Why are we sort of gratified when we hear about experts being stymied? Is it because we find certain experts somewhat intimidating, or irritatingly self-assured, and so we enjoy seeing the playing field leveled for once? Is it because sometimes we feel that our own opinions are just as valid as that "expert" one? Watching … Continue reading The Teacup Can Mislead Even a Tea Expert!
Do you have a favorite cup, and if so, what makes it your favorite? My dad has a favorite coffee cup based on its shape and how the lip curves in just the right way. My husband's favorite is simply the one that holds the most liquid! Back in the 700s, during China's Tang Dynasty … Continue reading Do You Need a Green Teacup for Green Tea?
I'm most definitely not a Marie Kondo-type of person. Many—many—things bring me joy, or, often, too much guilt to allow me to discard (kids' artwork). But am I a collector? For most of my life I would've said no. I pick up whatever I find particularly appealing and within my means but I've rarely sought out … Continue reading How Many Teapots Are Too Many? A Review of “Inside the Head of a Collector”
Having looked into my metal Moroccan teapot (previous post), I next pulled out some pieces from India, believing that I could discover some interesting info about them. Not so much, or, at least not in the way that I expected. Teapot (for sure, or pretty for sure) The bottom of this teapot is stamped "INDIA … Continue reading Brass Teapots from India
As probably all of us have been discovering, staying at home brings some unforeseen minor inconveniences. We dismiss them as petty, especially in light of those who are currently working so hard to ensure we still have groceries and garbage pickup and emergency furnace repair and health care despite an overburdened system. But for those … Continue reading My Moroccan Teapot: Graceful and Functional, but Is It Safe?
A new teapot deserves a new tea so when my daughter brought over her latest thrift store find, an engaging porcelain teapot and cup set, we went through my stash to find a suitable tea.We settled on an unopened sample of Chinese Zhang Ping Shui Xian Oolong Tea Fragrant Orchid Grade One, produced in Fujian Province, … Continue reading Chinese Oolong Tea—Compressed into a Cube!
Assumptions drive our lives. Some have little bearing on our day-to-day lives, Neanderthals were dumb. whereas others can have a huge, potentially life-altering, impact, The water from our taps is safe. while yet others might actually shape history in odd ways. These are teapots. But Neanderthals were NOT dumb, the water from our taps may … Continue reading When a Teapot Is Not a Teapot
When you reach for a teacup, do you ever have to think about it? If you're a somewhat tea-obsessed individual, yeah, you get this, and you may have joined me in pausing and deliberating. Aesthetics or just functionality? Match teacups to teapot? Or teacup to tea type? Serving guests or no? Drinking mindfully or absentmindedly? … Continue reading Why You Should Choose Your Teacup Carefully
Having left the Japanese teahouse and garden (see previous post) at Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion, we continued on through rose, Italian, blue and white, pansy, moonlight, and old fashioned gardens to the mansion part of the estate. As mentioned in my last post, this 1886 Queen Anne-style building was a summer home for New York … Continue reading Tea on the Road: The Tea Cart
Pretty much any item you pick up can teach you something—from the details of its manufacture to why it exists in the first place. When the western world first encountered tea, accouterments were required: teapots, teacups, saucers, sugar bowls, creamers, teaspoons. In England, the Staffordshire area (see previous post) had a deep history of making … Continue reading My Tea Set: Why the Flowers Match
It's More Than Tea 