10 Super Things to Toast with Tea in February

One month of the year down already! Amazing how fast time flies, especially for those of us busy learning about, enjoying, tasting, and writing about tea. Time for another round of fabulous things in life that deserve a lift of the teacup and a cheery “Salute!”


Celebrate Cherry Pie Day on February 20th!

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© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Forgetting to Time Your Tea

Forgetfulness is not the exclusive province of the elderly. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, and thus am assured that being forgetful is not a sign of being over the hill. Many people — even some decades younger than me — forget things due to their busy lives, including attending to their children. I don’t have that excuse either. So, why do I often forget…

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Jasmine Tea Roundup

Jasmine teas fall into what the tea experts call “scented” teas. I just call them “flavored” teas, since items used to create the scents usually affect both aroma and flavor.

Whether you call it “flavored” or “scented,” jasmine tea has been around a long while, starting some time during…

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My reviews to date of Jasmine teas:
Review: Adagio’s Jasmine Bloom Flowering Tea
Review: Two Leaves and a Bud’s Jasmine Petal Tea
Review: Hsin Tung Yang Jasmine Green Tea
Review: Chaa Jasmine Green Tea
Review: Shui Tea’s Dragon Phoenix Jasmine Green Tea
Review: The Royal Tea Company’s Royal Green No. 3 (Jasmine)
Tea Adventure: Jasmine Tea from The Boston Tea Company
Review: Joy’s Teaspoon All That Jazz-mine Tea

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Book Review: “The China Gambit” by Allan Topol

Just released this month is the latest mystery/action novel The China Gambit from Attorney Allan Topol. In a moment of mental weakness, I got persuaded by the press release to consent to read a copy and write a review. The copy that arrived was paperback and 442 pages long, so I knew it would require more than one potful of tea to get through the whole thing.

Before talking about this book, let me digress into the arts and society in general. Nothing too esoteric here. Having studied art history as well as having had a Literature Major in college, I’ve noticed that a trend that starts in one of the arts or one aspect of a culture gets picked up by the others. For example, the Rococo Era encompassed not just painting, but music, furniture, fashions, architecture, and yes literature. Similarly, the Minimalist Era spread across all those areas, as did Impressionism, Romanticism, and so on. This novel seems to have been influenced by the trend in music and movies for quick cuts and short, jerky actions. As annoying as I find that in movies, it is almost intolerable in a novel.

Okay, got that off my chest. So, what about The China Gambit otherwise? Definitely well-researched. Definitely written by an attorney. Definitely action-packed. Definitely a quick read. So much for the good points.

I have to bemoan the lack of good writing out there in literature these days. No, I don’t mean word usage, grammar, and punctuation. I mean a richness to the language, the imagery, the view into the hearts and souls of the characters. Instead we get a bunch of vapid, shallow, zipping around novels that are all about the action and not about the characters. This may be a bit biased on my part as a true fan of Jane Austen, Victor Hugo, James Joyce, Daphne du Maurier, etc. Even so, I have to state that The China Gambit will leave you feeling like you do about an hour after dining on Chinese food: wanting something more substantial. But first, if you’re like me, you will start out feeling pissed off at the death of Francesca Page in the Prologue. It was a necessary plot element and is the catalyst for the action that follows, but it’s still infuriating for this young, smart woman to die as she did. Also, to compare this novel to Scott Turow, Robert Ludlum, and others of that genre is not a very nice thing to say about those authors. When not writing choppy novels, Topol uses his time and efforts representing companies being harangued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the mainstay, it seems, of his legal career.

All I can say in summary is read at your own risk. But then, that’s always the case.

Time to steep some more tea!

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Diving Into the World of Yixing Teapots — Part 3

Part 1 gave you some idea what Yixing teapots were all about while Part 2 showed how to prepare your teapots for use. It’s finally time to start actually steeping tea in your teapot to drink and enjoy!

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Diving Into the World of Yixing Teapots — Part 2

When you first dive into the world of Yixing (“Ee-sheeng” or “Yee-sheeng”) teapots, you need to be sure to get the real deal and a good deal (see Part 1). That accomplished, you are then faced with the scary question: “Now what?”

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Diving Into the World of Yixing Teapots — Part 1

Some of the most treasured teawares are made from a special clay called “zisha” by artisans who train for years. The clay and the best artisans are from the province of China called “Yixing” (pronounced “Ee-sheeng” or “Yee-sheeng”). I have always been a bit leery of taking the plunge and buying one or more of these little gems, but have finally…

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

It’s Steep Off Time — Two Teapots Go Spout to Spout

Keeping the peace among the teapots in my bevy can be a bit tricky. One teapot tends to get a bit envious when another teapot gets to steep a particularly special tea. They also can develop a competitive instinct, challenging each other to steep offs.

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Cat Lovers and Tea



 Cats have a reputation for liking fishies, birdies, and other tidbits. They have been known to try to sip from teacups, too, especially if you use milk in your tea, and to nibble on whatever goody you are eating with your tea. Many tea lovers are also cat lovers, so it’s pretty natural to think of the two, that is, cats and tea, together.

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

Shown here: Ceramika Artystyczna Signed Polish Pottery from the Boleslawiec region of Poland

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

The Stages of Tea Enjoyment

You start out wanting something hot to drink. But you don’t want something too sweet, so hot cocoa is out. And you can’t take all that caffeine, so coffee is out. Then, you find that box of teabags in the back of the cupboard. Hey, if they can do it in the movies, surely you can dunk a teabag in a mug of hot water and end up with something potable.

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Can You Brew Tea Like You Brew Coffee?

The Tea-Cha company, headed by Ian Bersten, has proposed a revolution in tea preparation: brew it like you would brew coffee. Is that really possible? Ever being the one to like to test things out and run little mini-experiments, I looked forward to receiving the newest model of Bersten’s brew filter and giving it a whirl.

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Dancing with Teajay

Just as DJs (disc jockeys) get you moving to the beat, Teajay gets your tastebuds dancing with flavors. Founded by Selen Mostyn and located in the port town of Goole in East Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, their goal is to give tea drinkers alternatives to the humdrum tea choices currently available in the UK.

Wanting to attract younger people to tea, the company names its teas after songs and pieces of music, such as Club Bizarre by German-based DJ Brooklyn Bounce and Wind of Change by New York-based singer/songwriter Lew Doty. Their web site launched near the beginning of this year, and various sites were deluged with their press releases. They also made their presence known on Twitter and Facebook. Their line of teas and herbals consists of 10 carefully selected and flavored mixes, ranging from their own version of two classics: masala chai and Earl Grey.

Intrigued, I accepted an offer to try some of their flavors. The samples have arrived, and our adventures with them will be posted on Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews over the next few weeks.

Mostyn also runs a cleaning services company. The various press releases tout her as award-winning, but the award had nothing to do with tea. It was related to this cleaning company. Another reason why awards are hardly a reason to buy from a particular tea vendor.

Company site: http://www.teajay.com/

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text