Charleston Tea Plantation souvenirs

During the Charleston Tea Plantation trolley tour, our guide told us the plantation makes only enough of its American Classic Tea to serve Charleston and the local market. Fortunately for out-of-town tea lovers, some of that tea ends up in the gift shop, and I was delighted to be able to bring some home to enjoy and to share with friends. I also like to collect any mug with a tea company logo on it, and this cute china teaspoon showing a flowering tea plant seemed destined for my tea cabinet.


My favorite souvenir is this keepsake wooden chest of First Flush Tea (the glass jar is shown in the top photo). I don't guess I've ever had tea I knew for certain was fresh from the field, and the pure, clean taste of this was very refreshing. If you want to order some American Classic Tea for yourself, it's available on the Charleston Tea Plantation web site.

I am a good gift shop's dream shopper, because I'm a sucker for all the stuff they carry. I got a couple of boxes of the silk tea bags, a bar of soap made with American Classic Tea (I forgot to photograph it before I gave it to a friend), some postcards (I particularly liked the closeup of the flowering tea plant), and a DVD.

Finally, the souvenir I'm most proud of is this pen. You see, I am a pen fanatic. I love-love-love pens. I carry at least a half dozen with me at all times, often more. I'm always looking for new ones (cheaper ones seem to write better, unless you get into Montblanc luxury fountain pen territory, and I'm not willing to go there). I saw a few of these plastic logo pens at various spots around the Charleston Tea Plantation, but they didn't appear to be available for purchase. I asked the cashier if they could sell me one. She shook her head politely and said they weren't for sale. Now you have to understand about me and pens. I *have* to have a pen as a souvenir if at all possible. After I paid for my bag of goodies, I picked up the pen and said "Are you SURE you can't just sell me this?" Obviously, I wore her down. "Just take it," she said, nicely. So FYI, holding up the line of 87 customers will net you a free pen. (I didn't say that.)

Charleston Tea Plantation - Part 2

After the Charleston Tea Plantation trolley tour, our next stop was "the plant," which some clever soul decided visitors should enter through the gift shop. (It would have taken the Green Giant to keep me *away* from the gift shop, but I digress.) After spotting a number of nice souvenirs that would be going home with me, DH and I got in line for the tour and were among the 28 in this group.


It was a very orderly tour, and I was pleased to see there were a number of things in place to make the experience more enjoyable for tourists. For example, a large mirror-like piece (I'm betting it wasn't a real mirror) was hanging over the processing machinery so visitors could see it at work. You can see in the top photo here that the mirror is suspended from the ceiling of the facility. The withering bed, shown in these two photos, can hold 5,000 pounds of tea leaves and is where the leaves rest for 18 hours. During this time, about 12 percent of the moisture is removed.

And this is the rotovane, a cylinder chamber with "teeth" where the tea leaves are shredded. Why are they shredded? So the liquid cells are ruptured, exposing the leaf to oxygen. After this stage the leaves go to an oxidation bed, and as many of us have learned, their time in the oxidation bed determines whether the tea ends up as black, green or oolong. (I've learned that sharing this one simple fact with folks will REALLY make you sound like an expert. They are just amazed that you don't have fields with green tea plants, black tea plants and white tea plants. Kinda cool to know, isn't it!)

Video screens are placed throughout the tour route, and you hear from the Bigelows, who now own the tea plantation, as well as a narrator who shares a bit of the place's history. I was pleased to learn about the roots (literal and figurative) of the tea plants at Charleston Tea Plantation. It turns out there were two tea businesses in South Carolina in the late 1800s, the Pinehurst Tea Plantation in Summerville, founded by a Dr. Charles Shepard, and Golden Grove Tea Company (googling reveals Golden Grove had a tea farm in Greenville). The businesses didn't last but their tea plants did, and so plants at the Charleston Tea Plantation, founded in 1960, are descendants of those plants imported from China and India and grown in South Carolina more than a hundred years ago. And now let's wind this up and end our mini-tour of the CTP. A few final photos:

A small greenhouse was set up for the festival, and it contained some nice posters outlining the process by which they clone new tea plants.

This clever sign emphasizes the fact you'll have to travel a few miles to find the next closest tea plantation. In the background are musicians who performed at the festival.

And finally, one last look at those vast rows of tea. Can you see why I am now obsessed with finding a tea plant of my own to grow? I was hoping they'd have some for sale so I could buy two: one for me, and one for my green-thumbed friend Sandra, who would successfully grow hers and give me a cutting when mine died. But alas, no. I did, however, leave with a sackful of goodies from the gift shop, and if you're not Charleston Tea Plantation-ed out yet, I'll share that tomorrow!

Charleston Tea Plantation - Part 1

My 2008 birthday season is now officially over (and thanks for all the nice b'day wishes!), and the best gift of all came this weekend when my sweet husband indulged me with a trip to the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island, S.C. for the First Flush Festival! You know it's a trip you've genuinely looked forward to when you do the tacky tourist thing and even roll down the car window just to get a picture of the entrance sign. I was amused to see the road sign (top photo) reading "American Classic Tea Ln."

The tickets were ordered and received long ago (DH said he wanted to be sure they didn't sell out), and when we arrived we learned that for $5 more we could begin our day with a trolley tour of the tea fields.

Of course we had to do that, and our guide was a nice gentleman with a good working knowledge of the Charleston Tea Plantation's operation and history. He was kind enough to even stop the trolley and allow me to snap some photos of the rows of tea plants.


Suddenly, those two tea "hedges" I saw here in Georgia a few weeks ago didn't seem quite so impressive anymore! The Charleston Tea Plantation is about 127 acres.

At other tea plantations around the world, workers pluck the leaves by hand. Here, they use a unique piece of harvesting machinery known as the "Green Giant." See how the business end of the machine rises over the top of the row? It uses a scissor-like cutting action to cut just the top few inches of new growth on the tea plants. On Festival Day on Saturday, all around the place were samples of this spring's "First Flush" of tea available to drink. And this tea really did taste especially fresh and delicious.

That's enough for today, so drop by tomorrow and I'll wrap up this little mini-tour with a bit about how they manufacture the tea. And those of you who've been before, feel free to share your own impressions if you like!

"Afternoon Teas" by Valerie Ferguson

My local bookstore couldn't get it. Half.com and eBay didn't have it. Even the normally amazing Amazon.com didn't have it. But apparently I had asked the good people at Amazon to send an alert if this book from a publisher in London ever became available, and bless their hearts, they have made me the happy owner of "Afternoon Teas: Homemade Bakes & Party Cakes" by Valerie Ferguson.

I first saw this book in a British publication about a year ago, and you know how that sometimes goes; it's not always so easy to locate a product whose home office is across the pond. But this book really looked like a good one for tea enthusiasts, and I was so happy the morning I got the e-mail alert that it had become available.

What's inside? In addition to that yummy looking Summer Shortcake on the cover, there are cakes and gateaux, cookies, pies and tarts, jams and preserves, breads and a whole section of cakes for birthdays and other special occasions, all with step-by-step instructions and photos. I've noted a number of recipes I want to audition for possible starring roles in some future tea parties: Cheese and Chive Scones, for one, and Red Grape and Cheese Tartlets for another. I would have started the baking last night, but alas, I didn't have enough eggs in the fridge. Perhaps some of you have been waiting for this book as well! (Note: I just checked and Half.com does have the book listed now, but check shipping, because it may be a toss-up as to which seller has the best buy.)

Tea and Cookies

Last Friday, I took the day off work and headed to the Marietta (Georgia) Square. My friend (and co-worker) Holly was celebrating the May birthdays of several of us by taking us to tea at the Vineyard Cafe. I'm sorry to tell you that although my camera was in the car, I had failed to take it with me on my shopping jaunt prior to meeting up with my friends, so I can't show you the great spread we all enjoyed. I will, however, say that I had visited this very spot in its previous life, and although I had a nice Cream Tea at Tiffany's Tea Room several years ago, it was a much nicer decor and tea experience that we enjoyed at the Vineyard Cafe. We were overlooking a beautiful park, and with four of us gals there, all journalists, we had great fun making up our own story about the young couple enjoying lunch together on a blanket they had spread on the grass. After our lunchtime tea and a little more antiquing on the square I headed home and found this lovely pink hat box waiting by my front door. It was a birthday gift from my friend Ashly. Hmmm ...

Classic Coffee & Tea? What on earth? I opened it and found these six adorable pink heart-shaped teacups and saucers! Ashly is not only my friend but also my favorite shopping companion, because we both can "shop 'til we drop" and I know she can keep up with me while shopping. Ashly was with me when I spotted a floral heart-shaped cup and saucer last summer. She must have remembered how much I LOVED enjoying tea from a heart-shaped vessel, but I can't imagine how she found these when I looked and looked for months, online and in stores and even at a tea trade show, and never turned up anything nearly this wonderful.

And I happened to have the perfect treat to enjoy with tea in these lovely new cups and saucers. Remember a few weeks ago when we were all coming up with words that end in -tea? Like Serenitea, Creativitea, Partea?

Allow me to introduce you to this wonderful new Biscottea! My husband laughed the other night as I oohed and aahed over the yummy flavor of this Earl Grey Tea Shortbread. Now I love Earl Grey tea, and this cookie is packed with that flavor. Interestingly, the cookies ($3.99 at T.J. Maxx) are made with organic Darjeeling tea, not Earl Grey, but the bergamot flavoring sure makes it taste like Earl Grey. The cookies also come in other flavors - Blueberry Tea, Chai Tea, Mint Tea and African Honeybush Tea - so I'd love to hear if any of you have tried them.

Tea things at Michaels

In reading other women's blogs, especially the crafty ones, I've noticed how often someone mentions finding something new at Michaels crafts store and using "my 40 percent off coupon." I'm pretty fond of those coupons too, but sometimes even 40 percent off isn't good enough. Like with this little display cabinet. I wasn't sure it would end up being very useful back home, but when I discovered it was 60 percent off the other day, I thought NOW we're talkin'! I'm not at all convinced this will be the final result, with tea bag rests, strainers, an infuser, a lemon bird and a cute teaspoon. Somewhere, I think I've stashed some of those tiny tea books that might fit. Maybe some pretty teabags? I've got a few of the flatter teapot Christmas ornaments that might fit, but I don't want to go plundering for those until closer to Christmas. At any rate, if you've been wanting a little "tea cabinet" of your own, remember: 60 percent off. It doesn't get much better than that.

Also at Michaels, I discovered the $1 bins - always a good place to look for tea party favors - currently have some cute Mary Engelbreit items with teapots on them. I got the notecards and a pad and pen set. I actually saw the notepad listed on eBay for about $3, plus $3 shipping, and it dawned on me the design was very similar to some things I'd seen at Michaels. Thus I made a trip and got the goodies you see here.

Of course now I can't give these $1 treasures to any of the friends who read this tea blog because they'll know my shopping secret, but YOU can certainly load up while the price is right!

Filet Crochet Tea Cozy

Suppose you were in the middle of a tea party and decided that the rose-scattered teapot you had, for unexplained reasons, perched on top of a pink hat box needed a tea cozy. What would you reach for?


And suppose that after making precisely half of a filet crochet tea cozy about six years ago, you suddenly got a burst of energy and decided to make the other half and whip that baby right up. Wouldn't you want to put that tea cozy on the teapot? Especially if you had, say, finished it around midnight? Yes, I'm sure you would.

I said all that to say this: Last night I finished this pattern called the Blue Bow Tea Cozy by Dot Drake (only mine is, of course, a Pink Bow Tea Cozy). The pattern is in the Spring 2002 issue of Fast & Fun Crochet magazine. I used pink felt to line it, and I wanted a more floppy bow up top and used a pinky/mauvy velvet. I'm actually very happy with how this turned out. And soon, I'll let you know why I'm so happy with what's in this new pink hat box as well!

The Lewis Tea Room Training Course

"Whether we consider the first primitive inn by the wayside, the sort of inn which, according to the parable of the Good Samaritan, afforded rest and refreshment to the stricken man brought to its door, or the smart motor inns of today, we find the connecting link in the word hospitality, which is the basis of inn-keeping.

From the simple inn or tavern in which early settlers sought food and shelter for man and beast, to the great hotels, restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses of the present day, these establishments have ever been the gathering place of the leading spirits of hamlet, village, township, city and state."

-- From "The Lewis Tea Room Training Course," copyright 1926

Several months ago, I was trolling eBay and came across a most intriguing listing. A seller was offering some booklets and memorabilia that had belonged to an Ohio tea room operator in the early 1930s, and I bought the lot of it. Mildred Drake Besst of Canton, Ohio appears to have taken the course to help prepare her to operate a tea room that was listed on Ohio restaurant licenses as "Balcony Lunch," "Balcony Lunch Room" and "Balcony Restaurant."

Some of the checks and one restaurant license are in the name of Lillie V. Drake, who I'm guessing is the mother of Mildred Drake Besst. (And if anyone in Ohio knows otherwise, I'd love to hear the story!) There are 14 "binders" from the Lewis Tea Room Training Course, which are really thin paperback booklets, and the correspondent was expected to complete a work sheet after studying the materials. Mildred got A's and was often told "Good Work." Here is a typical question: "Through what three things may 'atmosphere' of a food shop be created?" Mildred wrote: 1) Color scheme and decorations - interior and exterior. 2) Type of fixtures and surroundings. 3) Personality of the management. All of that still holds true today, doesn't it?

Reading through all of this material gives an interesting portrait of tea room life in the 1930s, and also of the economic situation of the day. This check for $30.29 was to the Wade China Co. Wouldn't you love to know how much china that bought on June 30, 1931? And what did it look like? I was also intrigued that there are many checks to The Sanitary Milk Co. Whatever Mildred was serving up in that tea room, she certainly seems to have gone through quite a lot of milk. And I am having a lot of fun learning about it all!

A Tea Party Challenge

One reason today's crafts magazines are so enjoyable is that they feature such a great variety of women (usually) and their work. One of my favorite magazines to turn to during "down time" from our own magazine is Cloth Paper Scissors. The new cover caught my eye, and when I saw that Cloth Paper Scissors is sponsoring a Tea Party Challenge, well, I'm always up for a good challenge!

And so are some of you. Turns out this is a call for tea party-themed art in mixed media (go here for the details), and I suspect a few of you creative tea-lover bloggers would be ideal participants. Go make us proud! We've got two months to e-mail them some photos of our projects, and I'm already sketching my ideas for what to make. What I have in mind is a fabric teacup (or maybe teapot) wall-hanging with dangling tea doodads and bead thingies. Even if you're not a crafter, I think you'd enjoy reading this issue, especially the editor's letter by Patricia Chatham Bolton. I always enjoy her editor's letters and think she would be a lot of fun to meet one day.


Quilting Arts, the sister publication of Cloth Paper Scissors, is another of the crafts magazines I read on occasion. I couldn't figure out quite why this cover spoke to me so, but it did. The cover is not pink, it's not especially frilly, but something about it was intriguing. I got home and read that this fascinating cover art, a mixed-media paper quilt by Judy Coates Perez, is titled "Tea & Entomology." Look closely beneath the letter "Q" in the logo and the bird's tailfeather. Recognize the vertical piece as the Tazo Tea label? And would you believe the artist has incorporated teabags into this piece? Between these two creativity-packed magazines, I have plenty of inspiration as I prepare to accept the Tea Party Challenge. I hope some of you will join in as well!

The Shabby Chic Teapot

For years I have wanted a pink teapot. I have several with pink roses and some chintz ones with pink and other assorted flowers, but I've not had what I truly think of as a pink teapot. I saw one I probably should have bought at an antique mall a couple of years ago, but it was a bit pricey and I was convinced I could find something cheaper. When I didn't, I went back for that pink teapot and it was, naturally, gone. As Doris Day would say, "Que sera, sera," so I figured it was simply not to be. I'll bet a lot of you have stories about "the one that got away." That pink teapot was one of mine.



Then last week, a girlfriend and I were at Bradley's Antiques in LaGrange when I found my dream teapot, a vintage English Sadler piece. While it wasn't entirely pink, it was certainly pink enough for me to consider it my pink teapot, and it may very well be the prettiest one I've ever owned. I love it for several reasons: 1) The prominent band of pink. 2) The profusion of roses. 3) The pretty, flared top, rather like a lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat. 4) The crazing. As long as it's not chipping or flaking, I actually prefer pieces with a little age on them. 5) It's footed! I went ahead and bought this in anticipation of the cash birthday gift my parents usually give me, and I'm happy to say that plan worked out just fine. (My "tablecloth," by the way, is a 60-cent scarf my mom found at a Goodwill store that she thought I'd like. She was right, so don't overlook pretty scarves if you're like me and enjoy decorating with a few non-traditional things.)

To me, this is the perfect teapot for those of us who love romantic decorating and the Shabby Chic style. Yesterday, I celebrated this new gift with a pot of green rooibos tea (Pear Cream) and watched the new Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic DVD I got from Amazon.com. Over the past 10 years, the style-setter who has had the most influence on my life and my taste is no doubt Rachel. If you really want to see some gorgeous teawares, check out her book "The Shabby Chic Home." A girlfriend used to videotape Rachel's shows on the Style Network for me (we talk about "Rachel" like she's family), and when I read the shows were out on three DVD's, I knew I wanted to start collecting them. The one I got is called "Flowers, Petals & Gardens," and it was a good choice. Although I'd seen a few of the segments, I had not seen Rachel interview Christie Repasy, the amazing artist whose magnificent rose paintings have been featured in Romantic Homes and other magazines. What a nice surprise, and what a great way to celebrate the new pink teapot!

Flower ID, a Day at the Ritz & More!

You gals are the greatest! Yesterday, I was at a conference in Atlanta from sun up 'til sun down, and during breaks I managed to run by the business center to check my e-mail. "Coreopsis!" you said in response to yesterday's post, and yes! Googling confirms that's definitely what this is, and the frill along the petals matches exactly. Thank you so much for the help with identification. I am especially pleased to learn this is a re-seeding plant, because that means perhaps I won't kill it.

Yesterday's event in Atlanta was the annual conference of the Magazine Association of the Southeast, and Art Director Deberah Williams and I were attending from Newnan-Coweta Magazine. And it's a small thing, really, but I was pleased to see the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead offered Taylors of Harrogate teabags next to an urn marked "hot water." Alas, it should have been marked "warm water," Deberah and I agreed. So I felt totally justified in adding to my already-stuffed goodie bag and bringing home a few teabags to enjoy where the water is hot!


While Deberah attended the "design track" at the conference, I was in the "editorial track" all day. (I always think her sessions are more fun.) One of my sessions featured a panel of three women magazine editors, from Skirt, Jezebel and Travelgirl. When they handed out copies of Travelgirl, I was pleased to find a feature on taking tea in Germany. Who knew? I also won a subscription to Travelgirl during the business card drawing, so that was cool.

But coolest of all was when we attended the banquet last night and won FOUR AWARDS! (Sorry. Didn't mean to yell at you.) The GAMMA Awards are like the Academy Awards for our industry, and prior to them I am just a giant bundle of nerves. What if we don't win anything this year? What if I shame my company? What if I lose my job and can't afford to buy teacups anymore? You get the idea. But win we did! Can I just commend our folks for a moment? We got a Bronze Award for Best Photography and Gold Awards for Best Profile (my husband wrote that piece!), Best Single Cover and - the granddaddy of 'em all - the Gold Award for General Excellence. If we won only that last award I would be a happy woman, because I think it's an accurate reflection of the work our folks do all year long. I heard someone say yesterday that an editor is only as good as her staff, and as the person privileged to accept awards on behalf of ours, I can only say "Amen!" And now that I can finally relax, it's time to go have some of that tea I picked up at the Ritz!

Birthday flowers

Friends seem to know that I prefer my birthday flowers to be everlasting ones, so I was very happy that my gifts this year included a lovely yellow chintz pitcher. I walked out back to see if anything was blooming last night and found more of the yellow roses I first cut last week, and in this overgrown little shade garden at the edge of our property, I found about a dozen of these golden yellow flowers at front of the pitcher. Any gardeners reading today? I would be most obliged if someone could tell me what this is! (I googled daisy and coneflower, but that doesn't appear to be correct based on the photos I saw.)


Here, a friend must have sensed that I needed - needed, I say - some blue teawares to go with the new color scheme at home. A teacup with blue floral sprays is just perfect. Another friend gave me this gorgeous blue and brown tin of Harrods St. James Ceylon Pure Garden Tea, which strikes me as quite fitting when celebrating new floral gifts. The only tins of Harrods tea I've ever had were in classic green and red tins. This new design is just delightful, and I'm happy to report the tea is quite delicious as well. I enjoyed a brisk cup last night during "House" with some great new shortbread cookies.


Another of those how-did-she-know gifts came from a friend who pretty much loves exactly what I do, and I have always wished for a piece of this Royal Albert Petit Point China. I can see this tiny little rose-strewn dish in service on my tea table, perhaps holding sugar cubes. I enjoy the flowers in my backyard, but when birthdays roll around, I certainly do appreciate the other "flowers" I receive!

Aunt Laura's Sweet Shoppe & Tea Room

Finally! I'd been wanting to visit Aunt Laura's Sweet Shoppe and Tea Room in Fayetteville ever since it opened more than a year ago, and when my dear tea friend Beth got a new job, it seemed the perfect place to celebrate. On Friday, we headed out crisply at 10:45 to make our 11:30 seating for the lunchtime "Tea for Two."


Although I knew Aunt Laura's was in a shopping center, I wasn't worried about atmosphere at all because I knew one of my favorite Georgia tearooms, the now-closed Vintage Tea, was in a shopping center in Alpharetta but you never knew it once inside. Same here. Far better decor and music than in many an old-house tearoom I've visited, so I've learned not to fear a commercial location. From the murals on the walls to the pretty white-painted furniture and tables covered in pale blue cloths, it was a lovely, peaceful place to take tea.

Taking our order was none other than Aunt Laura herself, a pretty, younger-than-expected woman who was a pleasant blend of efficiency and aiming-to-please. I think I detected a bit of a wit there, too, and I liked that. Our server was Aunt Laura's mom, a dear lady I instantly liked. She brought us this quiche and fruit cup as a starter, and something about her demeanor made us feel more like guests of the family than customers. The quiche, by the way, was quite delicious, but then I do adore a nice crispy crust.

When the tea tray came out, I was pleased that Laura's mom was careful to describe everything on the tray. I've been to tearooms where they simply drop off the tray and announce it is "sandwiches, scones and sweets," but she described everything briefly and well. And you know what else I liked? After having visited more than 40 tearooms, I do believe this is the first time I've ever had a tearoom explain how to properly eat a scone. She spoke of halving the scone and spreading the lemon curd and then the cream (because the lemon curd is denser and heavier), and she told us not to make a sandwich of the two halves "because if it were supposed to be eaten like a sandwich I would have made it for you." But then she added, with a twinkle in her kind eyes, that she was now going to disappear into the kitchen and we should certainly feel free to enjoy our scones any way we liked! She said all this with a pleasant smile and not a whiff of condescension, so it was a perfectly gracious thing to say, especially for those who may not quite be tea fanatics like some of us in this group!

Our sandwiches were cucumber and cream cheese with a touch of garlic salt on white bread, egg salad (I think; I forgot to write this one down) on pumpernickel, and pineapple cream cheese on whole wheat. Look at the tiny little cutout flower on the pineapple one. Cute, eh!

The scones were cinnamon-flavored, which made me a little nervous since I think some scone-makers have a heavy hand with the cinnamon. This scone-maker did not, and the scones were quite good. The lemon curd - homemade by Aunt Laura's grandmother, we learned - was delicious, and I certainly ate my share of it and the Devonshire cream.

The sweets did not disappoint, either: lemon bars, iced raspberry treats, and chocolate mousse with a swizzle stick served in an edible chocolate cup. That last sweet greatly impressed Beth, who enjoyed it with her Belgian Chocolate Tea. I had a Mango Green Tea, and we both liked our flavors so much, we purchased bags to take home with us.


And although it was really supposed to be Beth's special occasion, she had brought along some lovely gift bags filled with birthday gifts (from her and her mother, another tea friend), because my birthday was Sunday. Between their wonderful gifts and those of other family and friends, let's just say I'll have plenty of great tea goodies to talk about in the coming days. Opening some of them in a lovely new tea room was the perfect way to kick off my birthday weekend!

A tea sighting at Hills and Dales

Now yesterday was the kind of day that really, really makes me love my job. Our magazine's art director, Deberah, and I made a trip to Hills and Dales Estate in nearby LaGrange, Ga. to take the tour (and scout for photos) in advance of a day trip feature next spring. A freelancer wrote a great piece about Hills and Dales for us several years ago, but it's time for an update and this was a good time for us to enjoy a little field trip to Fuller Callaway's magnificent home and gardens. (These gardens are not to be confused with Callaway Gardens in neighboring Pine Mountain, which were founded by Fuller Callaway's son Cason.) For our tour of this Georgian Italian villa, we had a delightful tour guide named Sondra who was eager to answer our questions, and this former school teacher really brought the house alive. I was happy to hear a book is being written about Hills and Dales, and I can't wait to read it.

I won't go into the family history here because it's spelled out so beautifully here (and do watch the video if you have time), but I did want you to know that this visit was even more special to me because of one particular plant I'd heard grows there: Tea! In fact, the Hills and Dales web site notes that the plants "possibly provided tea for the Callaway table." A lovely thought! The flowers bloom in the fall, and a horticulturist told us that at that time of year, you can "hear" the plants before you see them; it seems the bees love those flowers.

The LaGrange woman who originally planted the gardens, Sarah Ferrell, spelled the word "GOD" in boxwood. Deberah and I had been walking amongst many boxwood hedges and wondered whether we'd ever find that spot, since hedges from the ground do not look like hedges from above, the angle of most photos of this spot I'd seen. Did we stop to consult our maps? No, of course not. Finally, I heard Deberah's excited voice call out, "Angela! I found God!" (Figures. Goody two shoes.) Later, I brushed right past another boxwood hedge only to have her point out it was in the shape of a cross. Faith played a large role in this family's history, and while you're not hit over the head with it at all, it's there, a quiet but visible reminder. Here you can see the "G" and the "O." In the photo above, look at the background, almost the center of the photo, and the hedge with the "dip" in the middle is the hedge of tea plants.

























































If you really want sensory overload, take a May Day trip and see and smell the lush roses, peonies, sweet peas, and even some greenhouse orchids.

Some of my other favorite spots were the Herb Garden, above, and the Ray Garden, below. If you live within day-trip range, or even if you don't, I highly, highly recommend a visit, and I look forward to going back one day. It's the one place on earth where we can say with confidence that tea is close to God!

Tea a Magazine Spring 2008 issue

Not long after I wrote about my (small) collection of tea tins, I received the Spring 2008 issue of Tea A Magazine in the mail. The very first feature is "Collecting Tea Tins," and Kirsten Kristensen shares her wonderful collection and how it came to be.

"From the moment I saw them I knew I had to have them, so I bought the whole lot ..." she begins. Kirsten says tea tins basically fell into two categories: those made for everyday use and those made for special occasions or as souvenirs of an event such as a royal coronation or an anniversary year. One of the tins pictured in the article once contained "Tabloid Tea," which was a compressed tablet form of tea made by a London pharmaceutical company. I'd never heard of "Tabloid Tea," although I have sampled both tea and sugar made into little heart-shaped tablets by a company that sells these as wedding favors.

As always there is much to enjoy and learn from the latest issue of Tea a Magazine, including tea recipes, a great listing of tea quotes, and a feature on the tea bowl, a topic about which I plan to write more very soon, since I need to investigate a tea bowl of my own!

Upton's Heirloom Tea Flowers

Here you can see where I quickly tore into one of the sample packets in my Upton Tea order that arrived last week. One of the samples I was most looking forward to trying: the Organic Heirloom Tea Flowers shown here.


Here's how Upton describes this tea: "An unusual tisane made solely from organic Camellia sinensis flowers, which are carefully plucked from heirloom tea bushes in full bloom, and then sun-dried. Tests show the flowers to contain similar amounts of catechins and polyphenols as regular leaf tea, but with a significantly lower caffeine content. The flavor is surprisingly full, with notes of honey, caramel and citrus." My palate isn't refined enough to detect "notes" and requires more of a loud "symphony," so I have to say that while I wouldn't have used those words to describe the flavor, I do agree it had a very "full" taste, a richer, more pleasant flavor than I expected.


If you've never ordered from Upton (uptontea.com), you might be surprised the first time you order to see that they personalize labels (free of charge!) on each bag or tin of tea -- unless you ask them not to. How helpful is that? Instead of wondering how old a particular tea is, you have it right on the bag or tin. I ordered a full size bag of this delicious Green Rooibos Pear Cream when the sample I'd been slowly enjoying ran out. And I have to add another word of praise for Upton. Standard shipping is just - get this - $4. Four hardly-buys-a-gallon-of-gas-anymore dollars. My little order shipped from Massachusetts for less than it would have cost me to drive to the nearest tea shop and back. (Can you tell I appreciate the thrifty shipping?)


And while this is no Heirloom Tea Flower, I do think it's awfully pretty! (Can't claim credit, though. Previous owners had it growing when we bought the house, bless 'em!)

Feeling craft-tea?

I never have to go in a crafts store again. On Sunday, I was looking for a particular piece in my little crafts room and ended up looking through every single crafts container. Twice. That included two huge bins of fabric, about five crafts totes bearing assorted projects already in progress, and perhaps a dozen assorted containers of laces, ribbons, threads, fibers, buttons and trim. And going through all that "stuff" did two things for me: 1) It cured me of needing to go in any crafts stores for a while and 2) it showed me that I've actually been "into" the tea theme for longer than I realized. So I thought I'd share some of my crafty finds, including one of my most-used pieces, the teapot pincushion above.


An orphaned cream pitcher and a slightly chipped chintz mug are containers for pens and crochet hooks.


That pretty bowl I found last year but couldn't figure out what to do with? It holds buttons, including a green teacup button that will be the perfect accent on some tea-themed piece.


Several years ago, crafts magazines started showing various styles of letters covered in fabric, buttons, glitter, or otherwise embellished. I've not decorated these yet, but just know they will come in handy someday!


It's hard to see, but underneath the cards and hat, this rack with a crown on top was actually a new piece I bought to display Christmas cards last year. It occurred to me it would be good to use it throughout the year as well, so now it decorates the crafts room and holds favorite cards and memorabilia, including the crocheted teapot doilies that were a gift from my friend Kathy.



For about five years, I worked pretty steadily on a pink and green crazy quilt. Then one day, I'd had enough of that and just put it down. But I was so close to being done! Looking at the blocks this weekend reminded me of how lovely this would be if I would just finish it. The corset pattern is something I copied off a rubber stamp, then embellished with velvet threads, buttons and organza ruffles. I loved making it, but that perfect piece of lace next to it was just SO starkly white. I tea dyed it, and voila, the softness I desired.


One day last year, I actually went IN a convenience store to pay for gas (almost never happens anymore thanks to pay-at-the-pump), and I walked out with this bottle of Gold Peak green tea. I like the design of the bottle and decided to keep it. Maybe it'll hold paper flowers one day?


My inspiration board, an old dresser mirror with the "mirror" now made of cork, holds tidbits I mean to do something with. Finishing this needlepoint rose pillow suddenly appeals to me, and I just love finding all these teapot doily pieces.


And for carrying around all these crafty goodies? This tea-themed tote bag, once a gift from DH. I wish you all lived nearby, because we could all meet up in the crafts room and work on tea-themed crafts together!