Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00a.m.
A German company is giving tea drinkers the opportunity to blend politics with their brew.
Donkey Products, a small design company based in Hamburg, is offering a limited edition of tea bags featuring the five top candidates for this year's upcoming German federal election.
The collection is called "WahlParTea" (German for "ElectionParTea"). Each bag of black Assam tea features a cartoon drawing of a politician attached to one end, with arms spread wide to hang on to the sides of the tea cup.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and her main challenger, Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democrats, are featured. So are Oskar Lafontaine of The Left; Guido Westerwelle of the Liberals FDP; and Renate Kuenast and Juergen Trittin, co-leaders of the Green Party, who share one tea bag.
The pack of five retails for 5.90 euros in stores and on the Internet.
Staff at Berlin's Parliament Bookstore, located in the city's government district, are hopeful that sales of the tea bags will energise voters ahead of the election, scheduled for September 27, 2009.
"I am surprised that the demand is that big already, and I think if the turnout of voters is as big as the demand for our tea bags, there will be a good result," said Deputy Manager Peter Lenz.
He said the bags are the perfect way to have a tea party with Germany's top politicians.
Donkey Products also sells "DemocraTea," an international edition featuring world leaders including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, US President Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
APTN