Phoenix

Went to Phoenix to speak about tea at a wellness conference last weekend. While I was there, I visited with some tea business owners and learned some very interesting things about tea in Phoenix, which I'll be sharing on World Tea News soon. In the meantime, here's a taste of my trip:










Prickly Pear Cactus "Tea"
















A "teatini" at Chandler Urban Tea Loft -- Yum!














Chihuly glass pieces at the Desert Botanical Gardens -- Gorgeous!






I also got to eat at Quiessence, which is a local, artisanal restaurant. Loved their pan-seared cobia with pureed cauliflower and their caramelized onion soup with sorrel. Their menu changes daily, but I'm sure if you visit you'll find it to be as delicious as I did!

The Art of Tea

The art of tea is broad and varied. From the fine craft of Taiwanese oolong rolling to Modern Teaism to teabag fashion, tea has inspired many an artist. It also recently inspired the curators at the Yale art museum, who put together an impressive collection of teaware for chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony (which is, in itself, considered to be an art form). My favorite image was this chanoyu flower container that was repaired with gold lacquer and metal pins. How better to emphasize the value of age than to repair something wooden with gold lacquer?!

Off to SF

Tomorrow, I'm flying out to San Francisco for about a week. It is, arguably, the best place for tea in the U.S., so I'll be doing lots of research while I'm there! I'll post as much as I can during the trip, and then add extras later. If you have anywhere to suggest I go for tea, vegetarian food, art or anything else you think I'd like, please drop me a comment and let me know!

Tomorrow at the Asian Art Museum (SF)

There's a cool tea event at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco tomorrow. If you're in the area, check it out! Details below:

Thursday, September 4
5 to 9 pm
FREE with museum admission ($5 after 5 pm)

Still dusty from its annual trek to Burning Man, Tealchemy's Tea Temple will be erected inside the Asian Art Museum for MATCHA. Everyone can sip earthy tea inside this mammoth atmospheric, communal space, which celebrates the centuries-old nomadic trade and travel of the Silk Routes. Elsewhere in the museum, taste teas from India, Persia, and Tibet (courtesy Samovar) or those along China's Tea and Horse Roads (courtesy Teance).

Discover how these different blends are brewed and grind your own spicy chai (Indian tea), mortar and pestle style. Learn about tea and its cultural influences, see art of the spice routes on a guided tour, and view Power & Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty before it closes (Sept. 21).

P.S.1

Did anyone make it to the Michael Pollan lecture at P.S.1 over the weekend? I didn't get to go, but I DID make it over to P.S.1 on Saturday for Warm Up (their weekly Summer music event) to (finally) see their green "farm" installation. It was very cool! Plus, they had ITO EN's Pure Green Tea outside and more tea selections in the cafe. (I am thrilled to see more museums choosing quality teas for their menus.) Images from Warm Up:
























Solar energy plans












Green design plan









Planting pattern




















Planter structure




















My friend Laura enjoying the greenery

Warm Up runs every Saturday through September 6th. You can check out the P.S.1 calendar online.

Michael Pollan Lecture (The Omnivore's Dilemma) in NYC this Friday

P.S.1 (Long Island City's coolest attraction) and The Horticultural Society of NY are hosting a lecture by Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma) that takes the plant's point of view in solving environmental problems. Fascinating! It's on Friday from 7-9PM in their green courtyard (which I've blogged about before) and there's a $5 suggested donation. If any of you readers make it out there, let me know. Oh, and while you're there, be sure to sip on the cafe's tea selections. :) Have a great weekend!

iTunes U

iTunes has launched a very cool new feature: free educational podcasts from major educational, research and cultural institutions like MIT, CMU, NASA, MoMA and Asia Society. My current playlist:

Water for Tea (NASA)
Sustainable Business (CMU) (Great quote... "It's completely consistent for self interest to be aligned with the public interest and where doing good is synonymous doing well. There's no contradiction between doing something that is good and making money.")
The Myths of Innovation (CMU)
Launching and Building an Entrepreneurial Venture (CMU)
Interaction Design (CMU) (This one has a bit about ordering coffee in a coffee shop. As you can guess, these concepts apply to tea as well!)
The Role of New Technologies in a Sustainable Energy Economy (MIT)
Eva Hesse (MoMA)
Arshille Gorky (MoMA)
Living in a Global World (Research Channel)

They have fascinating, illuminating podcasts on a wide variety of topics. As a consultant, I LOVE this kind of thing. It's a great way to get the best information from top experts from many fields in a condensed, hassle-free and clear manner... which is what I always try to do for my clients. If you're a business owner or just interested in learning more, I highly recommend you check it out!

Tea in the City

So... I waited in line from 8:30AM to 1:30PM to get a new iPhone today, having had my older model stolen on Monday. I'm writing this as it syncs, so I'm a little distracted.

However, I wanted to note that I've been seeing mentions of tea everywhere these days, and I don't think it's just because I'm obsessed with it. :) In line, a number of people were sipping RTDs (mostly Snapple, but still...) and I read a New York Times Article about female artists in China that mentioned an artist who wrapped household objects, including (you guessed it) teapots, with yarn. (Being both a female tea-lover and a former textiles artist, I loved that!)

Afterward, I walked one block up from the 14th St Apple Store to Chelsea Markets for tea and a fantastic veggie lunch at T Salon. I have to say that it was one of the best lunches I've had in Manhattan for under $10 in ages. The veggie pate was soooo tasty and I even liked the vegan cheese (it's not usually my thing). It was a pleasant perk after the long wait, especially because it had somehow slipped my mind that the Apple Store was so very close to T Salon, and because I had the chance to chat with T Salon's fabulous Miriam Novalle.


How do you stumble across tea in your daily life? Do you feel that it's showing up more and more places these days?

Tea Art

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a talented artist named Michele Brody who incorporates tea into her work. Some of her recent pieces include a copper-pipe Japanese-style teahouse and a roving tea cart. In each, she serves tea to guests in an interactive performance/installation piece. She makes an audio recording of her conversations and then writes excerpts of the conversations onto the tea socks in which the tea was brewed. The conversations often deal with people's personal tea memories, and can be quite profound.



If you'd like to get involved with this fascinating, ongoing piece of art, now's your chance. You're on a computer right now, and my guess is you're pretty handy with a keyboard. If you're also a good listener and you have a bit of time to spare, Michele needs your help! She's looking for people to help transcribe the teacart conversations from her most recent performance so she can use excerpts from the conversations on the tea socks. Here is a quilt made from previous conversations:



To get involved, call Michele at 646-522-9924 or email her at michele at michelebrody dot com for more details. Tell her Vee sent you and you want to help!

Teaware Collections

Interested in teapots? Here's a quick (and completely incomplete) listing of teaware collections I've stumbled upon in the last few months. Enjoy! If you would like to add any, please leave a comment with a link. Thanks!

Sadly, the much-anticipated Sparta Teapot Museum still has not opened... However, many pieces from their collection have been shown at my hometown's own Mint Museum of Art and Mint Museum of Craft + Design. (There's a strong tradition of pottery in North Carolina, due in large part to the huge deposits of red clay in the Piedmont region, where I was born.) A few previous exhibitions:

Made in China
With a Grain of Salt (salt-glazed pottery of England and North Carolina)
and, my personal favorite...
The Artful Teapot

Yi Xing teaware and other ceramics by Ms. Rong Jiang, who recently passed away

Tea With Friends blog on tea caddies

A recent show of teapots in San Francisco

The Rosemary's Sampler blog's teacup collection

SXSW Day One

Arrived safely in Austin. Got the party rolling last night with my Austin friends and their friends. Today, I:

Figured out the local transit system (which is better than you might guess)
Interviewed Sweet Leaf Tea (based in Austin) about their RTD sweet tea
Saw an art exhibit on growing edibles in your yard (and on sustainability in general... Actually there was an overlap between this exhibit and one I saw in London at The Tate Modern last summer.)
Went out for amazing tea and food with my friend Austin (Yes, his name is Austin and he lives in Austin. He's also a grad student at UT Austin.)
Visited the local food co-op, where they carry tea-kettle egg timers
Bought a gun
Went show shopping
Swang on a genuine front-porch swing
Drank some "tea" soda that turned out to only have tea extract (lame)

Tonight I'm going to some shows. Tomorrow I'll tell you who I heard and how they were (IMHO--I'm a tea expert, not a music expert!), as well as any more tea news I might have.

Antimicrobial Tisane from Hops

Hops, one of the main ingredients in beer, are now being used to produce a naturally antimicrobial tisane. The variety used is called "Teamaker," and it is substantially less bitter than typical brewery hops. This is because hops have antimicrobial (bitter) alpha acids and (not bitter) beta acids, but whereas most hops have more alphas, Teamaker hops have more betas. Read more here.

In semi-related news, Queens' contemporary art museum, P.S.1 has announced a new, sustainable architectural plan for their courtyard. The whimsical design includes a large V-shaped (yay!) structure of heavy cardboard tubes, in which a variety of herbs, garden vegetables, and even (you guessed it) barley and hops will be grown. They intend to use fresh tomatoes for bloody marys, various vegetables and herbs for fresh juices (made at a juice stand in the courtyard), and the barley and hops for their very own P.S.1 beer. Now if only they would start growing tea!

Read more on P.S.1's plans.

Side note: I visited P.S.1 last weekend for their current exhibit of feminist art. It's a fantastic show! If you are into art and/or feminism and will be in NYC before the show comes down, I highly recommend checking it out!

Tea Art?

I recently happened upon a site for coffee art. Anyone out there making frothy tea-based drinks into art? I'd love to see it!

I'm off for a few days to do the Thanksgiving thing. What kinds of tea are you serving at your big meal? (Next week, I'll tell you what I served at mine.)

The New Museum Knows Tea is Hot...

...and it opens in one month.

tea merch

museum site

Cool!

Last Full Day in Kolkata (This Trip)

Today is my last full day in Kolkata. Well, for this trip, anyway! I hope to return again soon. The people are charming. (I'd heard so many bad things about the scams and the beggars, but it hasn't been a problem at all. Perhaps it helps that we're wearing local dress?) The city is completely overwhelming, in a good way. The food is delicious, as is the tea. The culture is rich and poetic. Perhaps I can visit again in two years...

Today, Natalia and I were taken under the wing of a local tea distributer. We were escorted to Kumar Tolli, a para (neighborhood) where artisans craft life-sized sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses for an annual festival that's held each October. They wrap straw around wooden rods and bind it with twine to form a base for the sculpture. Then, they coat it with clay from the Ganges, which has been mixed with wood chips (to make it sturdy). The top layer of clay is not mixed with wood chips, so it makes for a smooth surface. After it dries, it is painted with bright colors, and carried to the Ganges, where it is returned to the river. Such a beautiful cycle! Ideas of time and work are so different here. More on that later (when I have time... ironic?).

Afterward, we were taken to Tangra, where we saw some sights and ate more Chinese food. (It's a local favorite here. Don't worry-- we're eating local cuisine, too! And it's quite good.) Then we went to the Victoria Memorial and Botanical Gardens, which made me think of Central Park. The only real reasons are that it's an oasis of green in the middle of the city and that it has very little smog compared to the surrounding area. The local marble used to build the memorial was lovely, and the handwork was very intricate. Seeing the local flora was a real treat, too. Oh, and we saw the chipmunks, which have stripes and are much more adorable than American chipmunks. (Historical tidbit--their tail hairs used to be used to make brushes for Indian miniature paintings.)

It was so kind of the tea distributor to show us around. We had a fantastic time!

Now we're around our hotel again. I am contemplating the purchase of a deep aqua sari with silver handwork. Natalia and I might get henna painted on our hands. I'm sure we'll have some more masala chai. We leave early tomorrow, so I think we'll take it easy tonight.

I'll post back as soon as I can. Later!


~Vee

Last Day in London

My short stop in London is about to end. Today was my last full day here, and I made the best of it. Natalia and I started at the Royal Academy of Art, where she toured the facilities and I worked on some things outdoors, where the weather was gorgeous (warm, breezy). From there, we hopped the Tube to the Victoria and Albert Museum for New York Fashion Now (loved the Duckie Brown, Christian Joy (of Karen O fame), and Proenza Schouler) and the South Asian Art collection (for the Indian art, of course). We walked past Harrods to The Carriage Hotel for afternoon tea (delicious sandwiches--loved the egg salad--and wonderful sweets from passionfruit macaroons to raisin scones). Afterwards, we went back to Harrods to check out the tea (a great range of loose and bagged whole-leaf tea, lots of single estate teas (including some from estates I'll be visiting soon!), several notable specialty teas), sweets (oh, the beautiful macaroons and cakes at Laduree!), chocolates (more Maison du Chocolat, and tons of other brands), bar fromage, and gorgeous clothing. I was more than a little surprized to see that they have a Krispy Kreme, as it is a southern institution and NOT something particularly associted with class. I suppose it's a novelty here, like it was when it first opened in LA. When we were done shopping at Harrods, we walked around Kensington and Chelsea for a while, then had dinner at a little Italian place (where Princess Diana supposedly frequented). Then, it was back to the hostel to pack a bit and work on a crafts project I've been trying to finish. We had a great day. I'll be sure to visit London again sometime soon! (A post for when I have time: London vs. NYC. Pros and Cons of each.)

Tomorrow, we leave for Kolkata. Masala chai, here we come!

In London!

Natalia and I arrived in London last night. By the time we got to the hostel, everything in the neighborhood was closed, despite the fact that it's in Central London. Welcome to the UK! I'd heard that everything closes very early, but I didn't realize just how all-encompassing "everything" was in those mentions. I must be too used to "the city that never sleeps." It was OK, though. We got to walk around in the quiet for once. :)

Today, we walked around town a bit more (and noted, once again, how much quieter it is than in NYC), and then we went to the New Tate. The New Tate had a fascinating exhibit called "Global Cities," all about the development and growth of some of the major cities around the globe. The coolest part: a 3-D model of population densities in four major cities, by location. In other words, it was an overhead view of the city, with varying model heights as population density rose or fell by neighborhood. Outside of that exhibit, I really enjoyed the Surrealist area of the museum: Dreams and Poetry.

After the New Tate, we walked over to the Bramah Museum of Coffee and Tea for some Rose Congou and tea education. They were not exactly fastidious about things like spelling, but they had a wealth of information on coffee and tea, and it was very entertaining and educational. Also, learning some of the British terms for things was fun. (Example: "Cookie jars" are called "biscuit barrels.")

Next, we were off the Picadilly Circus to fight the crowd to get to the Royal Academy of Art and Fortnum & Mason. On the way, we stopped off at Minamoto Kitchoan for some Japanese wagashi (sweets, which we have yet to eat) and Maison du Chocolat for some incredible dark chocolate truffles. Yum! At Fortnum & Mason, we spent some time checking out their wide tea selection, biscuits, and teaware. (More on that later!) To end the day, we had some fish and chips at a pub. (I know, I know. But it's required, really.)

Now we're off to plan for tomorrow. Later!

Off to India (via London)

Today, I leave for India. After passport drama (It was filed 17 weeks in advance, and then received JUST IN TIME to get my travel visa.), changes in plans (Who knew my friend would get kicked out of Bhutan for traveling on an Overseas Citizenship of India rather than a regular Indian passport?), last-minute vaccines (NY's immunization clinic said I didn't need a second Hep-A shot. My doctor blanched at the thought of me not getting it.), and packing absurdity (Ziploc bags are my new best friends. They make anything and everything fit into one small suitcase), I am FINALLY ready to go.

First stop, London. My friend Natalia and I will enjoy three days of tea and museums (of the tea and art varieties... yes, they have a tea museum and, yes, I am amped about it). Then, we're off to Kolkata for some masala chai and culture shock. After a few days to adjust, we'll fly up to Darjeeling for cool mist, hot tea, and tours of some of the world's best tea plantations. Three-and-a-half weeks of caffeination from nation to nation. Exciting. I'll be posting a travel blog whenever possible, so check back often.

PS--If you're viewing this through Vee Tea, the post order may be funny. Try my Vee Tea Blogger page instead.

Travel Plans

I think today warrants two posts. Of course, I already posted a tea article because it's a Monday and that's what happens on Vee Tea on Mondays. However, today is not just any Monday for me. Today is when the countdown begins, at least in my mind.

In two weeks exactly, I'll be in London enjoying low (afternoon) tea with my friend Natalia. Then we're off to India for three weeks to visit various tea estates and meet up with artist Rajive and web designer (of Vee Tea fame) Pat. Each of us has our own agenda (mine being the tea!), but we'll also experience the culture and landscape, buy beautiful fabrics, enjoy the food, learn some more Hindi, get rained on a lot, and be thankful for the cool Darjeeling air after we leave the heat of Kolcata (formerly Calcutta). Perhaps while I'm there I can learn more about Indian cooking, too. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait! Be sure to check back here--I'll be keeping a travel blog whenever possible.

SF: Day Five

Today was my last full day in SF. I'm going to miss it when I'm gone.

Tajee and I began the day with a trip to the Ferry Building to visit Rona Tison, the "matriarch of Ito En." We arrived in a taxi. In the square across from the Ferry Building, there were people selling jewelry and t-shirts and that kind of thing. Right out front of the building, there was a farmer's market that was doing a lot of business. (It looked good, but I hear there's another one that is less expensive with just as good quality food across town.) Inside, it was even more packed and busy. (Ah, tourists!) Though it felt crowded to me, I realized after a few moments that it was NOTHING compared to NYC's subways. I am getting spoiled out here! Tajee and I found Rona quickly amidst the bustle. She showed us around a Japanese prepared food market where she was training her goddaughter to run a sample table for Ito En bottled teas. Then she walked us through part of the Ferry Building, introducing us to people as we went. We visited a food specialty shop (where they carried Savannah Bee Company's Tupelo Honey--my favorite for tea!) before settling in to another of Imperial Tea Court's shops. It was less traditional than the original, but quite lovely in its own way. (See SF: Day 4 for my visit to the original location.) Over our gaiwan-served teas, we had a great chat about tea, blogging, tennis, Ito En, SF, NYC, and more. Sadly, Tajee and I had to run--we were late for our brunch reservation!

We arrived fashionably late to meet my friend Justin. My friends Kevin and Austin arrived, well, fashionably later. The food was divine, but once again there was the tea issue . . . (If I move to SF, the first thing on my agenda is convincing the best restaurants in town to carry teas that are worthy of their menus.) We all laughed a lot over the meal. Tajee is from Japan, where there are very few drugs. She asked us which drugs in America are the worst (most addictive and most dangerous), which meant we all got to tell her why and how "crack is whack." I suggested she just stick with tea. I also got to learn more about coffee (aside from being a tea fanatic, I'm also allergic to coffee and know very little about it) from my friends (Kevin, Austin, and Justin are all coffee addicts . . . I don't know why I hang out with these people!).

After brunch, Tajee left for a tennis match. The rest of us headed over to Ritual, which (though it's a coffeehouse) has some good teas (supplied by Red Blossom, also of SF). Kevin and Austin both work for Google. They ran into a coworker (who Austin knew before he joined Google, from UT Austin, where he's in school (yes, really, Austin goes to Austin)) named Joe, who joined us for a while. When everyone went their own ways, it turned out that Joe's way was the same as mine. He ended up joining me on a trip to the Asian Art Museum.

The Asian Art Museum is pretty solid. I prefer NY's Ruben Museum of Art and Asia Society and Museum and I wouldn't have minded visiting SF MoMA and the de Young Museum while I was in town, but I'm glad I went here instead. They had two current exhibits (one of Tezuka and one of Japanese woodblock prints) and the permanent exhibit was pretty impressive. My favorites were the teaware, the Japanese tearoom (an actual tearoom behind glass--rad), and the Hindu sculptures.

Actually, a funny thing happened. About a month ago, I had a dream about Ganesha, a Hindu god who is also worshipped by some Jains and Buddhists. He is commonly considered to be the "remover of obstacles." In my dream, there was a beautiful painting-in-progress that had an elaborately designed geometric layout. Ganesha was sitting in the center of the painting and there were other elements (including lotus blossoms and fire) around him. There was a strong triangular shape with a rectangular base supporting him in the composition. The whole painting was moving and evolving, more like a video installation than a painting. It was incredibly beautiful and I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to face just about anything.

When I was at the Asian Art Museum, I saw that the visitors' guides had Ganesha on the cover. I started thinking about my dream. As soon as I reached the top floor of the museum, I saw a large Ganesha sculpture. (Actually, there were three, but I was immediately drawn to one of them.) There was a slot where you could place donations to Ganesha. (This was the only donation box I saw for an individual piece/deity the whole time I was there.) I reached into my wallet and pulled out a dollar bill, which I gave to Ganesha in thanks for the dream. (A small price to pay!)

Later, when I was waiting for the bus to take me back to Tajee's place, I realized that I had given my last small bill to Ganesha and that I would have to scrounge up enough change for my $1.50 bus ride. (This never happens. I am usually very aware of what kind of bills I am carrying.) I saw the bus approaching and began to scramble to get the appropriate change together. Unsure of whether or not I had enough, I boarded the bus last. As I started to feed the coins I had gathered into the bus' money slot, I realized that someone before me in line had given one extra dollar. After I fed in 50 cents, my fare was paid. As I walked to my seat, I glanced into my palm--there wasn't enough to have paid my fare alone. Ganesha had repaid my dollar and removed my obstacle! Pretty cool, huh?

I arrived at Tajee's place to meet her friend Kristopher (who runs Zooomr) and go get groceries for a party she was throwing for me. (She's so sweet! I heart Tajee!!!) We picked up some fresh fruit, ingredients for Japanese udon soup, sorbet (which we forgot to eat), crackers, and red pepper hummus. (Normally, we make our own hummus, but we didn't have time. Actually, Tajee is obsessed with hummus! I taught her to make it years ago and something clicked. For her, hummus is as essential to life as air and water.)

Over the next few hours, guests (my friends and hers) came and went. We talked about all kinds of interesting things, ate tasty food, and drank pu-erh (from Imperial Tea Court's--I was amazed at how popular this was with everyone, considering that most people consider pu-erh to be an acquired taste) and Eight Treasures Tea (from Teance--a delicious blend of dragon's eye, red dates, goji berries, green tea, rock sugar, gensing, and two other things I'm forgetting at the moment), both made by yours truly. It was a lovely end to my time here in SF.

Well, I have to be at the airport at 6AM, so I had better get to sleep.