Fiber Artist with a Tea Heart

I am very excited today to share with you tea artwork made by my friend Karen. I know Karen from our local Wu-Wo tea group. Her fabric art is full of color, texture, depth (literal and figurative), and heart. Karen customized these three pieces, and I'm so happy with the results! Keep reading to see the inspiration behind them. 

Karen, the artist

This is the first piece made. Karen invested a lot of time reading through this blog and finding visual cues to my tea life. She glowed like a child with a happy secret when she unveiled the piece.  Did I recognize it?  Slowly, awareness dawned. Yes - I knew this!  Study it for yourself, and then look carefully at the header on this blog.  This artwork is modeled after that exquisite tea leaf set. I was really taken with the attention to detail and the color variation that mirrors the photo. This artwork represents my passion for tea.

This second piece was done after my completion of a women's leadership program, where I learned to lead writing circles (and much more!). Karen designed the colors to pair well with the color of my living room walls. This artwork represents the sacred feminine and my my personal growth. 

The third objet d'art is absolutely inspired.  I knew the general idea, and yet I was completely blown away when Karen presented this to me.  She re-created a photo from my experience in Rwanda.  Go here to see the photo inspiration.  The white on white is so accurate - she even captures the bubbles in the tea! The fabric in the lower left is a souvenir I brought home from Rwanda.  This artwork is all heart. 

Finally, I want to share the three-dimensional aspect of this artwork. I love that the frames are painted and become part of the piece. It's like the art is reaching out to engage with me.

Find more information on Karen's fiber art here.  If you would like an introduction, let me know and I'll connect you!

World Tea Expo: New Product Showcase and Regional Events

I've been in Vegas for a day-job conference, and it happened to coincide with World Tea Expo! Lucky me! I was able to pop in to the Expo Hall for a (much too short) lunch break.  Here are some of the things I found in the New Product Showcase area.

Meet Erica and her team. Erica has begun a lifestyle and accessory line based on tea. She wants to promote the positive aspects of a tea and a healthy lifestyle. I love the idea and wish her much success! www.tealifebrand.com (going live later this week). 

This is Thao.  She has developed a line of certified organic tea blends. Her blends are scented and flavored with natural oils and dried fruits, no sweeteners. She's a CPA by educational background and wanted to open a business aligned with her passions of health and being aware of what we consume. I loved chatting with Thao about labeling laws and the importance of transparency for consumers. www.thaoteaco.com

Now meet Suil. He is bringing to market powdered Japanese teas (organic), including teas beyond the traditional. There's matcha, of course, but also powdered sencha, genmaicha and hojicha. He brought these teas to market because, despite the popularity of matcha, he couldn't find what he knew as good matcha tea in New York. The combination of his English and Japanese allows him to work directly with tea farms. I enjoyed the powdered hojicha quite a lot. Suil and I discussed the froth-potential of the powdered teas. He felt that matcha was the only one that frothed as it should for a traditionally-whipped bowl. To make the others, he shakes them in a pitcher and that suspends the particles in the water. https://www.nodokatea.com

At the booth below, I sampled instant teas that dissolve in cool water. While I don't think this product is for me (I'm all about interacting with the leaf), I think that this product has a market. I sampled the pu-erh tea crystals. They also carried rose, white, green and black tea crystals.

This booth also displayed a cool tea canister.  Inside were tea sachets.

And finally, perhaps the most interesting business concept I encountered was that of a tea curator.  I met Izaak and his colleague in the registration line.  They both live in a small town in Wyoming. Izaak curates tea for folks who are interested in drinking the good stuff. Along with high quality teas, he brings tea education to his clients who don't have a local source of good teas. https://www.instagram.com/izaakmendoza

There were many other interesting new products, and I didn't have time to see them all but you can see the full list here. 

Also, a word about the World Tea Expo: It's an industry conference for trade professionals and press. It's not open to the public. Most of the vendors are building relationships and hoping to land new contracts. Read more about the attendance policy here. This is an important conference for the business of tea.  For those of us interested in tea conferences that are open to the public, there are a number of regional ones that are quite excellent.  See this list.

Cooling the Water

It's HOT here in the Pacific Northwest.  We've had temps hovering around 100 degrees for three days. That's intense - especially for June and for a region where a fair number of folks don't have air conditioning. 

In these hot temps, I still drink hot tea. I choose teas that do best with cooler waters, often greens and especially Japanese greens, like sencha (ironically, in the photo above, I'm not drinking a Japanese green).

There are several ways to cool the water: Take it off the heat before it reaches a boil, let it sit off the boil before using, or - as shown above - use a cooling pitcher. The cooling pitcher (yuzamashi) is a common feature in sencha sets (also in Korean tea sets).

I'm not using a thermometer, so I'm guessing at the temperature.  I sense that it's cooled to around 160 degrees.  After pouring the cooled water into the pitcher, I generally pour off at about 30 seconds, adjusting on the second brewing, as appropriate (usually a wee bit longer).

I confess: I've brewed some senchas really poorly, and more times than I care to admit.  It's always because I've been distracted. This is a tea that requires your full attention.

Below: I'm decanting straight into my teacup, but it's also possible to use the water cooling pitcher as a serving vessel.  Note that the tea will continue to cool in the wide-mouthed vessel, so at this point (the tea is done brewing), you want to serve quickly.

You don't need anything fancy to cool the water.  You can even use a Pyrex measuring cup.

Experiment and find the right process for making yourself a great cup of green tea with cooler water.

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!