Table of contents for Fall 2005 in TeaTime

Of all the seasons, I confess autumn is my favorite. Autumn is a sigh of relief after the hot, humid days of summer, a promise of cold, wintry days ahead. And what better way to celebrate the crisp air, the clear light that comes with October days than by packing a basket of favorite tea goodies and striking out for the lakeside? Years ago, on just such an autumn day, my husband and I set out to visit my dear friend from college days and her husband—also newlyweds. Nancy prepared and packed a delicious meal for the four of us, and then, in a daring move, packed her elegant new china, received as wedding gifts. Paper plates would have sufficed, but her plan was to create a charming setting for…

With autumn’s arrival comes crisp, cool air; the everpresent smoky smell of a roaring fire; and leaves of amber, scarlet, and gold. And nature, in her kindness, has provided the raw materials needed to create an indoor scene that mirrors the one outside. The tea table is the perfect place to start. A vibrant, hand-crafted centerpiece is perfect for creating a simple yet elegant statement for the table. A centerpiece with eye-catching color sets the tone for an event, serves as a conversation piece, and adds just a bit of pizzazz to the tablescape. The warm, soothing effect of tea paired with a cheerful, cozy floral arrangement featuring fall’s richest tones will leave your guests lingering long after the last drop of tea has been sipped. Step 1: Assemble materials:…

Part social institution and part ceremony, the making of chai varies little from wallah to wallah, who typically travel with a sort of portable kitchen that usually includes a miniature stove on which the chai is “cooked.” Rapidly and with minimal fuss, the chaiwallahs mix each serving hot and fresh on the spot. With a deftness that comes from performing the same task again and again, the chaiwallahs blend the warmed milk and strained, spiced tea by briskly pouring the liquids from one pan into the other—it is a point of pride that not a drop is spilled in the process. The frothy rust-colored beverage is then served to customers in cups called kullarhs, made of native clay and usually fired over the same flames used to prepare the tea.…

There isn’t even a single note of awe in Dolores Snyder’s voice as she casually recounts being asked to supervise an afternoon tea service for the queen. As in the queen of England. Though circumstances prevented the tea service from occurring more than a decade ago, Dolores nonetheless rose to the challenge, consulting a British friend who, through her job, frequented Buckingham Palace. Using insight from her chum on the likes and dislikes of the Queen Elizabeth as a framework, Dolores conjured a menu designed to showcase the best of her state, using such homegrown ingredients as Texas blackberries, blueberries, and pecans. Dolores denies feeling even so much as a tremble at the time. “No, I wasn’t nervous,” she recalls matter-of-factly. “I’ve been in the presence of people who appreciate…

Cover and Page 21: Teapot, Tricia’s Treasures. Linens, April Cornell, Crystal jar with silver lid, Martha Lauren Antique Linens and Accessories. Come for Tea Page 7: Makeup, michaelmarcus cosmetics. Tea & Etiquette Page 8: Protocol School of Washington. A Harvest of Beauty Page 12: Flowers, Homewood Florist, Inc. China, Tricia’s Treasures. Necessary Things Pages 16-17: Silken tea infusers, Tea Forte. Preserves, Fauchon, Inc. Scones, Darie’s Scones. Bundt-shaped cheesecakes, Sweet Kathleen. Cookies, J&M Foods. Cups & Saucers, Cabbages and Kings. From India With Love Pages 18-20: Antique wooden boxes, Tricia’s Treasures. Rectangle trays, Homewood Florist, Inc. To Theme or Not to Theme Page 27: Tea Time Entertaining, available through DWS Publishing. Playful Pastime Page 31: TEAGO game, Cheryl Dunbar, Antique cup and saucer, Noordermeer Antieks. Pairing Tea and Chocolate Pages 32-35: Chocolates,…

Q Is milk poured in the cup before the tea is poured, or after? A Don’t put the milk in before the tea because then you cannot judge the strength of the tea by its color. You may have heard or read that milk precedes the tea into the cup, but please, please dear tea lovers, don’t be guilty of this faux pas (another reason for banishment to the Tea Drinker’s Hall of Shame). Also, you need not hear some snobbish, chilly remark such as, “Oh, she’s the milk-in-first type of person.” Q Where did this old milk-first tale come from? A Samuel Twining has theorized that milk first prevented early china from cracking in reaction to boiling water. That theory appears rather shaky today since boiling water is not…

Consider the coffeecake. At first glance, one might assume the pastry suffers from an identity crisis, stuck in limbo between bread and cake, snack and dessert. But don’t be fooled. The coffeecake not only knows its place in the world, but is willing to rise to any occasion, be it your morning mug of java or afternoon cup of tea. This blueberry coffeecake comes to us courtesy of Elaine Gemmell of Natchez, Mississippi. A hostess supreme, Elaine says she always keeps the ingredients on-hand in case visitors (expected or otherwise) should drop by. And though she prefers to bake it with the bountiful blueberries that grow practically in her backyard, she promises frozen will work just as well. ELAINE’S BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE 4 tablespoons butter, softened ½ cup sugar 1 egg…

Autumn's Ambassador If there is a universal symbol of autumn, it is surely the venerable pumpkin. Its heft and glowing color, its plump prettiness embody all that is lovely about the season that ignites the senses with its potpourri of sights, sounds, and smells. So, too, autumn’s grandest ambassador, the pumpkin, possesses that same lovely, lingering, familiar quality. Perhaps that is why, centuries ago, when the colonists first landed on these shores, they seized upon the pumpkin as an emblem of thanksgiving, filling them with spices, milk, and honey, and baking them in ashes. Imagine how the scent and sight of those baking pumpkins must have comforted our courageous ancestors, then foreigners in a foreign land. And isn’t it wonderful to know that such succor is so easy to attain…

Taking tea can be a rather serious affair, but it is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, to add a dash of whimsy and merriment to one’s teatime ritual. A board game may not seem like a typical teatime activity at first glance, but it is a unique and surprising way to educate players about all things tea while providing a bit of afternoon amusement. Native Texan Cheryl Dunbar believes her playful game Teago is the perfect blend of education and entertainment. Cheryl embraced the idea of a playful tea party when she created her teatime game at a holiday tea she hosted for friends. Cheryl’s spur-of-the moment inaugural version was displayed on red construction paper and featured different tea varieties as the sole category. Cheryl’s professional background in hospitality and event…

Located in Chattanooga, Tennessee’s pedestrian-friendly downtown—just minutes away from excellent outlet and antique shopping—this charming tearoom is housed inside a historic brick building that was once the Grand Hotel. But the hustle and bustle of guests moving about the busy lobby has long since faded away, replaced by the peaceful hum of friendly conversation and the soft clinking of teacups and saucers. Sunlight pours through large windows, illuminating rows and rows of china, filling the room with a cheery glow. And this sense of merriment echoes in the bright smiles of the tearoom’s excellent staff. “The majority of our staff is British,” says owner Angela Becksvoort, who is a native of the British colony Zimbabwe—now Rhodesia—and long-time resident of Surry. “But even more than that, we are all really good…

Mother Knows Best Most of us learned at our mother’s knee at least three important life lessons: wait your turn, mind your manners, and never put off writing thank-you notes. Easy for mother to say. In today’s fast-paced world, it is, admittedly, not always easy to find time for such niceties. The problem is … mother was right. What we perhaps forget is how little time it actually takes to write a proper thank-you note, and, most importantly, how much it means to have one’s kindness acknowledged. All you need is a suitable card or stationery, a pen (pencil-scripted thank-yous are forbidden), and an honest appreciation for the kind of courtesy and etiquette that fosters congeniality. Perhaps you might even send a thank-you note to mother—for instilling in you something…

Artful Presentation It’s been called the “Lamborghini of teabags,” but the elegant, pyramid-shaped silken infusers that are the hallmark of Tea Forte are no mere “bags.” These little darlings are submerged, never dunked, in the cup. And once steeped, the infusers’ companion ceramic trays not only catch drips but also add a touch of drama and whimsy to the presentation. To ensure freshness, Tea Forte’s silken infusers are filled and sealed onsite in Asian tea gardens. Keeping up With the Sconeses A scone hot and fresh from the oven, bathed in cream and baked to golden perfection, is as fine a thing as any imaginable. It takes quite a spread to measure up to such sublime satisfaction, but the seasonally inspired gourmet preserves of France-based Fauchon are more than up…

It is not an everyday tea party, even though all the usual elements are there. Beautifully set tables are adorned with an eclectic array of china patterns, antique cups and saucers, and beautiful teapots. Soft piano music flows like a soothing balm being carefully poured from an exquisite teapot into the hearts of those entering the garden. The serene setting is the courtyard garden at Christ Church United Methodist in Louisville, Kentucky. All the women who have been invited to this party share a common bond—each has been touched by cancer. The church sponsors the tea service quarterly. The tea ministry began in June 2004 soon after a weekend seminar prompted church member Trudy Wheeler to use her knowledge and love of tea to serve and help others. “The purpose…

Rich Bouquet The heady, fruity flavors of Cointreau and raspberry ganache fill these handmade bon-bons and pair particularly well with a light, aromatic Darjeeling. Just Desserts Milky-sweet chocolate-enrobed cookies and an exotic, light oolong are a delightful marriage of flavors, perfect for an afternoon break or even for dessert following a meal. Trying to pen even a sentence about chocolate is an intimidating experience. Equal parts muse and master, the cacao plant extract is nearly indefinable in its allure, eluding exact adjectives with an ease that is, frankly, a little disconcerting. Chocolate is one of those ineffable culinary pleasures that defies not only description, but also categorization. It is not quite a “food” and not quite an “ingredient.” And while technically also not an intoxicant, chocolate has been known to…

Perhaps it is the fact that Over Tea is snuggled into the corner of an antique mall, surrounded by row upon row of aging heirlooms— each dulled but not dimmed by time and love and use. Here, where the motto is “making memories over afternoon tea,” mists of nostalgia seem to mingle with the fragrant scent of golden baked scones. Inviting tables for two and four and six await visitors—set with crystal dishes filled with chocolate, crisp linens, ornate china, and orphaned but exquisite teacups. There is even a screened, fireside nook for solitary tea-lovers whose preferred company is the books and soft music Cindy makes available to them. Breath seems to still itself, and the heart slows to a happy thump as Cindy and her daughter nurture their guests…

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a person in possession of a good read must be in want of a hot cuppa…or so Kim Wilson would have us believe. The Wisconsin author’s recently penned Tea With Jane Austen is not only a good read, but a broad exploration of Austen’s era and inner life, the details of which no doubt colored her famous Victorian-style prose. Austen’s work, which focused most frequently on tales of the aristrocracy, sang with a sure voice and sugared wit and has spawned fan clubs too numerous to mention, societies in her name, and so on. In her own book, Wilson examines the surprisingly rich role tea and its consumption played in Austen’s life and work as she sifts through the minutia of Austen’s daily…