Poppies

"That we find a crystal or a poppy beautiful means that we are less alone,
that we are more deeply inserted into existence than the course of a
single life would lead us to believe."

~ John Berger

A Beautiful Spring Tea

As the weather tips toward summer here, I am reflecting on a special spring tea party that I recently enjoyed. A friend did the hosting, and I am so, so grateful! I know how much detailed planning and work goes into one of these events. When I am invited as a guest, I am so thankful!

My girlfriend has recently begun collecting china, and she has several pieces in this lovely Royal Albert Lavender Rose pattern (made from 1961 - 2009). I know I'm preaching to the choir here - but golly, this stuff is pretty!

The food was wonderful.  Delicate and delicious sandwiches, Guinness scones with Devonshire cream, and fore dessert - macarons and a special orange cake served with creme fraiche. I savored each bite.

Above: Tulips from my garden and the delicious sweets.

Below: The lovely hostess.

And here we are again two weeks later, having another tea, this time oolong, at the Rhododendron Garden. 

It rained as we drank the tea, and then abruptly stopped! Here are two photos, one with rain and one without. 

I love how tea connects me with so many people in so many ways!

A Second Look...

First look: What do you see?
Second look: What do you see?

Close your eyes: What do you see?
In your heart: What do you see?

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month!  Poems share our hearts in ways that regular language cannot. Poetry and tea - fast friends! 

I'm giving NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) a go - want to join me?  30 poems in 30 days.  They don't have to be good.  They just have to be written - and that IS good!  http://www.napowrimo.net/

Today
~Billy Collins

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,

so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw

open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,

indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths

and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight

that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight

on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants

from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,

holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,

well, today is just that kind of day.

A FaceTime Tea Party

Those smiling faces are my mom, sister and niece. We recently had so much fun - SO MUCH FUN - on a virtual tea party! I had sent them goodies from my recent trip to Paris and London. (Side note - I still need to write about the Paris tea adventures!)  

Across the miles, the grownups were enjoying the same Mariage Freres Earl Grey Provence tea. My family tried macarons, madeleines and financiers, treasures that had filled my bag on the return flight. Thank goodness I'm a light packer!  

We spent an hour together over video, laughing and having a wonderful time. Most of us have friends and family who live far away. A virtual tea party (with Skype, FaceTime or other tool) brings them closer and makes happy memories!

Women and Tea - International Women's Day 2016

Image from Library of Congress, taken in 1895

Happy International Women's Day!  Today, I want to share some interesting photos and articles about women's role in the tea world...

Women Tea Pickers (from my travels)

• Flowers of the Tea Field - Images of women who pick tea in Darjeeling
• Weighing in the Tea - Images of women tea pickers, weighing their tea
• Women of Tea - When I travel, I can't stop taking photos of these hard-working women

Women and Boston Tea Party

"Maybe it has only been men who have protested the king up to now.  That only means we women have taken too long to let our voices be heard.  We are signing our names to a document, not hiding ourselves behind costumes like the men in Boston did at their tea party.  The British will know who we are.”  ~Penelope Barker

• Penelope Barker and the Edenton Tea Party in North Carolina and More Here

Women, Tea and Suffrage

• Tea Launched a Revolution
• Crash Course on Hot Tea and Suffrage Movement
• A Cup of Hot Tea with Your Suffrage History Lesson Part 1 and Part II

Other Interesting Articles

• An article by Eve Hill in Teamuse
• Drinking Tea Was Scandalous for Irish Women

Some Days, It's All About Color

I spent a long time admiring this camellia - so long, my tea went cold. I set the Chaxi ("tea stage" literally, meaning a beautiful, intentional setting for drinking of tea) in, perhaps, a non-traditional way, but that color had me in its thrall!

What colors are calling to you these days?

Tea and Dumpling Party at T Project

Small businesses hold a special place in my heart. My mom worked for many years at my aunt and uncle's family business. She knew most of the customers, and probably knew their families, too. People talked about their kids and their lives as they did business. They connected one another to other local services. Customers were loyal and customer service was excellent. My sister and I roamed in and out of the shop, always leaving with a hug. It's not something seen in big-box or chain shopping, for sure. 

Last weekend I attended T Project's tea and dumpling party and was taken back to that feeling of a small business with heart. Teri Gelber runs this highly curated shop in Portland, Oregon. She offers her own tea blends and local/regional items like salts, jams, pottery, linens and clothing. 

I appreciated Teri's discussion of her desire to source teas from small farmers. She believes that small businesses help one another survive.

This event was a celebration of the Lunar New Year. We enjoyed conversation, teas and delicious foods. We started with traditional foods like dates, watermelon seeds and citrus.  

Teri brewed several rounds of tea: Dragonwell Green, Old Tree Sheng Pu-Erh, Bi Luo Chun Golden/Black and Da Hong Pao Oolong. As she brewed, we enjoyed handmade dumplings - fabulous!

And to finish off, we sampled an assortment of Japanese sweets from Gena at Yume Confections. It's another example of small businesses supporting one another. 

It was a beautiful afternoon. My senses were full of color, texture, flavor. I met new people and enjoyed the company of old friends. I was reminded of the importance of, the gift of small business.

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!

Tumeric Herbal Tea

I recently sludged through a cold and decided to try some tumeric herbal tea. It's been making the rounds on the internet.  I read through several recipes and then made up my own variation.  The taste is pleasant, with a hint of bitterness beneath it. I appreciate bitter flavors. In fact, I think they're important, so this is fine with me.  However, it may not be for everyone.  

As for the efficacy of the concoction, I cannot say.  My cold was short lived and perhaps this herbal brew helped by reducing inflammation. I would try it again.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used coconut); for medicinal purposes, I recommend avoiding dairy which encourages phlegm
• 1 tsp cinnamon and ginger (you could use fresh ginger)
• Pinch of cloves and nutmeg
• 1 tsp of ground tumeric; taste and add more if you can manage it
• Honey, sweeten to taste (I used 1 tsp plus a bit more)

Simmer the water with the spices for about 10 minutes.  If using fresh ginger, strain out the pieces. Add the milk and honey and bring to the bubble stage.  Taste and adjust.  Enjoy!

Note that the mixture can be rather thick.  I found that I could enjoy it best if I kept stirring it, so that the particles didn't settle in the bottom.

Have you made tumeric tea? What's your secret? Any advice for using fresh tumeric?

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.

Tovolo TeaGo and Hotel Room Tea

I haven't written about tea technology in some time. I thought I had all the gadgetry I needed, until a friend gave me this Tovolo TeaGo as a holiday gift.  It's great for travel. You can pack loose leaf tea in the stick and when you are ready, make tea. When done brewing, press the plunger to extract liquid and cap it to keep it dry.  It's a useful and clever implement!  It can be a little difficult to get those pressed leaves out, but as I discovered, a chopstick works very well.  

I used my TeaGo yesterday, for a few minutes of peace in my hotel room before packing to leave London.  I appreciate that this hotel has a window seat, where I enjoyed the tea with a leftover scone. Tea helps me savor the moments. 

If you have a Tovolo TeaGo, what do you think about it?

Tea on a Yacht (London)

Well, I enjoyed something yesterday that I had never dreamed. I had afternoon tea on a yacht. I'm in London for a work trip, at the Excel convention center. It's quite far outside of downtown London and I wasn't sure I would find much extra curricular fun.  How wrong I was!  There are lots of hotels out this way that serve afternoon tea, and a really cool museum I will write about soon. 

I had read about the Sunborn Yacht Hotel and its tea service before I arrived.  It seemed nearby and I was trying to figure out the train system to get myself there. Imagine my surprise when I went for a walk and discovered the yacht was moored literally next door to the convention center! Oh, lucky me!

It's not what I think of as a yacht.  It's very large. The picture above shows the lobby entry. The staff is exceptional. When I called to make a reservation, the restaurant hostess took me on as a special case - I was calling outside the 48 hours notice and I was a party of one (they typically require two). She spoke with the chef and called me back - I would be very welcome.  

The restaurant uses Tea Forte served on a pretty white tray.  Here you can see not only the tea service but also the view from my table. I saw the Thames and skyscrapers of London.

Scones: Fruit scones with jam and a giant vat of Devonshire cream (below), of which I did my best to consume.

Sandwiches: Cucumber with creme fraiche on rosemary white bread, grated hen eggs with chive mayo on wholemeal bread, honey roasted ham with salted butter and mustard on onion bread and smoked salmon with cream cheese on walnut date bread. I believe it was black walnut, a special flavor.

Desserts: Berry macaron, cream filled tuile cup and chocolate cup with espresso bean

I was dining alone and didn't have any of my normal friends with me - a book or my journal. Instead, I sat and appreciated the view.  Below you can see a gondola that goes across the Thames. I hope I work this show again next year!  :-)

"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!