[Lucille Oka]

I know what you are saying, 'big deal everyone has had a cup of tea'.

But today I used a handcrafted porcelain teapot in which I steeped loose leaf Darjeeling tea. I poured milk and added a half-teaspoon of sugar and strained the tea through a tea strainer and served it in a handcrafted porcelain teacup that has no handles. The utensils I used were placed in a handcrafted porcelain tea plate. I felt the 18^thcentury surrounding me. I enjoyed the experience so much that I did it twice. Would have done it a third time but that is too much caffeine in one day. The experience was a far cry from a tea bag in a mug. I feel that I am now in the historical porcelain loop.

[Marcia Selsor]

Sounds very nice. I am visualizing a pie crust table, parlor with lace curtains!!!!
Your description sounds warm and cozy.
Marcia

[TJR]

Lucille;
Sadly, you can pick up those beautiful cups and saucers for next to nothing at garage sales. I have seen them for three dollars or less. The next generation doesn't value them.
Being Canadian, I have that unbroken British heritage of tea drinking. We put the kettle on to a rolling boil. Pre-heat the teapot with hot water, pour out, then place the tea in the pot. I would NEVER just put a tea bag in a mug. I do make all my own teapots and mugs, so I guess I should be using them. Enjoy!
TJR.

[Pres]

TJR, on 24 January 2013 - 09:30 AM, said:

Lucille;
Sadly, you can pick up those beautiful cups and saucers for next to nothing at garage sales. I have seen them for three dollars or less. The next generation doesn't value them.
Being Canadian, I have that unbroken British heritage of tea drinking. We put the kettle on to a rolling boil. Pre-heat the teapot with hot water, pour out, then place the tea in the pot. I would NEVER just put a tea bag in a mug. I do make all my own teapots and mugs, so I guess I should be using them. Enjoy!
TJR.

Living in the states, I don't have the tradition of tea as the English do. However, I have been drinking tea out of my own cups, and using my own teapots for years. When I first started in pottery, my professor told all of us that the ultimate test of a potter was a proper tea pot. So for years I made teapots to improve my techniques. In order to improve the pots, I used them and analyzed what worked and didn't. I think I make a pretty good teapot when driven to today. I used to use the tea kettle, and steep the pot, making a pot at a time, and drinking it with my wife. Now a days I cheat, put the hot tap water in the pot, put the pot in the microwave for 3 minutes, put in a tea bag or tea ball, and wait a minute and a half while lightly agitating, remove the bag and serve. I know, lots of tradition down the drain, but if I want a cup of tea, I want it now.

[rebbylicious]

have the hot/cold culligan water so I often cheat and use the hot water spout, but I love loose teas.. more of a tea ball per cup person.

[Marcia Selsor]

I like to use a tea ball and not strain. It is easier to clean the tea pot.
enjoy a nice warm cup of tea on a cold winter day. It is about 4 degrees F here in Minneapolis airport en route to Montana. Awarm cup of tea in a nice cup sounds good!

marcia

[Denice]

Marcia I was just brooding because it's colder than usual today until I read your post on how cold it was in Minn. it's 28 today and windy here. We rarely get into those low temps but the cup of tea still sounds good, I'm heading out to my studio I'll take one with me.

[Benzine]

Pres, on 24 January 2013 - 08:45 AM, said:

TJR, on 24 January 2013 - 09:30 AM, said:

Lucille;
Sadly, you can pick up those beautiful cups and saucers for next to nothing at garage sales. I have seen them for three dollars or less. The next generation doesn't value them.
Being Canadian, I have that unbroken British heritage of tea drinking. We put the kettle on to a rolling boil. Pre-heat the teapot with hot water, pour out, then place the tea in the pot. I would NEVER just put a tea bag in a mug. I do make all my own teapots and mugs, so I guess I should be using them. Enjoy!
TJR.

Living in the states, I don't have the tradition of tea as the English do. However, I have been drinking tea out of my own cups, and using my own teapots for years. When I first started in pottery, my professor told all of us that the ultimate test of a potter was a proper tea pot. So for years I made teapots to improve my techniques. In order to improve the pots, I used them and analyzed what worked and didn't. I think I make a pretty good teapot when driven to today. I used to use the tea kettle, and steep the pot, making a pot at a time, and drinking it with my wife. Now a days I cheat, put the hot tap water in the pot, put the pot in the microwave for 3 minutes, put in a tea bag or tea ball, and wait a minute and a half while lightly agitating, remove the bag and serve. I know, lots of tradition down the drain, but if I want a cup of tea, I want it now.

Speaking of figuring out, what worked, and what didn't, I started making teapots, when I started my first teaching job, as a way to practice. I only learned basic forms in college, so I kind of figured out teapots for myself. My first one was basically a tiny mockup, and not really functional, basically a proof of concept. My second, was full-sized, and look good enough, but the angle and positioning of the spout were too long, so you couldn't even fill the pot all the way, without some of the liquid, coming out the spout. Oops.....Live and learn.....and break all the evidence, with a hammer.

[Lucille Oka]

I think I caused a misunderstanding. I didn't want to have to repeat me, me, me, and I, I, I it sounded too much like boasting. I made the porcelain teapot, teacup and tea plate. It was my second one in 24 years. It took many years to make another one, not sure why.

There were so many times the little teapot almost didn’t make it. It has been completed for 8 months or so. My daughter almost knocked it off of the table and I almost knocked it off of another table.

I consider it a test pot. It doesn’t pour too badly and the lid is clever; I can hold it down with the same hand while pouring. I didn’t make it large like more contemporary pots. I made it smaller like the little ones used in the 18th century. It only holds 13 ounces. It is also a bit ‘quirky’. I made it to test the spout, the legs, the handle, the lid, the colors, and the sprigging. I keep bumping it on something so it is losing sprigged parts. I lost two tiny pieces a few minutes ago on the lid. I like to say, ‘the breaks happened in antiquity’.

I wish I could give you a picture of it but I am not on my computer and I don’t want to attach anything to the computer I am using. But one day I will show it.

[Idaho Potter]

TJR, you folks north of here know how to make tea. I was on a camping trip to Duncan's Cove, BC and met some delightful Canadians who tutored me on making tea properly. I enjoyed it every afternoon with them, and still prefer to do all as you described. Occasionally I will have friends over who can't be bothered "with all that fuss", and we end up with tea bags and microwaved hot water. They really don't know what they're missing.

Shirley

[Natania Hume]

My husband is English and so I learned the art of making a pot of tea from him years ago. So fun when you've made the pot too and you can analyze what works and what doesn't. We warm the pot, etc. and I've gotten to the point that I'm spoiled and don't like tea made from a bag. The only downside is that our strainer is big, ugly and made for cooking, not tea straining. Anyone know where to get an elegant hand-held tea strainer?

[ayjay]

Natania Hume, on 26 January 2013 - 12:06 AM, said:

. Anyone know where to get an elegant hand-held tea strainer?

Ebay? There's some on the UK site.

I'm English, and although I like tea and drink a lot of it I'm actually drinking coffee at the moment, (proper coffee, never instant, won't have it in the house).

Can't remember the last time I used a teapot, I'm the only tea drinker in the house so a pot of tea would be stewed by the time I finished it.

I do have a large cup and saucer of my own make which has a two tea-bag capacity, perfect for breakfast time. :Dsrc="http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif">

Emoticons still not working here, is there a fix to be had?

[TJR]

Idaho Potter, on 25 January 2013 - 03:41 PM, said:

TJR, you folks north of here know how to make tea. I was on a camping trip to Duncan's Cove, BC and met some delightful Canadians who tutored me on making tea properly. I enjoyed it every afternoon with them, and still prefer to do all as you described. Occasionally I will have friends over who can't be bothered "with all that fuss", and we end up with tea bags and microwaved hot water. They really don't know what they're missing.

Shirley

Shirley;
I don't always do the entire ritual. There are many nights when we throw two tea bags into the pot and make it steep. We DO always boil the water in a kettle, never hot water from a tap. And we let it steep for a LONG time.We also drink good coffee, but never instant.
TJR.