I have always enjoyed gardening, particularly flower gardening.  When I lived in the northeast, I had perennial gardens everywhere and enjoyed three seasons of fresh cut flowers in my home from my own gardens. It was easy to grow beautiful plants in that area of the country.  The soil is rich, the rain is plentiful, and the temperatures are moderate most of the growing season.  I usually met with neighbors and friends each spring and fall, and we shared divisions of our plants with each other when we needed to thin them out.  It was a fun way to expand our gardens and have ..read more

The year 2020 is a year most people would like to forget. I’m one of those people. I am fortunate (so far) that I have not had COVID and I have not had any close friends or relatives who have either.  However, I am a victim of COVID from the point of view of my storefront. As required in March 2020, I closed my business when “non-essential” businesses were told to close.  We were closed for several months and when the rules loosened up we attempted to reopen.  It couldn’t work.  Our beautiful cottage is small and the guidelines for table distancing meant we could only use f ..read more

How many tea producing countries are there worldwide?  To date there are 61.  Some of these may surprise you and I would venture that many you have never heard of as a supplier of tea. Here are the top 10: 1. China 2. India 3. Kenya 4. Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) 5. Turkey 6. Viet Nam 7. Indonesia 8. Japan 9. Argentina 10. Thailand Some countries, for example India, Kenya and Australia grow tea that was transplanted there by the English.  While tea is native to India as well, it had not been recognized as the Camellia Sinensis that grew in China at the time.  The English ..read more

Lady Kelly was a special guest on the Very Vera Show.  Here is the link to the video of the episode . . . enjoy! Very Vera Show with Lady Kelly The post Lady Kelly, Special Guest on The Very Vera Show appeared first on Tea Inspired Life ..read more

Just like training to become a Wine Sommelier, training to become a Tea Master or Tea Sommelier is intense.  You must be ready to evaluate many teas from around the world.  In one of my Tea Master courses I had to evaluate over 60 teas, some without any information about them at all.  It was quite the challenge to determine where the tea came from, how it was processed and why it had the flavor profile it had. Whether you want to become a Tea Master, or just gain more knowledge about tea, learning the proper methods for tasting and evaluating tea can be an interesting experience ..read more

The original Twinings tea shop is located at 216 Strand, in one of London’s narrowest shops.  It has been located there for over 300 years!  Founded at this location in 1706, it was originally called R Twining and was a tea shop where women were welcome. While living in England, I had the pleasure of visiting this little storefront and had the sensation of going back in time.  The entrance has a golden lion and Twinings in black on a gold background.  There are also two figures from, what used to be called the Orient, above the door. It is a narrow and deep store, the walls ..read more

Do you know how the teabag was developed? One piece of history says that In 1908, American tea importer Thomas Sullivan, was trying to create a way to send tea samples to his customers.  He put tea leaves in silk bags and mailed them to customers around the world.   He did not intend to have them place the tea bag directly into hot water, but some did.  Many of his customers began asking for the tea in the bags because of the ease for steeping. However, there were also two women who, in 1901 filed for a patent for a “tea leaf holder” which is very similar to what we use tod ..read more

For centuries, people around the world have recognized the mood changing ability of tea.  Perhaps you have noticed it as well. When you drink a cup of tea, within a short time your head clears and your energy rises, and a calmness descends.  This may seem contradictory, but there is good reason for these positive results. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world (the first is water) and there are many reasons for this.  Tea quenches the thirst, aids in meditation and soothes the nerves. Tea contains antioxidants and the amino acid L-theanine which are both known to ..read more

As many of us are having to do, I have temporarily closed my bakery/tearoom to all except special take out orders to comply with the current rules for restaurants because of the Corona virus.  As I sit at home in isolation, having a cup of tea, I have the time to contemplate the question of how we can help each other even though we can’t be together physically just now.   Often we grumble about the “dark side of the internet”.  The posts some make to hurt or cause damage to other people or businesses because they think they’re invisible and it gives them a warped thrill.  M ..read more

Tea is mostly water and so it makes sense that the water used to steep a cup of tea must be healthy and free of chemicals.  Another important fact is it must have oxygen, because oxygen helps release the flavor of the tea leaf. In this modern day you can purchase all types of water, spring, purified, distilled, de-ionized, mineral, public (filled with chemicals), and well (which may have sulphur and chemicals).  Distilled water is so oxygen lacking that it will corrode a pipe and many people will describe its’ flavor as dead and flat.  Not a good choice. Keep in mind, if you lik ..read more