MARCH IN A TEAPOT

Did March arrive like a lion or a lamb?
Here in the unrelenting wilds of Tennessee, March was confused due to the radical dichotomy of the weather.

On the first day of March it was unseasonably balmy and near 80 degrees (Fahrenheit). After nightfall it was stormy with torrential rain.
I suppose you could call it an unconventional marriage of the lion and lamb.

But I'm not here to talk weather. While I was relaxing with a mug of Irish tea last stormy night, I started reflecting on my undaunted historical obsession with tea - and realized that I could never live without it.

Coffee is fine, of course, but tea is much more sophisticated, refined, romantic, and intriguing. In my humble, unbiased opinion, tea leaves are infinitely superior to muddy coffee grounds.

My romance with tea began at an impossibly early age. When I was only about three years old, my paternal Hungarian grandmother would unfailingly make me a feast of tea es piritos. A cup of hot tea spiked with milk and sugar, and homemade toasted bread with butter. I was in Heaven and my obsession with tea never waned.
To this day - a hundred long years later - I still love hot tea with milk and sugar, and very often with evaporated milk. Honey is okay, too, but I think sugar does much more to enhance tea.

I don't use small teacups, I prefer large mugs for tea

When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was smitten with a "colorful" quasi-hippie  existence. I wore sandals and clothes from India. I indulged in transcendental meditation - among other (slightly unmentionable) things.

I began experimenting with tea like some people experimented with drugs. I sampled all kinds of tea, mostly exclusively available in quirky exotic Hollywood "health" food stores.
I was attracted to the unwholesome names: Gunpowder tea, Skullcap, Lemon Grass.  Along with the tea, I drank a lot of raw milk and ate "organic" East Indian food.
It's a wonder I survived.

In a lucid moment I soon realized that I hated herbal tea and promptly abandoned it. I much preferred real tea, black tea, dignified European teas. These are still my preferences.

I still enjoy experimenting with tea, but nothing herbal. My favorites? It's nearly impossible to choose from the endless varieties and brands.
I love Darjeeling tea, but good blends are hard to find. 

Antique teacup and bunny

I always associate springtime and Easter with Earl Grey tea - because that was the time of year when I first discovered it. The strong, lemony oil of bergamot never fails to captivate me.

Another thing that I've discovered lately is that some previously excellent brands of tea have diminished in quality.

Twinings used to be a good brand, but in recent years the tea has weakened to the point that it's nearly tasteless. Their Earl Grey tea is tepid with no "punch" at all. I still like their Irish Breakfast tea, but it's not spectacular.

Bigelow has always been a fairly consistent brand. I used to enjoy their Plantation Mint long ago and it's still available. They make a great Coconut tea, and Vanilla tea. Both are intriguing once-in-awhile treats, but I don't like a steady diet of them.

The two aforementioned tea brands are most prominently available in bland retail stores, like Walmart. You have to search in other places to find superior tea.

Lately I'm completely obsessed with Harney and Sons tea. They have a wide variety of fine teas, reportedly over 250 varieties. I first tried their Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea last autumn and was hooked. It has a delightful punch that will knock your bloomers off. I wrote about this on my blog and several other tea-loving bloggers tried it.

Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea tin and antique cup (circa 1820)

Besides having excellent and unusual tea, most varieties of their tea comes in old-fashioned-type tin boxes.

I'm obsessed with their apricot tea and the peach and ginger tea. There are many unusual blends that I'd like to try:

Victorian London Fog is a blend of oolong bergamot, vanilla, and lavender.

Paris Tea, Tower of London, Dragon Pearl Jasmine.

African Autumn is an herbal tea made with a blend of red bush roolbos, cranberry, and orange. It's probably the only herbal tea I would indulge in. Since Africa has no distinct autumn season, it was named for the red, maroon, and orange colors.
I'm almost positive that one of our fellow bloggers (TaryTerre) mentioned this as one of her favorite teas.

This post is getting long and possibly boring so I'll end here
Wait a minute, there's no realm of possibility that I could ever be boring.

Lets all enjoy a cup of tea....or coffee....and keep our fingers crossed - - hoping that the Arctic winter will soon be over and we can look forward to the sweet breath of spring.

                                      Cheers, Jon

Springtime Bunny tea set

Bavarian sugar bowl and creamer

One of my grandmother's teacups

My homemade "dinner" rolls

They are light, delicious, and extremely easy to make

One cup of flour, Half a cup of milk, one tablespoon of sugar, three tablespoons of mayonnaise (I use four). It makes about six rolls - the recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Grease the muffin (cupcake) tins, bake 400 (or 450) degrees for fifteen minutes.

Good with any meal, or with jam and a cup of tea.

Note

Blogger keeps changing the size of my fonts. I don't want to edit it for fear of accidentally deleting the post (like I did last time)