Tea what is it and where does it come from?

Tea the Elixir of Life

Tea the elixir of life.

Afternoon Tea or High Tea

Afternoon Tea verses High Tea

Afternoon Tea is a light tea served about 4:00 pm to hold you over to a later dinner. It consists of delicate sandwiches, scones, jam and clotted cream, and small cakes. Obviously served with a pot of tea.

High Tea as I remember it as a child was usually what we ate on a Saturday or Sunday late afternoon. We always had a roast Sunday dinner, so late Sunday afternoon was a High Tea for us. Consisting of possibly a meat pie or a fish pie and salad, kippers with bread and butter, cold meats chese and salad items, served with salad cream. Followed by scones and cakes and a pot of tea.

There were of course lots of variations on high tea, but it's a more substantial meal.

The link above gives some nice details and history.

Christy

Tea in Northumberland 1850

I was watching the series, 'That Girl' made from the book by Catherine Cookson. This tea scene came up, which I rather enjoyed seeing, along with the period clothing and setting. This reminded me of a Pear Tree Cottage posting where Lee-ann held a period tea party, called 'The Vintage Rose High Tea.'

Christy

Tea Making Tips, 6 Golden Rules

1. Always buy a good quality tea (it goes further)
   
2. Fresh water for boiling every time (the water is then oxygenated)
   
3. Bring water to the boil, but do not over boil
   
4. Warm the teapot first, bring the teapot to the kettle
   
5. Put in enough tea for size of pot or quantity of water
6. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes (this video says up to 10 minutes, but that would have to be a very large pot, or they must have liked their tea a lot stronger back then)
   

McLeod Russel is eyeing tea plantations in Africa

July 28th, 2009

KOLKATA - The world’s largest tea producer, McLeod Russel India is eyeing plantations in Africa, a top company official said here Tuesday.

“Logically, I would love to go to Africa because it is god’s country for tea. The first focus will be Kenya. Once we go there, we will start looking for opportunities,” said company managing director Aditya Khaitan.

The acquisitions will add around 5-10 million kg to McLeod Russel’s total production, Khaitan told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual general meeting.

Asked how much the company would have to shell out for these acquisitions, he said it would be at least around $10 million. “We want to go wherever we can to add value. We have to grow by acquisition.”

In 2005, McLeod Russel acquired Williamson Tea Assam from the London-based Magor family, which founded a partnership firm, Williamson Magor in India in 1869.

Two years later, it acquired Doomdooma Tea Co from Hindustan Unilever and Britain’s Moran Holdings of Britain in 2007.

The company has also acquired a Vietnamese tea company, Phu Ben, through its wholly-owned unit in Britain, Borelli Tea Holdings.

“Our strategy, going forward, is that between 20-30 percent of our total production should come from outside India in the next five years,” Khaitan said.

At present, the company produces around 80 million kg of tea annually, and exports around 30 million kg.

Talking about his outlook on the industry, Khaitan said: “Considering the drought that hit India in the first two-three months of the current fiscal, the overall tea production in the country will be down by 20-25 million kilograms this year, and 70-75 million kilograms in 2010-11.”

India’s total production last fiscal was 980 million kg.

Elephant Walk

Elephant Walk the name of the movie, is a tea plantation in Ceylon. These two shots I took off the TV movie while playing. Did some tea plantation houses, look like this? Look at all the Tea pickers in the background. Ceylon, now Sri Lanka must have some spectacular tea plantations.

Elephant walk the plantation and the house, built by the arrogant, now dead father was built right on the path of where the elephants walk. How many years can they hold them back before it is reclaimed. the movie is mediocre, but I liked looking at the tea plantation and the house. It made me think of taking a look at different tea plantations.

In the UK we came to know these as Bungalows, which is an anglicised Indian word. We would say as kids, 'bung a low roof on.' But it came to represent in the UK a one storey residence. It derives from the Hindi and Urdi word, Bagla, which means house in the Bengali style. In India they would very often have a porch and be one and a half stories.

A Samovar, Literally "Self-Boiler"

Christy

High Tea London

High Tea taken to the heights of London.

Lyons Tea Shops

Lyons Tea Shops were always part of our visit to London as a child. We went up to London every month, from when I was three to about ten. I had to go to St Bartholomew's Hospital to have my eyes looked at. Sometimes my dad drove us up and other times we caught the train and underground. If we caught the train we would very often stop in at a Lyons Tea House, especially if we went to Oxford Street to do some shopping. Below is one of the Oxford Street Lyons Tea Houses; which I'm sure I must have been to.
People would have been dressed like the scene below when I was very little, baby boomer generation.

Every child of that era grew up on Lyons Swiss Roll and Lyons ice cream, two iconic images. Click the link and take a walk down memory lane.

Christy

Teacup and Teapot Candlesticks

These do it yourself teacup and teapot candle sticks I came across at the hospital yard sale. I like them, they're a little quirky but anything to do with tea stays in my book.

1956 Bell Telephone For The Kitchen

1956 Bell System- Once Upon A Honeymoon
Musical made to promote color telephones in the modern home. Thanks to TV Days.

A Helpful Guide To Cooking Terms

A new 1949 wife needs to know cooking terminology, so does a 2009 fifteen year old son. I think I'll let him watch this.

The kitchen in the first house we bought had the same cabinets as you will see and we had that stove.

The Tea Room at Kellie Castle, Fife, Scotland

The Tea Room at Kellie Castle, Fife, Scotland

I spent a delightful day here with my friends daughter. They live in a little croft overlooking the Firth, about three miles from Kellie Castle. So on a lovely summer day we walked to the castle down country roads. Taking a small packed lunch with us.

The gardens at Kellie Castle are lovely. You can have a wedding in them or other events. What a delight it would be to do so.
Christy

Organic Tea Garden in Darjeeling India