Recently I came across a few sample copies of some old tea newsletters. To be honest, I don't remember how or why I acquired the oldest ones, but they were so fun to revisit I thought they might be worth mentioning here. The oldest one is the Mary Mac's TeaTimes Newsletter from October/November 1994 (Volume 3, Number 5). Apparently each issue featured a themed tea, and this issue's was a "London Hotel Lobby Tea," recipes and photos of which appear inside. Editor Karen Giordano reported on a tea tour to England, which included a sighting of the Queen! There was also an interesting article about James Sadler and Sons teapots. This 16-page newsletter is printed on white paper with black and white photos inside, and spot color on the front and back.
My copy of Tea Talk: A Newsletter on the Pleasures of Tea is the Fall 1995 issue (Volume 7, Number 3). The elegant cover photo was taken in the Palm Court of London's Waldorf Hotel. This quarterly newsletter was edited by Diana Rosen, whose name I recognized as an author of several tea books. There were articles on tea-themed postcards, a green tea ceremony, brief reviews of several tea places across the U.S., recipes and several other fun features. An article on teapots mentioned that the author, Tina Carter, had formerly edited and published a newsletter called "Hot Tea" just for teapot collectors! This 24-page newsletter was printed on white paper with black and white photos throughout, and spot color on the front and back.
My issue of The TeaTime Gazette: The Newsletter for English Tea Lovers was the Fall 1999 issue (Volume 5, Issue 1), and the editor was Linda Ashley Leamer. There are articles on breakfast teas, green tea, rubber stamping tea invitations, a visit to the potteries at Stoke-on-Trent, several tearoom reviews, recipes, a review of teacup infusers and more. This newsletter also had lots of personal photos included, which I'll bet readers loved! This 24-page newsletter was printed on peach colored paper, but I also have another issue, from Winter 2003, which was on ivory paper, so I wonder if they tried to use a different color each time.
Although I can't find that any of those newsletters is still being published today, another newsletter, The Tea House Times, is still going strong! This is their May/June 2007 issue, which includes a reader essay, book reviews, a few recipes, an events listing and more. This 16-page newsletter is printed on glossy paper and has color illustrations and photographs throughout. I got this sample issue at the World Tea Expo several years ago, and I like their idea of offering the newsletter to tearoom and B&B owners at a discount so they can provide it for their customers.Do any of you subscribe to a tea newsletter, one I've mentioned here or perhaps one I've not yet heard of?
I like these newsletters! I don't know how you find your subjects, but I sure am glad that you do. Always interesting - and enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: is the Mary Mac Tea Room the one in Atlanta?
You probably saw the article in one of Paula Deene's magazines, a feature on Atlanta's Mary Mac Tea Room AND a feature on Mary Mac's daughter, now at Serenbe in North Coweta. It was very interesting.
Have a great day, Joanie
hi Angela! Yet another interesting topic you have come up with!!! Thank you for the review of these newsletters. I will let you know if I run across any others.
ReplyDeleteI saw a cookbook (new) for Mary Mac's Tea Room in one of my catalogs....it is a restaurant that is very old- maybe in Georgia??? Not sure.
ReplyDeleteI have a bunch of old and new Tea Newsletters. I enjoy re-reading them as though I've never seen them before! Great subject for a blog post!
ReplyDeleteI get The Tea House Times. Some of the others no long publish. I just came across a Mary Mac issue in my pile of magazines and was reading it a couple days ago.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of two tea newsletters (Jewel Tea Newsletter from 1939 and Hall China Newsletter from 1995) on eBay as a BIN #230491860659 (as of 6/20). This looks like an interesting category of tea collectible - thanks for the info. It'd be great to find some from the 1900-1930 period if anyone hears of any.
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