When deciding on your guest list, the only two criteria are people you like, and people who will like each other, which often reduces the number of family members getting an invitation. Unless you are holding out because you will receive a knighthood or Nobel prize, NOW is the occasion to use the best china, […]
My long-time online friend Finbarr O’Brien, most notable to most of our readers as the namesake of our Finbarr’s Revenge Irish Breakfast Tea, sent me a link to a story from an Irish Journal. It concerns a spat that has gone viral in that fair country over poor quality tea. The vendor in this case in Marks […]
Before we start, here’s some clues. ‘Solution’ has several meanings, and one involves dissolving stuff in water. There’s all the hint you need. So, the European Central Bank, the IMF and the European Union generally are all owed money by Greece, which doesn’t have any. To quote some sage advice from my Dad, if […]
I often get snarky on this blog, it’s fair to say it’s not the only place. For example, real life. I’m quite snarky there. Another fine example is when the site Quora.com sends me an email letting me know that someone thinks I should answer a particular question. As an example, I got this one […]
About a month ago, the World Tea Expo was held in Long Beach, California, for the second consecutive year. We were not there. Most readers would assume that the organisers would either (a) fly myself and Lady Devotea to the event, put us up in luxury and shower us with gifts or (b) simply move […]
I used to write a lot about different teas and about different places to enjoy tea, or not enjoy tea. But not so much any more. There are complex reasons. Firstly, since starting this blog, Lady Devotea and I have become vendors. For the last four years, every time I have thought about reviewing a […]
With nearly 300 entries on this blog under my belt, I thought I’d give you a rundown of how this blog is created every Sunday. I’ll introduce you to the team and the process. 5.47 a.m: Today’s team is starting to assemble. A massive pot of tea is being made, today it’s Lord Petersham. The […]
I post every Sunday, in case you hadn’t noticed. I used to be more prolific, or less prolific. At times when I had more control over my time, I’d post almost daily. Other times, I might skip a month if I was caught up in various projects. So far, there are 280 posts to this […]
Many of us believe that quality, loose leaf tea is on the rise. In specialist tea shop/cafes and as an essential part of more general food businesses. Sometimes, that belief is shaken. When Lady Devotea and I returned to Adelaide, we stayed for a few weeks in the heart of a city, and were delighted […]
Well, boys and girls, it all started with a giant teapot. That’s how we ended up with a stall, tastings and a talk at Ladies Day at a retirement village. Years ago, we looked the economics of holding tea events in Aged Care homes and retirement villages, and they simply weren’t there. Not enough money, […]