GraviTea

On this date in history, Sir Isaac Newton was born in the year 1643. This mathematician, astronomer, physicist, theologian, alchemist, philosopher, all-round-brainiac is considered to be one of the most influential men in history.

GREAT EVENTS THAT NEVER OCCURRED

Sir Isaac Newton was taking tea under the apple trees in the family gardens at Woolsthorpe one summer's afternoon in 1665 when an apple fell from an overhanging branch, plunked him on the head, and immediately provided the inspiration for his law of gravitation. Or so the story goes. It may indeed have happened that way, but no one knows for certain. Even the famed British astronomer Sir Harold Spencer Jones, who publicly stated in 1944 that the story was probably true, later recanted, noting that "one cannot be sure either way." Sir Harold the Waffler …, that is. (Picture from Schoolhouse Rock ... one of the best kids shows of all time!)

Excerpted from the book: Isaac Newton: Live and Legacies, Chapter 3 Of Genius, Fire and Plague

While at Woolsthorpe waiting for Cambridge to reopen, Newton experienced the insight that has since become legend. A year before Newton died in 1727, his friend William Stukeley visited him at his home in Kensington near London. After dining, they went into the garden to drink tea under the shade of some apple trees. "Amidst other discourse," Stukeley wrote, "he told me he was just in the same situation as when formerly the notion of gravitation came into his mind. It was occasioned by the fall of the apple, as he sat in a contemplative mood.
Isaac Newton -- Lives and Legacies, Christianson, Gale E.
Published by Oxford University Press US, 2005
ISBN 019530070X, 9780195300703

Here at SensibiliTeas, we'd prefer to believe that it was the TEA, not the apple, that helped him develop and describe of principles of universal gravitation (c'mon ... it could have been that way ... ask Sir Harold Spencer Jones)

At any rate, tea and apples are a great combo! Here’s a recipe for a apple tea cake that might even be okay (once in a while & shared with friends) for the resolutionists on their weight loss quests. About 1300 calories in the entire cake (about 190 from fat). Simple enough to encourage the young baker in your life.

Apple Tea Cake, serves 6-10

½ stick of butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup self-rising flour
pinch of salt
½ cup milk
1 apple peeled, cored and thinly sliced
extra sugar
nutmeg
cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 355º.
2. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat well.
3. Add flour and salt alternately with milk. Mix until light and fluffy.
4. Pour mixture into a greased, lined cake tin.
5. Place sliced apple on top of cake. Go ahead! Be decorative!
6. Sprinkle with extra sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.
7. Place in oven and bake 30-45 minutes.
8. Allow to cool on rack.
9. Enjoy with tea!
The perfect tea to have with this cake?
A Ceylon tea would be nice, but perfect would be our Cinnamon black tea or our Vanilla Cinnamon Rooibos!
http://www.sensibiliteasonline.com/teaflvblkcinnamon.html
http://www.sensibiliteasonline.com/tearoovanillacinnamonrooibos.html
Had it not been for Sir Issac Newton, we may have never known about a really cool way to make tea -- in a gravity press! What's a gravity press? It's how we make each cup of tea at SensibiliTeas. It is a infuser cup into which you place any kind of time on top of the fine mesh filter. Add hot water and close lid. Steep for the appropriate time. When that time is up, simply place the infuser cup atop the cup from which you will be drinking your tea. The clear brew is deposited into the cup, through a drain beneath the filter in the center of the bottom of the infuser, while all the loose tea leaves remain about the filter. The great thing about this cup, beyond its ease, is its versatility. While a tea ball is really only well-suited to a black tea, a tea press like this has a chamber large enough to handle the largest. most elegant oolong leaves, the filter is fine enough to strain the finest tisanes, such as rooibos. This gadget changed the way I drank tea. It makes it so easy to enjoy loose leaf tea! Below is a link to a youtube video that shows the cup in action. Though not yet listed on the website, they are available for sale. They are $20. The ingenuiTea (on the right) is a 16 oz cup, while the Smart Tea Maker (on the left) is 18oz. A 32oz version of the ingenuiTea, perfect for iced tea is available for $25.00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-c9xELDnBo
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Back to weight loss teas tomorrow.