWilkinson’s of Norwich – USA. On this page I’ll share with you some of my thoughts and adventures as we get this branch of the best coffee and tea company up and running. I’m hoping you’ll grow along with us.

Mother’s Day Gifts

Posted in General by Patsy

May 02 2010

Finding Mom something both special and unique for Mother’s Day isn’t always easy. Wilkinson’s Rose Pouchong tea and/or Green Jasmine tea might be just that treat. Wilkinson’s Rose Pouchong, a superb china black tea infused with the delicate scent of rose petals, will give Mom a fragrant relaxing cuppa she can enjoy on her special day (and would be a perfect complement to the dozen roses you send!). If Mom is more concerned with running in marathons and attending those yoga classes, perhaps the healthful energizing Green Jasmine would be her cup of tea (this makes a great iced tea as well, with a sprig or two of fresh mint, a slice of lemon and a bit of honey). But if you’re not sure (she might actually prefer a light refreshing White Peony/Pai Mu Tan tea instead), just select the “Buy Gift Certificate” button on our web pages at www.wilkinsonsusa.com and give Mom the chance to choose for herself. She may just surprise you and choose a flavored Chocolate Raspberry coffee, or an elegant Earl Grey tea. Regardless of your choice (or hers), she’ll be proud that she’s your Mom!

Order quickly to ensure delivery by Saturday May 8! Happy Mother’s Day to moms around the world, and remember to KEEP IT FRESH!
Patsy

China black tea infused with delicate rose petals

We love visitors!

Posted in General by Patsy

May 01 2010

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Though we don’t typically get a lot of foot traffic to our factory, we do so enjoy visitors who appreciate specialty coffees and teas. These brave souls, The Scooter Peeps, rode their scooters from Pensacola to Brewton (about a 55 mile trek) on a blustery and overcast Saturday to visit our factory and enjoy some great coffee. (I just love it when the first words out of a visitor’s mouth is, “It smells like coffee in here!”) We served them some freshly roasted and brewed Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu (Rain Forest Alliance Certified) and our own Blue Mountain Blend which contains medium-roasted coffee beans from five different regions, blended to mimic the flavor (but not the price) of the wonderful but expensive Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

If you or your group would like to visit, please contact us to arrange a date when we can spend quality time showing off our factory and our coffees and teas. We’re hoping the Scooter Peeps will return soon for a tea tasting! Hopefully the weather will be brighter for their next visit.

Until next time, remember to KEEP IT FRESH!
Patsy

Scooter Peeps from Pensacola

Green is Good!

Posted in General by Patsy

Apr 22 2010

In keeping with the green scheme of Earth Day, you might consider ordering some of Wilkinson's yummy antioxidant filled green tea. The antioxidants in green (and black) tea attacks cancer causing free-radicals in your body, some say in amounts up to 10x what you receive from fruits and vegetables! Enjoy the soothing floral aroma of our Jasmine Green Tea or the musky earthiness of Gunpowder Green Tea, and warm your soul as you sip in the warmth of sheer healthiness. The energizing boost you'll receive from green tea can help as you sort those recyclables or take a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood. Remember…every day is Earth Day. Be kind to our home.
As always, remember to Keep it Fresh!
Patsy

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And You Thought Tea Was Just For Drinking!

Posted in General by Patsy

Apr 01 2010

Remember all those used tea bags and spent tea leaves you threw in the trash? Well, you’re going to kick yourself for doing that when you realize you could have had a much more invigorating pedicure and repelled mosquitoes at the same time. I found some interesting facts in an article from wikihow about alternative uses for tea leaves, and just had to share them with you. Though it uses green tea leaves in the suggestions, most any tea leave would work. [Afterthought: Is it considered cannibalism if you feed tea to a tea plant?]Thanks for reading, and remember to KEEP IT FRESH!

How to Use Leftover Green Tea Leaves

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Green tea is not just for drinking. This article provides several practical green tea alternative uses to get the most out of leftover or used tea leaves.

Steps

Reduce humidity in your home. Sun-dry the used tea leaves and leave them in a damp corner to absorb excess moisture. Be sure to dry them outside your home, or you’ll just be wasting your time.
Eliminate fridge odor. Put sun-dried tea leaves in the fridge to clear up the smell.
Soothe yourself to sleep. Stuff dried tea leaves into your pillow! According to Chinese folk medicine, sleeping on tea leaves helps reduces blood pressure, relieves insomnia and soothes headache. The only problem is that tea leaves in a pillow get damp easily, so you have to sun it frequently.
Clean your carpet. Scatter slightly moistened tea leaves across the floor before vacuuming them away. The tea leaves attract dust and take dust away with them.
Water your plant with tea. Soak the tea leaves in water for a couple of days. Remove the tea leaves, (rotten tea leaves attract pests), and use the tea water as fertilizer.
Feed silk worms with leftover tea leaves.
Avoid bug bites. If mosquitoes or flies are a bother, burn some sun-dried tea leaves.
Bathe your feet. If you suffer from smelly feet, try washing your feet in a strong brew of used tea leaves.
Freshen your breath. It is not a good idea to have tea immediately after a meal, but you can rinse your mouth with tea to remove any smell.
Don’t like the smell of the new wooden furniture pieces in your new house? Wipe them a few times with tea leaves to get rid of the smell.
Have acne problems? Rub green tea leaves over your face and wash them off. It’s proven to reduce acne and it’s cheaper than other solutions.

Related wikiHows

How to Cope With Green Tea Caffeine
How to Make Chinese Green Tea
How to Brew Xi Hu Long Jing Green Tea
How to Make Iced Tea
How to Brew Gaiwan Tea
How to Appreciate Dragon Well Tea
How to Smoke Vegetables With a Tea Bag

Sources and Citations

Green Tea Alternative Uses – Source of this article; shared by permission of the author

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Use Leftover Green Tea Leaves. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Caffeine FREE?

Posted in General by Patsy

Mar 24 2010

I was asked by a friend recently if coffee beans grow as decaffeinated or if there is a process to remove the caffeine. I will take this as an opportunity to share with you one of the most fascinating things I've learned about coffee since my humble beginnings in this business. (I offer this info based on my research and experience alone, and do not profess to be a scientist or expert in that capacity.)

All coffee grown is naturally caffeinated.* The Arabica bean contains about half the caffeine of the lower-level grown Robusta beans (used mainly in Espresso blends). Even after the decaf process, a trace of caffeine remains. There are several different decaf processes involving different chemicals, as well as either Swiss Water or Mountain Water. All processes claim to remove up to 99.9% of the caffeine in coffee beans. At Wilkinson's, we use only Mountain Water Processed decaf beans. Therefore, I will speak only for this process.

While the coffee beans are still in a green state (before roasting) the coffee beans are soaked in mountain water which leeches the majority of the caffeine from the beans. This liquid, just jumping with loads of caffeine, is then processed through carbon filters to remove the caffeine (I believe this is a trade secret as to how they do this). The beans are then returned to the water to reabsorb any coffee flavor that may have been removed. This makes for a more flavorful decaf bean (is that a conundrum?) than some chemical processes, which many say gives the coffee a bitter aftertaste…not a good thing with coffee!

Okay, are you ready for this? The caffeine is then sold to companies such as Cokola (using a random name to prevent legal ramifications), and Mountain Water Dew (so that's where that name comes from!), where the caffeine is ADDED to their soft drinks. Cokola and Mountain Water Dew (and many others) in the beginning contain NO caffeine, thus there is no such thing as decaf Cokola or Mountain Water Dew, since you can't decaffeinate something that never had caffeine to start with. There IS such a thing as caffeine free (or uncaffeinated) Cokola and Mountain Water Dew, since no caffeine was added to it. Make sense? Isn't that just the coolest thing. I believe other products that use caffeine in this manner include aspirins.

I'm still learning about all these wonders of the coffee and tea business, which means I CAN be proven wrong. I am inviting a friend of mine, Joseph Rivera, who IS a coffee scientist to give his input on this matter. He's such a scientist that his company logo includes the scientific equation for coffee. Keep an eye on this blog for his input. And as always, thanks for Keeping it Fresh!

*I understand a few trials are underway with cultivation of "caffeine free" plants being grown and tested, but the results thus far have been less than enjoyable!

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Gift Certificates Now Available

Posted in General by Patsy

Dec 16 2009

If you're down to the wire and fresh out of ideas for Christmas gifts, purchase a quick and easy "Fresh As It Gets!" Gift Certificate from Wilkinson's of Norwich – USA. Simply log onto our website at www.wilkinsonsusa.com and click on the "Buy Gift Certificate" button on the right hand side of the page. You can select any dollar amount you desire, from $5.00 to $1,000, and customize the certificate with a special holiday greeting you write yourself. Imagine the warm feeling the recipient will get when they receive a certificate for coffee that "Doesn't Get Much Fresher Than This!" It doesn't get much easier either! That special someone can visit our website and select from our growing selection of freshly roasted coffees and, very soon, English teas! It's truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Happy Holidays, and remember, Keep it fresh!

Patsy