This is a photo of my new tea pot in action. Some looseleaf Anne Shirley’s Almond Black (I love that name) is steeping. The aroma was wonderful. My ever-so-sensitive partner said, “It smells like a candle.” I think that was a compliment. The taste was a bit lighter than I expected, but that may be due to the fact that I only put 18 ounces of water in the pot (and you can see in the photo that the tea leaves were not totally immersed during steeping.) I drank all three cups, and could easily drink more, so I will definitely remedy this problem next time around. Even so, it was delicious. I am so very pleased with the pot and the tea. I have not yet tested the warmer (I drank it up too fast!) I also must admit that I drank out of a thick-lipped mug. I don’t own any nice teacups. I’ll be looking to fix that problem soon, too. Thank you, Tea Party Girl, for introducing me to a version of tea far removed from Lipton tea bags. Does anyone have any suggestions for where I could get a beautiful teacup that isn’t all old-lady victorian-ish? Something a little more modern?
A Beautiful Vessel
Tea Party Girl writes that it’s important when starting a daily tea ritual to have “a beautiful drinking vessel” from which to take your tea. As I mentioned, I am lacking one beautiful vessel. A quick survey of Etsy reveals that there are some beautiful teacups to be had. I will share those with you that are, in my opinion, some of the best teacups available on Etsy.
For a more modern flare, Mud Puppy offers a vintage teacup and saucer that have been given new life with some pretty abstract art. I love the union of clean white lines and gold sparkles, in particular. I would happily drink out of one of these teacups. Muddy Puppy has what appears to be a very new website at michaelmcdowell.com, if you want to learn more about his art.
Another great teacup find is this Dogwood Flower Saucer and Teacup from Whitney Smith Pottery (there are some other beautiful items in this shop, too, so be sure to check it out. I particularly love the Cherry Blossom Bowl and Plate.) Whitney Smith Pottery has a website at whitneysmithpottery.com where you can see more samples of her beautiful work and learn more on her blog. After looking through her gallery, I think I’ve found a new pottery favorite.
Tea-Themed Jewelry
And if you really love your tea and want to make sure the world knows it, perhaps you’d like to own this adorable teacup pendant (made by Little Sparrows). Or there’s this gorgeous lampwork glass pendant of a teapot and cup at Chickadee Buttons and Beads.
The comments were temporarily broken, but it looks like I’ve fixed the problem. So feel free to comment away!
Beautiful Blog & I love your feature on tea. I just did my first ” Summer Swap” and happened to receive some delicious tea. I’ve been looking for others to try. I’d love to have you join our teacup swap if you’d like just email me.
My favorite place to find vintage cups and saucers is at the local thrift or consignment store. You have to check often and be patient, but I’ve nabbed some of my best finds at these locations!