TeaTime March - April 2006

I am happy to tell you that with this issue, TeaTime magazine will be published bi-monthly, giving us two additional opportunities each year to share with you the pleasures of tea. The world of tea is constantly changing and growing, and our hope is to spread the word about the joys and benefits of being a tea aficionado. This issue also brings some changes to our editorial contents, and we feel these are changes you’ll embrace and appreciate. In the ever expanding tea marketplace, there are key leaders whose work influences, directly or indirectly, all who consume tea. Through our work and our attendance at wholesale tea markets, we have met these individuals, and we feel you would like to know them as well. To that end, we begin a series…

Lost Art of Letters Monogramming, a distinguished yet subtle means of personalizing one’s most treasured possessions, was born into fashion from the most humble of beginnings. As a practical device, monogramming gained popularity during the Middle Ages, when it was employed as a means to mark and identify household linens and articles of clothing. Artful initialing reached its peak in the nineteenth century with the Victorians, then gradually became less fashionable. More than a century later, however, what was old is new again, and the art of monogramming is back in vogue. And thankfully, its renaissance is helping to revive another sorely missed lost art—that of the personal letter. Unlike an email or other modern missive that is intended to be read and discarded, a written letter is meant to be savored and…

Pity the poor crumpet, always standing in the shadow of the scone. Now a scone is a fine, fine thing, mind you, but it would be a pity indeed if crumpets were to disappear altogether from the tea table. History tells us crumpets have long been associated with tea. In the 1769 tome, The Experienced English Housewife, directions to make “tea crumpets” call for the chewy bread rounds to be cooked on a hot stone. And though we have modernized the equipment a bit, the ingredients and method are virtually the same. Then, as now, it is advised to serve crumpets hot with butter. Add a lashing of jam or preserves and you have a teatime treat that can compete with any other, even the venerable scone. CLASSIC CRUMPETS 1 cup milk 1…

Q Aside from the tea service, cups and saucers, and known essentials, please describe the accoutrements that are used at formal teas. A The tea strainer is designed to be held above, or to rest on top of the cup to catch leaves that escape from the teapot when the tea is poured. I still use one, even though I don’t need to, since the leaves are contained in a tea filter. It’s the ritual of holding that little silver object over the cup, and the pouring of tea into it, that forces me to slow down and enjoy the whole process. A mote spoon or mote skimmer is usually made of silver, with holes in the bowl. It is used to transfer tea leaves from the caddy to the teapot, and…

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.” —Rainer Maria Rilke Your son just proposed to the most delightful young woman, but you haven’t met her family yet. What better way to get acquainted than to invite her mother to tea? Nothing lends itself to good conversation like a perfectly brewed pot of tea served in beautiful surroundings. Set a table for two in the cozy quarters of the living room and bring the splendid hues of spring inside with a stunning centerpiece of pink roses arranged in a beautiful silver epergne. The brilliant roseate color of the flowers is mirrored in the bright bands circling the rims of the china, and the polka-dot tidbit plate adds a touch of whimsy. A floral teapot rests on another plate, preventing…

For many years, hosts and hostesses have opened their homes to guests for wine tastings. Such intimate gatherings not only provide the basis for a lovely informal fête, they also afford novices and connoisseurs alike the opportunity to cultivate and refine their palates. Why not adopt the same attitudes and practices with tea? For initiates, the world of tea can intimidate—there are simply so many things to learn, from proper infusion techniques to appreciating the subtle taste differences between varietals. Tea education—like any other sort of learning process—involves time, trial, and error. One way to hasten the process is to host informal tea tastings with friends. To help you get started, Bruce Richardson, acknowledged tea expert, author, and owner of Benjamin Press, offers his considerable expertise. When professional tea tasters work, it is…