bringing style to the art of tea appreciation
Anatomy of a Painting The 1715 oil painting, Two Ladies and an Officer at Tea, (above) has often been used to cite the prominent place that tea held in elite society of the early 1700’s. For tea social history enthusiasts, it is a quintessential image, one of the earliest to depict the partaking of tea in the western world. It is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s vast collection. While researching for a talk I gave on history of […]
H²O On Friday I had been given some Essentia Water while visiting the Healthy Beverage Show (conveniently co-located with World Tea Expo). Before heading over to the Convention Center Saturday morning, I decided to test it out by making some tea. I thought it would be fun to compare it with spring water that I bought at the hotel’s cafe. Essentia Water is quite scientifically formulated through purification, electrolyte infusion and ionic separation. Product info claims that “Essentia removes acidic […]
Tea in the Castle Gardens Always on the look out for an esthetic setting for ‘picnicing’ my tea, we hiked the short uphill trek to Casa Loma, Toronto’s famous castle. It was built between 1911 and 1914 when Sir Henry Pellatt was at the top of his game. He was successful owner of The Toronto Electric Light Company, had investments in the railway and was Major General, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. To celebrate his achievements, he hired architect, […]
Reflecting on Sunday June 26 My badge is hanging by my desk, a reminder of an extraordinary weekend. I’m back home and looking over the many fine teas I will be sampling, business cards I collected and photos of people and product. World Tea Expo may be over for another year, but the friendships and contacts will keep building. Sunday was all too short and I spent a good deal of it exploring the exhibit’s booths. Even though the vendors […]
Another Oolong makes the list! At number 9, Wuyi Rock Oolong originates in Fujian province as does Tie Guan Yin, but from the other side of the river, – that is, the Min River. It is known as a Min Bei tea or North of the Min River. Wuyi Shan: Unesco World Heritage Site There’s no point in discussing this tea without first considering the region where it is grown. Here is one of the best examples of how tangled […]