The Tea Story at the Docklands Museum, London

Sometimes serendipity happens, and it's an amazing thing. I was recently in London and enjoyed tea at a pub. On my way out, I passed the Museum of London Docklands, in the same brick building. I popped in, expecting a bit of historical edification, but not expecting a tea connection.  I was so glad to be wrong!

To experience the museum as designed, visitors start at the top and work down through each floor. The museum highlights life around the Thames, particularly during past times when trade was done via long-distance, slow ocean shipping.  This building was a warehouse for the West India Quay.  Perhaps that name should have given me a clue...

It wasn't until I stumbled upon this exhibit that the light bulb went off in my head - TEA!  In fact, in this very warehouse, tea that had arrived on a clipper ship was weighed, sorted, sampled and laid out in lots prior to auction.

According to the museum materials, prior to 1834, nearly all tea arrived in the East India Quay and was part of the monolithic East India Company.  In 1834, the Company lost its monopoly. The importation of tea continued to increase, and some of that tea made its way to this very building in the West India Quay. In 1869, when the Suez Canal opened, steamships began to deliver tea further down river. 

Also at the Museum is the Sainsbury Study Center, an archival and research institution with an interesting display of retail and grocery. The photo below greeted me at the door. 

There are also interesting details to be found about tea in the museum's online site. For example, I learned that Sainsbury used to sell tea by the colored label, Blue, Brown, Green and Red.  Red is still sold today.  

Photo from Sainsbury Archive

And today...

Image from grocer.co.uk

If you find yourself on the East side of London, do make time for this museum, and tea next door!

Tea at a London Pub

In the US, we might not consider a bar a place for afternoon tea, but it's pretty common in the UK.  When I was recently there, I had a lovely tea at Browns Brasserie & Bar. 

Tea was served in the traditional leaves-in-pot style, and I poured through a filter to strain. 

The food was delicious! 
Sandwiches: Watercress and egg salad, salmon with butter, and cucumber with cream cheese.
Scones with jam and clotted cream
Desserts: Vanilla custard, chocolate-covered cream puff, whoopie pie (might not be the British term!) and lemon tart

These serving trays seems to be "en vogue." The one from the yacht was similar.

I want to make a comment about British scones - here is a classic example. Simple, lightly sweet round scones, one plain and one with dried fruit.  The decadence comes from the addition of the jam and cream.  

It was a lovely, leisurely experience (though I got lost finding it, which was another adventure!). I had an entire corner to myself, and the pub wasn't busy yet so I was able to sit and write and sip.  I hope you have the chance to take tea in a pub someday, too.

"White" Tea in Britain

Hello!  I'm in London for a work trip and stopped at a popular coffee shop (Pret) yesterday. I asked for an English Breakfast tea. No question of whether I take milk - the tea came out "white" as it was called.  I love how tea transforms itself across cultures!

I spent the weekend prior in Paris, so I'll post some photos of that soon.  And I'm finding ways to sneak in afternoon tea because that is a MUST do!

Cheers!

Hiking in Sun Moon Lake Area of Taiwan

Old growth tea plants in between betel nut trees

I've been sifting through Taiwan Tea Tour photos and will return to blogging about that trip for a few days. 

One of the most physically engaging aspects of the trip was the time spent near Sun Moon Lake.  We did lots of hiking, much of it through betel nut/tea groves.  These tea bushes are old, from the Japanese Occupation era in Taiwan's history (~1895-1945).  Taiwan tea was a popular crop (black even!), but over time the market weakened and betel nuts became more of a cash generator.  Fortunately, the Taiwan tea market is finding its strength in black tea once again and these tea fields are becoming lucrative.  In the photo above, the darker green bushes are the tea plants.

One fine morning after an interesting breakfast of pesto sandwiches, hot dogs with relish, sweet potatoes and eggs, we set off.  (The place we stayed, Black Tea Workshop - and I highly recommend it - was offering a 'European' experience.  I think something was rather  humorous in the breakfast interpretation.)  Then we set off to climb up, up, up...

And past signs like this...  It took me awhile to figure out that our guide (above) was banging his walking stick into the bushes not because it was great fun, but rather because it was scaring the snakes away.  I'm not a fan of snakes and prefer they stay out of sight.  I am very glad that they did.

We crossed a beautiful creek

On a rickety bamboo bridge...

   

And we all survived!  (Note to my traveling companions - this  image and the first one are actually from the day before).