TPG’s Response to Teatime’s New Year’s Resolutions–Part 1
If you are a lover of afternoon tea and don’t yet subscribe to Teatime Magazine
In honor of the New Year and January being Hot Tea Month, I decided to springboard off their list of resolutions for the New Year, an article idea I also planned. Be sure to consider how you can make these resolutions your own that, as the article stated, “encourage of deepening the ties to our favorite afternoon tradition”.
- Invest in a proper tea set. Teatime’s definition of a proper tea set includes the ideal of a matching teapot, sugar bowl, milk jug or creamer, teacups and saucers, and desserts plates. They also suggest a serving tray and selection of linens. Few of us, not even Tea Party Girl, own all of the above. But it’s important to know what you love and start where you can. I gave a teapot to an acquaintance a few weeks ago who was brewing her tea a cup at a time. My main resolution is to help even more women find what they need for this ritual they’re learning to love and appreciate. Do you read TPG and not yet own a teapot?
- Add a few new teas to your repertoire. I absolutely need to do this. I am in a tea rut. I delegated Christmas morning’s tea to Mom. We drank a rich, full-bodied pu-erh. I tend to drink what I sell locally and my bestsellers are the flavored blacks. It’s time to fall in love again. Any suggestions?
- Patronize a tearoom. I visited our newest local tearoom, A Cup of Tea in Sacramento last Friday. Open only since October, they are working hard to fine-tune all the many details of serving afternoon tea. The best? Their gift shop offers lovely gifts that depart from the traditional Victorian choices, a refreshing change. Also, having previously owned a catering business, they served homemade, tasty food. The worst? The tea choices are limited and they don’t provide a way for the tea to stay hot once on the table. Hopefully, they’ll work that part out. Look for tearooms that understand tea the beverage and provide excellent service at home or during your travels this year. And for the record, I do recommend A Cup of Tea if you are in the Sacramento area.
- Purchase and use new accessories for Afternoon Tea. This year I plan to leave behind T-Sac Tea Filters for a permanent silver tea strainer. I just need to find the right one. I still recommend T-Sacs for the easiest way to brew looseleaf tea.
- Embrace a new tea experience. As Tea Party Girl, I am definitely a fan of the English tea traditions. However, tea traditions have evolved in almost every culture. In my own backyard, a Japanese tearoom opened in 2007 on a local campus. Which culture’s tea ritual would you like to experience this year?
Entry Filed under: Tea Party Reviews
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1. Carina | January 1st, 2008 at
Thanks for a great post, Jenny! Just the other day, I received a coupon for a free trial issue for Tea Time magazine and put it aside on my desk. Thanks to your recommendation, I will post it tomorrow!
I would love to hear what silver strainer you find that actually keeps the finer tea leaves out as I haven’t found one yet. I either use my stainless steel one from Starbucks (It works great!) or use a T-sack in my pot.
Also thanks for the reminder about tea sets. I am blessed enough to have three complete sets (1 sterling silver, 1 Wedgewood and 1 Noritake) and other than an occasional holiday, I never use them. (I think I’ve only used the silver set twice in 18 years!) This year I am going to remember that even if it is just tea for my DH and me, I can still get out the “pretty” sets instead of always using one of our “everyday” teapots!
May 2008 be a year of blessings for you!
2. MzRita | January 1st, 2008 at
I currently have two complete tea sets. I have a silver tea service complete with serving tray that was given as a gift from my father to my mother on Christmas in 1969. Until my mother gave it to me, it was never used. It was only on display. I have used it at Christmas for the past two years.
I also have a beautiful vintage fine china tea set that serves 6 that is marked “Occupied Japan.” I use it often. I use to have an additional complete tea set that was marked “Occupied Japan”, but I gave it to my 4 year old grandaughter.
I now have enough linens to serve 50. (Thanks to my recent Christmas tea party.) I would love to show you a picture taken at my Christmas tea party, but I don’t know how to post it here.
I agree with Carina, I have yet to find a strainer that actually keeps the tea leaves from falling into the cup. Currently, I use a metal mesh-like strainer that fits over a cup perfectly, but there isn’t anything pretty about it. *laughs*
3. Kim in ID | January 2nd, 2008 at
Did I understand in your post above that you sell tea? Do you have a website for that? I just went to re-order tea from theteacaddy.com and the site is no longer there. ARGH! Happy New Year!
4. CJ | January 2nd, 2008 at
Great advice! I just realized that, although I’ve been ‘collecting’ peices for about 10 years now, I don’t have a matching set of anything. I have a lovely cream and sugar set that I bought at an antique store, and several beautiful tea pots but nothing matches. I’m planning on having tea parties with the little girls in my church soon, so now that I have a reason to shop maybe I”ll end up getting a matching set of something.
The only thing I don’t like is the uncertainty of its make . . . .
As far as strainers go . . . I’m just starting to transition from tea bags to loose tea. I picked up a mesh basket at a Creative Kitchen store (maybe some sort of plastic??) that fits inside the tea pot. I love it because I don’t have to fish around in the teapot for tea leaves when its time to wash up.
Happy brewing this afternoon!
CJ
PS - linens for 50 is incredibly impressive! I’m trying to pull together linens for 24 and am having a terrible time of it. Well done!
5. Steph W | January 2nd, 2008 at
Happy New Year to you, too! I hope you had a lovely time and that it met your goals of simplicity and meaningfulness. Thank you for your inspiration there!
I love Tea Time magazine and also Tea, a Magazine - do you subscribe to it? I subscribe to the latter rather than the former and tend to browse the former in book stores.
In terms of teas to embrace, are you a green tea fan? E-mail me if you are - I have a tea I’ll send you a sample of.
6. Kristin | January 2nd, 2008 at
Just wanted to say I really enjoy your blog and wanted to wish you a happy New Year. I finally got my very own bone china tea set for Christmas so I am looking forward to using your blog as a resources as I plan future tea parties!
7. Ginger | January 7th, 2008 at
When you find your permanent silver tea strainer, please share how you like it. I like the idea of a permanent strainer, but I don’t like the ones I’ve seen that have plastic on them.
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