Are all grocery store green teas created equal? Bruce Richardson explains why homemade green tea can be healthier and less expensive than bottled teas.
Is Bottled Tea Actually Healthy?
What Tea Would 007 Drink?
What if Sean Connery as James Bond had been a teetotaler rather than a expert? What tea would he drink to leave us shaken, not stirred?
How to Clean a Teapot
Tea Maestro Bruce Richardson shares basic guidance to help you care for your teapot collection.
Taking Tea with Mackintosh
The advent of the tearoom came about in 1875 when Glasgow tea retailer Stuart Cranston hit upon a simple idea for encouraging customers to sample his teas. He provided tables and seating for 16 people at his Queen Street store and advertised a cup of China tea “with milk and sugar for two pence–bread and…
Who Was Earl Grey?
Earl Grey is a name that has been synonymous with tea drinking for over a century. It ranks at the top of the list of the five most recognized teas in western society. It is, after all, the favorite flavored tea in the world, and its derivatives are legion - Lady Grey, Earl Grey Lavender,…
Seven Steps to Making Good Tea
At the conclusion of my lectures, I am often asked, "Can I heat my tea water in a microwave?" The straight answer is "yes." However, my question to the inquirer is, "Will the use of a microwave add to your sense of ritual?" Most tea professionals will forego a microwave in favor of a proper…
The 6 BEST TEAS of 2020
As 2020 drew to a close, I looked back on the exceptional teas that came my way throughout the year - even as gardens experienced temporary lockdowns and shipments from Asia encountered delays. While I was unable to visit gardens in person, I continue to search for teas that represent the classic taste profile from…
Jane Austen Describes Tea Etiquette in Northanger Abbey
The Daily Promenade at Bath. Throughout the novels of Jane Austen, detailed tea scenes help up know the tea rituals of the British upper class in the early 1800s. In Northanger Abbey, Austen sets the stage in the Assembly Rooms of Bath, where Regency-era rules of etiquette leads to an embarrassing situation at the communal…
Waiter, My Tea is Blue
Japan's entrance on the world tea stage began as soon as her trade gates were pried open by Commodore Perry before our Civil War. It didn't take long for the United States to become Japan's best tea customer. The rise in Japanese tea imports, beginning in 1859, was due to the direct transpacific shipping routes…
COVID-19 Locked Down the Tea Gardens in Assam. Then The Floods Came.
The 800 tea gardens of Assam have experienced one of their most challenging growing seasons in history this year. At the outbreak of the COVID-19, the government ordered the shutdown of all tea plucking, fertilizing, and pest management activities for three weeks. Plucking tea in Assam, India. Photo by Bruce Richardson That closure slowed the…