A Tea Story ................ by Stephen Thompson

The concluding installments of The Grand Valentine Masquerade

by Lyle Dagnen

continued from our last issue

The next day he was in his study where he would receive her. He had just dropped the final log of fragrant apple wood on the fire when he heard the door being answered. Lady Elaine was punctual. She entered the domain of his study. She was lovely in a deep dark green velvet dress.

“May I take your jacket?” The fire was warming the cozy setting of the two chairs and tea service, close to the fire. “Your hat?” he offered, hoping that she would allow him full view of her wonderful brown hair.

“Lord Jamison,” she began with a smile as she removed her jacket and her hat. “May I ask the reason for this meeting?”

Her voice was musical to him. When he looked at her he did not think of Julianna; he thought about how much he wanted to hear her laugh and how much he wanted to speak with her. “Which of my charges are you the most interested in?” She nodded her head to one side.

He certainly was not going to begin this with a false statement. “I am not really interested in any of the six you and Grandmother have paraded before me.” There it was, said, out in the open.

“Oh,” she nodded her lovely head the other way. “Then why have you requested this meeting?”

Her blue eyes were so full of, what was it? Dare he think innocence? “Here goes,” he thought before he spoke, “I invited you to tea because I wanted to spend and afternoon over tea with you, Lady Elaine.” Now was when she would either leave, or she would stay and they would become better acquainted. It had been very forward of him to invite her to tea. Had she been anything other than a chaperone, he would not have asked, and she certainly would not have accepted.

Her eyes fluttered, “Oh,” was her response, then followed by another, “Oh”. Then she smiled, “Shall I pour the tea?”

He nodded, pleased that she assumed the duty. “I could not help but notice that you have been reading Plato. Do you care to discuss what you have been reading?” His willingness to appeal to her status as an educated woman made her blink her eyes as she settled herself with her tea by the fire. The fact that he was turned to her, listening and waiting, appealed to her very deeply.

“I am very fond of ‘The Allegory of the Cave,’ so much so that I have read it several times and probably will again.”

He appreciated the fact that she seemed to enjoy the butter cakes that his cook prepared just like Grandmother’s cook.

They lapsed into a discussion of leading people into the light of education; the resistance of some to bettering themselves. Their hour at tea passed way too fast; it was time for her to leave, to have stayed longer would have been compromising. Lord Ian Jamison, smiled smugly to himself—he had found the one, now he had to convince her. As she rose to leave, replacing her hat, setting her cape about her shoulders as he handed each item to her, he handed her his calling card.

“May I have the honor of calling upon you?” he asked with a nod of his head.

She was startled, no gentleman had ever asked to call upon her. Usually, one dance was torture enough for any male with whom she had come in contact when she was out. “It would be delightful to continue our conversation.”

No-Bake Chai Pie

shared by Bonnie Ramsburg from Taste of Home Magazine

“That looks like something my friends and I might like,” I thought to myself when I saw the cover of Taste of Home that day. And it did. I mean, how could someone that knew their friends liked Chai Tea and Cheesecake pass up the recipe to make just that; Chai Tea Cheesecake? Together? Oh yeah, we would be over the moon! So on that day, in 2008, I purchased the issue that had the recipe in it, with every intention of making it at some point in the near future.

Fast forward to 2014. I know that there was an issue of la Vie Sirene coming up that involves tea. I had packed away my copy of Taste of Home a few months after I bought it, never making the pie that was the whole reason for the purchase, but the idea has stuck with me all these years. What a perfect reason to look for the recipe and make the pie! And that is just what I…. errrr…. my Mom did! (I kind of begged her to do it, so it had a chance of being edible)

Without further ado, here is the recipe that I waited for six years to taste! YUMMY!

8 Servings Prep: 25 min. + chilling

Ingredients

• 1 individual tea bag • 1/2 cup boiling water • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin • 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese • 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese • 1/3 cup sugar • 1/2 cup refrigerated fat-free French vanilla nondairy creamer • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger • 1/8 teaspoon each ground cardamom, allspice and cloves • 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (8 inches) • 1/2 cup reduced-fat whipped topping

Directions

1. Place tea bag in a small bowl; add boiling water. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

Discard tea bag. Refrigerate tea for 30 minutes or until chilled. 2. Sprinkle gelatin over tea; let stand for 1 minute. Microwave on high for 30 seconds; stir. Let stand for 1 minute or until gelatin is completely dissolved. 3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheeses and sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in the creamer, gelatin mixture, 1/4-teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and cloves until blended. 4. Pour into crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. 5. Garnish with whipped topping and remaining cinnamon. 6. ENJOY!

Note to self and others: We didn’t follow the whole “reduced-fat/fat free” theme. But I might take the suggestion from one of my friends and maybe replace just one package of the cheese with the ‘healthier’ version. I also wouldn’t use decaffeinated tea. It was, um, my fault we didn’t have regular, I didn’t realize I had used it all for another project. The other thing I would do, the recipe says to let the tea steep for only 5 minutes. If you do use the decaffeinated tea, I would steep it for 10 minutes. Now, where did I see that recipe for Oregon Chai’s version? I might want to try that one too!

from Leann Drury

Q: How many countries have a historical ritual of tea and how far back beyond Victorian England does that history extend?

A: Given that I have yet to visit many of the countries that embrace a tea ritual as part of their culture, I am going to defer to the wise folks at World Tea News who posted an article on this very subject about a year ago. Of the places mentioned on their list, I’ve taken tea in China, New Zealand, England, and of course, the United States, and am quite keen to try all the others.

Of all my tea experiences, the journey to a Chinese tea plantation stands out as a highlight. I had the fun of wearing a woven bamboo hat and going out into the fields to pick tea leaves off the bush. I returned to base and got to go through the tea-making process in a hands-on way—putting leaves out to dry, turning the crank to machine-roll and oxidize the leaves, and so on. The most magical part was the Chinese tea ceremony itself. It was just me and this beautiful young Chinese woman, neither of whom spoke the other’s language. Without words, she guided me through a tea ceremony, preparing a variety of teas in the course of our time together. No ballerina has ever moved more gracefully than that girl did when opening canisters, pouring hot water, and handing me tea cups. I nearly developed a ‘girl crush.’ Suffice it to say, I bought every tea and jar used in the ceremony ... as I’m sure they figured I would. I was happy to be putty in such graceful hands.

by Marta Lopez Garcia

from World Tea News (unedited)

It will warm us if we are cool, it will cool us if we are too heated and it will cheer us if we are depressed (in addition, it contains multiple benefits).Tea is the second most consumed drink in the world after water and apparently it has the solution to all evils. From the time of the ancient Chinese Dynasty to our present, tea has showed us its power and the fact that it has a lot to do with relaxing and sacred rituals. This article is for those who love travelling and still think a cup of tea is more than a drink…

1. India: The land of Chai tea

India produces and consumes more tea than any other country in the world. Chai is the national drink in India and it is served literally on every street corner– Especially in crowded train stations, where you can see people selling it at all times of the day and night. If you ever get invited to an Indian house (remember that here guests can drop by anytime without warning) prepare yourself to taste a sweet and a bit spiced milk-tea.

If you have the chance to visit the amazing India, visit the Tea Museum in Munnar. Here you will get to know the traditional tea production.

2. Japan: The matcha ceremony

In Japan tea is an important part of the food culture. Even though, the diversity of tea here is quite big, when someone mention the word “tea” without specifying the type, it´s green to which is referred (green and Chinese tea are also some of the most popular ones). The ceremony of tea is known here as matcha, which consists of serving green tea to a small group of people in one of those popular teahouses.

For those who want to live the real tea experience take a flight to Tokyo and don´t miss the chance to visit one of the popular tearooms.

3. Morocco: Mint tea, the heart of the culture

Moroccan tea glasses mage selected by Sanndi Thompson

It is almost impossible to spend 24 hours in a Moroccan city and to not be served hot tea. Touareg tea, or Moroccan mint tea is literally the heart of their culture. Strongly linked to the act of hospitality, the mint tea is served to guests three times with each glass meaning a different thing- Life, love and death. Of course, all of them have to be drunk.

Do you fancy a Moroccan tea? You only need a large quantity of hard sugar, 5 tea spoons for every spoon of fresh tea and of course, mint, the essential ingredient.

4. New Zealand: The “tea-break”

According to historians, New Zealand imported considerable amounts of tea in the nineteenthcentury, with the arrival of the British missionaries. Today people experiment with other types of tea like the Japanese green tea, blends like earl grey, and Chinese teas such as oolong. Like in America, the interest for this drink comes from tea’s reputation and its health benefits.