Pictorial Tea Tour .......... ELIZABETH I (c.1600)

Elizabeth I
The National Portrait Gallery, London

As far as English tea history is involved, I like to begin with a nod to Elizabeth I who, in 1600, founded The John Company (later to become known as The East India Company) to challenge the Dutch-Portuguese monopoly of the East Indian spice trade. The spice trade was a monopoly of Spain and Portugal until the defeat of the Spanish Armada by England gave the English the chance to break it. And break it they did.

In 1612, The Company established trading posts and began trading in cottons, silks, and indigo. It would not be long before it became the biggest and mightiest monopoly in any commodity that the world has ever known. That commidity? Tea.

(Purchase the Elizabeth I print here)

A New Series Starts Tomorrow!

Join me over the next few weeks as we take a virtual walk through the National Portrait Gallery in London and view famous paintings of some of the better known characters in the story of the history of tea.

This tour, created by me, is a part of my Tea in London trip, where we make a real visit to London and the NPG.

Kenya Tea

Tea drinkers are nice. Lowcountry Bloggers are generous. How fortunate it is that I know a tea drinker who also happens to be a fellow Lowcountry Blogger! Yes, my friend Joan is a nice and generous person!

Joan

Joan, from Charleston Daily Photo, recently went on a Water Missions International trip to Kenya and can you believe it - while she was there, she thought about me (and my tea addiction) and very kindly brought me back two bags of wonderfully fresh, loose leaf Kenya tea. She gave me the teas at lunch last week, and I couldn't wait to get home to try them out! Joan, again ~ thank you!

First, a little bit about Kenya tea.

They have been growing tea in Kenya since about 1900, and the country is one of Africa's leading tea producers. Over 200,000 tons of tea a year are sold (for export) at the tea auctions in Mombasa, ranking Kenya with the world's top suppliers.

While most of Kenya is really just too darn dry to grow tea, conditions in the Kenya Highlands - elevations of 5,000-9,000 feet and loads of rainfall - are perfect for it. The highlands also benefit from the high humidity rising from Lake Victoria that eventually falls as rain. Kenya tea bushes "flush" (put out new growth) all year but the best crops are harvested from late January to July.

Small-leafed Kenya teas are often used to give strength and color to breakfast blends but they also drink well alone. They are especially good with rich chocolate foods (an added-plus!).

Fahari Ya Kenya Tea (right)

One of the teas Joan gifted me with is FAHARI YA KENYA tea, the most popular brand of loose tea in Kenya today. I have had several pots of this tea so far, and it is delicious - full-bodied, very smooth, and holds up well to milk. It's a lovely, lovely tea and I am thoroughly enjoying it. (Will review the New Merin's Kenya Chai another time.)

A tasty Kenya Cuppa

Here are some photographs of the KENYA TEA PACKERS LIMITED (KETEPA) tea factory where my tea was blended, packed, and distributed:

(Photographs from the KETEPA website)

Did you know .....

.... that until the early 1800s, tea from China took at least one year to reach London on British East India ships. The clipper ships, much faster because they were slimmer and had many more sails, changed all that. The sailing records of some of these ships are still unbeaten!

East Indiaman by Peter Monamy

Twinings

In 1717, Thomas Twining converted his London coffee house into a tearoom which admitted both men and women. Today, Twinings is an English tea company that sells its tea throughout Europe and North America. The original tea-tiny shop on the Strand in the heart of London still exists today.

Twinings Tea is good enough that they have a Royal Warrant ~ they supply the British Royal Family with tea. (Read more about Royal Warrants here.)

[EDITED TO ADD: Do you have a favorite Twinings tea? Mine is their Lady Grey.]

The Tea Plant

It wasn't until 1905
that the tea plant received
its official Latin name,
Camellia sinensis.

(Purchase print here)

Meet Miss Camellia Sinensis

Seven Reasons to Love Tea

(Click on image to enlarge)

DVD Review: TEA TIME TUTORIAL III

Tea Friend and Tea Educator Nan Taylor, out in Southern California, is the owner of Tea Graces. Nan leads tea classes, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and speaks on various seminar topics. She is the author of The Graceful Art of Tea, now in its fourth printing.

Nan grew up in a home where tea "was a second language", and fortunately for all of us, she shares her vast knowledge in a set of 3 tutorial DVD's that I am reviewing this week. I have already reviewed Tutorial I and II, and today I conclude with a review of Tutorial III.

This last tea tutorial was taped LIVE at Tranquility Tea Room in Thousand Oaks, CA. It's great to see Nan's tea presentation "in action" - she is a gifted speaker. Topics covered include caffeine: coffee v. tea; how to approach the tea table; tea table and serviette etiquette (Don't know what a serviette is? Watch the DVD's and find out!); how not to hold a teacup; tea-in-first or milk-in-first?; proper teatime attire; the handshake; and conversation starters and listening tips...virtually everything one needs to know about a tea party. Following the presentation, Nan opened up the floor to questions and all the questions asked were great!

Nan Taylor, Author and Tea Educator

Nan likes to take a tea basket - a Basket of Blessings - to people in the hospital, a bereaved neighbor, a new mother, or to welcome someone new into the neighborhood. Nan's basket is lovely and filled with everything needed for an impromptu traveling tea party. As an added grace note, Nan wraps up this DVD series by showing us her own Basket of Blessings, and she explains piece-by-piece how you can create your own basket, always packed and ready to go for that special someone who needs a special tea blessing.

As with the first two DVDs, this session is a superb teaching tool - whether for presentation at a tea gathering or as a resource for those interested in becoming a tea educator.

I really, really enjoyed this series, and want to thank Nan for all the hard work she put into creating it. This is the only tea tutorial DVD on the market, and I highly recommend it to all tea enthusiasts.

You can order the 3-DVD set, and Nan's book, here.

DVD Review: TEA TIME TUTORIAL II

Tea Friend and Tea Educator Nan Taylor, out in Southern California, is the owner of Tea Graces. Nan leads tea classes, publishes a quarterly newsletter, and speaks on various seminar topics. She is the author of The Graceful Art of Tea, now in its fourth printing.

Nan grew up in a home where tea "was a second language", and fortunately for all of us, she shares her vast knowledge in a set of 3 tutorial DVD's that I will am reviewing this week. Yesterday, I reviewed Tutorial I; today I am reviewing Tutorial II; and tomorrow (July 10) I shall conclude with a review of Tutorial III.

Tea Sandwiches

Tea Time Tutorial II covers the specifics of hosting an Afternoon Tea. The first part of the tutorial covers Nan's five favorite tea sandwiches: 1) egg salad, 2) olive tapenade, 3) cucumber, 4) chicken walnut salad, and 5) cottage cheese and carrot. The recipes for these can be found in her book, The Graceful Art of Tea. Step-by-step, Nan demonstrates how to make each tea sandwich. I especially like the garnish options she presents, including edible flowers. Nan also shares with us her method of preparing tea sandwiches a day ahead of time. Three of Nan's tea sandwich rules of thumb are 1) always use day old bread; 2) remove the crusts first; and 3) before adding sandwich filling, butter the bread with room temperature butter.

Afternoon Tea Party by Mary Cassatt

In the second half of the video, Nan discusses how she makes scones, and she shares several helpful tea tips and hints about hosting a tea party. The video closes with course-by-course footage of a tea party at Nan's home, attended by her daughter and best friends. The menu consists of raspberry sorbet, scones, toasted coconut ambrosia, tea sandwiches, fresh fruit and desserts, and iced and hot tea.

As an added grace note, Nan wraps up this second DVD by sharing some of her tea resources with us.

As with the first DVD, this session is a superb teaching tool - whether for presentation at a tea gathering or as a resource for those interested in becoming a tea educator.

Tomorrow you will be able to read my review of the third and final DVD in his set.

P.S. You can order these DVD's here.