"A Dark and Stormy Murder" by Julia Buckley

The latest cozy mystery I've read is "A Writer's Apprentice Mystery," and that theme appealed to me, but so did that house on the cover. The book may be set in Blue Lake, Indiana, but that house is a dead ringer for what is arguably Newnan, Georgia's most famous historic home, the Parrott-Camp-Soucy house. (Please click here and see whether you agree.)

"A Dark and Stormy Murder" by Julia Buckley is a terrific launch to this new series, and the premise is one I think many of you would enjoy. Lena London is a longtime fan of Camilla Graham's suspense  novels,  and when Lena gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the assistant to her idol, she moves to Blue Lake and into Graham House, where she will receive free room and board in addition to the amazing opportunity to help Camilla write her new book. The Gothic home and lakefront property are quite the storybook setting for Lena's new job, at least until she spots a dead body along the shore near the house. Lena finds herself caught up in the search for the man's killer, all while settling into her new job and making sure she meets the expectations of her famous boss.

Happily for those of us who like our cozies with a side order of tea, this one keeps the pot quite full, including this snippet from a scene with Lena and a local detective:

"Hey—is that a teakettle I hear? You go make some tea. I'm going to have a look around. I'll meet you at the back door."

I nodded and locked the front door after him, then went to the kitchen and fumbled with the box of tea bags, finding one and plunging it into my mug of boiling water. I indulged myself with sugar and cream and sat down, taking a few bracing sips."

Buckley's well-drawn characters, particularly the aging writer and her eager-to-please apprentice, are easy to bond with. Also, the murder investigation is plotted nicely and has an intriguing cast of characters weaving in and around Graham House and leading us in just enough different directions to keep things hopping. And in one new twist for a cozy, at least for me, one plot thread was left unresolved. I'm trusting it will be addressed in the second book in the series, and I'll be ready for it, cup of tea in hand.

Finding tea at the local Quilt Expo

The Newnan-Coweta Historical Society held its Second Annual Quilt Expo last week, and once again, I had a terrific (and inspiring) time admiring quilts, buying a few goodies, and visiting with friends old and new. In the collage above, you can see one of my favorite quilts at top left, a design featuring the iconic image of our Coweta County Courthouse.

I really want to get going on some sort of craft project this fall, and when I asked my tea-loving pen pal and fellow quilter, Sandy, whether I should finish an old project or start a new one, she suggested I do both, so I actually went there with that intent. I would get inspired to finish up something old (I'm thinking that yo-yo quilt I've had going for several years), and then I figured I would get inspired to start something new! I ran into an old friend, Hettie, whose beautiful quilt is shown here. When she told me it took 1,000+ blocks, I just shook my head and said that isn't going to happen until I retire. She smiled and told me that's when her own quilting took off!

The old train depot where the exhibit was housed is set up nicely with booths on the interior surrounded by lots of vendors on the outside. I made several rounds so I would be sure to see everything, and this booth of beautiful felted appliqué pieces caught my eye. My tea radar was working, because my eye went pretty quickly to what's within the red circle.

It was a kit for this adorable felted needlebook in the shape of a teacup! How darling is this! I'm missing a few supplies necessary to complete it, but when it's done, I'll be sure to share a photo.

The designer, Laura Bosma of nearby Peachtree City, was super friendly, and when I told her I love tea things and had to have this kit, she kindly pulled out some pieces that weren't actually on display to show me. Apparently she has an open-studio event with a tea theme each year around Mother's Day, and one of the projects was this teapot design that reads, "The best days include Tea and Stitches."

I believe she said the women received only the felt teapot and then embellished it and pieced it however they wanted.

Here's another teapot design, and both are just lovely! I will definitely be keeping her contact info handy so I can stay informed about her work! (She has an Etsy shop here, although none of the teacup needlebook kits are listed at this time.)

So obviously the tea pieces were my favorite finds of the day, but I also enjoyed just seeing the beautiful artistry of all who contributed quilts for the exhibit.

Now I'm already looking forward to next year's show!

My Country, 'Tis of Tea - South Carolina

Some weeks this year, I've found myself worrying I wouldn't be able to find enough tea-related things to say about a state. That certainly wasn't the case with South Carolina, which I am inclined to rate the number one state in the US in its tea importance. Why?

• Pinehurst Tea Gardens in Summerville, South Carolina, is said to be one of the first places tea was grown here in the US.  According to the Charleston Museum, Dr. Charles Shepard founded Pinehurst in 1888, near the site of a tea planting at what is now Middleton Place, and his oolong won first prize at the 1904 World's Fair. When he died in 1915, the tea plantation declined, but cuttings from his plants "were used in South Carolina’s third and fourth attempts to commercially grow tea. Both the American Tea Growing Company (eventual failure) and the Charleston Tea Plantation (located on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County and currently operated by R.C. Bigelow Tea) propagated plants from Pinehurst."

• Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, is today the home of the Charleston Tea Plantation, whose delicious teas are part of the Bigelow family of teas.  I know many of my tea friends have had the pleasure of visiting the Charleston Tea Plantation, as I have, and I definitely recommend a visit. Go here to learn more.

Click here to watch video on "The Birthplace of Sweet Tea"

• Summerville, South Carolina, is the home of the Sweet Tea Trail—but not without a bit of controversy. There's a little brew-haha that's been simmering up in South Carolina for a while now. I remember when a friend told me a year or so ago that a mutual friend who lives in Summerville claimed that Summerville was "the birthplace of sweet tea." "Huh?" I thought. "Where'd she get that?" Apparently, it all begins with an Azalea magazine article in Spring 2010 that shared the claim that Summerville is the birthplace of sweet tea. Now I loved my visit to Summerville a while back and found the town absolutely charming, but … birthplace of sweet tea? Evidence, please. Later, Charleston City Paper published a piece saying the birthplace-of-sweet-tea claim is bogus. I rather agree with that article's author, who says, "I do not suspect any untoward motives on anyone's part. It's just a case of journalists trying to tell a story in the simplest, most compelling way they can and occasionally getting a few facts wrong. But you can see how our love for a good yarn slowly but surely glosses over any inconvenient details." This article goes on to provide some evidence that "Yankees were drinking sweetened iced tea as far back as the 1860s, two decades before Dr. Shepherd (sic) plucked his first tea leaf in Summerville." If you're at all interested in US tea history (whether or not you're actually interested in sweet tea), I think you'll find these articles most interesting. I'm going to be busy for weeks trying to confirm some of the info in that video and both articles!

"Tea At Hostess House"

I have been pleased to discover that the Library of Congress updates the offerings in its collection of public-domain digital images on the web. This week, I came across one that was new to me, titled "Tea At Hostess House." 

The Library of Congress summary says, "Photograph shows women having tea at a 'hostess house' probably in a military camp during World War I. Hostess houses were set up by the War Work Council of the YWCA. (Source: Flickr Commons project, 2016)."

Have you ever heard of a "hostess house" before? I had not, but a little surfing and I found an abstract from the Winter 2008 Winterthur Portfolio which explained, "During World War I the Young Women’s Christian Association established hostess houses at American military camps and employed women as hostesses. The houses were newly constructed, large, and durable buildings, some of which were designed by women architects. They mediated public and private space and helped control interactions between soldiers and their female friends and relatives. As shelters in which the soldiers could buffer the military and find personal comfort, and as places for women to gain experience in managing complex and relatively large institutions, the hostess houses were a significant facet of the home front in World War I."

Yet another bit of history in which tea apparently played a role!

My October Shopper column: A tribute to Emilie Barnes

My October column is up at The Coweta Shopper, and for those of you who aren't local readers, you can see it by clicking here (it's on page 6).

This month, since I knew so many local readers would remember Emilie Barnes, I wanted to pay tribute to her recent passing. Perhaps you have a fond member of Emilie Barnes and her books as well?

Some charming new holiday decorating ideas

One thing I enjoy about Thanksgiving and Christmas is the planning for these holidays. My sister and I are already planning the Thanksgiving menu, and I bought my first Christmas gift this week. For years I have been collecting special Christmas issues of magazines, and this week I came across a new one I think is just beautiful, Holiday Home Style from Hoffman Media.

Have you ever made silver your decorating focus at Christmas? I haven't, but this magazine features so many lovely silver (and gold) decorations, I've started thinking about it. Silver pitchers, sugars, and creamers filled with greenery and berries ... appealing, isn't it?

I also loved the feature on Wendy Addison, an artist whose work I first enjoyed in Victoria years ago.  The banner made of old newsprint is typical of her style, which I fell in love with the moment I saw it. I also love how her silverware is displayed in pretty cream pitchers.

Even the recipes looked yummier surrounded by all this Christmas finery, such as this Black Forest Trifle displayed so charmingly on these Christmas dishes. Have you started planning for Christmas yet? Have you bought any Christmas magazines? I'd so enjoy hearing about them!

A different type of tea from Tetley

 I stopped by Ingles in Bremen over the weekend and, as always, had to browse the tea aisle. New to me was a line of Tetley Super Herbal Teas, and after debating for a bit, I settled on the "Immunity" blend with Vitamin C, a peach-and-orange flavored tea.

 I was torn between this blend and the Pineapple and Citrus flavored one (with Vitamin B7), but I guess being from the Peach State means my default tea choice is always going to be the one with peach!

These tea bags are round ones, what I think of as Republic-of-Tea tea bags. This tea had a very tart citrus taste, and since I've been trying not to take allergy meds now that fall allergy season has arrived, I'm hoping this will help me keep colds and sniffles at bay. I usually avoid teas with medicinal or health claims since plain old black and green tea is so good for you, but the flavor of this one was quite enjoyable, so I may have to give another of these Tetley blends a try. Have these shown up at your local grocery store yet?

And so the fall baking season begins …

Now that it *finally* feels like fall here in Georgia, I launched the fall baking season with this recipe for Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Chip Cookies that I found on Pinterest. I didn't flatten mine as the original recipe said to do (didn't want to be bothered), so I ended up with thicker, almost cake-like cookies, which is just fine by me!

As my husband said, you can detect just enough of the pumpkin spice flavor to know that something is different, but it's not so different that it's overpowering. And in a unique twist, they're made with Pumpkin Spice pudding mix, which I happened to have in my pantry.

Oh, and I also used dark chocolate chips, because hey, if we're going for chocolate taste, go big or go home, right? These were wonderful with a cup of that new Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Oolong Tea I got from Teavana recently, and I was quite happy with my pumpkin-y teatime treat! Go here if you'd like to try these for yourself.

My Country, 'Tis of Tea — Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a state that means two things in my mind: Gilded Age mansions and a famous manufacturing center for costume jewelry. Any tea connections in Rhode Island? I found a few!

• Rhode Island is well known for its production of costume jewelry. When I first started collecting tea-themed jewelry, I was pleased to learn how much of it had been produced with teapots and teacups as part of the design. JJ or Jonette was a jewelry company in Providence, Rhode Island, that made both the bracelet and earrings above. The company's owners, the Lisker brothers, got the name by combining the name of their parents, John and Etta, thus the "Jonette" name. Rhode Island continues to be known for its jewelry manufacturing today.

Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

• One of Newport, Rhode Island's most famous Gilded Age homes, Marble House, has its own Chinese teahouse on the property. According to Wikipedia, Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt. When she divorced her husband in 1895, Alva Vanderbilt actually owned the home, which had been a 39th birthday gift to her. She remarried and relocated down the street, and when her second husband died, she reopened Marble House and added the teahouse, which was the site of some women's suffrage rallies. Oh, if those walls could talk!

• A teahouse was also featured at the Berwind Estate in Newport, Rhode Island. Now who wouldn't have enjoyed being invited to tea in this teahouse? This linen postcard was mailed in 1942 and says, "Hello Tootsie. I am having a good time. Wish you were here too. I went swimming in the ocean, it's fun. Will be seeing you soon. Rita." Lucky Rita! (And if you're curious, as I was, here's a more modern photo of the teahouse, an image I found on Pinterest.)

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And the "Taking Tea" book winner is …

Traveler! I've sent you an email so we can make arrangements to get this book headed your way. Congrats! And to the rest of you, I'm pleased to say that I have another book from Hoffman Media that I'll be giving away soon, so stay tuned!

A surprise catalog from Simpson & Vail

When I did a quick search of all my old blog posts, I could find the name Simpson & Vail only once, for a peach-flavored black tea I tried (and enjoyed) years ago. So I'm not quite sure why I received a copy of their new tea catalog in the mail, but I'm certainly glad that I did!

Literary Teas! Oh my goodness, I want them all. I need the Jane Austen tea, the Louisa May Alcott tea, the Lewis Carroll tea, maybe some Edgar Allen Poe tea (because quite a few of my fellow fiction editors seem to love Poe). Maybe I should try to collect them all!

And while I've always associated Davidson's Teas with "dessert tea," I'm sure willing to give S&V a try with these yummy-sounding new blends like Caramel Walnut Shortbread and Snickerdoodle.

They even have cute and very reasonably priced tea tins. Have any of you ever ordered from Simpson & Vail? If so, what do you recommend?

Teavana's Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Oolong Tea

So remember the Teavana tea quiz I shared last week? When I took it, it showed that "my" tea was the Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Oolong Tea, and I ordered some that arrived this week. This tea has so much stuff in it, it almost looks like granola, doesn't it?

So exactly what all is in this tea? "Cinnamon, carob pieces, white chocolate pieces (sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, dextrose), pumpkin pieces, chocolate flakes (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa powder), oolong tea, natural flavor, ginger, chicory root, pumpkin seeds, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, coconut blossom sugar." (Everything but the kitchen sink, in other words.) The tea smelled divine when I opened the packet, and the taste?

Oh, is this tea yummy! It was definitely a sweet-tasting tea, as you'd expect from the list of ingredients, and it had a rich fall flavor that made this an instant seasonal favorite. Although I could taste the cinnamon, it wasn't cinnamon-heavy at all (my only complaint about "fall" teas), so this is a blend I have a feeling I'll be looking forward to each year!

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A few thoughts on those "tea" words

As some of you know, I work as a line editor and spend part of my week editing fiction “line by line” for clients all over the world. I’ve edited everything from zombie and werewolf books to cozy mysteries, Regency-era romance novels, thrillers, and police procedurals. 

It’s really fun and satisfying work because the authors I’ve met are so grateful for the help, and I enjoy the variety of the books I get to read. I just never know what sort of manuscript is going to land before me next! In the three years that I’ve been editing books, I’ve gotten reacquainted with my dictionary, and since my middle name is Webster—literally, I mean; it’s my maiden name—I quite naturally prefer Merriam-Webster 's dictionary, and the Eleventh Edition is currently the standard in the publishing biz.

Imagine my surprise when I started line editing and discovered I had been spelling some tea words incorrectly! Which ones?

• “Tearoom” looks funny to me, and if you look at the cover of my first book, “Dainty Dining,” it says “tea rooms” because that’s how I preferred to spell it back when I wrote that book. In fact, if I owned a “tearoom,” my sign would probably read “Tea Room.” But if I’m editing a book for someone else, “tearoom” is correct, so I’ve started spelling it that way to remind myself to be consistent. (Just a nice thing to know for those of you who may want to write for publication one day!)

• “Teakettle” is one word. Isn’t that bizarre? I find it a bit odd, but I don’t make the rules; I simply try to follow them.

• “Teapot" is one word and “coffeepot" is one word, but guess what? “Teacup" is one word, but "coffee cup" is two words.

• Finally, "tea bag" is two words, but I wish it weren't. (It helps me to remember that “tea bag” is one of the only tea-ish words I regularly use that is two words.)

So there you have it. And remember: when in doubt, consult the dictionary!

An Upton update on the Chatsford teapot production

As I mentioned in a blog post back in June, I was pleased to learn that Upton Tea Imports, a fan of the patented Chatsford Strainer System in teapots, has entered into a license agreement with the London Teapot Company to use the strainer system in some new US-manufactured teapots. In the Fall 2016 issue of the Upton Tea Quarterly, Upton gives us an update and explains how the Homer Laughlin China Company and their sister company, Hall China, are working together to produce the new version of the Chatsford teapot.

I know that some of you are real teapot geeks like me, and I believe you will thoroughly enjoy this issue's explanation of the great lengths they have gone to in order to make the best teapot possible. I also learned some new things about the history of both Homer Laughlin and Hall's china companies. Some fun facts:

• "Homer Laughlin was founded as The Ohio Valley Pottery by Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin in 1873." (Shakespeare? Really? Do you mean to tell me that if Shakespeare hadn't sold his share of the business to Homer, we could be sipping tea out of Shakespeare Laughlin teacups?)

• "Hall China Company was founded by Robert Hall in East Liverpool, Ohio in August 1903," and when he died in 1904, one of his eight sons took over. Teapots were some of their most successful products.

• Some of the most difficult years for Hall and for Homer Laughlin were in the middle of the twentieth century. Why? A) Teapot sales declined because of coffee drinking and B) cheap ceramics from post-war Japan were flooding the markets.

Those are just a few of the tidbits I gleaned from this article, and I highly recommend reading the whole article here. (You won't believe what they did to test one of the new teapots — it was a big no-no — but the teapot survived!) The new Chatsford teapots aren't for sale yet, so I've got my fingers crossed that perhaps they'll be listed by Christmas. (Santa, are you listening?)

Giveaway from Hoffman Media: "Taking Tea"

Friends, I've been practically sitting on my hands waiting to reveal today's fun news: Hoffman Media contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing some of their books and hosting a giveaway. How fast do you think I said yes? Although I already have quite a few Hoffman books (and an embarrassing number of their magazines), I had not yet ordered the new "Taking Tea," so I was happy to get a copy in the mail last week and even happier to be able to give one away to one of you!

And what a lovely book it is! I always love reading about tearooms, and the book features recipes from 18 of them across the country, from the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., to Paris In A Cup in Orange, California. I've already spotted several recipes that are going on my fall cooking list: Salted Caramel-Chocolate Scones, Lamingtons (chocolate cake pieces), and Pumpkin Spiced Soup with candied bacon. Yum!

If you'd like to be entered to win a copy of "Taking Tea," just leave an "Enter Me" comment to this post between now and 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and you'll be entered to win. I'll let Hoffman Media know when the winner is named, and they will send the book directly to the lucky recipient. US entries only, please. Good luck!

Please note: The giveaway has ended, but you can order a copy of this book yourself by going here!

My Country, 'Tis of Tea — Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home of so many things I'd like to see: The Liberty Bell, Gettysburg and Valley Forge, and my friend Nancy's tearoom, Sweet Remembrances. (I've met Nancy in person but have not yet had the pleasure of visiting her famous tearoom.) So could I learn anything new about Pennsylvania and tea this week?

• The Pennsylvania governor and his wife were teatime guests of the president in 1937. According to the Library of Congress website entry accompanying this image, on September 14, 1937, “The governor and Mrs. George Earle were tea-time guests of President Roosevelt at the White House today.” (And doesn’t Mrs. Earle look stunning?) It seems that no matter who is in the White House, teatime never goes out of style there. Thank goodness!

• In his legendary book “All About Tea,” William Ukers includes a list of what he calls “tea surrogates,” including "Pennsylvania tea." Ukers notes, “Oswego, or Pennsylvania, tea is made from Monarda didyma, a perennial of the mint family, Labiatae.” A) Have you ever heard of Pennsylvania tea? I had not. B) For years I have wanted a copy of “All About Tea,” but it is quite pricey (currently $145 for the 2007 reprint on Amazon). Imagine my delight in discovering this 1935 book is now available *free* as a download on Google Play. Go here if you’d like to download it for yourself.

• In my year of featuring vintage tearoom postcards a while back, I found one for the Dutch Cupboard Tea House in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This card is one I like both because it's a linen postcard and because it shows both the exterior and interior of the tea room. The back of the card tells us what was served here: "Schnitz un Knepp (apple slices and dumplings with ham), Shoofly pie, homemade bread and other Dutch dishes. I believe I would have enjoyed the "homelike atmosphere" here, and I'll bet many of you would have too!

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January 1908 Tea Menu from the Congress Hotel, Chicago

 Although I've long enjoyed researching old department store tearooms, I haven't really made hotel tearooms a focus, but after looking at this 1908 menu from the Congress Hotel in Chicago, perhaps I should!

This is another of those wonderful old public-domain images I found on the New York Public Library's website. I love seeing what they ate and drank way back when. This time, I was intrigued by two items on the "tea" part of the menu, Howdah and Uncolored Japan. I assumed Howdah was a blend of tea, but I learned it's actually a reference to the Howdah Tea and Coffee Company in the UK. I don't believe I've ever heard the name before, but here they are, still in business today.

And as to the Uncolored Japan tea, well, I did a little searching online and found a 1905 book ("The Original Buckeye Cook Book and Practical Housekeeping") that seems to explain the term: "In Japan, tea is not grown for export only, but is the chief article of home consumption; and the domestic teas as procured in that country are probably the only samples of unadulterated green tea to be had, and are known as the green Japan and uncolored Japan. In common usage Japan tea means the green variety, which is used largely in tea mixtures, while the uncolored is used more often by itself as is also the Gunpowder and Hyson." I knew that back in the 1700s tea was sometimes adulterated, but I had no idea that was still a concern as late as the early 1900s! The things I learn from old menus …

Taking the Teavana tea quiz

 

Do you subscribe to Teavana's email list? I do, and I got something fun yesterday, this email asking "What's Your Cup of Tea?" and inviting me to take a quiz à la the ones on Facebook. You can click here to take the quiz yourself.

And yes, I totally recognize that this is marketing at its finest, because I *did* in fact order the tea that was said to be "my" tea. (Look for a new tea review here in the next week or so.)

Happily, we can all get free shipping through September 26 on any size order by using the code "YAYFALL." I *love* when tea companies offer free shipping, so I say, "Yay, us!"

A tea mix sweetened with Stevia

For someone who doesn't usually sweeten her tea, I am awfully curious about any new form of tea sweetener I see out there. The other day at Walmart, I saw this new Wyler's iced tea mix sweetened with Stevia and had to give it a try.

"Natural tea flavor with other natural flavors," it says. Okay.

Now I am, as I have said before, not afraid to try lowbrow tea mixes and can happily sip a fresh cup of Darjeeling and, in the very same week, a powdered iced tea mix from the dollar store. (In my defense, I do *enjoy* the Darjeeling more, so there's that.) But may I just say I'm not sold on this tea? Here is what this tasted like: You know how you're at the family reunion, you're sipping sweet tea out of a big ol' red plastic Solo cup, and about the time you take that last bite of banana pudding, you've got about a half inch of watery tea left in the cup? It's not bad, and you drink it, but it's certainly not the vibrant cup of tea you started out with. That's what this tasted like. I did detect a tiny bit of "natural" sweetness, and it wasn't necessarily bad tea, just weak-tasting tea. I saw on the package that if I want a stronger tasting tea, I should use a 16.9-ounce bottle of water instead of a 20-ounce one next time. I'll give it a try when I'm on a road trip soon, and  and this can be my "travel tea."

And since we're kind of slumming it today here on the tea blog, it seems an appropriate time to share a photo of what my husband eagerly called his snack of "tea sandwiches" yesterday: saltines, peanut butter, and fall-colored M&Ms. (If any of you need his recipe, by all means, let me know…) Clearly, I have more work to do in the area of cultivating his tea-sandwich-preparation skills!