Traveling in Tea Style

Normally when I travel I take my old faithful tapestry luggage, the wheeled pieces that can see you safely out of town or through an airport. For a quick overnight trip to visit family this weekend, however, I was able to use a great new piece of luggage that was a Christmas gift from my friend Susan.

This yellow duffel bag is absolutely perfect for a tea lover's overnight travels. It's made of a nice thick wipe-clean fabric and has sturdy brown handles.

If you like, you can attach these pretty snap-on bows to the handles -- which I did!

Susan and I were at the Mart in Atlanta last year when I bought this tote bag, although that's the only piece in this design I remember seeing. I'm so glad she remembered it when she saw the pretty matching duffel.

The tag hanging on the duffel bag was printed with a logo that said "Precious" (the brand or design name), and I'm sure there must be quite a few of these bags "out there" since they were for sale at the Mart, where they deal in large-volume sales. If you run across any other matching pieces, I'd love to know about them!

Vanna White's Tea Time Afghan

This weekend, I finished crocheting an afghan that's been on my project list for quite a few years! "Make Vanna White's Tea Time Afghan" said the pattern in the January 1995 issue of Good Housekeeping. I came across the pattern last year and began the afghan by crocheting the six large squares in bright raspberry pink yarn. I didn't begin cross-stitching and embellishing them until this winter, however, and my goal was to finish this afghan by spring. (Whew, I made it with a few days to spare!)

Here's a close-up of part of one block crocheted in the afghan stitch, also known as Tunisian crochet, which makes a very pretty -- and very thick -- canvas for a pattern, or in this case, a cross-stitch design.

Below are close-ups of my cross-stitched and embellished blocks.









And here's what Vanna's afghan from the magazine looks like (she has a better stylist than I do). According to the pattern in Good Housekeeping, this project is reprinted from the book "Vanna's Afghans A to Z," 1994, Oxmoor House. And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to buy a vowel: an "A" so I can spell Angela's Afghan!

Tea and Books Saturday #11 - "A nice cup of ... Tea, Coffee, Chocolate"

A nice cup of ... Tea, Coffee, Chocolate & other liquid delights!
By Michelle Lovric
Virago Books, 2004

It dawned on me the other day that although this book is six years old, I haven't seen it mentioned on any tea blogs and it's certainly worthy of a mention, as it's the world's first tea-themed pop-up book! I got mine at the Pasttimes store in Bath, England, but copies are available on eBay for less than $10, including shipping, from a few sellers in England. The author is Michelle Lovric, whose wonderful "Love Letters" anthology was a best-seller back in 1995. It was the first book I'd ever seen which had the very clever idea of using facsimile copies of letters tucked into little envelopes within the book. And since tea, coffee and chocolate are often linked in the history books, I think it's very smart that the author features all three "liquid delights" in her delightful book.

Typically with these Saturday book reviews, I prefer to feature only the cover of the book, but I have a feeling I need to share a couple of photos so you'll get a glimpse of the goodies that await inside this book. The "Contents" pages are just beautiful.

And these pages from the "Tea" section feature an old trade card in the shape of a teacup ...

... which then folds down for us to read and enjoy. There are also a few moveable pieces, and even a pop-up dining table that is probably my favorite feature in the book. There were also some tea quotes that were new to me, but even if I'd been familiar with them all, I would still adore this unique gift book!

Teacup planter from Jo-Ann

The Home Inspirations pottery at Jo-Ann was 30 percent off last time I was there (still is, according to the website), which made this pretty green teacup planter a really nice find.

Although lately I've been mad about miniature African violets grown in teacups, I also have one regular size violet, but it hasn't bloomed in more than a year. The leaves seem nice and healthy, so I decided to repot it in the new planter and see how it fares. This piece is about 4 inches tall and 5-1/2 inches in diameter.

Helpfully, this planter has drainage holes, which is a must since violets don't like soggy bottoms. (Who does, really?) And there are also large size teacup planters at Jo-Ann (regular price $19.99) that are big enough to contain several herbs or a small rose. I didn't get one, but now it has occurred to me that a larger one sure would be pretty out on the deck. Maybe a return visit is in order?

The Tea Nation's Pineapple Ginger Tea

Many of us tea lovers are fans of the food and beverage shelves at T.J. Maxx/HomeGoods, Marshall's and Ross. Although I often find teabags for sale at these stores, it's not that often I find loose tea, and only *rarely* have I seen a loose tea from a company I've never heard of before. A recent trip to HomeGoods turned up this Pineapple Ginger Tea from the new-to-me Tea Nation, and I must say it is simply one of the most delicious flavored teas I've ever tasted!

The company's motto is "Tea, As It Once Was - Pure Ceylon Tea," and Tea Nation's web site tells you about the history of this Sri Lankan company, which has been selling tea in the U.S. since 2002.

A wonderful scent awaits when you open the tin, and the black bits of tea leaf are very long and pretty uniform in appearance.

New teas are fun to try just out of curiosity, but every now and then you find one that is truly a delight, and so far this year, this is the flavored tea for me! It retails for $10, but the HomeGoods price was just $3.99. Are any of you familiar with The Tea Nation, and if so which teas have you tried?

"Alice in Wonderland" for tea lovers

Yesterday, I borrowed my favorite 14-year-old and 10-year-old, nieces Madison and Cari (that's Cari above), to go see Tim Burton's new "Alice in Wonderland" movie, and I'm happy to report we all loved it!

Down one of the hallways at my local theatre is this large "Alice" tea table display, and the girls humored me by posing with all the pretty tea things. My favorite scene, in fact, involved Alice and a teapot, and those of you who've seen the movie will know just what I'm talking about! (She also got a new dress in this scene.)

Cari is a big Johnny Depp fan and wanted her photo made with him. I thought he was terrific and not at all scary as the Mad Hatter. I'd recently read the book and didn't realize until just before we saw the movie that this version is actually a sequel that has Alice as a young woman visiting "Underland," not Wonderland, but there is enough likeness to the original tale that Alice fans won't be disappointed.


And Alice fans will be thrilled with the new issue of Somerset Studio, which is simply jam-packed with "Alice in Wonderland" art, including quite a few pieces with teawares in them.

I particularly enjoyed the feature on a "A Tea Party for Alice & Company" by Amber Demien with artwork by Shirley Zirkle. While I've seen "altered teapots" embellished with everything from moss to costume jewelry, it had not occurred to me to alter teapots and teacups with decorative papers and paints. These whimsical designs (there are six more on the next two pages) are bound to get your creative juices flowing just as they did mine, and this wonderful feature alone is worth purchasing the magazine!

Need more Alice inspiration? Fellow blogger and tea lover Janeen recently hosted a wonderfully creative Queen of Hearts Tea Party that will surely make you smile as much as it did me. And when I got home from the movie yesterday, I had an e-mail from Fancy Flours promoting their "Alice" baking goodies.

Finally, niece Cari had picked for me some red roses I promptly brought home and floated in this Fenton rose bowl. (I like to imagine she walked up to the roses and said "Off with your heads!" Sweetly, of course.) Have you seen the new "Alice" movie? I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Copco Basket Tea Infuser

A few months ago, I saw a new line of Copco tea infusers on Amazon.com that I wanted to try, but not enough to place an order and pay shipping. I've been looking for them at my usual sources (T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, Ross), and I didn't find them there but I did find several new styles of infuser and infuser mug at Walmart. This basket tea infuser sells for $6.88.

This infuser has quite a clever design. First, you spoon your tea into the stainless steel basket.

Then, you simply pop the bright green lid back in place. Here's what it looks like standing upright.

The steel infuser goes into your teacup for steeping, and when done ...

... just turn it over and the lid becomes a "saucer" to catch any drippings from your infusion of tea. This really couldn't be any easier to use, and I'm quite happy with this new design of infuser.

Tea-themed plants & gardening

After buying three teacup African violets at the Southeastern Flower Show last month, I am pleased to report that two of them are still living. The pink and burgundy ones are still in full bloom, but the purple one, alas, has been called home to glory, so I am now going to try growing my own from seed after seeing this attractive listing in the new Park Seed catalog.

I was delighted to find the seeds in this catalog, since seeds cost much less than the $6 I have paid for each miniature violet so far this year. I did find a replacement teacup violet at Pike Nurseries in Peachtree City, a frilly white one that caught my fancy, but growing them myself seems like a fun challenge.

I'm really thinking it is going to be a good idea to learn to grow my own plants from seed. Local discount stores have these small "greenhouses" for sale rather inexpensively, and I think it will be time to start some seedlings in another week or two.

Herbs are also on my wish list of things to grow, and I was pleased to see Park Seed offers an Herbal Tea Collection of seed packets.

My wintertime reading has consisted largely of gardening books this year, including the wonderful "Onward and Upward in the Garden" by Katharine White, a New Yorker editor, amateur gardener, and the wife of author E.B. White. The book is a collection of her New Yorker gardening columns from the fifties and sixties. Her passion for gardening catalogs is contagious, and I found myself ordering quite a few of them. I requested some familiar ones -- David Austin Roses, Burpee, White Flower Farm, Jackson and Perkins (J&P hasn't arrived yet) -- as well as some new ones to me: Bluestone Perennials, Old House Gardens, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seeds of Change, Harris Seeds, Klehm's Song Sparrow, and Annie's Annuals and Perennials, a delightful catalog recommended by a cyber friend in San Francisco. I'll try a few things in pots and a small flower garden this year, and my husband is going to plant a vegetable garden. (I have been asked to find a really good heirloom tomato variety. Any suggestions? The catalogs make them all sound good!)

Flowers, of course, excite me most! Here is the Tea Clipper rose in the new David Austin Roses book. I may request some of these for my May birthday this year.

White Flower Farm is one of several sources I've found for this "Sweet Tea" heucherella, a foliage plant. I love the color *and* the name!

Fellow flower lovers may also be interested in this Earl Grey Larkspur and the Teatime Four O'Clocks, both from Renee's Garden. I will also attempt to grow camellia sinensis again this year, since I think I know what I did wrong last time I tried. (My seeds weren't properly prepared.) Are any of you getting ready to garden this year? I'd love to know what you'll be planting in your neck of the woods, and I'd *really* love it if you'd send along the names of any more tea-themed plants I can add to my wish list!

"Teaberry Strangler" #4 goes to ...

Susan of the Chipmunknits blog! I'll be mailing that Darjeeling to you myself, and your address (and the three others) will be sent to Laura Childs so you can receive your autographed book. Congratulations, and thanks to everyone for participating in the giveaways this week!

Tea and Books Saturday #10 - "The Tea Cookbook"

The Tea Cookbook
By William I. Kaufman
Doubleday, 1966

William I. Kaufman, author of such titles as "The Nut Cookbook," "The Hot Dog Cookbook" and "The Coffee Cookbook," is described on the dust jacket of this book as a serious collector of recipes who traveled far and wide gathering new recipes for his collection. No surprise, then, that this book is part history, part how-to, and part cookbook. The first section of recipes features dishes made using tea as an actual ingredient, such as the very first recipe in the book, Savory Tea Pot Roast. It is made with "4 cups strong tea including leaves," but lots of the other tea-as-an-ingredient recipes call for instant tea, which I doubt very many of us are using today. Still, even those recipes are ones I will use as inspiration and try to adapt by perhaps replacing or infusing the liquid ingredients with real tea.

The black and white photos of food, which appear courtesy of Lipton, are quite sixties looking. Someday soon, I have decided, I am going to consult my various books and scan some photos of teatime fare from the sixties on to see if you can guess which decade is featured. I'll bet you can, because our food tables look much more polished today!

In his chapter on tea parties, Kaufman maintains there are five categories of such parties: the nursery tea, the informal tea, the formal tea, the tea reception and the "high tea." (He has "high tea" in quotes, so I shall as well.) I actually thought I sort of made up the wedding tea reception, but Kaufman's book makes it clear mine was not a first, although I greatly agree that this is a fine way to serve a large crowd at a wedding celebration. His "high tea" menu, however, almost made me gag: grilled sausages, grilled sardines on toast, tiny codfish balls, chicken livers wrapped in bacon, etc. (I realize he's using "high tea" in the proper sense, but still ... is that a tea menu you'd care for? Not me!)

This book also provided a bit of useful info I'd never come across before, and if you have, I'd love to know the source. Kaufman says that while the French were not especially big tea drinkers, "it is important to credit the French with the innovation of adding cream and milk to tea. It is a contribution to tea drinking for which many imbibers are exceedingly grateful and illustrates to a great degree the gift which the French have for gastronomic discovery." Tidbits like that, along with some unique recipes, certainly make it worth tracking down a copy of "The Tea Cookbook."

"Teaberry Strangler" #3 goes to ...

Frivolitea! Congratulations! And to everyone else -- you've still got one more shot at winning today, so good luck!

Want to try some new Darjeelings?

Benoy Thapa of Thunderbolt Tea in Darjeeling, India has generously sent me a box of samples, and I must confess I did enjoy telling my friends at the office that yes, this box really did come straight from Darjeeling! If you keep up with the always interesting Benoy on his Facebook page, you'll learn a thing or two about the culture there. I have learned that while one day he was dealing with leeches from the monsoons, on another day he was eagerly awaiting the opening of the new "Twilight" movie, and on another day he was celebrating a religious festival, so in many ways we're really a lot alike (except for those leeches, thank goodness!).

This week I had the pleasure of sampling my third Thunderbolt Tea (tasting notes are below, in the style of my 2009 project of sampling all the teas in "The Harney and Sons Guide to Tea"). Since Benoy has gifted me with so many tea samples, I decided it would be appropriate to share some with friends at work and with you "Tea With Friends" friends as well! So today, if you'd like to try some teas from our friend in Darjeeling, just let me know and you'll be entered to win both some teas from Thunderbolt Tea AND the fourth copy of "The Teaberry Strangler," the autographed book from Laura Childs. A nice way to end the week, don't you think? Good luck!




Giddapahar Musk '09 Second Flush

Category: Darjeeling Tea

Purveyor: Thunderbolt Tea

Dry leaf appearance: Dark, almost black bits of tea leaf with a few lighter brown pieces scattered throughout.

Wet leaf appearance: Leaves of the steeped tea looked rather like chopped greens.

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 212 degrees, 4-1/2 minutes (because I don't like my tea too strong)

Scent: Dry, the tea leaf had that "woodshop" smell that makes me think of fresh wood shavings, with a hint of the muscatel fragrance we associate with Darjeelings. Steeped, the tea had much more of the muscatel fragrance plus some vegetal notes reminiscent of steamed asparagus.

Color: Deep coppery brown.

Flavor: As with the earlier Thunderbolt Teas I've tried, I couldn't help thinking this tea tasted exceedingly clean, crisp and fresh, with only a slight bit of astringency afterward. I very much enjoyed this tea and will consider ordering it -- after I've tried out some more of my samples!

Additional notes: According to the Thunderbolt website, this tea was saved for them by the owner of Giddapahar, and they call it "an excellent and affordable musky Second Flush Darjeeling tea from Giddapahar Tea Estate." I agree!