My second day of exploring tea in Shizuoka Prefecture took me along a circuitous route away from the coast and into mountains thickly forested with evergreens. All along the way, I spotted small plots of tea bushes growing alongside family homes, as if they were an extension of the vegetable gardens. When spring arrives, these…
Finding Tea Nirvana in the Shadow of Mt Fuji – Day 1
I hosted the Japanese American Society of Kentucky in my retail store on a Sunday morning in October where I gave a short lecture on Okakura Kakuzo and The Book of Tea. I ended my talk by telling my Japanese guests that I hoped very much to visit their country someday.Pay attention to what you…
Carson’s Guide to Tea at Downton Abbey
Indeed, Carson was well-schooled in the myriad duties entrusted to his care at Downton Abbey. If a question of protocol did arise, he surely had the butler's bible of the day sitting on his desk. Published in London in 1823, The Footman's Directory and Butler's Remembrancer contained the answers to every bit of etiquette minutiae…
A Poetic Riddle in a Teacup
British Prime Minister William Gladstone If you are cold, tea will warm you; If you are too heated, it will cool you; If you are depressed, it will cheer you; If you are excited, it will calm you. This famous tea quotation is attributed to British Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809–1898) whose public career lasted…
Results of the Teas of the United States Competition Held in Hawaii
The international panel of judges - Jane Pettigrew, Kevin Gascoyne, Bruce Richardson and, Selena Ahmed - pose with event organizer Eva Lee (center) in front of the TOTUS Awards display at Volcano Village, Hawaii.The first Teas of the United States (TOTUS) competition was held on the Big Island of Hawaii November 4-7. I was delighted…
How to Clean a Teapot
Brown Betty TeapotThe English homemaker of the last century followed a simple ritual for washing her Brown Betty teapot. After use, the teapot was emptied of its spent leaves, rinsed with hot water, and turned upside down in the sink to dry. The Brown Betty was a common utensil in the home kitchen - or…
Does tea cause kidney stones?
If you are a tea professional, there's nothing worse than having your urologist tell you to quit drinking tea because you've been diagnosed with a kidney stone. That's what happened to me a couple of years ago.I was surprised to find tea on my doctor's list of Foods to Avoid, a list I'm sure is…
The Book of Green Tea
This book offers the authentic poetry of great tea: Let us rejoice and drink deeply. - James Norwood PrattThank goodness! The Western world has once again fallen in love with green tea. For many, drinking green tea has become a new practice spurred by an interest in tea’s healthy attributes, while others consider it a…
The Tea Maestro Learns from The Bourbon Master
Woodford Reserve Bourbon AcademyWhat does tea tasting have in common with bourbon tasting? More than you and I might have expected.Toronto tea master John Chaffey and I have been fellow teaists for over a decade. We see each other no less than three times each year at trade shows where we often vie for the…
The Oldest Tea in Britain
300-year-old green tea from China.British researchers have found what they believe to be the oldest tea in Britain, and to the surprise of contemporary British tea drinkers, the tea is green!The unassuming box of Chinese tea was acquired around 1700 by a ship’s surgeon James Cuninghame. Cunninghame subsequently gave it as a gift to the…