When we head off to try a new tea room in a place we are visiting, the chances are we might never visit that place again. So, I wonder, should we warn them of our impending visit? On one hand, it’s a more authentic experience if we don’t. But really, is that fair? In Thaxted, […]
Whoever the hell David is, David’s Tea, or DAVIDs TEA, to use the clearly incorrect and rather silly mix of upper and lower case they seem to prefer*, has been on my radar for years. My friend Nicole Martin works for them now, or is about to, or there was something about a fire or […]
Before I surprise all of my readers, let me just say I am quite surprised myself. Barely three months ago, Lady Devotea & I announced an exciting new adventure: moving our headquarters to the UK and in that time, Lady D has been at the helm of a new tea shop that has presented our […]
Eight Minutes. I just set the timer beside me for eight minutes. In eight minutes, the cake I have carefully made to Lady Devotea’s exacting recipe will be ready to come out of the oven. It’s strawberry and white chocolate. There is no flavouring except actual strawberries and actual white chocolate. But I digress. I […]
I was going to start by saying “regular readers will know”, but as I have published only three short, simple pieces in five weeks, I probably don’t have any left. The last four months have been the most demanding of our lives, and this Thursday, the catalyst behind it all will come into being. I’d […]
A year ago today, on our Wedding Anniversary, Lady Devotea and I were having a bit of an adventure. We were in Las Vegas, having flown in the day before. It was the day before World Tea Expo and we had a dazzling array of stuff to look at, sights and sounds to absorb, book […]
Those of you who pay attention and follow my every word – that’s all of you, right? – will know that I have had an uneasy relationship with coffee. I outed myself as bi-beverage when I wrote Swinging Both Ways. I mentioned that it was acceptable, in some circumstances to order coffee, not tea, after […]
In 1989, I found myself on a plane belonging to Hassanal Bolkiah. There was a pilot’s strike in Australia, and I had earned a trip overseas for selling many printers. This involved getting to and from Sydney, and with Qantas and Ansett on strike, our Government made other arrangements. On the way to Sydney, I […]
Tea is pretty simple. When you serve tea in a commercial setting, you can be mostly relaxed about causing allergic reactions. Of course, you need to filter the water and boil it properly. Tap water can be dangerous and trigger allergies in some cases, as this medical paper on pesticides suggests. But mostly, tea should […]
Most of you reading this can recall a scandal, even if vaguely. In America, there was a president who said “I am not a crook” Another who said “I DID NOT have sex with that woman”. And another who said “mumble mumble recroootament mumble”. All scandalous. All untrue. Admittedly, I’m guessing about the last one. […]