Table of contents for March - April 2013 in TeaTime

As winter begins to release its icy grip and the first buds of spring appear, we yearn for our gardens to burst into full bloom so we can again enjoy having tea outdoors. Those of us who live in the Deep South often are able to sip tea in such verdant surroundings as early as March, and by April, our yards abound with floral fragrances and are awash with color. But even if springtime seems a long way off where you live, we hope this issue will serve as wonderful inspiration for teatimes to come. Our three delightful menus and accompanying tablescapes are ideal for chasing away the winter doldrums. From an elegant Eastertide celebration to a charming tea in a garden gazebo to a playful rainy-day-themed party, there is…

Tarts for Tea Mini tart pans like these are key for making both sweet and savory tea-size treats. ($3 for barquettes, $3.50 for round; surlatable.com) Simply Sliced This serrated bread knife slices tea sandwiches, brownies, shortbread, and more to perfection. ($20; pamperedchef.com) Scoops Galore Available in a variety of sizes, OXO squeeze-torelease scoops create consistent portions without any mess. ($12.99 for small, $13.99 for medium; oxo.com) Mini Cakes Charming and delicious miniature cakes are simple to make with this durable, fluted, nonstick pan by Wilton. ($14.99; wilton.com) Pretty Picks These reusable party picks add a special elegance and a touch of color to a variety of tea foods. ($9.99; talismandesigns.com) The Perfect Cut Turn tea sandwiches, desserts, and garnishes into delightful shapes and sizes with this multicutter set. ($19.95; salviapress.com)…

TEA sommelier These flavorful infusions from several purveyors pair nicely with each course of this delightful tea-party menu. BREAD & SOUP COURSE: Elmwood Inn Fine Teas’ Cherry Rose Green Tea elmwoodinn.com SAVORIES COURSE: Capital Teas’ Kosabei TGFOP capitalteas.com SWEETS COURSE: Simpson & Vail’s Red Velvet Cupcake Tea svtea.com Golden Raisin–Rosemary Crumpets Yield: 13 crumpets Preparation: 30 minutes Rise: 1 hour Cook: 6 minutes per batch 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon dry active yeast* 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1⁄3 cup golden raisins 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary ¾ cup whole milk ¾ cup water • In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, baking soda, and salt, whisking well. Add raisins and rosemary. Set aside. • In a small saucepan, combine milk and…

Having afternoon tea at Heirlooms Tea Room transports guests to days gone by. “I’ve always loved beautiful, feminine things: delicate china, soft vintage linens, antique furniture, and classic novels,” says Audrey Hollatz, proprietress of this historically significant 1899 Victorianhome- turned-tearoom in Hutchinson, Minnesota. However, a child’s tea set from her grandmother was the spark that started Audrey’s love affair with tea, and she draws inspiration from the memory. She is eager to pass this “heirloom” to her own daughters and grandchildren. One seed for the idea of an heirloom-themed tearoom was planted years ago when Audrey was asked to host a mother-daughter afternoon-tea event at her church. Its purpose was to honor mothers by bringing many different generations of women together in one room to share stories and memories, reminisce…

COVER Photography by Stephanie Welbourne Grund, food styling by Janet Lambert, and photo styling by Lucy W. Herndon. Bernardaud Artois Green (Versailles Shape) footed cup and saucer set ($39.99) from Replacements, 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2: Royal Crown Derby Titanic 5-piece place setting ($475), creamer ($190), and teapot ($625) from Bromberg’s, 205-871-3276, brombergs.com. Page 3: Lenox Chirp dinner plate ($26.95), salad plate ($18.95), and cup ($24.95), 800-223-4311, lenox.com. Lenox Chirp teapot ($109.95) and creamer and sugar ($49.99) from Replacements, 800-REPLACE, replacements.com. MASTHEAD Page 5: Herend Rothschild Bird Green dinner plate ($450), salad plate ($305), tea saucer ($140), and teacup ($285), 772-343-1965, herendstore.com. NECESSARY THINGS Page 13: Mini tart pans from Sur la Table, 800- 243-0852, surlatable.com. Serrated bread knife ($20) from The Pampered Chef, 888-687-2433, pamperedchef.com. Measuring scoops…

A Beautiful Cup Thank you for your beautiful March/ April 2012 cover photo of a Haviland The Princess teacup and the accompanying photos on pages 20 and 21. At a recent convention of the nonprofit Haviland Collector’s International Foundation (havilandcollectors.com), I presented and highlighted your magazine to our members, who were thrilled to see the china being used in the way it was intended—a relaxing and beautiful time with friends and family. We just love your magazine! NANCY HILL California New Size When I received my September/October [2012] issue, I looked and thought that something was off . I compared it to my older issues, and lo and behold, the magazine is smaller than it used to be. My November/December issue is the same. Is this a fluke or the…

1 Mao Feng SIMPSON & VAIL “This superior green tea has a delicate vegetal aroma and flavor, so it pairs nicely with savory tea fare.” —Cailyn Haynes, Art Director 2 Lung Ching HARNEY & SONS “Also known as Dragonwell, Lung Ching is a great Chinese tea—slightly vegetal with lovely toasted and nutty notes. Truly a tea to drink again and again!” —Lorna Reeves, Editor 3 Thé des Sources LE PALAIS DES THÉS “This mint infusion with subtle hints of bergamot is the ideal tea to wake me up in the morning.” —Amy Hannum, Editorial Assistant 4 Chinese Flower HARNEY & SONS “The subtle floral undertones of this citrus tea make it perfect to drink both hot and cold.” —Lucy W. Herndon, Stylist 5 Lemon Ginger Snap TEAS ETC “Both invigorating…

Gluten-Free Lemon-Thyme Scones Yield: 16 mini scones Preparation: 15 minutes Bake: 24 minutes 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour* ¼ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup cold salted butter 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream, divided ¼ teaspoon lemon extract Garnish: Strawberry Curd (on page 23) and fresh thyme • Preheat oven to 350°. • Spray a 16-well mini scone pan† with nonstick spray. Set aside. • In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add thyme and lemon zest, stirring to combine. Set aside. • In a small bowl, combine 1½ cups cream…

March 16 Spring Tea 11:00 a.m. Cheesecake Therapy Arvada, Colorado Please join So Lovely Traveling Tea Room & Events to celebrate springtime with afternoon tea. Sample decadent food creations and tea at Cheesecake Therapy in historic Olde Town Arvada. Get the ladies together for a fantastic time enjoying fresh scones, hearty soup, finger sandwiches, petite sweet treats, and, of course, perfectly steeped tea. The cost is $20 per person. Call 303-731-9510 for your reservation, or visit So Lovely Traveling Tea Room’s page on Facebook for more information. 16 Exploring Tea 1:30 p.m. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Learn more about tea at this interactive discussion. Participants will hear about the history, growing regions, processing, storing, and health benefits of tea. The instructor will bring samples of tea leaves…

T he chai phenomenon has swept across the United States for more than a decade, partly because of our growing tea and Coffee culture and the rising popularity of Indian cuisine. However, when traveling through India, you need to know the difference between chai and masala chai. The Hindi word for tea is chai, a derivation of the Chinese word for tea, cha. Thanks to a 20th-century promotional campaign sponsored by the Indian Tea Association, black tea with milk and sugar is a common hot beverage in homes and offices across India. You might recall the lead character in the 2008 movie Slum Dog Millionaire, whose occupation was chaiwallah, a person who delivers tea to office or factory workers. Chaiwallahs are also found on the platforms of every train station…

TEA sommelier Your guests will be grateful for this superb selection of teas from Capital Teas. Order at capitalteas.com. BREAD COURSE: White Mandarin Pu’erh Tea SAVORIES COURSE: Dragon Pearls Green Tea SWEETS COURSE: Himalayan Gold Organic Black Tea Ginger-Carrot Mini Muffins Yield: 24 mini muffins Preparation: 25 minutes Bake: 12 minutes 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 large eggs ½ cup salted butter, melted ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups lightly packed finely shredded carrots 1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger • Preheat oven to 350°. • Spray a 24-well mini muffin pan* with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Set aside. • In a large bowl, combine…

On Independence Day 1803, President Thomas Jefferson announced the Louisiana Purchase, a treaty with France that instantly doubled the size of our young nation. At a cost of less than 3 cents per acre, the United States acquired vast tracts of untrammeled wilderness stretching from the mighty Mississippi to the lofty Rocky Mountains. Lewis and Clark quickly set out to chart these unfamiliar lands. Soon thereafter, mountain men, missionaries, and gold seekers headed west, followed over several decades by hundreds of thousands of citizens who crossed the Oregon and other trails in covered-wagon trains, seeking fertile land and economic opportunity. That westward expansion is one of the defining themes of American history, and the can-do spirit of its pioneers has become deeply embedded in our national psyche. Today, many attractions…

John Griffiths is an English author and a man of many parts—a former president of Britain’s Liberal Party, an expert on Afghanistan, a broadcast journalist, etc. As son of Sir Percival Griffiths, KBE, it is also his fate to write a magnificent work on the story of tea—and what a book! Griffiths’s father, the redoubtable doyen of modernday India’s tea industry, died, pen in hand and cup within reach, in 1994 at the age of 93. “PJ,” as he was called, went out to India in 1930 in the service of the British Raj. As an enlightened imperialist who loved India, he was invited to stay on after independence, and he continued his leading role in the India Tea Association until retiring in 1975. Much credit for India’s preeminent position…