The percentages of tea March 01 2016

"Love is 60% water, because a human being, the essence of love, is 60% water. But what is the other 40% made up of? Easy - mint green tea and honey."

     Jarod Kintz. (This Book is Not For Sale)

From Gerald Durrell February 28 2016

"Tea would arrive, the cakes squatting on cushions of cream, toast in a melting show of butter, cups agleam and a faint wisp of steam rising from the teapot shawl."

    Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals

The Tale of Peter Rabbit February 27 2016

"Peter was not very well during the evening. His Mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea. She read the label which said "one table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime."
     Beatrix Potter

Words from William Faulkner February 26 2016

"The scattered tea goes with the leaves and every day a sunset dies."

Charles Dickens February 24 2016

"My dear, if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head, I should better understand your affairs."

     Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy

James Boswell in The London Journal 1762-1763 February 23 2016

"I am so fond of tea that I could write a whole dissertation on its virtues. It comforts and enlivens without the risks attendant on spirituous liquors. Gentle herb! Let the florid grape yield to thee. Thy soft influence is a more safe inspirer of social joy."

 

A famous quote... February 22 2016

"Before Elle had come into his life, he didn't even know what tea was. Now it was a staple. Worse, he actually knew the differences in teas."

   Christine Feehan, Hidden Currents

The Tea Party February 21 2016

I had a little party, this afternoon at three

'Twas very small, three guests in all

Just I, myself and me

Myself ate all the sandwiches, while I drank up the tea

'Twas also I who ate the pie, and passed the cake to me."

The Diary of Virginia Woolf, 1919 February 20 2016

"... and even a tea party means apprehension, breakage."

 

E.M. Forster February 19 2016

"While her lips talked culture, her heart was planning to invite him to tea."

     E.M. Forster

Alan Clark February 18 2016

There are few things nicer than sitting up in bed, drinking a nice strong cup of tea, and reading.

 

A word from the wise February 15 2016

Tea and Crumpets February 13 2016

Crumpets  are an Anglo Saxon invention. Just writing about them makes me want to run to the kitchen and toast one,(which I will do in a few minutes). An early reference to them comes from English Bible translator John Wycliffe in 1382, when he mentions the "cramped cake." Early crumpets were hard pancakes cooked on a griddle, rather than the soft and spongy crumpets of the Victorian era, which were made with yeast. The term itself may refer to a crumpled or curled-up cake, or have Celtic origins relating to the Breton krampouezh/Cornish krampoeth. meaning a thin, flat cake, and the Welsh crampon or crumpet, a type of pancake. There now, wasn't that all you needed to know. Now get thee to a toaster!

Abraham Lincoln February 11 2016

If this is coffee, then bring me tea; but if this is tea, then please bring me some coffee.

Gay Tea Dances February 07 2016

The term, sometimes spelled T-dance or T dance, is also used within gay culture to designate similar dances: particularly those held on weekends (especially Sunday evenings) in nightclubs, or at the end of the day at gay resorts. Gay tea dances are also a prevalent featured event at circuit party festivals, where they are usually held outdoors and typically precede the indoor Sunday night 'closing party' of the festival. Gay tea dances have also become a major featured entertainment component on-board many gay-oriented cruises.

Tea Ice Cream February 04 2016

I've just been learning about making ice cream from tea, and I certainly want to suss that out. Imagine a nice blob of Earl Grey ice cream, mmmm ... watch this space, I will be on the move.

Mario Batali January 29 2016

I put a hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I make. It's sexy, it smells great, and is so enjoyable.

     Mario Batali

Tales of tea cosies January 28 2016

Although the history of the tea cosy may begin when tea was introduced to Britain in the 1660s, the first documented use of a tea cosy in Britain was in 1867.^[2] It is probably the Duchess of Bedford who, by establishing the activity of afternoon tea in 1840, would have brought the popularity of the tea cosy.^[3] Afternoon tea was the time for networking and keeping up to date with aristocracy gossip and topical news. With all the chatter at teatime the teapot would get cold, which would have at times cut short some tea parties. And so, the tea cosy came about. Tea cosies then flourished during the late 19th century, where they appeared in many households across Britain, motivated by the obsession of decorating and covering objects characteristic of the Victorian era.

Tea cosies started to be used in North America in the same period. Newspapers of the time reveal that tea cosies enjoyed "a sudden and unexpected rise in public favor" among women who hosted tea parties.^[4] Newspapers of the time included advice columns on how to make one: "Some very handsome ones are made of remnants of heavy brocade, but linen is generally used, embroidered or not, according to taste, as these covers are washable. Make the covering large enough for your teapot and provide a ring at the top to lift it off with." ^[1]

Legendary Tea January 26 2016

The trade in tea, outside of China, has always been a business like no other. China was the source of the world's tea until well after 1839, when it was first produced in India by the British. During the centuries of the China monopoly, tea was handled by specialty purveyors, and was first set up in London in 1715, with 18 different teas, which were priced and sold by type and quality, straight from the tea chest. Not until 1826 was the first packet tea, (a guaranteed net-weight of blended tea in a container bearing a trademark and a retail price), introduced by the honest English Quaker, John Horniman.

Her Majesty likes her morning cuppa January 24 2016

According to Brian Hoey, author of several books about the inner workings of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth rises every day at 7:30 a.m. A recent article in Hello Magazine revealed that the Queen begins her morning with English Breakfast tea, (of course!), served in a bone china cup, with cold milk, no sugar, plus a few biscuits (cookies to Americans).

David Bowie and Tea January 22 2016

In all the recent information about the late David Bowie, I read an interesting item that, as a child, David's parents forced him to drink English tea that had been brewing for a long while, and it was so bitter that it put him off tea for most of his life. But evidently in later years, he did become partial to green tea. I only wish I had known.

About Rockstar Rescue January 21 2016

As far a states of being go, serenity ranks right up near the top of what we as human beings aspire to. For some, it's a walk in the woods, taking the air, while birds call from the trees. For others, serenity is found within - a calming of the spirit. Throughout human history, many have tried to capture that feeling and what it means to us as individuals. The ancient Greeks developed the concept of ataraxia, the absence of cares and freedom from worry . From Buddhism, we get Passaddhi, serenity of the body, speech and thoughts on the path to enlightenment. More recently, the Poet, William Wordsworth wrote that "poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in serenity." So next time you are feeling the stresses of daily life, or your throat needs soothing, try a cup of this delightful tea, with camomile, passion flower petals, lemon balm and mild licorice to calm you.

Golden Slumbers January 20 2016

Golden Slumbers is a specialty Japanese style green tea that is blended with fire-toasted rice. A good grade Japan sencha is blended with the toasted rice. The fresh vegetative character of the green tea is imparted on the cup, but it is tempered with the character of the rice. There is a natural sweetness and almost chewy character to the finish of this tea. During the firing of the rice, it is not uncommon for rice to 'pop' (not unlike popcorn), hence the pet name 'popcorn tea.' Legend has it that during the 1400's, an important samurai warlord in Hakone on the Izu Peninsula of Honshu Island was having tea with his patrol leaders, discussing battle strategy, when one of his servants, who was named Genmai was serving hot tea and while leaning over the warlord, rice that he had surreptitiously taken for a morning snack fell out of his pocket into the steaming tea, and 'popped' on hitting the hot beverage. The warlord was angry, jumped up, brandished his samurai sword and beheaded the servant. He then sat down and continued his meeting. He enjoyed the flavour of the tea (including the rice) and decided to honor the late Genmai by naming the brew Genmaicha (cha being the Japanese word for tea). It was henceforth served to him morning and night.

Strawberry Green Fields January 15 2016

Long Island has long been famous for its strawberries for as long as people have lived there. Books tell of people going on picnics and hikes to pick wild strawberries as far back as the 1850's. Records also show Native Americans who inhabited Long Island centuries ago were also fond of the fruit. After the Civil War, farming on Long Island developed rapidly, seeing strawberries being cultivated commercially for the first time. It certainly didn't hurt that the farms were within a day's journey from New York City. The popularity of the fresh fruit grew quickly, and as suburbs and cars grew in prominence, roadside fruit stands began to pop up. A drive into the country will take you past many such stands and pick-your-own berry patches that the region has become famous for. Company mythology has our master taster stopping at one of these stands for some berries and immediately calling his office to declare his discovery - a real "Eureka!" moment.  He decided to blend the strawberry with a very fresh tasting Sencha style of green tea manufactured in Hunan, China. Why green tea for the blend? Well, green tea is produced by foregoing the fermentation  process required to produce black tea. Instead, the leaves are steamed as soon as plucked, then bruised by machine or by hand. The leaves are then pan-fried or basket-fried - a process which gives the tea its distinctive glossy look and feel. It's this manufacturing process that also gives us green teas, and this Sencha in particular, their light sweetish flavour - a perfect match to the fresh flavour of the Long Island strawber;ry. Smell the green tea, real strawberry and papaya pieces, (added to enhance the profile of strawberry), and imagine yourself cruising in the countryside.