TheTeaDrinker.com featuring T. Dustin Fannings: Spouting Off

CARDS!!! Get your tea cards!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:25:00 +0000

One of Trixie's favorite sayings is "I may be slow, but I get there eventually"... well yes, she is sometimes rather slow (sometimes not so slow!), but she is definitely, absolutely getting there eventually in the realm of tea cards. Yay! Please follow this handy link to view -- and, if you will, PURCHASE -- the new Tea Cards via our shop at RedBubble.com:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/teadrinkertrix/collections/175337-tea-cards

Floral, clouds, textures, and more images are leaping into Trixie's portfolio at Red Bubble as we write -- while I continue to bring Trix cupsful of tea and platesful of biccies to keep her energized.

Blowing you a Festivus-tinted tea-stained kiss,
Dustin

Control Your Fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 22:35:00 +0000

A lovely, clear, and correct description of the differences between (and similarities among) Afternoon Tea, High Tea, and everything in between...

We particularly admire the section called "Control Your Fingers," which advocates (as we so strongly do!) the Pinkies-Down Principle. Scroll down the image, and find it about two-thirds of the way down, in the right-hand column.

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Glorious! We're enjoying this beautiful graphic, presented by Confused.com for our edification, with a big, fat pot of tea and a pile of biccies. Because we can. We hope that you can, too.

With all of my tea-stained love and a big wave from Trixie,
xo, Dustin

Mag-nificence

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Autumn approaches, and with it The Tea Drinker Magazine's Premiere Issue. How excited we are! How we quiver with antici-{say it!}-pation!

We are mere weeks away from the debut of our fab new mag, and we hope that you will join us for an Online Launch Party (date & time tbd; info will be posted here and on our Facebook pages).

Get ready for the most beautiful tea-related publication in the English language!

Blowing a kiss as I head back to Trixie's desk to do some more editing,
xo, Dustin

Keeping Mum

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:20:00 +0000

Here is a silent meditation for you -- less than half a minute -- steam swirling up from this morning's first cup of tea.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the beautiful Mums out there (past, present, and future). xo, Trixie

Copying it Right

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:27:00 +0000

thoughtful topics need tea and treats

Do you spend time on the major social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, et al., as Dustin and I do? If so, and if you are like us, you find things in your digital travels that you would like to hold in memory, to refer back to for inspiration and enjoyment... and, perhaps also like us, you CANNOT remember things all that well anymore... so you "Pin" or you LIKE" or you "retweet"... and those sites make it so easy to do! Cute little buttons entreating us to click and re-post, share, comment on, paste here and there at will. It’s very satisfying, like a treasure hunt.

Why am I mentioning this, when I usually write about tea? Because there is a growing cyber-discussion about copyright, and I am going to watch and comment on it from time to time -- not necessarily here, but perhaps sometimes also here. I am glad of the discussion: it is late in coming, and needs a lot of consideration and participation.

We have Pinterest boards (currently five of them); we have Facebook pages for TheTeaDrinker.com and for TeaWeatherGirl; and we send our posts automatically to Twitter. We read many other weblogs and look at dozens of photo albums online, and spend time nearly every day sharing information of one sort or another with people we like to hang around with online (and in person, but that ain’t always feasible).

I, for one, intend to keep on posting and sharing, because I enjoy it very much and because it is part of my communication with you all. It is one of the ways we speak to each other at any hour of the day, on any topic whatsoever, wherever we may be. Through this sharing, we learn about each other’s preferences and references, and that, I believe, is (usually) a good thing. How, then, can it be in any way problematic?

It is a problem when we share without giving proper credit to the source of the words or pictures... it is a problem when we share without permission and do not make it clear that the work is not originally ours... it is a problem when we alter the work of others with the intention of making it our own... and it is a problem if we re-post the work of others with the aim of making a negative remark about them. There are plenty of other problems with online sharing, some multi-layed in complexity and boggling to a regular mind like mine.

Where, then, are the solutions? How can we continue to let each other quickly know what we admire and want to remember without harming others? How can I post my own pictures online without giving up all rights to them? How can we sift through the conflicting information now abounding to arrive at our own Best Practices for sharing without increasing bad juju? How, indeed.

I believe that a good first step is to become aware. Awareness spurs thought, and thought often leads us to choose our actions more wisely. To increase awareness, you can do well by taking a gander at these weblogs, where the copyright and permission and future rights issues are being chewed on thoroughly and regularly:
Link With Love... and... a post about Pinterest, in particular, on DirectMatchMedia.com (read the comments that follow the post, for they show several viewpoints). Each of these sources can then send you hopping elsewhere on the internet for more information. Dustin and I are now hopping in this way, and learning as we go.

While we go, of course, we get thirsty, so we need tea! Today, at Dustin’s request, I blended some tippy golden Yunnan with a wonderful oolong-style tea from Sri Lanka. How was it? Knock-down gorgeous! Some of you chide me for blending “self-drinkers” but there really is a magical, greater than the sum of its parts, Good Golly Miss Molly thing that happens on a good day (which today was) that causes me to keep doing it. {Dustin smiles in the background as he drinks his tea}

Wishing you a lovely March with all the good luck and green-itude you can bear,
xo, Trixie

Warming Up to Winter with Olde Avesbury

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:52:00 +0000

The weather in our part of the world has been so benign, so magnificent, for so long that the onset of Winter which surprises us now in mid-January comes as a big-fat shock. Looking at the leaden sky, we wonder when it will be sunny and warm again (weather pundits say at least a week, egad)... so to brighten the day and take our minds off of the impending storms, we dove into the teaware cabinet and brought out this warmly colorful cup and saucer: Royal Crown Derby's unabashedly over-the-top Olde Avesbury. Such a riot of color and pattern! What do you suppose was the impetus, in Stoke-on-Trent of 1932, for this unbridled outburst of hue and rhythm? The good folks of RCD say that it was an embroidery that was the inspiration for the design (which, by the way, is sometimes referred to as Olde Aves). Well gosh, if looking at fine needlework can bring them to such heights of passion... that's pretty impressive. Still more impressive is the fact that they still produce this pattern.

Over a reddish-brown transfer design, an abundance of pine green and chocolate brown enamels have been slathered to highlight the vegetation; more delicate applications of reds-to-purples, even a dash of blue, bring out the various birds in the design, which include pheasants ("cockatrices"), parrot-like birds, even a tiny robin or wren. Wisteria and roses add to the fabulousness of the scenes... sigh.

Trixie and I are playing that favorite of Tea Person's games, What to Serve on This Dish -- I just love to play this! Though dear Trix, resident Tea Maiden and ruler of the hearth, usually holds sway when it comes down to actually cooking the stuff.

No other pottery has made anything quite like Olde Avesbury... though there are other patterns that fall into this exhuberantly-avian category, such as Minton(s) Pink Cockatrice, or Asiatic Pheasants by Burleigh.

Back to RCD for a moment, since we are entering HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year: if you click through this link you can see what RCD is offering in the way of collectibles for the occasion, which we think are mighty fine, possibly the best commemoratives out there. {If you are lucky enough to acquire any such baubles, would you let us feature them, here, on our weblog? Gratitude in profusion will pour forth...}

Bundling ourselves against the cold and rain (and rain and rain, and more rain still), Trix and I send our very warmest New Year greetings and best wishes for all of your 2012 teatimes,
xo, Dustin

Festivus Continues!

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:26:00 +0000

Clear and cold the day dawned today in our region, with plentiful frost below and a magnificent sky above -- a very nice beginning to this Festivus Day! We just passed the Solstice, then it was on to Hanukkah, Christmas, the advent of Kwanzaa, and it's nearly Tet and our Gregorian New Year... golly whose festival have I missed? Please do not take offense if I skipped mentioning your favorite celebration -- it's just that there are so many holidays on the books right now that even I, Tea Maven to the Stars, get muddled. Happy Everything, Everybody!! Much love, and tea, and excellent health and cozy abundance to you all.

Trixie set me up a swell Festivus breakfast tray today, as you can see in the pics at left... clementines, Friend-made cookies, and sweets of many kinds, ooh la la! And she found me this groovy antique cup and saucer set by Copeland Spode, in the much-loved India Tree {Rust} pattern, which I am so honored to accept as a present today. India Tree comes in a wealth of variations and has been made by oodles of potteries -- originally by Coalport -- so many that it can stagger even a venerable tea maven... but this set is Copeland Spode and of very fine quality, so I am feeling very pampered and adored by Trix today. Thank you to the always-treating tea maiden!

Most India Tree (also called Indian Tree or Tree of India by other potteries) has a black transfer base design with multicolored enamels hand-painted thereon... this also has a black transfer base decoration, but with a palette of hand-painted vermillion, deep red, and tan luster enamels to fill in the pattern. Cup and saucer are both edged in the deep red enamel, and the effect suggests an Indian Paisley, rather than the more Chinese-looking multicolor version (you might sense and describe it very differently, but this is how it strikes me, dear ones).

Because today is Christmas Day, it seemed right and good to splash out the reds! Red denotes auspicious beginnings in some cultures, and we like that a lot, besides it adds another layer to the meaning of the cup and saucer today. Layer it on, people! That's what tea time is all about, say we.

I'm not altogether sure the saucer and cup are from the same set -- the well of the saucer indicates a different cup, the shape with a wider diameter and a squat circular pedestal foot, whereas this cup is smaller and has no foot* -- either way, tea tastes great from it and both pieces cheer me immensely (another thing that tea time is all about!). I just love the tan luster enamel, it catches and amplifies the light so subtly and warmly... they thought of everything, those Stoke-on-Trent potters.

Did you know that on our Facebook page you can not only post comments (which we LOVE), but you can, if you wish, post photographs? Absolutely. Trix and I really want to know what you get up to when drinking tea, so please consider sharing pics with us when the mood strikes you.

Raising my lovely new-to-me cup in your honor today, lovelies, and wishing you every good thing today and always,
xo, Dustin {with a wave from Trixie}

* additional research shows me that multiple cup shapes/sizes were matched with the same saucer. Hmm.

Luck of the Draw

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Some time back, we found an absolutely beautiful large creamer or small sauce boat (you get to decide which it is... we use it for cream, sauce, even the occasional posy!), all hand painted with bouquets of flowers along the red-orange-purple continuum. To spare you scrolling through the archives, a picture of the bulbous beauty can be seen at the bottom of this post. Why mention it today? Because we have been very, very lucky and stumbled over a cup and saucer set in the very same pattern -- the name of which we have yet to ascertain -- whose images you can see splashed along the left side of these words.

These handsome pieces were made by Grosvenor, at that time part of Jackson & Gosling Ltd, in the middle of the 20th Century for a company called Sheraton Designs. The cup size is generous, with a wide-open bowl and an elegant tall foot. The saucer curves upward, suggesting old-fashioned saucers, which were bowl-like and used for actually drinking tea from, rather than just being supports for the cups. Although painted with fine brushes and ringed with delicate images, these are sturdy pieces that we are confident to hold and use.

If you recall when we told you about our Grosvenor-Copeland(s) "Craigavon" set (about a hundred-thousand years ago), it may mean something when we say that these are the exact same shapes -- same potteries, same molds, same delicacy and accuracy of decorating skill... definitely swoon-worthy.

Prices vary widely around the vintage marketplace for Grosvenor/Sheraton/Copeland(s) items, as some vendors know they are the best quality and charge accordingly, while others don't seem to recognize the names and underprice to our advantage. The avid teaware hunter with the luck of the draw is amply rewarded!

We shall certainly let you know when we finally find out the name of this pattern and Sheraton Designs itself... in the meanwhile you can find us drinking tea, pouring sauce, looking at posies, and otherwise entertaining ourselves in the company of these pretty pieces.

May your Festivus celebrations continue with joy and abandon! Blowing you tea-stained kisses {Trixie adding her enthusiastic wave from behind my shoulder},
xo, Dustin

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Festivus!!

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Isn't it just? Everywhere we turn, it's Holiday, Holiday, Holiday, so why not get into the swim? thought we... consider us well and truly swimming. Our lovely friends help immensely by baking seasonal cookies {see pictures}; our job is to select coordinating teaware with which to honor their sweet labors. Oh and then to eat the cookies.

I hope that we selected well today: what you see here is a cup and saucer set by Royal Worcester and a cake plate by Mintons. Regular readers of our weblog know that these venerable ceramics houses send (or sent) their goods forth from the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, the industrial heart of England. When these items were made, armies of craftspeople sat at benches all the day long, tiny brushes in hand, carefully dabbing enamel glazes onto transferware pieces with alarming precision.

To look at them now, in our era of machine production, is to look back to a time of intense human effort and focus, a time of reverence for quality and craft. Those days were by no means easy or simple, and the people who made these items could hardly afford to own them (the 99% and the 1% struggled even then!), but the labor of individuals was of value, and people who had things did tend to take good care of them and not toss them away every year.

Are we better people because we seem to have embraced some acceptance of impermanence of material goods? Were those who went before us better because they revered the products of human manufacture? Yes, no, maybe... chewy stuff to think about while drinking beautiful tea (itself a product -- then as now -- of amazing human manufacture!) and admiring teaware such as this.

I can tell you this much: I am prepared to accept the impermanence of the cookies on the plate... for they are already being happily, gratefully digested by Trixie and myself, along with cupsful of a soothing infusion of New Vithanakande Estate FBOPF-Ex Silvertip "Spider Leg" (our beloved V-Tea Spider!). Home-baked cookies deserve no less.

Blowing you tea-stained kisses, and sending fervent wishes for Festivus happiness your way,
xo, Dustin

Dustin comes home and plays with the computer again

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Hi kids, how I have missed you! While Trixie has been entertaining you on Facebook and such, I have been traveling the globe in my capacity as Tea Maven to the Stars... and while I cannot divulge exactly which stars to whom I have been mavening, rest assured that your faithful Dustin has indeed been well and truly star-struck at times (never spilling one single drop of tea, however).

Always glad to be back with you, though, and thank you for being here! Gosh. Today Trix is letting me play with the design tools on the computer again -- something she knows that I need to practice if I am to take my mavening to the next level. Today's play includes pictures of our pretty dishes and fabrics (big surprise!), because we agreed, T-gal and I, that if one is going to learn new things, one ought to ease into it by working with familiar touchstones... or something. Ain't we lucky that we can count pieces of hand-painted Spode and Royal Stafford among our "familiars"?! Yes, I think so too.

These images are the first in a set I call "The Darjeeling Limited," so named in a nod to a film I like very much, and, of course, to the tea it invokes. Sort of a Raj-tastic theme going on... Ooh-La-Raj! More to come. Okay.

Blowing you such a backlog of tea-stained kisses on this blustery November day,
xoxo, Dustin

Ecco the Equinox

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Have we arrived at Autumn? Goodness, how the seasons pass. The light, the light... it is magnificent, it makes everything and everyone looks so beautiful! Quite a delight to get the picture-taking-devices and step outside and Compose... It may well be that, in Spring, a youngster's fancy turns to Luv; but in Autumn the kid prefers Texture -- in sights, in sounds, and in flavors. Thank Providence, then, for the amazing variety of teas from which the kid (or we) can select infusions with all kinds of Texture.

When we talk about Texture in a tea's liquor (the liquid infusion), people sometimes call the feeling you get when you drink it mouthfeel... but I have to tell you that such a term makes me think that someone is about to stick their fingers in my mouth (a sensation I would not like); better, says Dustin, to call it texture, and to pay attention to it and learn to discern the different textures of different infusions when you drink them. It is a fun and rewarding pursuit.

Another term for the way a tea's liquor feels in your mouth is body. That, we think, is a very nice term... body and texture are not exactly the same thing, but close enough for government work so you can use one instead of the other if you prefer. The point here is to become aware of what goes into your mouth via teacup, and to take note of your preferences. Happiness in life boils down to being able to reproduce pleasurable responses (it's true! Science has proved it) -- and who doesn't want to be happy?

Much discussion can be heard about a tea's ability to "stand up to milk." This is actually a reference to a tea's body, the intensity of the infusion... an infusion with a higher percentage of dissolved tea solids (vs. water) will have a stronger body; whereas an infusion with a lower percentage of dissolved tea solids (vs. water) will have a lighter body, and will, according to common wisdom, NOT "stand up to milk." That being said, if you like a light-bodied infusion even with milk, you just go ahead and enjoy it, because it's going into your mouth and you ought to like what you put in there. {On the issue of "milk in first" or "milk in last" I shall keep mum, and in so doing avoid the inevitable scuffle.}

If you like a light texture or body in tea, you might really enjoy white teas and many herbal tisanes. If you like a medium-bodied tea, some Ceylons (from Sri Lanka), lighter Oolongs from Taiwan and China, Nilgiris or Second-flush Darjeelings from India, or not-quite-fully oxidised black teas from Nepal might fill your mouth with joy. For an unmistakable mouthful of body and texture, nothing beats darker Oolongs, or fully-oxidised teas from Yunnan and Keemun (Qimen), China, or the heartiest of the hearty -- black teas from Assam, India. There are thousands of teas, from dozens of countries (isn't that amazing?), so what I have mentioned is just the smallest smattering of the merest hint of the tiniest scratch of the surface of the tea pantheon.

Of course (you knew there would be an "of course," didn't you?) if you do naughty things like smoke, or drink lots of strong coffee, or eat enormous quantities of hot peppers daily, your mouth will simply not register many of tea's nuances... in which case you must chart your own tea-texture course, and I wish you well! If, on the other hand, your palate retains an average amount of sensitivity or better, what fun you will have tasting teas while concentrating on texture and body.

I haven't mentioned scented teas until now -- indeed, there are scented teas of lighter and heavier body/texture; but if you want to get accustomed to how your mouth registers tea textures without the distraction of added scents (nose and mouth being so closely connected), please do some texture-testing with unscented and unflavored teas for a while, before moving on to scented ones. That's Dustin's recommendation, not a dictum...

I'm off to find Trixie so that we can share a pot of glorious, full-bodied, tantalizingly-textured high-end Golden Yunnan, and wish you each and all a very Happy Autumn, with piles of pretty leaves, apples and pears and figs galore, and as many vessels of tea as your heart desires, all shared with people you love (so you must love yourself if you are going to drink alone),
xo, Dustin

Creating a Stir: spoons for tea {part one of several}

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:13:00 +0000

It's not all bone china and porcelain around here, no sirree -- if that were the case, we would have to stir the moo into our tea with our delicate fingers, which (if the tea is hot enough) would be painful, so fuggeddaboutit! Besides, any chance to lug out the silver chests and choose from among Trixie's treasures is a chance worth taking, so let's...

At left is a pair of unrelated, yet equally attractive, small spoons -- one silverplate (the shinier one), the other sterling silver (with twisted handle). Spoons of this size (shorter than 5 inches) are often called demitasse or coffee spoons, since the moniker teaspoon has already been taken by our standard place-setting spoon.

The silverplate spoon is in the Cardinal pattern, which was patented by Rogers and Hamilton in 1887. It has a leafy scroll on the handle, and a column of embossed ovals on the neck which are bookended by small crown-like flourishes. It's a very neat late-Victorian pattern, one that is definitely looking ahead to the Twentieth Century.

The sterling spoon, on the other hand, shows the maker's hand -- on the back of the neck is a mark "ATK 830.5" -- 830.5 giving us a clue that this is older Scandinavian sterling (American sterling almost always bears the number 925, or the word "Sterling," or both). I haven't been able to find out anything about the maker of this spoon yet, but it sure is fun to stir my tea while searching... Take a peek at the bottom image, which shows the back of the spoon handle-tip where the owner (or a pal) hand-pricked initials with what appears to have been a needle... I believe the letters are "G. S." Well, dear G.S., thank you for taking such good care of your twist-handle spoon, because I really enjoy using it in the Twenty-First Century... By the way, a twisted handle gives added strength, besides looking really, really awesome.

A tip to those who love silvery, shiny objects but may be new to scouting: a silverplate piece will weigh more than a sterling piece of the same size, because the base metals -- the blended metals onto which the silver coating is "plated" -- are heavier than pure silver. Vintage sterling often has a duller finish, or almost a "blush" on the finish, vs. new or very good-condition silverplate which has a truly white-silver shine -- this is because sterling is softer, and gets a lovely patina of small scratches which create a hazy glow (ooh!).

Care instructions -- you know Dustin! -- please HAND WASH always, especially older pieces. Wash in gentle suds and towel dry right away. A couple of other tips: do not leave silverplate pieces in SALT or ACID for very long, as the plating can corrode; and use your silverware because loved silver is happy, shiny silver.

Sterling can be quite expensive (price is often calculated by a combination of metal weight plus the intricacy of the piece/fame of the maker), but silverplate usually runs cheap because a) people don't like what they can't throw into the dishawasher, and b) badly-worn silverplate is all too common, with base metal showing through, particularly on the backs of spoons and on fork times.

You know what I would love? I would really be jazzed if you would take a picture of your favorite spoon-for-tea and post it on our Facebook page! Yes, please. And if you do, Trix and I shall send you a teeny, tiny present. Absolutely.

Until soon -- blowing you a tea-stained kiss,
xo, Dustin

Second Saturday Sipping Salon: A Couple of Cups

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 23:24:00 +0000

Today I feel like sharing pictures not of ONE teacup set but of TWO -- in part to emphasize how grateful both Trix and I are for the tea-stained camaraderie you bring here, and in part because you may not have seen at least one of these sets before, in which case I hope you will enjoy the chance to see something delightful and new.

Sometimes it's nice to sit in solitary reverie with one cup, one head of thoughts, perhaps one handicraft to occupy the hands when not drinking from the cup... and sometimes it feels ever so much nicer to lay a second place at the tea table, or on the picnic blanket, or next to you on the famous monument steps... just to know that you are not alone in your lifelong quest for Great Tea Experiences... Who says both sets must be the same? A multi-place table setting with matching dishes does indeed have an elegance, an organization about it that can't be beat; if, however, your taste takes you to the realm of qurikdom now and then, come along and mix it up with the best of 'em.

Today's examples are by two of the most venerable houses in British ceramics history: Dorothy Perkins by Copeland Spode, and Kutani Crane by Wedgwood. The D. Perkins design is a magenta transfer on white bone china; every leaf, flower, and decoration that is not magenta transfer was applied by hand with delicate strokes of tiny brushes, including the apricot lustre enamel on the scalloped edges. This is a mid-20th Century set.

The Kutani Crane, meanwhile, is a polychrome transfer -- a very, very well-done assemblage of multicolor decals, if you will, with the only hand-applied color being the dark brown edges and handle accent. This pattern was recreated from an earlier design and was made by Wedgwood from 1971 through 1998. This cup shape is called Leigh, and it reminds us of a perfect egg.

Different techniques, different feel to each set, but both are wonderful to see up close and to drink from (especially if Trixie makes the tea that goes in them, because she is what the English call a dab hand at the tea-making). These are not flimsy pieces, they are made to last, and -- if you keep them well away from the automatic dishwasher! -- can be used often and enjoyed, as we plan to enjoy them, for decades to come. (Go Stoke!!)

The last image shows how we make best use of our sets! With tea-stained late-Summer good wishes to you all,
xo, Dustin

Bling for the Blog, or Trixie Designs a New Logo

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Gosh, what a Summer! In addition to having tea in the garden (often), writing weblog posts (less often), and cleaning up the office (far, far less often) there has hardly been time to acknowledge the passing of the season. And yet... Trixie, in her role as Tea Maiden and Chief Designer of Stuff, managed to squeeeeze in time to make us a brand-spankin'-new logo, which you can see up there at the top of the page, and at left. What do you think?

It's quite a different style for us -- we usually mine the woodcut and engraving archives for our art (in fact, I have been chasing Trix around the office with one such groovy old image in my hand for the past month) -- but it's a new era here at The Tea Drinker, and we thought a new look would help us to remember that.

Trix says that the curlicues on the big T remind her of steam rising from a cup; and that the different angles of text, and the circle-within-circle design, suggest the Enthusiasm with which we Infuse... she's so imaginative! Oh yes, it's also supposed to remind people of a passport stamp (presumably because we are going places!)... What I say is: well done, Tea Maiden, now let's sit down and have us a cuppa and a treat; all of this thinking and proofing has left me parched.

I raise my cup to YOU, lovely followers of our humble weblog, with extra-potent thanks for your constancy, participation (both right here and on our Facebook page), and kindness -- and if you, too, are planning great new things, we salute you!
xo, Dustin

p.s. -- have you visited our friend TeaWeatherGirl yet? I know she would love to meet you!

Thursday's Thirst: He said it first

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:02:00 +0000

My, my, that's a fine description of a tea drinker if ever there was one!

I could not have said it better myself.
xo, Dustin

Delights From Afar

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Wowie zowie! A whole corner of England was somehow squeezed into our mailbox, genie-like, awaiting discovery. Such majesty! Such variety of treasures! The usually unflappable Dustin is, at this moment, well and duly flapped; I, myself, find it rather hard to remain composed. I'm doing this for you, you know, because if I did not share the joy of this day I would be mean and stingy (which are two things I prefer not to be).

We have a friend, far away, who loves us and sends parcels... with actual Royal Mail philatelic emblems affixed (lots of them!)... with such a plethora of good reading that we shall be swimming in it for quite some time, happy and transported... with TEA (Royal Wedding Tea, no less -- Dustin just realized that and fainted)... with a vanilla-scented car freshener which, in the peskiest of traffique jams, will enable us to Keep Calm and Carry On... and with a special-special pencil (hiding from view) to use when we feel particularly intercontinental in our prose styling.

See the beautiful card, too (a true gilding of this gigantic lily) -- I admire it so much that I must rouse D. so we can discover how to import said lovely card for our once-and-future emporium. Glorioski Petunia, what a fine day! Thank you, thank you, thank you dear Friend-Far-Away.

With a big, fat pot of hot tea nearby, clutching The Lady -- on which I naturally have dibs -- I bid you Good Evening... wishing you such a bountiful surprise as we had today (where is my hanky??),
xo, Trix

Thursday's Thirst: Cold-Infused Eagle Nest Oolong-Style Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:49:00 +0000

It seems that I talk about, lecture about, explain about, and generally spout off about cold infusions more than about any other tea-related topic... and today will simply confirm that impression, for I am about to regale you once again... because it's hot outside, once again, and we crave cold tea. Since I am making it for Trix and myself, let me show you how it is done...

Simply put, cold infusion is the safest, easiest, best-tasting way to make cold tea that I know. I was taught how to do it by Den Shirakata of Den's Tea (USA)/Shirakata Denshiro Shoten (Japan), and Den will always have my gratitude for the lesson.

See the top image! What's that? A regular 1-quart Mason jar with lid and ring, nice and clean (squeak! squeak!). Into it goes the tea -- we put our leaves in a polyester Japanese infusion pouch; you can put your leaves into the jar loose, or use a big spice ball, or some other handy method that you like if you have no pouches like these. Yes, to answer a question from the Peanut Gallery, pre-made (commercial) teabags work fine, too. Now, it looks like we're about to make Sun Tea, doesn't it?

There's a lot of talk about Sun Tea... tea made by sticking leaves or teabags in a big jar and setting the jar in the sun for half a day or longer... People who do this are legion, and they are also rather fierce in their defense of the practice. But woe betide any of them who drink in enough unhappy bacteria to get a stomach ache -- they will probably blame the potato salad... again... but it could just as easily be the tea that made them feel so poorly. The problem can arise from bacteria in the water, or on the tea leaves, or in the jar itself; if the infusion stays too long in the "danger zone" -- bacteria's favorite hangout and breeding ground -- which is longer than 1.5 hours between 40°F and 140°F (jot that down, keep it handy, save a lot on medical bills) -- you run the risk of food-borne illness.

Avoid the possibility -- simply do not give it the chance! -- by making your infusions in the 'fridge instead. I'll even throw in a tip to speed up the process, for those of you who like everything right-this-moment... Pre-rinse your leaves in a little bit of boiled water, only for a minute or so (pour the rinse-water out, or onto plants) -- then fill the infusion jar with leaves + cold water (preferably filtered or bottled water, for the cleanest taste). Your "awakened" leaves will infuse a bit faster, and you will see a little more color in the infusion later on.

Now... unlike Sun Tea, at this point OUR tea jar goes into the refrigerator, where the environment is dark and cold. You ask: how will the tea "make itself," without heat, without light? Please see the second image -- this is our same jar, after quietly infusing for just a few hours. Is not this tea? It is indeed, and very tasty, too. {another tip: if you are going on a picnic, or a long hike, you can still do the cold infusion inside a cooler or cold-pack carrier... the tea is in a tight-lidded vessel within the cooler, of course}.

What is the difference in flavor between cold-infused tea and Sun Tea? In Sun Tea, heat and light bring out more tannins from the tea leaves, resulting in a darker color and more tannic taste (some call that "bitterness" or "briskness"); cold-infused tea has less tannin and tastes more mild; but flavor oils in tea leaves (which have no color) are extracted whether the water is cold or hot, so there is plenty of flavor and aroma in cold-infused tea. Please try cold-infused tea with your palate rather than your eyes... you will be so pleased! By the way, since the infusion is already cold, you need less ice (if any). That in itself is a good reason to try cold infusing, because if you resemble me at all you forgot to fill the ice tray again last night -- darn! -- but it's OK because the tea is perfecto as-is.

See the third image... A welcoming glass of delicious cold-infused Eagle Nest oolong-style tea from the Idulgashinna organic/biodynamic tea gardens, high up in the Uva district of Sri Lanka (which in the tea biz is still called Ceylon). The dry leaf is very beautiful {see fourth image}... unsprayed, hand-picked and -processed, made with care and skill. Of course we drink this gorgeous tea in cold months, too -- Oolong-style teas are so interesting to prepare gong-fu style (multiple infusions, each having different flavors and aromas). There's never a dull moment with tea!

Into the beautifully breezy (yes! Thank you Pacific Fog!!) evening I go, Eagle Nest in hand, bidding you safety, comfort, and happiness,
xo, Dustin

p.s. It's alright to keep that tea in the infusion jar for up to two days (as long as you keep it refrigerated), adding more water to make more tea... after which please put the spent leaves on your plants and start afresh. Thank you.

Dustin Does Digital, or a Montage on Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:21:00 +0000

Usually Dustin leaves the picture-taking to me, but today -- full of tea and pep -- he decided to have a go... and this is the result. I am very, very shy, but with a nice teacup in the frame I found I could endure being "shot." One must encourage one's friends whenever possible, and D's budding interest in PhotoShop required forbearance. In return I shall ask him for a trip to a wonderful local treat-hub called Patisserie Angelica. I have earned it.

They do not serve our Edwards Premium Tea at P. Angelica, but they do serve Mariage Frères, which is darn spiffy enough for us. All of a sudden this modeling thing doesn't seem so bad...

With photographic Monday greetings to you all,
xo, Trixie

As The World Turns {Today's Tea Tray}

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Down the long drive and beyond the gate, a world's worth of activity whirls and swims; in here it is calm and repose, an afternoon of recoup and rewind in preparation for the coming week. Background sounds of fountains and birdsong, and occasional zephyrs from the seaside, add to the wonderfabulosity of it all. A day such as this is worth more than rubies, and we have duly deposited a bagful of the red gems at the gate in gratitude.

To show further appreciation, we drink tea... lots of tea... and we eat Baked Things to help soak up all that tea.

Gosh how we adore Baked Things! Today's handsome selection includes Fred Bread by Grace Baking, a farmlet favorite, slices of which we covered with an almost-embarrassing layer of mixed preserves; and, on our second and more recent tray, assorted cookies from one of our regular suppliers of sundry Baked Things. Although it is well into the afternoon as I type this -- with Trix looking over my shoulder to catch spelling gaffes -- we are drinking Aurora Breakfast Blend, the once and future flagship blend of our own Edwards Premium Tea, and we are liking it fine. Somewhere on the planet (we say to ourselves) someone is sitting down to breakfast, and we like to think that we are tapping into the zeitgeist of a vast breakfasting community in another time zone while drinking breakfast tea at this hour. Yes, certainly, tea can do that.

Keen-eyed readers of this weblog have asked why our tea tray pictures show ONE big cup of milky tea and ONE small cup of tea-sans-moo, and usually ONE dish holding all of the edibles. As you can see, our tea trays are only large enough for such a configuration, and as Trix and I are about as close as two beings could possibly be, we may as well use one tray and move ahead to the business of enjoying teatime with a minimum of delay. As to who drinks with and who drinks without, let that remain our secret for the present.

I sincerely wish each and all of you many, many days such as this one, preferably in the company of your closest chum, and blow you a tea-stained kiss from the northern California wildlands,
xo, Dustin

An Independent Wish for You

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 01:34:00 +0000

This Fourth of July, we wish you independence from all worries and difficulties! Happy, healthy, joyous holiday to you and everyone you love... now get out there and drink some tea!
xo, Dustin

In a Pickle

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:47:00 +0000

From the Thunder Gods of Sweat to unseasonable rain showers in one little week, my goodness... thankfully, tea is tasty in any weather. Trixie has been in the kitchen making cold-infused Kusmi Troika for our operatic pique-nique later in the day, so the whole house smells wonderful. And while it does, I am going to tell you a story about my youth:

My dear mama, who some time back left this earth, loved preserved foods of nearly every kind, including sweet jellies and jams, savory chutneys and pickles, and even some things I prefer not to divulge. Oh yes, mama had to have her preserves! Every day, pickled this and candied that found its way to our table, and I grew to love a wide range of preserved fruit and vinegar-soaked veg thanks to it being in front of me at every meal, and to her gentle encouragement to "just try a little bit, give it a go, sweetie."

Flora Sweepings -- as mama was called before she met and wed my papa Mister Fannings -- came from sturdy farming stock and knew a thing or two (or twenty) about "puttin' up" food for the long Winter, and all that. Mister Fannings was a smitten city fellow who eventually convinced Flora to give up farming ways for a modern urban life {a very romantic story for another day}. Over time, Flora dispensed with trying to create The Back Forty on apartment-house balconies and became, instead, a connoisseur of store-bought (some may find that, well, tragic; I prefer to think of it as adaptive). Excursions to exotic emporia were routine by the time I appeared on the scene, and I did so enjoy trailing after mama on these merry jaunts to shops now known only in memory...

Well, you might guess what happened: I mean, how many people fill their shopping baskets with two dozen kinds of preserved foods at one go? One day a gent, who was sharing samples of his latest pickled creation in one of these fancy shops, spied my enthusiastic mama with her hoard; and when she got 'round to tasting his New Item (and telling him how much she liked it) he asked if he could name it after her. Flattered, flabbergasted, and delighted that someone finally understood her passion, she said OK.

Need I mention that the New Item became a popular success? And that the gent eventually sold his winning recipe to a larger firm? Yes, it's all true... and every time I go to the store I feel I am communing with dear mama, for there is her name (um, almost -- I'll get to that), bold and bright for all to admire, on the handsome jar of Mrs. Fanning's The Original Bread'n Butter Pickles... The reason why the final S got lost (so they tell me) is because it doesn't look as neat and trim to have "s's" on a label... Do what you must, Company People, I know it's still mama's pickle.

With a tear welling up in my eye, I'm off to make pickle sandwiches for that pique-nique of ours -- blowing y'all a tea-stained kiss,
xo, Dustin

A Teacup for Tuesday: Queen Anne {Pattern No. 8425}

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:41:00 +0000

Greetings, kiddies! Hot, hotter, hottest... welcome to Summer! We are moving gently today, trying our best not to stir up the Thunder Gods of Sweat -- it is Tuesday, however, and that means it is time to show you another of Trixie's teacups. Today's example is, we feel, a cooling one -- turquoise and white with subtle colors added -- which we hope will enable you to feel comfortable, whatever the weather where you are today.

Depending upon one's source, this set was either made under the auspices of the grand ceramics house of Shore and Coggins, Longton (Stoke-on-Trent), Staffordshire, or Ridgway Potteries, Ltd. Either way, today's cup and saucer set was sold under the Queen Anne label, and the eagle-eyed will see that the cup's mark says Ridgway... Shore and Coggins closed down in 1966, but not before providing tea drinkers with gazillions of pieces of best-quality wares. As these labels are less-known outside of Britain -- taking a back seat to Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Spode, and others -- the aware collector can find many Queen Anne, Bell, Colclough, Adderly, or Royal Vale pieces for not so much money if she keeps her eyes open.

Note the perfectly egg-y Leigh shape! Regular readers of this weblog already know how much I adore the smooth, generous lines of the Leigh... on top of all that, this is a larger cup which holds about eight fluid ounces (vs. the more common six), so I would call it a Breakfast Cup. Trix has a pair of these sets and we do enjoy using them in tandem sometimes, although we usually prefer to enliven the tea table by using different sets of teaware altogether. Life, being short, needs all the variety we can squeeze into it... but I digress.

Other than the hand-applied gold on handle and edges, there is no hand-painting on this set -- it is a thoroughly modern polychrome transfer which looks good with so many other patters and styles. Admittedly, this is the sort of design you are either going to admire or... not. I grew up with people who thought the absolute world of mid-century style, and after a long season of detesting the starkness and lack of doodads, I softened into quite an admirer (lucky for Trixie).

Today's tea: it MUST be iced, or at least mightily chilled, and a clear, clean Ceylon (as black tea from Sri Lanka is still called) sounds fabulous right about now... and, as if on cue, there is darling Trix calling me into the parlor for some, so I bid you a tea-stained and utterly fond farewell until the next time,
xo, Dustin

A Teaglass for Tuesday: Celebrating National Iced Tea Month

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:16:00 +0000

When warm weather decides to appear, it often makes a bold entrance. Fortunately, Trix and I are ready for the present wave of heat (well, sort of ready) with glasses of cold-infused tea made in the time-honored fashion: Rinse tea leaves of your choice with hot-hot water; put leaves into a sparkly clean Mason jar; fill jar with cold tea-making water; close the jar, put in 'fridge, and let infuse for 4 or more hours, even overnight; your tea is then ready to drink as-is or diluted with more cold water, to taste. Additions of flavorings, sweeteners, fresh fruit, even ice cubes are up to you... tea made in this way is just so refreshing it doesn't really need anything else put in (although you see I could not resist a little ice today).

I like to use infusion pouches because they make the set-up and clean-up very easy, but if you want to plunk the leaves right into the jar, loose and unfettered, go right ahead. You can refill the Mason jar several times, adding more leaves if you want to, but please start afresh after 2 days, to keep everything safe and sane. Put the spent tea leaves on your garden plants -- this is "upcycling" of the highest order!

Cold infusion is particularly good for green and white teas, yielding such mild infusions that you may pinch yourself (especially if you are new to greens and whites, which, after black teas, can seem, well, less exciting -- a topic for another day as I have so very much to say on the matter, such as How to Utterly Enjoy Green and White Teas, mmm).

At left you can see one of my all-time favorite tea for cold infusion: New Vithanakande Estate FOP long leaf (the link takes you to a similarly delicious grade from the same estate, sold by our friends at Silver Tips Tea). It is low in tannins and naturally mild in flavor but infuses to a lovely deep color, gorgeous in a glass. A tremendously satisfying "tea" taste, so much smoother than that famous tea in the yellow box. An excellent value and a great introduction to higher-quality teas for the neophyte.

Crank up the fans!! Wishing you glasses-ful of your favorite cold tea beverage, and sending all my love, Dustin

Better late than... well, you know...

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:07:00 +0000

HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her birthday at LEAST twice each year: there is her actual birth anniversary on the 21st of April; and there is The Queen's Official Birthday, a prettier day in late Spring on which HM can hear cheerful sentiments, bestow Birthday Honours, watch the Colours do their Trooping, et cetera, which this year was the 11th of June (only yesterday!). People of the United States join in the fun, as our own government makes a commemorative statement on our behalf.

At our house the celebration is fairly modest, with teacups raised in quiet salute to one of the longest- and proudest-working women of all time, anywhere. Cheers, Lilibet! Oh yes and thanks for naming Colin Firth among the birthday honourees -- very cool: CF becomes a CBE.

As if all this weren't enough, The Queen's husband and consort HRH Prince Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, turned 90 on Friday, whereupon The Wife made him Lord High Admiral of the Royal Navy (how's that for a birthday gift?); so it's cake and ice cream all 'round. The venerable D of E says he is now ready to relax a bit and let some of these youngsters take on more of the Royal engagements... after the wedding in April, and these birthday parties all weekend, and, and, and... fair enough, we say. Go visit your family in Greece... or is it Denmark?

At top-left you can catch a glimpse of our favorite Coronation teaware image, the enigmatic portrait used by Royal Tuscan on cups, saucers, plates, and more which pushes past the patriotic red, white, and blue into a near-rainbow of color for the four Royal plants (Rose of England, Thistle of Scotland, Daffodil of Wales, and Shamrock of Northern Ireland) and the Crown. Royal Tuscan was long ago rolled into the venerable Wedgwood family of potteries, and now The Big W, too, has itself been rolled into the Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton Group. sigh

We also like this new picture {borrowed with gratitude from the Royal Household} very much.

And... here it is! The news all Royal-watchers have been waiting for -- the plans for The Queen's 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations are beginning to pour forth! It is all we can do to stay in our seats. More, oh yes EVER so much more, to come about that... {here Trixie fans Dustin's rapidly overheating brow}. You just wait and see -- or don't wait -- follow the link in this paragraph to the BBC, where they already know so much more about this stuff than we ever shall (although we won't quit trying).

... Dustin, overcome, has gone to lie down, so I'll say good evening to you all, flapping my recently-much-practiced Royal Wave in your direction... Happy Birthday, Everyone! xo, Trix

Welcome to Wednesday: Ridgway (should we say Widgway?) WINDSOR... and more

noreply@blogger.com (Trixie and Dustin of TheTeaDrinker.com) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:10:00 +0000

Well wow, Wonderfuls! Here we are again with a very handsome English teacup and saucer set to show you:
maker: RIDGWAY, Staffordshire
pattern: WINDSOR, red version (often called Red Windsor)
manufacture: high-fired earthernware with red transfer and clear overglaze; hand-applied red enamel on cup handle
circa: second half of 20th century -- reproduction of the original pattern

Other potteries, such as Burleigh, call this pattern Asiatic Pheasant(s) and it can come in various colors ranging from pastels to deep shades; Ridgway made Windsor in deep green, a multicolor version, and this fabulous goes-with-nearly-everything red which seems to be the hottest of the versions on collectors' websites such as hmm hmm.

See the mark at left... whenever you read something like "detergent proof" or "oven safe" in a mark, such as in this one, you can be sure it is of relatively recent manufacture; despite the makers' guarantees, however, we always wash our vintage teaware by hand (thank you, Trix! She is so marvelous at it). It is such a tactile pleasure that we want to play with our collection as much as possible, another reason why hand-washing is best.

Ridgway is one of the Stoke-on-Trent potteries that has kept the lines of several former companies alive - for instance, Booth's "Washington" is now Ridgway's "English Garden" (both of which we will show you on another day), etc. I really love the scalloped edges of these saucers, which carry forward the 19th-century style even as the cup handles have been simplified (and made therefore slightly less prone to chip); they have a heft and dimension that feels so good in the hand that even an everyday teatime feels celebretory.

Red transferware happens to go really well with Imari-style ceramics (about which we have regaled you and shall continue to regale you for some time to come); it also "does" beautifully for the Winter holidays, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, and any other red-letter day such as a birthday. Red is just so... RED! Can't seem to get enough of it. Makes everything else on the table look good. Trix did well to pick up four of these Windsor sets one day at our favorite local emporium, the Antique Society, for some ridiculously affordable price.

We are often asked about the storage of teaware... How do you do it? they cry, with upturned faces and tense brows... Look around your abode for old t-shirts, flannel pj's, even thick cotton socks (washed, please); cut them into circles and squares to fit your dishes (it's OK to let the cloth extend a little beyond the edges of your dishes); gently stack two or three sets high on secure shelves, paying mucho attention to placement of cup handles and saucer edges... of course you want to put larger/heavier sets under lighter/smaller ones... as much as possible, keep same sizes together to minimize the heartache of breakage. Old clothes rarely look attractive as dish separators, but let me put it to you with some vigor that not only are you recycling in a creative way, but you are doing your old dishes a favor by cushioning them better than if you were to use those flimsy, scratchy grey circles that can be found at housewares shops.

If you are the envy of all your friends and have bunches and piles of cup and saucer sets, it is a very good thing to rotate several sets in and out of use at the beginning of each season (yes, we DO do this). Staves off boredom, gives all your lovelies a chance to be admired, and reminds you how excellent you are at collecting vintage teaware. If you have more sets than can comfortably be stored in your cupboard, and you have to (gasp!) pack some away in boxes, we recommend "banker's" file boxes because they hold plenty but are still lift-able when full... separate cups from saucers; wrap saucers in well-padded stacks, then wrap each cup separately... we find that one banker's box holds a couple dozen sets of standard-sized cups and saucers, even with the copious amount of tissue and bubble with which we smother them. Spare yourself future frustration by listing the contents on at least one end of every box (one might think this was a self-evident procedure, but no; occasionally even we have neglected this step, to our later chagrin)... I now step down from my soapy box because I want to share something exquisitely nifty:

Tea people who visit Asia are superb people to know, especially when they go out of their way to share treasures gleaned in their travels. One such person -- the effervescent Marmalady -- brought not only some bodacious 20-year-old Buddha's Hand oolong tea directly from the garden in Taiwan but her handsome husband as well; and we all got together on a recent (blustery!!) morning to show the squirrels and blue jays how to infuse such fine stuff in a local park. As you can see {at left}, even a cold morning can be made better with really fabulous tea and some chocolate-coated biscuits. Yum yum yum yum and yum. Thank you M'lady! And thank you Ms Gillian Cale of VisitStoke.co.uk for supplying our new blog decoration, which can be found in the upper quadrant of our left-hand column... Go Stoke!

Until the next time, we wish you all a very happy June, with gallons of tea and plates-ful of your favorite goes-along-with,
xo, Dustin