teapigs

After stumbling upon the best website ever, I thought I should definitely post the link. The site is called teapigs.

If features tea for your every mood, has awesome quotes, cute little animations like bursting popcorn and butterflies, and even has a section about the history of tea. The site features a tea that isn't available in every store: red (rooibos) tea with a pretty decent organic selection.

"Remember the teapot - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings!"Anonymous

Without further delay, here are a few screenshots...

So Poetic

I learned some new tea terminology today that I think is just fantastic.

Agony of Leaves:
the term given for the way tea leaves unfurl as they brew in hot water

And, of course, there is no better way to see this than in a clear teapot.

The Lighthouse

Normally lighthouses are rather boring to shoot because they don't have much surrounding them. This one was actually quite a bit of fun and gave me several angles to choose from.

From the dunes...

The vast landscape...

The texture of the sand from the tide.

The ocean water was clear as crystal.

The shoreline.

Does White Tea Have Caffeine?

A good friend of mine asked me this question the other day, and I thought I should post it for future reference.

It depends on the brand. Most resources say that white tea has a small amount of caffeine; however, I've actually had tea that said if you steeped the teabag in boiling water for less than 30 seconds, it would prevent the caffeine from being extracted, and would have a much less bitter taste.

Tales of a Blind Man

I have tried a lot of tea, and my favorite has stood the test of time: Mighty leaf.

What I like so much about this company is that their tea isn't some powdery dust you find in Lipton tea bags or similar off-the-shelf brands. Their teabags are made from these silk-like biodegradable pouches. (My favorite is called Tropical Green Tea)

This reminds me of a story.

When I was working as a lab instructor for the college, I met an old man from Pakistan named Manal. He was an amazing photographer and brought back all sorts of photos from his home country. I recall the elaborate weddings and jewelry the brides wore. Every year, when my birthday came around, he would pull a bracelet or anklet out of his pocket and present it to me as a gift. He was always full of surprises — especially when he finally admitted he was legally blind. He started wearing this mad scientist looking thing. His glasses had glasses.

Oh, right, back to the point.

Manal once told me that Lipton uses the "leftover" teas from India and that basically their tea was made strictly from the rejects. At this point, I had already snubbed my nose at Lipton, but I used to drink a ton of it as a child.

I hope there are no lingering side effects :)

Blooming Tea

I "discovered" blooming tea a few years back and instantly fell in love. These teas have been handcrafted to bloom into various flowers over the course of a few minutes. To be honest, I haven't found one where I have really enjoyed the taste, but regardless they somehow make my day just a little bit better.

Chinese Wine Vessel Inspiration to Teapot?

I did a bit of reading this morning. I am dying to know who really invented the teapot. So far, the closest thing I could find that may be the real influence is the Chinese wine vessel.

I have to admit, at first I was a little skeptical. Although the similarities were compelling, I had a hard time believing that the Chinese would redesign their wine vessel — which according to several sources, became an important kind of sacrificial object — with something so lighthearted as a cup of tea.

Then it hit me. *facepalm* Many cultures believed tea has healing properties. That would certainly make it wine-vessel shape worthy, don't you think?

500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design

The name teakettica, just in case it wasn't obvious, stems from my love for all things tea: teapots, green tea, black tea, herbal tea, teacups — if it's tea, I love it. There is only one exception, but I'll save that for another post.

My respect for the tea industry grew after purchasing a book called 500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design. The teapots in this book range from wheel-thrown to very detailed pieces, traditional kettles to Salvador Dali-inspired ones that might give you nightmares. They are all so incredible.

It wasn't until 4 years or so later that I realized that these teapots share the same sort of history as typography. Each teapot is inspired by a particular era. Some are graceful and elegant while others are boxy and stubby.

However, no one is really sure who invented the teapot. Some say it was the chinese; but, others say they just drank tea right out of the cup after letting the leaves settle. Scholars also think it could have been the islamics. The first teapot was introduced sometime in the 1600's.

I can't help but find this ironic — this is also the time that classical/oldstyle fonts leave their mark on the world.

I have always preferred oldstyle fonts. Goudy is my personal favorite, as it has a few eccentricities that some of the others do not. It makes sense. It was invented well after the others, in 1916.

I appreciate it's modern take on something so timeless and beautiful.