Sweeping up some links from the tea tin

• When I met with Rod Markus of the Rare Tea Cellar a while back, he described himself as the kind of guy who seeks out the rarest of anything. "If I saw a $30 doughnut, I'd try it," he said. Perhaps he's already tried the most expensive tea in the world. Here's an article about such a tea, Yellow Gold Tea Buds, just more than $100 for 50 grams. What makes it so expensive? It's harvested on one mountain, on one day — with golden scissors. Wait ... it's also painted with gold flakes. How'd you like to have the gig of painting the tea leaves? Yeesh.
• This sounds kinda cool: Coca-Cola is test marketing a machine for restaurants that allows customers to brew single servings of tea, almost like going to the fountain for a soda. Tea on demand.
• How do Cylons make their tea?
• The milk-first/tea-first debate continues to rage in England. Here's a sharp and convincing argument for milk-first, with great animation. (Thanks, Dave!)
• How'd you like to have tea in bed with "Top Chef's" Padma Lakshmi?
• Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune caught up with the buyers behind Ineeka, one of the better local tea companies. Nice story, with good sidebars about brewing and an intriguing black-tea barbecue recipe. (See Lainie's latest Ineeka review.)
• Elsewhere in newspaper profiles of small tea businesses, here's one piece about Tea District, and another. Who's ready to launch a tea biz?!
• Reports from the first World Tea East — from World Tea ... plus an interview with World Tea's George Jage (includes a recipe for Darjeeling vinaigrette!).
• Mmmmm, coconut water green tea!
• A contest for baseball-loving tea drinkers. Terry Francona likes a cuppa?!
• Several weeks ago, an 18-year-old bright guy in Texas made tea — from poppy seeds. And then promptly died. His father is now speaking out about the dangers.
• Beautiful photos of snow in Darjeeling.
• And, finally, here's a lil' video from the Art of Tea folks, so good you can almost smell the stuff ...

Art of Tea Promotional Video from One Lens Media on Vimeo.