Tea has taken me on a journey to many actual destinations, but, above all, to a place of calm – quiet, restorative, relaxing, and solitary. The mere act of taking time to brew a proper cup of tea from fresh, premium-quality leaves calms me, centers me, and focuses my attentions … Continue reading
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea,” said Henry James in the shortest sentence he wrote in The Portrait of A Lady. He was speaking, of course, of English teatime, which Johnson had defined in his Dictionary as … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago, I got one of those calls that no one wants to get – my mother had fallen and broken her hip. Thanks to an understanding boss and a nice airline, I was able to get from Texas to New Jersey the next day to be … Continue reading
Everyone knows that tea is delicious with breakfast, especially on cold, rainy mornings when water streams down the window panes and cars make splashing sounds as they drive by.Although not all of my favorite fall recipes are just for breakfast, they do go perfectly with a black or Earl Grey … Continue reading
This week an espresso vendor we had carefully selected and just begun buying from “looked us over” and decided we could not place a second order until we updated our grinding equipment. Stunned at his attitude, I explained to him how passionate we were about the product and what a … Continue reading
As the temperature outside drops, it seems as if our stress levels rise. The holidays are coming, the year end is nearing, and we still haven’t finished those projects from earlier this summer. We all feel stress differently; headaches, body aches, diminished energy, anxiety, and even depression are common symptoms. … Continue reading