Uncategorized

We all know drinking tea (hot or iced) has some amazing health benefits, but did you know you can repurpose the tea leaves for other everyday uses?  Here are the unexpected ways tea leaves can be reused in household and personal care.

 

Household Uses

Cooking

Tenderize Meat Prior to Cooking:  Marinating the meat in cooled brewed tea before cooking makes the meat more tender and easier to digest.  Use black tea for an enhanced taste and add your favorite seasonings!

Cleaning

Clean Windows and Mirrors:  Brew a pot of tea, cool it down and dip a cloth in the liquid, wiping the mirrors and windows, then use a dry cloth to ensure a perfect shine.

Clean carpets and rugs:  Apply dry, used green tea leaves directly on your carpet or rug and allow them to release their active compounds for a couple of minutes. Vacuum the leaves and your carpets will look fresher and cleaner.

Polish Furniture or Floors:  The high amounts of tannins found in tea are known to enhance the color and shine of wood flooring.  To clean the furniture, dip a soft cloth in black tea and wipe it normally. To restore the shine and color of the wood floor, dip a cloth with brewed tea and rub it against the floor, but make sure to remove the excess liquid before applying the cloth on the wood flooring. Clean the surface normally and then let it air dry.

Gardening

Fertilize Plants:  The tannins in tea provide nutrients for plants and flowers.  Spread used tea leaves around the plants and flowers if they like acidic soil.

Clothing

Fabric Dyeing:  Using tea to dye fabrics is natural and inexpensive.  The colors produced are earth-tones, varying shades of beige, taupe and brown depending on what type of tea leaves you use.

---

Personal Care Uses

Health

Relieve Tired Eyes:  Apply wet teabags on your eyes to help reduce puffiness and soothe pain. If you do not have the time to brew the tea and wait for the teabags to cool before applying them on your tired eyes, you can use unbrewed teabags in the freezer for 1 minute, then apply them on your eyes.

Soothe Burns and Blisters: Wet teabags or tea baths can replace sunburn creams for soothing the pain of sunburns. Canker sores and fever blisters heal faster if covered with warm teabags, and razor burns can also be relieved by applying wet tea bags on the damaged skin.

Reduce Pain and Swelling from Injections:  Place a wet, used teabag on the injection site after receiving an injection to reduce the discomfort and swelling of an injection and speed up recovery.

Improve Oral Health:  For bleeding gums, place a cooled teabag in the mouth, and wait for a couple of minutes. It should stop the bleeding and reduce the discomfort as well.  To refresh your breath, drink peppermint tea. It removes unpleasant smell and contains menthol which acts as a natural antiseptic, relieving mild toothaches.

Beauty

Rejuvenate Your Skin:  Use brewed tea as a skin toner.  It will look smoother and radiant, as tea is known to calm redness, help in removing acne spots, relieve irritation and inflammation, reduce the swelling and restore the even coloration of skin.

Restore Your Hair and Scalp:  Tea is an excellent treatment for hair.  If you suffer from increased scalp and hair dryness, freshly brewed and cooled tea can be an good vehicle for hydrating and conditioning the hair and scalp. Rinse your hair with the cooled tea and allow it to dry naturally.

---

Now that we have explored alternative uses for tea, you will likely want to test these applications for yourself. Moist tea bags can be kept for one day at room temperature, up to a week if refrigerated, and nearly indefinitely when re-dried properly.

This is only a small selection of the vast variety of uses for tea. Have you tried any of the ideas on this list or any other eco-friendly ways to use and reuse tea? Share your favorite with us in the comment section!

Are you a restaurant or convenience store owner or manager who serves iced tea?  Then you know how difficult it is to clean those commercial grade tea urn dispensers!  Learn how Saftea® Liner can save time and labor by taking the scrubbing, and cleaning chemicals out of the equation.  Use Saftea® Liner inside your tea urns to provide a hygienically superior system to serving your iced teas.  Consistent, fresh tasting tea will make your patrons happy and come back for more!  Get your FREE 7-day supply of Saftea® Liners and try it out!

The Worlds Record for the largest iced tea has passed through several hands over the past few years.  It was first held by the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A in 2010 with a 912 U.S. gallons of iced tea. The record was then smashed by Summerville, South Carolina in 2015 with 1,452 U.S. gallons. Not to be outdone, just months later Lipton Tea themselves stealthily took the title with a 2,204 gallon display of the popular drink!

On National Iced Tea Day June 10^th 2016, Summerville, SC held a “Record-Smashing Tea Party” in which the town unveiled a massive Mason jar, filled with 2,524 U.S. gallons of iced tea and successfully broke the record. The ginormous sweet tea was brewed using 210 pounds of loose leaf tea and 1,700 pounds of sugar. Sweet iced tea is a staple in the American south. Summerville declares itself to be the “Birthplace of Sweet Tea,” after a discovered provision list from the 1800s included large quantities of sugar and tea acquired from the town. Since then, the town has set up a “Sweet Tea Trail,” where visitors can enjoy the delicious beverage while strolling along a chosen path of local shops. Refusing to be conquered,Summerville successfully reclaimed and still holds the title for the largest iced tea drink with a colossal jar of the savored drink.

Will Summerville be able to hold on to this Guinness World Records title? Only time will be able to tell if the record for the largest iced tea will stay in the “Birthplace of Sweet Tea.”  Kinda makes you thirsty just thinking about it, doesn’t it?  

 

Restaurant Operators Trust Saftea® Liner

At Plascon, we take iced tea pretty seriously!  Our patented Saftea® iced tea urn Liner is proven to protect against molds commonly found in tea. Because the tea never comes in direct contact with the urn dispenser, bacterial buildup is avoided.  Change your liner every 24 hours, and in 30 seconds you are back in business, and can rest assured you are serving the safest, and tastiest iced tea to your valuable patrons!  

Saftea® Liner is available for purchase online!  With our handy 30 and 150-count cases, there are options for offices and restaurants alike!  In honor of National Iced Tea Month, throughout the month of June we are offering a special promo for our online customers.  Just use promo code ‘JUNESALE’ at checkout to receive $20 off your $100 purchase.  Raise a glass of your favorite iced tea today, and all month in celebration of this popular beverage!

June is for Tea Lovers!  

As the temperature heats up in June, it’s a perfect time to celebrate National Iced Tea Month!  Whatever your favorite recipe may be, raise a glass this month in honor of this popular refreshing beverage!

Brewing the ideal pitcher of iced tea is a matter of taste. Depending on your taste, you may prefer sun tea, sweet tea or unsweetened tea. Perhaps your palate leans more toward a fruitier tea or a stronger type of tea. As long as it’s iced, June is the month your tea is celebrated.

Iced tea was made as early as the 1870s, but an English merchant by the name of Richard Belchynden brought the beverage to popularity. During the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, temperatures began to soar. Belchynden crossed the Atlantic to sell black tea steeped hot and served to the American public. Under the conditions, fairgoers were interested in cooler beverages. Belchynden needed to switch strategies, or he would have no sales. By brewing a stronger tea and pouring it over ice, the merchant created a new product to sell. The iced tea proved to be a crowd favorite, and its’ popularity continues to grow today!

Restaurants, Convenience Stores, and Caterers Trust Saftea® Liner 

With iced tea on virtually any restaurant menu, more food service establishments trust Saftea® Liner to ensure optimum freshness, flavor and safety to their valuable patrons.  Saftea® tea urn Liner safeguards against harmful bacteria that can form inside the tea dispenser, and the zip top locking seal protects any accidental contaminates, all while providing a consistent fresh tasting flavor, free from any aftertaste left from residual cleaning solutions.

• To Ensure Fresh Consistent Flavor for Tea Lovers
• Reduce Labor Cost due to Easier Cleaning Procedure
• Improve Sanitation with a New Liner Every Day
• Reduce Mold Risk with Cleaner Urns
• Slider Top Reduces Contamination Concerns

Try Saftea® Liner Free

If you are a food service operator, and you haven’t tried Saftea® Liner yet, now you can request your 7-day free trial of liners and see the benefits for yourself!  Try it risk-free and see what a difference it can make in your beverage program.  Less time spent cleaning tea urns, and a better tasting product.  

The Health Benefits of Tea

It is no secret that we are all looking for a way to shake up our daily health rituals. Look no further because this healthy staple is an effective yet convenient solution. Making it even better yet, you most likely have this gem in your cupboard as we speak!

This drink provides immense health benefits that the average consumer may not even know they are receiving. With June being National Iced Tea Month, it seemed fitting to highlight the new caffeinated beverage in town – TEA!

Okay, it is not exactly new – as teas of all kinds have been sipped on for thousands of years all over the world. However, brewed teas have more recently gained a considerable following in our western health and wellness world for their numerous beneficial properties. Being a beverage that contains no fat, sodium, carbonation, or sugar when brewed naturally tea makes a great contender for your morning (or afternoon) pick-me-up.

Plus, we can count on tea to support our immune systems. Black tea, the most familiar type of brewed iced tea, provides our bodies with a natural form of resistance to numerous types of microbial infections. So along with washing your hands rigorously like we have all become accustomed to, go ahead and include a glass of this delicious beverage to your daily routine! This wonder beverage also helps contribute to an ideal fluid balance and assists in combating high risk of neurological decline and diseases. Yes, you heard me right. Tea holds anti-aging properties. Does it get any better than this?!

It is easy to see Americans love tea—especially iced! According to the Tea Association of the USA more than 159 million Americans are drinking tea on any given day. Iced tea makes up 75-80% of this tea consumption!

At Plascon, we strive to provide superior products to help aid in the process of becoming a healthier and more energized, community. With our Saftea® Liners zip locking top Plascon can offer peace of mind when it comes to the products you are serving your valued customers. Saftea® Liners protect against mold and bacteria, which are commonly found in tea urns and dispenser spigots. Saftea® Liner improves efficiency within your operation while contributing to a healthier and more reliable dining experience.

Say hello to your new favorite caffeinated beverage this summer with a refreshing glass of iced tea!

Try Saftea® Liner Risk Free! 

We’ll send you a free trial that includes seven liners and one pinch-tube spigot and you can test it free for one week.  We are confident that once you have used Saftea® Liner in your restaurant or convenience store, you will see the many benefits of incorporating this into your daily operations to ensure optimal safety and sanitation for your customers.

Hot water, black tea, sugar, and…. baking soda?! Not exactly what those of us in Northern Michigan think of when we whip up a batch of tea, but any Southerner worth their weight in sweet tea will tell you it is an essential ingredient in this summertime staple. Tea brewed with a bit of baking soda mixed in is less cloudy, less bitter, and many would describe it as “smoother” …  But why?  The answer boils down tannins.

Tannins are compounds that can be found naturally in a variety of plants and therefore in the foods and beverages made from those plants. Most people associate tannins with wine, but tannins can also be found in coffee, chocolate, and tea. The bitter and astringent flavors of these foods and beverages, and their antioxidant properties, are attributed to the amount of tannins in each. Tannins in tea differ based on how the tea is produced and how long it is steeped. No amount of sugar is going to cover up a tannin filled, bitter black tea. That’s where the baking soda comes in.

If you think back to Chem 101, you probably remember learning about alkaline vs. acid and PH levels. Tannins are lower on the PH scale and therefore acidic. Baking soda is a base, which when mixed with water (the base of any tea) achieves a PH level of around 8. The alkaline mixture combines and neutralizes the acidic tannins, resulting in a less bitter tea.

Want to test this theory yourself? Here’s how!

Ingredients:

• 12-regular sized black tea bags
• 1/8-teaspoon baking soda
• 1-quart water
• 1-quart ice cubes (for clearer cubes make with boiled water)
• 1 ¼ -cup simple syrup (to make syrup boil equal parts water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature)

Place tea bags and baking soda into a heat proof glass pitcher

• Bring water to a rolling boil in saucepan or kettle and immediately pour over tea bags, submerging bags
• Cover and steep for 7 minutes
• Remove bags, without squeezing
• Add ice, stirring until completely dissolved
• Stir in simple syrup
• Refrigerate and serve over ice

Enjoy!

Are you in the food service industry?  Caterer, restaurant, or convenience store operator?  If you serve fresh brewed iced tea, now is the perfect time to try Saftea® Liner iced beverage urn liners.  The safest, and most convenient method to ensure the highest quality and best tasting iced beverages.  With the zip-locking seal and writable panel, cleaning urns is a snap!  Replace the liner in 30 seconds, and you are ready to serve. Protects against bacteria and molds that can form when urns are not properly sanitized.  And now you can try Saftea® Liner free for 7 days!  Request your free sample kit and see for yourself how simple it is to use, and how the increased sanitation provides your customers with safe, refreshing, consistent flavor in every sip!

You may be aware that Plascon is a leading manufacture of Cook Chill Bags, but did you know that we also offer numerous accessory items to compliment your Cook Chill program?

Plascon Cook Chill Bags & Accessories are used in large and small kitchen prep areas, from industrial kitchens to your local diner.  No matter what your footprint size is, we’ve got a system to help make the best use of time and space.   If you are not using one of these accessories, take a look to see if it might help in your food service routine.

Cook Chill Accessories:

Impulse Sealers:  An inexpensive way to heat seal your bags after filling.  Available in a pedestal foot operated model or hand operated counter top model.

Tipper Tie Clippers & Clips:  THZ400 manual, hand operated wall mounted clipper or high volume pneumatic clippers, both available with optional table mount stands. 

Ring Stands:  Stainless Steel Ring Stands that hold the bags for easier filling.  Available in fixed and the popular adjustable version.

Stack/Nest Crates:  A durable solution for handling, transportation and storage of Cook Chill Bags.

Mini Chill:  Our 32 gallon receptacle with circulator is very handy for cooling (10) 1 gallon bags in under 2 hours.

Adhesive Labels:  These high tack adhesive labels are designed to withstand chilling and boiling.  They are commonly used with printers to label your bags for easy identification

Tyvek Tape:  Highly durable, water-resistant alternative to traditional adhesive labels.  Available on a roll with or without perforations in a variety of widths.  Often used with clipped bags.

Whether you are new to Cook Chill, or a veteran user of the system, contact us to discuss your setup and we will guide you on how to get started, or provide helpful information on products for your existing operation. 

The Early Days of Food Preservation

Millions of years ago food consumption was harvest, eat, repeat for anything that could rot, and back then, that meant everything.  The concept of food preservation can actively be traced back as far as 12,000BC, but cavemen were probably accidentally freezing or drying things long before that. Since then, however, food preservation has had some very important changes.

In the beginning of food preservation, it was seen as a household task primarily through smoking, drying, and pickling. At home preservation ensured access to food through harsh winters and less than ideal crop seasons.  It is not until the 19^th century when food preservation began to move to a larger scale… and we have Napoleon to thank for it.

Published by Monique Lerczak on
May 19,
2020

Tags:

Box Liner,

Saftea Liner,

food safety,

cook chill,

tea urn liner

Following lengthy shutdowns in most states due to COVID-19, many bars, restaurants, and convenience stores will soon reopen for business throughout the country.

Staff members and owners alike are anxious to get back to business and to start navigating new guidelines imposed by public health departments. Many new processes and procedures will be required for public safety. We have all seen a few of these changes already taking place with distancing, masks and increased sanitation measures all becoming standard practice.

Many restaurants will invite customers back into their dining rooms or back to their quick serve counters to place and receive orders. Business owners should consider new ways to keep staff and customers safe while customers should expect a new commitment to safety and sanitation in these public gathering spaces by operators.

If your operation serves fresh brewed iced tea, or iced coffee, let our Saftea® Urn Liners protect against contamination and help to increase public confidence.

Our Saftea® Liners with a zip-locking top has proven in studies and in thousands of restaurants to:

1. Eliminate mold and bacteria found in tea urns and spigots.
2. Improve customer safety and increase sales.
3. Improving operational efficiency.
4. Prevent a possible food safety incident.

A new level of attention is required by restaurant operators and owners to ensure a safe dining experience and to create customer confidence.   Saftea® Urn Liners can help.

Try it for free!  Request our 7-day free trial kit which includes 7 Saftea® Liners, and one pinch tube spigot. As always, our web store also makes it easy to order new supplies 24/7 so we are there for you whenever it is most convenient for you.  

Neighbor to neighbor, business to business, we are all in this together.  Let us know how we can help. Stay safe.

Life has dramatically changed in recent months. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has swept the globe, and with it, ushered in new safety measures for doing the simplest of tasks such as grocery shopping, or eating at our favorite restaurants.  As government leaders on state, national, and global levels address the storm brought by this virus, we find ourselves learning and adjusting to new warnings, new restrictions, and a new way of moving forward. These are challenging times to be sure, and safety, security, and hygiene are more important than ever in our daily encounters, especially where food supply and service is concerned.

Food packaging was immediately declared an essential service, and Plascon has continued production of our FDA and USDA approved food grade packaging throughout this crisis.  Plascon films and packaging products are manufactured in our BRC Certified facility located in Traverse City, Michigan and adhere to the strictest safety and quality standards. From box liners to poly bags, to cook chill and sous vide bags, and our patented Saftea® Liner iced beverage urn dispenser liner, we have always been focused on delivering the highest quality and sanitation in every product we deliver. 

Our flexible packaging solutions are used in food service and distribution, but also used for retail and commercial products. If you have a need for bag-in-a-box packaging, give us a call and we will work with you to provide the best solution for your demands.  We offer many standard box liner sizes, but we can also custom design your specific size and strength requirements. As direct manufacturer, we offer HDPE, LLDPE, PE Blends, and Biodegradable packaging solutions. 

To our restaurant and food service operator partners who have been especially hard hit during these difficult times, know that we are here for you throughout this period to support you and provide you the security of safe, clean, hygienic packaging to assist your operations. As our restaurants slowly come back online, reach out to us anytime and let us know what products can aid your efforts while keeping your staff and patrons safe.

Published by Alan Hansen on
May 1,
2020

Tags:

Box Liner,

food safety,

flexible packaging,

cook chill,

cook chill packaging,

cook chill bags

Back on April 22^nd 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet. Earth Day is every April 22^nd , and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event. Fast forward 50 years later, and look how many of us are helping to support the environment by recycling, using your own grocery bags, carrying a reusable water bottle or coffee cup to cut down on waste. Not to mention the planting of trees and volunteering for a cleanup day in your community.

At Plascon, we are proud to manufacture biodegradable packaging that services a variety of industries from food, to industrial and retail packaging.  Our food grade bags and liners are FDA / USDA approved, and are popular for meat and poultry, bakery, agriculture, grains and powders, to name a few.  Additionally, any application for  a bag-in-a-box product can benefit from environmentally friendly packaging to protect the contents while in storage or transportation. From books, to clothing, car parts, fasteners and screws, there is unlimited potential for use. 

In these uncertain times, as an essential business we are here to help you in whatever your packaging needs require. Contact us to discuss options that will best suit your application. 

Just for fun, we thought you would enjoy this little quiz to see how knowledgeable are you when it comes to Earth Day!  

Create your own user feedback survey

• As of 2015, about 6.3 billion metric tons (Mt) of plastic has been produced in the U.S. and, of that, only 9% has been recycled, found a recent study published on Science Advances. The scary thing is if current production and management trends continue in the U.S., 12 billion Mt of plastic waste will end up in landfills or the ocean by 2050.
• Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, but over half of that freshwater is locked away in glaciers and ice caps. The water that supports most life on Earth makes up only 1.2% of Earth’s freshwater or about 0.03% of the Earth’s total water!
• Worldwide, the tropics contain the most biodiversity, with rainforests being the areas that are the most rich in species. Although the tropical forests only cover 6% of the Earth’s surface, they contain one half to three quarters of the world’s plant and animal species.
• According to North Carolina State University, one large tree is able to supply a day’s supply of oxygen for four people. Trees are also able to absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
• According to the World Wildlife Fund, 31% of the Earth’s land is covered by forests. Forests produce oxygen and provide homes for both people and animals. Forests also provide food, water, clothing, and traditional medicine and act as carbon sinks.

Whenever the time is right, reach out to us and let us know what type of packaging you need to get your products to market.  Remember, we are all in this together!