Tea Tuesdays

Quilp, the epitome of evil in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop, seen here with Little Nell, is a dwarf with the head of a giant and a "few discolored fangs" for teeth. But his most grotesque trait is his trick of drinking "boiling tea without winki

Books
Arts

When Tea Reaches Its Boiling Point In Fiction, So Too May The Story

10:56am May 28, 2019

by Nina Martyris

Across tea-drinking cultures, writers have milked hot tea for all its worth to add a splash of narrative panache to comic or erotic scenes or to build mood, momentum and character.

A satire of women's social discourse in the Queen Anne period depicts six women taking tea in a parlor, with figures on the left signifying hidden emotions and power struggles behind a genteel facade. Circa 1710.

Arts

The Real 'Favourite' Of Queen Anne's Era? Tea, And The Gossip That Swirled Around It

8:47pm February 19, 2019

by Nina Martyris

The Oscar-nominated film has reignited interest in the life (and love interests) of a corpulent, gouty, queen who liked chocolate more than tea. So why are Queen Anne and tea-drinking so closely tied?

Classic Burmese laphet yay tea is a mix of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and black tea.

The Politics Of Myanmar's Changing Tea Culture

3:26pm December 05, 2017

by Victoria Milko

Myanmar's tea shops have long been central as public spaces to meet and talk, especially during the military regime. But with the country's "opening" to Western influence, their prominence is fading.

Pu'er tea is packed in bings at a market in China's Yunnan province. A cake of Pu'er continues to change as it ages, and bits of tea are chipped off in order to brew.

Arts

Why Pu'er, A Complex Tea, Draws Rapt Fans And Big Dollars

2:20pm March 14, 2017

by Jill Neimark

Grown in China's remote Yunnan Province, this legendary, fermented dark tea changes as it ages. Like a fine wine, pu'er is sipped, savored and collected by devotees.

Tamil and Sinhalese workers pick tea on Amba Estate in the early morning.

PHOTOS: In Sri Lanka's Tea Paradise, A Social Enterprise Is Brewing

9:19am February 28, 2017

by Victoria Milko

The island nation is one of the world's biggest exporters of tea, an industry that employs a sizable part of the population. We visit one organic tea farm that shares revenues with its workers.

Adele performs onstage during the Grammy Awards on February 12, 2017.

The First #BoycottAdele Wasn't Over A Grammy, But On How To Make Tea

8:42pm February 14, 2017

by Nina Martyris

Calls for a boycott are not new for Adele. And now, embroiled in the politics of both left and right, she will likely think longingly back to her first, uncomplicated boycott — about her tea-making.

Baskets full of fresh tea leaves are sorted at a Lipton tea plantation in Ceylon circa 1900.

Arts

How Lipton Built An Empire By Selling 'Farm To Table' Tea

11:30am October 25, 2016

by Jeff Koehler

Lipton is just about synonymous with industrial Big Tea these days. So you might be surprised to learn that once upon a time, Lipton was known for selling tea direct from its own gardens.

Workers harvest autumn flush teas on a tea estate in Darjeeling, India. Autumn is the personal favorite flush of many of India's most discerning tea tasters, though these teas remain largely unknown and nearly impossible to find.

Autumn Flush: The Best Darjeeling Tea You'll (Likely Never) Taste

11:57am October 04, 2016

by Jeff Koehler

Darjeeling is the "Champagne of teas," sold by distinct harvest season, or flush. But while many of India's top tea experts point to the autumn flush as their favorite, those teas are largely unknown.

The "Green Giant" mechanical tea harvester, one of only a few in the world, does the manual work of 500 people.

Yes, America Has A Working Tea Plantation. We Visited It

9:34pm August 23, 2016

by Jill Neimark

America's only large-scale commercial tea plantation is located on Wadmalaw Island, S.C. It makes tea from bushes descended from plants first brought here in the 1700s. We chat with its tea taster.

World News

Darjeeling 2.0: Last Auction Of India's 'Champagne Of Teas' Goes Digital

11:10am June 21, 2016

by Sandip Roy

Darjeeling is one of India's most prized and priciest teas. For over a century, it was sold at live auctions steeped in tradition, with all due pomp. But the last of those auctions ended this month.

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