[30.07.2004, 18:00]
Dear coffeetea.ru visitors! ... We are оп vacation from 08.02.04 up to 08.30.04.
See you soon, dear friends!

[20.07.2004, 11:40]
Russians Dislike Sparkling Water ... Russian consumers have lately shifted to healthier drinks, mineral waters and juices more actively. Though the number of ice tea categories in Russia is small it is getting much more popular.
Ice tea is not a traditional drink on the Russian market. About ten companies, including Unilever (under the trademark Lipton Ice Tea) and Lebedyansky (Frustyle Ice tea) offer Ice Tea. The Wimm-Bill-Dann Company has been supplying mineral water under the trademark of Zapovednik since last summer. The head of its northwestern branch Wimm-Bill-Dann Mineral Water believes that as the revenues of residents increase consumers give more preference to natural products. //Wedomosti.ru//

[16.07.2004, 11:15]
Vietnamese and Russian Tea Producers Agree to Step Up Cooperation ... The head of the Vietnamese tea association of VITAS, Nguen Kim Fong, and the president of Russian association of Roschaikofe, Ustim Schteiman signed the relevant document on the 16th of July. Under the document the two sides will do their best to increase Vietnam tea exports to Russia. Vietnamese tea producers plan to increase the country's share in the Russian tea market up to 10%, which is estimated at 15 000 tons a year. They also intend to exchange information and experience in improving the quality of tea production. //Rian.ru//

[15.07.2004, 16:30]
Cibus in Moscow: It Is Unthinkable of Italian Dishes Without Coffee ... Italy's first grocery salon in Russia, Cibus Russia was opened on the 14th of July at the Arcade Bazaar in Moscow. The visitors of the three-day exhibition could get an impression about the specifics of Italian public catering system. Among the companies took part in Cibus Russia were the companies that participate regularly at the biennial International Public Grocery Salon in Parma where the headquarters of the European organization that handles safety catering.
The popularity of the Italian cuisine is growing rapidly in Russia. According to latest opinion polls, Italian cuisine is in the third place in popularity after the Russian and Caucasian leaving behind Chinese, French and other foreign cuisines. It's impossible to imagine even the most recherche Italian cuisine without a cup of strong and fragrant coffee. This is the reason why the representatives of several Italian coffee companies and coffee equipment producing enterprises attended the Cibus. They presented new blends of coffee unknown to the Russian market and introduced advanced coffee making equipment to Russian consumers. //Coffeetea.ru//

[07.07.2004, 18:30]
Indicative Prices of Several Coffee Blends Have Slightly Increased ... The State Customs Committee's decree 755 on measures for tightening control over customs prices signed on the 30th of July came into effect next day. The important aspect of the supplement No 1 to the decree for those who are involved in business in Russia's tea and coffee market is that indicative prices of the tea blends remain unchanged, while the prices of coffee blends have been fixed slightly higher than that of earlier. This is an expected move. Experts believe that this will not increase the retail price of coffee but will reduce the number of unauthentically declared coffee products, and create a favourable competitiveness on the coffee market and improve investment climate. //Coffeetea.ru//

[02.07.2004, 17:30]
St. Petersburg Has Its Own Tea Ceremony ... A well-known Italian, poet, scriptwriter and painter Tonino Guerra together with the Lomonosov Ceramic Factory presented a St. Petersburg tea ceremony in the Manezh Hall on the 2nd of Friday. According to the Rosbalt correspondent, Greek director Teo Angelopulos attended the event. It's well-known that Japan and China have tea ceremonies, and paintings by Kustodiev show that even Moscow had such a tradition. Now St. Petersburg too has its ceremony.
The St. Petersburg tea ceremony is, first of all, poetic as befits the city. It is a kind of diplomatic meeting between two individuals. A tea set made at the Lomonosov Ceramic Factory, once an Imperial factory, is its most significant attribute, lending the ceremony the specific atmosphere of St. Petersburg. This makes the ceremony aristocratic because Queen Elizaveta Petrovna decreed that the products of the factory built in 1744, would not be sold. The factory worked only for court use and for gifts to kings and queens of other countries.
After the Socialist revolution of 1917 the factory was nationalized, but it became famous because painters Malevich and Kandinsky worked there. At present the sets of Chinaware made at the factory are associated with St. Petersburg in the same way as the white nights are. The authors of the tea ceremony took into account. Tea of a light colour will be served at the St. Petersburg ceremony, but the flavour will be rich and pungent.
The authors of the ceremony decided to call teapot a “chainitsa”, a diminutive of the Russian word "chainik" or teapot, so as to preserve the poetic and aristocratic nature of the event. In fact, when Tonino Guerra opened the ceremony he mentioned the painting of a teapot by Malevich, a favourite of his. Malevich made the painting when he worked at the Lomonosov Ceramic Factory. //Rosbalt.ru//