Robert Fortune Why can’t we grow tea in America? We can, and we now do. The history of tea planting in the United States can be traced to the years just prior to The Civil War. On July 21, 1857, Charles Mason, United State Commissioner of Patents, wrote to his seed suppliers in London to…
Darjeeling Tea Gardens Begin Recovery from 104 Days of Strikes
The mid-august tea auction in Calcutta witnessed an unusual event – there were no Darjeeling teas listed in the catalog. The 86 tea gardens of Darjeeling are often thrown into chaos as political strikes and climate change disrupt the harvesting of some of the world’s most prized – and often pricey – teas. 2017 saw one…
Which city is the center of tea trade in Europe? It’s not what you think.
Which great European city is the capital of tea?Here's a hint: it's not located in the UK.The last gavel came down on the great London tea auction in 1998, ending an unequaled institution that began in 1679. Today the hub of world tea trade has moved east to Hamburg, the new "London" of tea trade.…
Steeping Tea in a Gaiwan
If I could own but one vessel for steeping tea, it would be a simple Chinese gaiwan—preferably porcelain and, if given a choice of sizes, always diminutive. I was reminded of its elegance on a trip to London where Juyan Webster made cup after cup of tea for me in her shop, The Chinese Tea…
British Tea: A Necessary Luxury
Is there a scene more typical of English life than that of a tea set? Charlotte Bronte captured that archetypal tableau in her 1853 novel Vilette when she describes an English tea and suggests the complex negotiation of social identity that revolved around the ritual of the tea table. “How pleasant it was in its…
Norwood Pratt and Bruce Richardson Revive The Romance of Tea
2017 Edition of The Romance of TeaIt’s difficult to remember a time when authoritative books on tea were as rare as a good cup of Darjeeling. But that was the scenario in America throughout much of the 20th century — until publisher Alfred Knopf published William H. Ukers’ The Romance of Tea in 1936. Few books…
The Beautiful Foolishness of Things
"Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things."This is just one of many serene scenes painted for us by…
Five Best Afternoon Teas in London
"Where can I experience the best afternoon tea in London?" is a question I am asked again and again as my friends and readers prepare for their first trip to England. I've been writing about the tea scene in London for over 20 years and have had ample opportunities to sit at countless tea…
Afternoon Tea on Waikiki
Afternoon Tea might not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of visiting the sun-drenched beaches of Waikiki, but tea folks are always on the lookout for great tea experiences to share with their fellow tea lovers back home. And of all the Hawaiian islands, Oahu has the most afternoon…
All the British Tea in China
English Tea makes the cover of Shanghai Times, August 6, 2014 The Westward flow of tea out of China has been unending since the first tea was brought to Europe in the mid-1600s. Now, thanks to a growing generation of young tea drinkers enamored of Downton Abbey, British literature and Western television, that great river…