Emma Bridgewater Revitalizes an Industry
The Emma Bridgewater website is a feast for colour-hungry tea ware browsers. There are teapots, mugs, cups and saucers in floral, dot and animal themed patterns. My favourite pattern is “Black Toast” – stylized calligraphy floating on a milky background – a classic!
Located in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the pottery has been producing casual everyday pieces for the home since 1985. Her business has helped to revitalize a town that built its reputation on fine porcelain and bone china. Emma and her husband Matthew Rice rescued an old Victorian factory in 1994, hired local talent and built a business that contributes enormously to the town’s economy.
Time for Tea: An Infographic
Time for Tea is an infographic by the team at Emma Bridgewater. It is aimed mostly at the UK market, but tea drinking habits tend to be similar in U.S. and Canada – once part of the Dominion (ahem). It’s a pretty piece of graphic art from the talented EB team that would look good hanging on your kitchen wall, although I don’t think it’s available on paper.
It’s a fun way to organize your understanding of the rudiments of tea. A few minor quibbles: I would recommend preparing white tea at around 85°C, Pu-erh can be aged for decades, there is no consistency to the amounts of caffeine various teas contain (but definitely much less than coffee) and the addition of milk to tea has been shown to lessen tea’s health benefits. It’s wonderful to see a list of vitamins and minerals contained in tea. I like “what kind of tea drinker are you?” I’m unabashedly an Escapist tea drinker! For a larger format check out the Emma Bridgewater page!
