TeaTime March - April 2009

When the March winds seem to blow in sunny April days, I am ready to move my Afternoon Tea breaks outdoors. The patio is welcoming with the bright blooms of annuals I have planted; however, the spot that offers me serenity amid my day is an area I call “the outdoor room.” The open circular space was created several years ago when a hurricane downed trees within a copse, leaving a fringe of trees around the edge. With a little planning and planting, we created an inviting spot, perfect for entertaining as well as for solitary moments. If the idea of an outdoor space dedicated to the pleasures of tea appeals to you, perhaps you will follow the tips in our article titled “Basking in Sunlight” and create a blooming paradise.…

USE THE FOLLOWING CHART AS A BEGINNING TEMPERATURE GUIDE, AND THEN EXPERIMENT • Black tea: 4 to 5 minutes at 212° • Oolong tea: 4 to 7 minutes at 195° to 210° • Green or white tea: 2 to 5 minutes at 165° to 175° the tea • Use fresh, whole-leaf tea from a reputable tea merchant. • Keep tea stored in an airtight tin away from heat, light, moisture, and odors. the equipment • Invest in a good-quality kettle (electric or stove top) to heat water to the proper temperature. • Purchase a teapot that is heavy enough to hold heat. Porcelain is often best. • Use a basket infuser or disposable paper tea filter to hold loose tea in the teapot. (A tea ball does not allow the tea leaves to rehydrate and fully expand.) • Use a gram…

March 21 through 22 HATSUME FAIR 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Morikami Park Delray Beach, Florida Commemorate spring the old-fashioned Japanese way—sipping tea at a ritualistic tea ceremony. Experience martial arts and intricate bonsai demonstrations while listening to cultural taiko drumming performances. Children can enjoy a bonsai exploration area while adults explore avenues of artisan booths and Asian food vendors. For more information, call 561-495-0233, or visit www.morikami.org. 29 NINTH ANNUAL DAFFODIL TEA 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Mare Island Vallejo, California Join the tea celebration in honor of restoring the historical St. Peter’s Chapel, which houses the West’s largest stained-glass window design. Enjoy a day filled with music and history in the chapel, along with tea and tea fare, a silent auction, and a boutique. For more information, call Myrna at 707-649-9464, or e-mail myrnahay@ pacbell.net. 1 NORTHWEST SAMPLER GUILD Noon–5:00 p.m. Mercer…

With great gossamer wings that outscale the tiny heft of its body, a butterfly will flutter off course with even the slightest breeze. The dizzying flight of these exquisite creatures is, nonetheless, a calming sight and a reassuring sign that, after a long hibernation in the shadow of winter, dear spring has arrived and is here to stay. And as we are beckoned outdoors to enjoy our morning’s first cup of tea, a garden setting envisioned with luring colorful butterflies is as calming and comforting as the beverage we have chosen. Indeed, no finely appointed tea table can match the simple pleasure and pure majesty of a canopy of butterflies flitting here and yon in a sea of spring flowers. Through the trials and errors of science, we have come to know…

Though Afternoon Tea is unquestionably an invention of the British court, it was the fashionable French who exalted the infusion to its place of prominence as a communal beverage among the upper class. Tea first appeared in Paris during the mid-seventeenth century and was quickly adopted by its leading lights. Among them was Madame de Sévigné, who tirelessly chronicled the tea-drinking habits of fellow aristocrats in her famously chatty correspondence. Madame de Sévigné noted in one letter that Princess de Tarente took twelve cups of tea a day, while “Monsieur de Landgrave drank forty cups every morning.” Three centuries later, tea remains a refinement in France, though perhaps no longer reserved for the privileged few. Even so, one need not book passage to Paris to enjoy a spot of tea served with…