Winter 2008 Tea A Magazine

The new issue of Tea A Magazine is here, and as always it's packed full of interesting stories of tea travel, tea recipes, teatime reading and more. One of my favorite stories in the issue is about the Sweet Shalom Tea Room in Ohio, which was opened by three former students of magazine editor Pearl Dexter's TEA School. I hope to start a tea room when I turn 50, still a few years away, so I enjoy learning about the various routes to tea room ownership that others have taken. One thing I've observed is that tea room folks always seem to fill several roles, and that one is rarely "just" the owner.

Also in this issue is a pictorial feature on a tea strainer collection belonging to one of the magazine's readers, Nancy J. Reppert. One of the strainers, from Turkey, is similar to a piece I bought in a local antique mall not long ago, but for the most part these were strainers I'd never seen before. That's saying something, because I'm always scouting out the eBay offerings and reading book and magazine articles on vintage tea accoutrements. Obviously, I've missed a few varieties, which actually makes the search for them all the more fun.

One reason I enjoy this magazine so much, no doubt, is that I simply like the editor. I actually got to (briefly) meet Ms. Dexter at the World Tea Expo last summer, and she was just as friendly and personable as I'd hoped. When she autographed the book I bought, the one on tea and the presidents, she even gave me the "Tea A Magazine" pen she autographed with. In the new issue of her magazine, there are photos of her recent trip to Japan, including one of her actually picking tea there. Now THAT's a tea activity I'd sure like to enjoy one day!