The Art Of Tea Online


Many years ago, my daughter Ginny and I owned a small shop in St. Louis called The Swan Tea Room. We served all sorts of tea both traditional and blended, with fresh pastries, soups and savories. Now, I want to tell you of the teas I have discovered since that time...which bring back many of the wonderful scents and sounds of our little shop. And I thought I might share them with you. Perhaps the most charming tea room is in Paris...Mariage Freres, in the Marais, just behind the Hotel de Ville. Recently, that age-old café has published a small book. It is called, simply, Tea. In San Francisco, across the bridge, the finest tea room is at The Ritz-Carlton which serves High Tea and serenades you with a harp and violins. Delicious. But there is another, at Church and Clipper Streets called Lovejoy's. And although few people seem to know of it, it is essential that one make a reservation as it is packed with women in big hats and gloves. This in the year 2003! My personal secret is in Benecia. The Camellia Tea Room. Worth the drive and worth the time. The entire town, right on the bay, is any romantic's idea of heaven.

Little has changed since the 1800's. Their teas are lovely too, but most delicious tea for me is Mariage Freres Marco Polo, which is a mix of citrus, floral and rich black tea. The flavor is indescribable. Just beautiful. You can get it at Williams Sonoma. Don’t ask me why, but it is not in their on-line catalog...but it is in their stores. If you do not see it, ask for it...and when you do, buy about four boxes. It is that good. About $14. Another which runs a very close second is Vanilla Bean from Mighty Leaf. You can order it from H E R E in either their sumptuous silky bags or in loose black tea with flowers and vanilla beans rough cut into it. I sometimes have tastings in my home and ask people to choose their first impressions’ best. Marco Polo and Vanilla Bean always come out first. Now the third is a bit more difficult. But I can tell you what it is...Vanille des Illes from Mariage Freres again. And Harney’s Vanilla comes in fourth. You can get that from The Harney Website also in filmy cloth bags or loose. Sleek travel tins called tagalongs also! And we must not forget faithful, available and dependable Twinings. You can find it almost everywhere and it never disappoints. Its sturdy flavor and simple graphic present an anchor for the weary traveler.






“Once upon a time in the misty distant past the second of China's emperors ruled Asia. He was a sage named Shen Nong who understood all manner of plants and their uses. The Chinese say it was Shen Nong who first taught them agriculture and herbal medicine and - of equal importance in their eyes - how to make tea. The first book on the subject, the Ch'a Ching, the "classic" or "scripture" of tea, written in the 760s, cited the emperor as an authority. "Shen Nong's treatise on food said tea gives one vigor of body, contentment of mind, and determination of purpose," recorded the famous author Lu Yü (715-803). That Shen Nong is said to have lived some thirty-five centuries before Lu Yü's book was written illustrates the ancient origins of China's love of tea, whether or not the legendary emperor really existed.” This is from Tea Time Worldwide.

A brand new book from Flammarion in Paris by Kitti Cha Sangmannee, who owns Mariage Freres, is called The Little Book Of Tea and can be purchased at G2 in Mill Valley. It can also be purchased here at Stash Teas. It is full of beautiful atmospheric photographs of hot steaming cups of tea and even cocoa in some of the most perfect rooms on this planet. Then there is Tea, Essence Of The Leaf by Slavin And Petzke from Chronicle Books. Truly a find with excellent references all over the world. Nothing like being able to find an inviting tea room in a new city! Only about fourteen dollars. It's H E R E. There is also a documentary under construction of the same name H E R E. .





Regarding Chai - the delightful aromatic Indian Elixir, Trader Joe's has a lovely Masala but the richest, most heavenly is from Special Sips. Just remember, when you drink it, the house must be completely still, except perhaps for birdsong in the trees outside...and if you have a guest, she or he or they must be into the chai experience, as you, yourself are. You would not want to waste Chai Train on just any random moment.



Now, you are probably wondering about sites online where you can read all the exquisite statements poets and connoisseurs have made concerning tea. There’s Proust, of course...and Cleopatra. But this wins the prize for the best online tea experience. This site, called Tending Toward Tea, is the most sensuous on the web...with no competition whatsoever. Another I like is Bigelow, which can be found here. You may laugh, but this tea importer, available at Albertson’s and online, has come out this year with a series of nutty and deeply flavored teas. Bourbon Vanilla, Caramel, Almond, Hazelnut. They almost taste thick and rich, like an affogatto...but they are merely teas. And sooooo good. The Baltimore Tea Importer has lots of hard to find blends which come in beautiful tins and shapely boxes. Fun to pick and choose from their extensive web catalog. There is also The Republic Of Tea’s Vanilla Almond. Never travel without it. And they have useful small tins which fit in your purse to take the place of airline tea. What a jewel-like website. Tea calms one, even as it imparts energy and confidence. Best to have a cabinet just for tea and a collection of pots to switch from day to day. When the news gets shakier, my pots get more colorful and my teas, more thoughtful. More pleasing and comforting. As for books, I have the huge and amazing book:

The Art Of Tea

With an incisive forward by Anthony Burgess Published by Flammarion It appears to be out of print but I got one on E-Bay for half the original price on the dust jacket. A true coffee table book, the photographs are from the turn of the nineteenth century and takes you into a world we will never know. Oh, and one more secret. Maple Tea from Celestial Seasonings. It tastes like it’s got cream in it even when it is plain. And it smells your whole house up like a tea party at breakfast time. Your store will order it for you too. And we musn’t forget Tazo...their excellent wild orange herbal is always on my mind and I can never keep enough of it. You can find it now at Walgreens of all places. Also at the Mill Valley Market and at all of the finest food stores. And their graphics are devine as wel. Stash is a perfectly good tea blender, their herbals, however, really stand out. Their raspberry is quite fine. And their Earl Grey is one of the best. Their foil packets are perfect for travel.



Letters From The Net

September 25th, 2003

Hi Eve, I am a Colin-loving homesick San Franciscan/Stinson/Calistogan living against my will in Florida and loved your tea site! Tea at the Ritz is wonderful and I have also enjoyed many of the other wonderful teas you have mentioned. Have you ever had tea at O Chame on 4th street in Berkeley? Obviously more of a Oriental bent but so delicate and so wondrous, truly a treat as well. And Emporio Rulli in Larkspur for pastries and (sob) I can't go on...Anyway, thanks for all you great work both at CFFW and now your tea room! Take Care!

Maria

Florida USA

September 25th, 2003

Eve, I read about your website on the MSN Colin Firth bulletin board. Thanks for the recommendation of Mariage Freres Marco Polo tea; I am going to make a trip to the mall to see if I can find some at our local Williams-Sonoma store. I second a lot of your opinions: I love Stash's Earl Grey in the foil packets. Another lighter and lemony version of Earl Grey, when you can find it, is made by Lipton's, of all brands! I like the fact that you are not snobbish about brands or the stores where you buy tea, Eve, so if your grocery store has Lipton's Earl Grey (I've only seen it in boxes of about 48 teabags), try it. It's surprisingly smooth. When I lived in Oregon, there was a small coffee & tea shop that mixed its own blends, and I loved their Earl Grey with Lavender. You can try it yourself by adding a pinch of lavender buds to your favorite Earl Grey -- but make sure it's food grade lavender. You can usually find it in the spice section of a market or in a health food store. I've also used Baltimore Coffee & Tea website for ordering tea, and I like the fact that they have one reasonable charge for ground shipping -- $4.50. It's been fun "speaking" with you, Eve, as a fellow Colin Firth love and tea afficionado!

Susan

Grand Rapids, Michigan


She's talking about our Colin Firth Fan Site. Check it out. Did you love Pride & Prejudice? Did you adore Bridget Jones' Diary? Then you are a Darcy Lunatic just like us. Join In!


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