TeaTime September - October 2008

As the first red or yellow leaf appears on the maple trees outside my dining room window, my thoughts turn to the coming of autumn, and I begin to dream of cozy days to be spent indoors. When the trees are cloaked in the most brilliant colors of nature’s paint box, I pack away the last vestiges of summer and pull out my needlework projects so that I will be ready to enjoy the serenity of longer evenings. Handworked embroidery, especially the perfection of counted crossstitch, has long been a passion of mine, and I have been fortunate to be a part of a group of like-minded women. We enjoy a sense of community through a guild created to honor the impressive history of samplers, the works of young girls whose…

Q My college friends and I ordered tea at an upscale local restaurant. We were each served a tea bag, along with a small teapot of water and a cup and saucer. Does one brew the tea in the teapot or in the teacup? A Tea is served in different ways at different places. In this case, remove the tea bag from the wrapper, and place the tea bag in the teapot of water. Allow it to steep for three or four minutes. Please do not lift the tea bag by the tab on the string and jiggle it up and down continuously to hurry the process as this gives the appearance of impatience. When the tea has reached the desired strength, pour it into the cup. Do not remove the…

In the cool days of autumn, warming comfort can be found in a host of unexpected ways—the sweet aroma of a twinkling candle, a gathering of friends and family, or even an indulgent bite (or two!) of spiced chocolate. These finds will keep you cozy even on the chilliest fall day.…

September 10 AFTERNOON TEA ON THE SKIPJACK MARTHA LEWIS 2:00 p.m. Havre de Grace, Maryland 24 Spend a fall afternoon on a simply elegant cruise aboard the historic skipjack Martha Lewis. Sail around the Susquehanna Flats while enjoying tea sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, and dessert. Private label black tea and green tea with red bush are also served. Even on a sailboat, every touch is polished, from the linen napkins to fine china. Cruises on the Martha Lewis are run by the Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy, Inc., which promotes and preserves historic Chesapeake Bay watercraft and educates the public about the heritage of the bay. For more information, call 410-939-4078, or visit www.skipjackmarthalewis.org. 25 A FIRST LADY’S STYLE TEA AND TOUR The Reagan Library Washington, D.C. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library will offer an elegant tea, complete…

He had brought the little print of butter upon a currantleaf … — Laurence Sterne Finy enough to cradle in a lady’s hand, yet durable enough to withstand the wear of many generations, butter pats are precious collectibles that have not only stood the test of time but transcended it. Once considered mere curiosities of a bygone era, these dainty tablewares are again becoming popular, beloved for their delicate beauty and their charming versatility. Butter pats first found life and use in the midnineteenth century, in an age of elegance when the elaborately set dining table was both expected and revered. Butter pats, which are sometimes called butter chips, are two to three inches in diameter, designed to resemble miniature dinner plates in a woman’s chosen china pattern. Decorative yet functional, they…

The Scots have had an unquenchable thirst for tea for two centuries. Maybe it’s the defense they need to stave off the cold North Sea wind that can chill the body to the core in coastal cities such as Aberdeen and Dundee. On a cloudy, gray afternoon in Edinburgh, a hot cup of tea fortifies you and lifts your spirits as you head out to explore the castle or survey the glorious Georgian architecture along the streets of New Town. Our modern thirst for tea is due, in no small way, to the efforts of two nineteenth-century Scottish entrepreneurs. Edinburgh botanist Robert Fortune helped the British East India Company introduce tea plants to Darjeeling in 1848 and created the tea industries of India and Ceylon, ending China’s monopoly on tea. Scotsmen…