Table of contents for September - October 2016 in TeaTime

I truly enjoy meeting TeaTime readers at tea festivals throughout the United States. Hearing how the magazine inspires you is so rewarding. Often, you tell me how you have used afternoon tea to benefit a worthy cause, such as cancer prevention. Many have either hosted or attended a pink-ribbon tea during October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But did you know that September is our National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month? I recently had the privilege of interviewing world-renowned sugar artist Kerry Vincent, whom many will remember from her programs on Food Network or from her recent appearances on HSN for Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. A tea lover almost from birth, Kerry serves as national ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia. In my article on page 49, learn more about…

September 6-11 Britsburgh Various times and venues Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Enjoy a host of tea-related events at Britsburgh, a six-day roving festival that celebrates the historic connections between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Great Britain. From Scone Henge II, a buffet of British teas and scones at Anchor & Anvil Teas, to a tea-dueling competition at Gryphon’s Tea, there’s something for every tea lover—young or old, novice or connoisseur. For a full list of events with times and dates, go to bacpgh.com/our-programs/events/britsburgh/. 11 Grandparents’ Day Tea 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Historic Carriage House Oatlands Historic House & Gardens Leesburg, Virginia Honor your grandparents at an afternoon tea at Oatlands, an 1804 antebellum home in Loudoun Country, Virginia, that survived the Civil War unscathed. Enjoy a traditional tea in the Historic Carriage House, and…

I received a call one morning from a young writer who was preparing a story about teas that millennial males might find enticing. This was the first tea assignment the reporter had attempted. His question was, “How do they train monkeys to pick tea?” I chuckled, paused, and broke the news that he wasn’t the first novice tea drinker to be taken in by this story. Westerners had been falling for the fable for well over 200 years. Like many legends dealing with the romance of tea, the image of monkeys plucking tea leaves was not to be taken literally. A British writer in 1797 thought he was on the trail of an incredible story when he wrote: “According to legend, the villagers stand below the monkeys and taunt them.…

Gluten-free Pumpkin-Date Scone Yield: 14 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour* ¹ / ³ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces ½ cup chopped dates ¾ cup cold heavy whipping cream ½ cup canned pumpkin puree ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Garnish: additional sugar • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add dates, stirring to combine. • In a small bowl, combine cream, pumpkin puree, and vanilla…

Northwest Tea Festival October 1–2, 2016 Seattle Center Fisher Pavillion • Seattle, WA nwteafestival.com  • 206-448-4054 Coffee & Tea Festival Philly November 5–6, 2016 Greater Philadelphia Expo Center • Oaks, PA coffeeandteafestival.com/philly  • 631-940-7290 San Francisco International Tea Festival November 6, 2016 Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture • San Francisco, CA sfitf.com  • 530-507-3099 Los Angeles International Tea Festival December 3–4, 2016 Japanese American National Museum • Los Angeles, CA teafestivalla.com…

Festive Pair Sip tea from this hand-painted porcelain cup and saucer set from Maryland China. ($18.95; marylandchina.com or 800-638-3880) Lovely Linens Enhance seasonal tablescapes with April Cornell’s Chocolate Queen’s Court or Antique Reverie napkins. ($29 for a set of four; aprilcornell.com or 888-332-7745) Tasty Brews B Savor the rich flavors of Pumpkin Masala Chai, Pumpkin Crème, and Caramel Pecan Pie teas from Global Tea Mart. ($12 for each 4-ounce tin; globalteamart.com or 844-208-2337) Nuts for Tea Steep any loose-leaf tea with this charming silicone Acorn Tea Infuser by Kikkerland. ($10; kikkerland.com, 866-822-5571) Natural Touch Imprint sweet treats with hand-carved terra-cotta cookie stamps from Fancy Flours. ($12 for each stamp; fancyflours.com or 406-587-0118) Setting the Tone Mark your tea guests’ seats with pinecone-embellished Hester & Cook place cards. ($6 for a…

Cinnamon Scones Yield: 12 2 cups all-purpose flour¹ / ³ cup sugar2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces¾ cup cinnamon morsels*¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream½ teaspoon vanilla extractGarnish: turbinado sugar • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add cinnamon morsels, stirring to blend. • In a liquid-measuring cup, combine cream and vanilla extract, stirring to blend. Add to flour mixture, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands…

K entucky, especially the Bluegrass Region in the central part of the state, is known for two things—horseracing and bourbon. But sipping another brew is gaining popularity there. Gay Reading of Lexington’s Greentree Tearoom attributes the rise of tea drinking to Kentuckians’ longtime affi nity for the British Isles. “We are the horse capital of the world,” he points out. “When people from this area go to Europe, they typically visit England and Ireland—horse-racing countries but also tea-drinking countries.” And as a recent trip to Kentucky demonstrates, owning a tea business in the Bluegrass State is often a family affair. From tea shops run by husband-and-wife teams to sisters who host afternoon tea, these delightful tea businesses will welcome you like a member of the family. 2 SISTERS TEA ROOM…

COVER Wedgwood Pashmina 5-piece place setting ($139.99), teapot ($225) from Wedgwood, 877-720-3486, wedgwood.com. L. E. Smith Glass Company Hobnail amber glass cake stand from private collection. Kenaf natural table runner ($49) from Pottery Barn, 888-779-5276, potterybarn.com. TITLE PAGE Page 4 : Royal Chelsea Gothic teapot ($139.95); Royal Crown Derby Lombardy dinner plate ($139.95), salad plate ($74.95), cup and saucer ($74.95) from Replacements Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Herend Silk Ribbon Turquoise charger ($300) from Herend USA, herendusa.com. MASTHEAD Page 7 : Royal Crown Derby Lombardy dinner plate ($139.95), cup and saucer ($74.95) from Replacements Ltd., 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. Herend Silk Ribbon Turquoise charger ($300) from Herend USA, herendusa.com. Reed & Barton Kendrick Gold flatware 45-piece set ($109.99) from Bed Bath and Beyond, 800-462-3966, bedbathandbeyond.com. THE COMPLETE TABLE: A FRUITFUL HARVEST Pages 21–22 :…

The Cutting Edge I just started baking scones from your recipes. What do I do to the fluted, circular cutters so that the scone falls out and doesn’t stick to the inside? I have gently pushed them out onto the baking sheet, but is there a better way? I love TeaTime magazine, and your scones are delicious. HELEN SANDERS Via E-mail Our test kitchen professional, Janet Lambert, recommends spraying the inside of the cutter lightly with cooking spray (Pam). The scones will fall out of the cutter rather than having to be pushed out. Reading a New Issue of TeaTime Life can get hectic and sometimes emotionally draining. When it does, there is just something calming about making a small pot of tea and sitting down with your magazine. Leafing…

White Tea Wu-long Premium SHANG TEA shangtea.com • 816-421-2588 TEACUP: Haviland Autumn Leaf (flat cup) “A toasty, full-bodied oolong, this tea has a honey-sweet finish.” —Betty Terry, associate editor Pumpkin Oolong CAPITAL TEAS capitalteas.com • 888-484-8327 TEACUP: Spode Wicker Lane “This tea is like having pumpkin pie in a cup—perfect for a crisp fall day!” —Janice Ritter, dealer program manager Anne Elliott’s Hope BINGLEY’S TEAS bingleysteas.com • 612-845-1707 TEACUP: Lenox Westwind “Lightly oxidized, this Chinese oolong yields delicate melon notes.” —Lorna Reeves, editor Cinnamon Buns TEAS ETC. teasetc.com • 800-832-1126 TEACUP: Haviland Autumn Leaf (footed cup) “A cinnamony, sweet, fragrant blend that brews into a nice comforting cup of tea.” —Janet Lambert, recipe developer/food stylist Dragon Tea ELMWOOD INN FINE TEAS elmwoodinn.com • 800-765-2139 TEACUP:…

Double-Ginger Scones Yield: 12 2 cups all-purpose flour ¹ / ³ cup organic cane sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into pieces 3 tablespoons chopped crystalized ginger ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk 1 egg yolk Garnish: sliced almonds, additional crystalized ginger • Preheat oven to 350°. • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. • In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add crystalized ginger, stirring to blend. • In a small bowl, combine almond milk and egg yolk, whisking well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until mixture is evenly moist. (If dough seems dry,…