Eccentric Tea Woman

I had the pleasure of seeing the East Indies Coffee and Tea Company again at this year's World Tea Expo - their blends are always a delight to imagine prepared. Each of their blends are like works of art - full colours, delicious looking tea leaves, and smells beyond compare. They make tea blending look so easy! After seeing House of the Geisha tea blend on display, I knew I wanted to try it. This tea blend consists of green tea, blue cornflower petals, roses, coconut, and other goodies. In opening the sample package, the scents of flowers and coconut welcomed me to what would be a lovely cup of tea (or several!) First Slurp: I allowed the tea to steep for two minutes and even timed it so that I would not forget about it, then later drink it when it was cold and too much. Bad habit, I know, but I'm getting better (grin) First Slurp of this tea immediately sent me to another place, yet sadly it wasn't Japan. My senses took me to the world of Gauguin and his Tahit

Once upon a time, or so the Mystics claim, there existed a Museum beyond the mountain range of the West. This Museum held such wonders from all of the Tea Realms and beyond. The owner of the Museum was a simple looking man who wore a dark suit and a purple flower in his buttonhole. Every day, he welcomed the visitors to the Museum, treating them as though he'd known them for years. Just what did the Museum hold, you may ask? The still brightly coloured hair of a long forgotten Goddess; books on every subject, with a wing dedicated to the Leaf; stored dreams freely given; statues that moved on their own, and other wonders. However, those things paled in comparison to the one item that most visitors came for - a copy of the Book of Forbidden Teas within a glass case. This book was created by a Mystic, now rogue and living in unknown parts, whose only crime was having an over-curious nature. Every day, the owner, whose name was Paul, received many offers regarding the Book - from w

I love animals. That being said, I would love to have teatime with an elephant . . or maybe drink tea to support them! I had the pleasure of meeting the folks of Elephant Origins , founded in 2018 by Lisa Mills and Cindi Neiswonger, at the 2019 World Tea Expo and I was instantly hooked! Their tea directly supports the conservation of Asian elephants - how cool is that? Not only was their tea delicious (more on that later), but the people were very friendly, willing to talk about their passion, and above everything else, love elephants! According to their website, in 2012, plans were launched to address the risks of endangered Asian elephants in Assam, India. From there, tea producers began to create ideas and concepts on how to make the tea industry more "elephant friendly". Thus began the Elephant Friendly certification program for tea growers. First Slurp: Although I tried their Black Assam at the Expo, I really wanted to give their tea a better "slurp"

I started writing Tea Meditations on Instagram some time ago and decided to share them on this blog.  Enjoy!

I had the pleasure of meeting the folks from Firepot Nomadic Teas (Nashville, TN and St. Louis, MO) at the 2019 World Tea Expo ! When they found out that I was from Memphis, one of the reps and I started a lovely chat about living in Tennessee and TEA! As soon as I arrived home, I knew I had to purchase some of their blends mostly because their Tea People were so friendly. As soon as I opened the bag of the Elemental Energy Tea Blend, the lemongrass, ginger, and peppermint gently tapped me on the nose and said, "Hello, y'all! Relax and enjoy." The Elemental Energy Tea Blend is part of the Rituals Collection - six blends that will uplift your soul, calm you down, and make you dream that impossible dream . . . and then go out and make it happen! So far, I have tried five of the six blends; each one is a distinct Tea that is not just "leaves in a bag". These blends were carefully chosen and blended; you can feel the emotional connection with each one.

The Tea Planter’s Wife  by Dinah Jefferies  is a read that is worth you losing a wee k end. Great and realistic characters against an unforgettable backdrop of 1920s Ceylon  (now Sri Lanka)  will leave you wanting more.  I chose the book from the library for the obvious Tea connection, yet I came to love the book for the fact that it was a well written and thoroughly engaging story. Gwendolyn Hooper is on her way to exotic and mysterious Ceylon to meet up with her husband, Laurence, who is a Tea planter. Along the way, she meets the dashing and handsome Savi Ravasinghe and is taken away by his good looks and charm. Yet, all of that fades when she finally arrives in Ceylon and is seduced by its beauty and colour. She quickly becomes mistress of the manor and “second in command”, yet that proves to be tested in the form of Laurence’s sister, the eccentric and somewhat enigmatic Verity, and the flirty and overly sexual Christina, an American who once had a “ thing” with Laurenc

No two photographers are alike in their style and handling of a subject matter. While some tend to go full artistic, others will hand you a heavy dose of gritty realism. Still others seem to take their works from a dream (or nightmare) with a professional grace and style.  So what has photography got to do with Tea? A lot, actually, especially in the world of a Tea Junkie. Tea can become something much more through the eyes of an artist, musician, photographer, ballet dancer, a farmer, and others. Tea in its many forms holds a timeless beauty; to capture one aspect of it to share with others is priceless. The appreciation for Tea can grow if one is exposed to its many (and there are many!) sides. I recently asked photographer David Lee Black for any work of his that possibly fell within the realm of Tea and well . . . . Enjoy some of his Tea work below and also click on his name to see (and purchase!) his other work.  My Tea company (Viridian Tea Company) also has a special