Red Rose Tea
Rich in heritage, Red Rose specializes in black tea. Varieties include Black (Orange Pekoe & Pekoe Cut Black), Black Decaf, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, English Breakfast Decaf, Irish Breakfast, Loose tea, and the newest edition, Specialty Selections Sunset Spice. All varieties come together in a line of fine tea that has something for everyone.
Red Rose carefully selects the best grades of tea from the finest estates the world ... The superior blend of Red Rose is a favorite among tea drinkers because of its expert blending from fine tea estates in Kenya, Ceylon, India, and Indonesia. Strict guidelines are followed to ensure the homogenization, consistency, visual appeal and flavor of each blend.
Red Rose Tea comes from choice regions all around the world. The Kenya Arroket tea estate is situated at 6000 feet altitude, west of the Great Rift Valley and close to the equator in the Highlands of Kenya. Climate characteristics of this region are important contributing factors to the production of a rich, full bodied aroma and flavor, which is much sought-after both privately, and at auction. Red Rose also uses teas from Sri Lanka that are grown between 2000 and 3500 feet. Cold winds in the evenings and clear days enhance the quality of the tea bushes making the flavor full bodied, rich, and mellow with a rosy red appearance. Tea from South India smoothes out the highs and lows for other teas which makes it useful in blending. Red Rose sources this tea from medium elevations. Indonesian tea lends bright and flowery characteristics and light color to the Red Rose blend. Top notes of the completeflavor symphony come from tea sourced in the higher elevations of Indonesia making the Red Rose tea blend complex and developed.
For more information on Red Rose, visit www.redrosetea.com
Red Rose 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.
Figurines:
Although figurines had been offered to American collectors via mail and had been test marketed in two regions in the 1970's (Pittsburgh and Pacific North West), it was not until 1983 that they became widely available in the United States. While the molds were the same as those used for Canadian series, coloring and glazes were different.
At the end of each series a closeout option is given to consumers to purchase a complete set of figures from the current series while inventory supplies last. After a series has closed out, availability will be limited to trading among other collectors. Look for closeout options in specially marked boxes of Red Rose Tea at the end of each series promotion. We at Red Rose adhere to a very strict "no sale" policy during in-pack promotions. Our figurines are for promotional purposes only.
Although figurines had been offered to American collectors via mail and had been test marketed in two regions in the 1970's (Pittsburgh and Pacific North West), it was not until 1983 that they became widely available in the United States. While the molds were the same as those used for Canadian series, coloring and glazes were different.
Wade Ceramics
Whisper Wade "Whimsies" into many people's ears and it will mean only one thing...small animal figurines from the George Wade Pottery of Burslem, England. Wade began in 1810 in Burslem, England, with a small workshop and a single pottery oven making mostly bottles and pottery items. He soon turned his attention to the more profitable ceramics needs of textile mills, which supported the company into the late 1920s. As well as industrial ceramics, Wade produced a line of beautiful figurines, many Art Deco. These were so popular that animal figures were added. The line ran into a snag when it was found that the Cellulose finish turned yellow and peeled off with age. In the late 1930s some models were reissued with a high gloss underglaze finish.
Intended for children, they also appeal to adults who have not lost their sense of imagination. Rumor has it that these figurines were often used in English pubs for striking matches to light pipes. Also for use in kitchens, these "strikers" were used to light the match to heat the stove. That is why the base of each is graded; for striking a match against.
The Wade figurines have become collectors' items and are very much in demand. Today, Wade figurines are still offered as a premium with the purchase of select boxes of Red Rose Teas.
Many Whimsies, often those apparently in the same range, are different from each other. This is due to the length of time they were made and the volume of output. Molds became worn and were retooled for fresh use. Nearly all Red Rose Figurines, with the exception of the very first, have one significant feature: fine moulded parellel ridges on the underside of the base. It now seems to have become a "trademark" for all Wade "Whimsies" to follow, making them remarkable Red Rose collectibles.
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