I received a call a few years ago from an MTV staffer who was producing a story on "manly teas." He had been offered a monkey-picked oolong in a tea store. He was fascinated about this rare tea and thought it would be appealing for his male audience. "How do they train monkeys to pick…
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…
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…
1935 sheet music published in New York City.Within the American tea room movement of the 1920s, gypsy tea rooms emerged as a unique phenomenon with roots that extended back to the 1880s. Many immigrant women had established fortune telling enterprises in major American cities, but the practice had been frowned on and ordinances were enacted…
I had the opportunity to return to the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia last month for TeaTime magazine’s Occasion for Tea. The other speakers included Jane Pettigrew, Norwood Pratt, Shelley Richardson, and editor Lorna Reeves. We were joined by 70 devoted tea enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada for a weekend of…