Create a Beautiful Life: Afternoon Tea Ritual

June 29, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

Part of my ongoing project for “creating a beautiful life” includes an afternoon tea ritual. I’m happy to drink tea anytime but setting aside a special time in the afternoon to take a break gives me a bit of breathing room during a busy day.

Create an afternoon tea ritual

There is something about preparing a perfect cup of tea which becomes a true pleasure when approached as a ritual. Choosing the tea, selecting just the right cup and saucer, heating the water to the correct temperature, brewing exactly the right amount of time and adding the desired amount of milk and sugar…a perfect cup of tea doesn’t just “happen”.

I’ve posted my method in exhaustive detail here:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links

A Few Favorites

I usually drink tea at least two or three times a day. I usually drink Choice Organic Earl Grey which I purchase by the case:

But oftentimes I like to drink something different during my afternoon break. I will sometimes make it even more of a ritual by using loose leaf tea, too. Here are a couple of teas I enjoy:

Harney and Sons Paris tea – It’s no surprise I would like a tea named after one of my favorite cities, right?

2. Tazo Berry Blossom White – I first tasted this when friends served it to us at their home in Laguna Hills a couple of years ago. I loved it so of course I had to buy some for myself.

3. Or how about a sampler if you’d like to try a variety? Stash organic tea sampler

I have quite a collection of teas and am always on the lookout for others. In fact, if you have a favorite you’d like to recommend, please leave me a comment.

I also have a collection of pretty cups and saucers which I like to use for my afternoon tea ritual. A mug is fine for coffee but for tea, I find a proper cup and saucer adds a little touch of elegance which I enjoy.

After I prepare the tea I like to curl up in my chair in the library and sip slowly while reading a book or listening to music. Such a lovely way to enjoy a break in the afternoon!

Books About Tea

If, like me, you enjoy the ritual of tea or would like to start doing so, here are some books and other resources you might enjoy:

Tea at Downton: Afternoon Tea Recipes From the Unofficial Guide to Downton Abbey – I don’t have this one yet but it’s on my wishlist and I do have a birthday later this summer.

Tea Celebrations: The Way to Serenity by Alexandra Stoddard

This one is no longer in print but you might be able to get it through your public library or luck upon a copy in a used book store. I adore everything this woman writes.

An Invitation to Tea: Special Celebrations with Treasured Friends by Emilie Barnes – Tea is also something special to share with friends.

19 Lessons On Tea: Becoming an Expert on Buying, Brewing, and Drinking the Best Tea – If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it well.

Health Benefits of Tea

I drink tea because I adore it but the fact that it has health benefits just makes it all the better.

How a daily cup of tea may improve your health

The Surprising Health Benefit of Drinking Tea Every Day

Medical Benefits of Drinking Hot Tea

Tea Etiquette

English Tea Ceremony

Etiquette Faux Pas and Other Misconceptions About Afternoon Tea

British Tea Etiquette: How to Drink it Downton Abbey-Style

So, what about you? Do you enjoy a nice, hot cuppa? If so, have you elevated it to the status of a ritual? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.

And now I’m going to go brew myself a cup and enjoy my favorite ritual.

~~~~~

Other posts you may enjoy:

Creating a Beautiful Life With Rituals

Resources to Help You Create a Beautiful Life

Create a Beautiful Life With an Evening Routine

Creating a Beautiful Life ~ My Bedside Table

Make Someone Else’s Life Beautiful By Volunteering

Tea Time – a documentary

July 27, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

A new documentary that looks to be right up my alley, Tea Time:

Synopsis from PBS:

Ritual is often associated with powerful and impersonal institutions, but for five Chilean women, ritual centers on a monthly gathering that has sustained them through 60 years of personal and societal change. Tea Time is a charming and poignant look at how a seemingly mundane routine of tea and pastries has helped the well-heeled participants commemorate life’s joys and cope with infidelity, illness and death. A celebration of the small things that help us endure, Tea Time, filmed over five years, illuminates a beautiful paradox: As familiar worlds slip away, friendships grow ever stronger and more profound.

It airs tonight, July 27, 2015 and will also be available online through August 25th.

Tea, Tissues and I Love Lucy

June 11, 2015 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

This is what my week has consisted of:

I thought I had successfully fought off the virus which kept taunting me last week but then it pulled a fast one and clobbered me Sunday night. I’ve spent the past few days blowing my nose, coughing, drinking tea and watching I Love Lucy. So far I think I have watched 33 episodes this week. I’m feeling better except for the lingering asthma symptoms and the back pain from all the violent coughing.

The worst part? We had to postpone our appointment to get satellite internet installed. If you are wondering why it’s been a month since my last blog post, it’s because we have the crappiest internet provider on the planet and our service has been down way more than it’s been up. I’ll spare you the details…mainly because talking about it raises my blood pressure. I know there can be issues with satellite internet – and frankly, that does scare me – but we reached a point where we decided it was worth at least trying something else. When you live in the boonies your options are minimal.

Hopefully by the middle of next week I will have a reasonably consistent internet connection and then there will likely be an avalanche of posts and pictures and giddy expressions of glee. Until then I’ll just go watch some more episodes of I Love Lucy.

Two Days in London

December 31, 2014 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I still have so much to share from our Paris trip and I fully intend to finish this series within a couple of weeks of the start of 2015. For now, how about a quick post about our little excursion to London?

David had the brilliant idea that we should take advantage of proximity and zip on over to London during our trip. He knew that I’ve long wished for an opportunity to meet my dear friend, Mary, in person. She and I began corresponding via email about 13 years ago. We “met” on an email list for FlyLady followers. One day she asked for clarification of an American term. I responded and also mentioned that her name was the same as my mom’s maiden name. It seems such a simple and innocuous beginning for what has become a deep and lasting friendship.

Mid-way through our Paris trip we caught the train to London. The train trip alone was quite an adventure. I’d love to travel Europe via train someday. We met up with Mary near our hotel. She spotted us from a distance and the three of us embraced right there on the sidewalk. It immediately felt as though we’d all known each other forever. Over the years David has heard me talk about Mary so much that he already felt as though he knew her, too.

It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm and sunny day. We had decided that it would be a good idea to hop a tour bus for an overview of the city. We had done that in Paris and it was wonderful. Well, we didn’t do so well selecting a tour bus company in London. I’ll spare you the details but if you are ever planning to take a trip to London let me know and I’ll tell you which company to avoid.

Still, it was absolutely splendid to spend the day with Mary:

She caught a train back to Birmingham, where she lives, at about 10:30 p.m. and we said our goodbyes in the train station. I truly hope I will get another opportunity to see my dear friend. Maybe someday she can come visit me!

David and I headed back to our hotel which was only a few blocks from the train station. We had, however, walked our ever-lovin’ legs off that day. That tour bus thing? Yeah, it didn’t work out quite like we planned. Anyway, back at the hotel I had already taken off my boots when I was overcome with a desire – no…NEED – for a cup of hot tea. It was after 11 p.m. and room service was closed for the night. They had a bar downstairs and I took a chance that they might be able to fix me up. I pulled my boots back on and trudged downstairs in search of a fix for my addiction. I should have known that it wouldn’t be a problem in England. This is what the bartender fixed up for me to take back to our room:

My opinion of London shot up dramatically at that point. We had endured crowds, traffic, incompetent bus drivers and the worst food imaginable but a perfect cup of tea fixes nearly anything.

We slept well in a very comfortable hotel room and awoke ready to give London another shot. The weather was more typical – cool and rainy – but we had a better idea how to get around and we had a lovely day. We decided to focus on the two main things we wanted to see. I wanted to see the Globe Theatre and David wanted to see Buckingham Palace:

We saw the Globe first. We didn’t get to go inside but we did pick up a couple of things in the gift shop and enjoyed a nice lunch there. Finally…a decent meal. Not quite Paris but then, nothing is. Still, we had a tasty shepherd’s pie in a lovely little restaurant.

We made our way to Buckingham Palace, enjoying a walk through a pretty park. The palace was quite impressive from the outside which is all we saw. That’s right, the Queen didn’t invite us in for tea. Can you believe that? And we know she was home because literally two minutes after we decided to catch a cab across the street the cab driver pointed out that we had just missed the Queen. If we had waited outside the gate just two more minutes…

Ah, well…that’s how things go sometimes. It was time to head back to the train station and back to Paris. I’m really glad we took the time to go to London, most especially because I got to see Mary, but we were both more than ready to go back to Paris.

Here are a few more pictures from London:

The Tower of London

A famed double-decker bus

One of their charming red phone booths

A cheerful rebel

Big Ben

Just soak awhile…

January 24, 2014 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

When I was a little girl I could walk out my backdoor, quick-step barefoot across the hot desert sand and visit my grandparents who lived around the corner from us. A row of cypress trees separated our yards, a gap in the trees providing a shady spot to cool my feet before running the rest of the way to their back porch. If I got there early enough I could have a cup of hot tea with Grandma. Sitting at the gray formica table, I’d sip Lipton tea from a Melmac cup and saucer. I’ve loved the sweet and milky brew since toddlerhood.

My cousin, Sue, lived next door. The two of us spent the bulk of our childhood together, usually “playing house” in our grandparents’ den. We also spent many a night together there, whispering and giggling under the soft, Downy-scented sheets in the guest room.

When we crawled out of bed in the morning Grandma would fix us each a cup of tea and tell us to “soak awhile”. I’ve scoured the internet for any mention of this saying but without success. We understood it to mean “sit quietly for a bit” but I have no idea where she got the phrase. I wish I had thought to ask her. Maybe her mother had said it to her and her many siblings when she was a little girl. Grandma’s parents were Irish and Dutch so perhaps the saying comes from one of those languages. Whatever the origins, I remember with fondness the many mornings I “soaked awhile” at Grandma’s house, a cup of tea in hand.

In recent weeks I’ve changed up my morning routine. Instead of heading straight for the computer at my desk I now start my morning in our library/music room. David makes hot tea in an insulated Klean Kanteen for me every morning then puts it and a china cup and saucer on the little table by my chair. Lured by the promise of Earl Grey I slip downstairs in my robe, curl up under a cosy afghan and just soak awhile.

Tea Making Tips

January 30, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Do you know how to brew a proper cup of tea? No? Well, have I got a treat for you:

I just love these old instructional videos. Oftentimes they are unintentionally funny. And I love the way they give us a little glimpse of another time. Leave it to the British to make sure that everyone gets their cuppa, even in war times.

So, did you know all these tips? How do you brew a cup of tea? Here is my step-by-step method:

Put fresh, cold water in electric kettle and turn it on. The nice thing about an electric kettle is that it automatically turns itself off as soon as the water reaches a boil. Perfect for tea.
Immediately pour the boiling water over the tea. I like my tea very hot so I’m not a fan of making it in a tea pot. I usually make mine in my insulated Klean Kanteen which keeps it piping hot for hours (not that it takes me that long to drink it!). I add organic sugar before I pour in the water. I must admit that I usually use tea bags. My favorite is Earl Grey by Choice Organics:

I do have several loose leaf teas which I use occasionally but more often than not I use tea bags.

Let steep 3 minutes. Yes, I time it. (If I’m making a pitcher of iced tea I steep for 5-6 minutes)
Remove tea bag and add milk.
Pour a little at a time into a china cup and saucer. My Klean Kanteen holds 16 oz. so I get several small cups of tea from it and it stays piping hot the whole time.

Do you drink tea? If so, what is your favorite? Do you add anything to yours?

31 Days of Autumn Nesting: Day 17 – Tea Time

October 20, 2012 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

It should come as no surprise, considering the name of this blog, that I adore tea. My grandma started me on it as an infant (I’m not kidding) and I’ve loved it ever since. I like iced tea, both sweet and unsweet. And I especially love a properly made cup of hot tea. Earl Grey, preferably.

This is the brand I buy. I have it sent to me from Amazon.com by the case on a scheduled basis.

I drink hot tea year round but as the weather gets colder I find myself making it several times a day. It warms me up, perks me up, relaxes me and just plain makes me happy.

I usually make it in my insulated Klean Kanteen:

I then pour a little at a time in one of my pretty china cups:

But occasionally I like to play tea party so I polished the silver tea set at the top of this post. Doesn’t it look pretty? I’m planning to use it to serve tea to David and myself in the evenings – especially the nights when we are watching Downton Abbey. It just seems fitting, doesn’t it? Now I suppose I need to learn to make crumpets. Or at least scones.

Tea With Dee…(that’s me!)

July 28, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, Tori of Torizworld, blogged about the annual Mad Tea Party at A Fanciful Twist. I took a look at some of the past parties and they were absolutely delightful. I would have loved to join in this year but we are headed to Oklahoma City in just a bit for the Bricktown Reggae Festival. I won’t be around to host a tea party but I encourage you to take a look at Tori’s, as well as the round up of parties on A Fanciful Twist’s site. They look like great fun.

In lieu of a party, I decided to show you how we do tea around here. I’ve been drinking tea since I was a baby and I shared the habit with David and the kids. They all love it, too, but in my case it borders on obsession. That’s okay, though…there are worse things to be hooked on!

Here is where it all starts:

I love my electric tea kettle. The metal container you get a glimpse of on the left holds my organic Earl Grey teabags. Those are my usual, day-to-day choice and I buy them a case at a time from Amazon via their subscription service. Can’t run out of tea now, can we?

The red metal basket contains an assortment of different teas. To the right of the tea kettle is a jar with loose, apricot tea. To its right are three tins of wonderful teas: Earl Grey, Paris, and Darjeeling. These are loose teas. You can just barely see a little white, ceramic sugar bowl with a tiny spoon sticking out. I keep organic sugar in this for my tea. It’s sitting on a canister for coffee beans and the coffee grinder is to the left of the kettle. Yes, we drink coffee around here, too. That’s David’s choice first thing in the morning while I wouldn’t dream of starting my day without tea.

Next up is a picture of the cabinet above my “tea station”, shown with the door open:

Sharing space with cocktail supplies are extra boxes of tea. As I said, we cannot risk running out so I keep plenty on hand, plus some different varieties for guests. My mom likes Lipton so I keep some on hand for her. That is what I grew up drinking until I discovered Earl Grey.

Now let’s move to the library:

I have a number of cups and saucers which have been given to me over the years. Some are displayed in the upper part of my china cabinet.

And others share space with my books:

I would suspect most serious tea drinkers have a very specific way in which they prepare and enjoy their tea. I’ve got mine down to a science. First, the water (freshly drawn, of course) must be fully boiling. It is then poured over the tea and allowed to steep for the proper time (three minutes for my usual Earl Grey in a tea bag). Unless I’m making just a single cup’s worth of loose tea, I like to make it in my Klean Kanteen. This is a BPA-free, insulated stainless steel bottle that will keep the tea piping hot for hours. In fact, it will remain too hot to drink directly from the bottle for quite some time. I like to drink from pretty china cups so I pour a little at a time into one. This allows me to consume 16 ounces of steaming hot tea slowly without it getting cold. Perfect, huh?

Here is a picture of my set-up. English bone china cup and saucer kept filled from an insulated bottle – perfect blend of old and new, don’t you think?

So go make yourself a cuppa then check out Tori’s tea party, as well as the others linked at A Fanciful Twist.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”~C.S. Lewis

Tea and Crumpets

July 20, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

Okay, so I don’t actually have any crumpets. However, a nice cup (or four) of Darjeeling tea while watching Downton Abbey is a rather nice way to spend a Friday afternoon, don’t you agree?

Tea and Earthquakes

November 6, 2011 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

I know this will come as a shock but I’m pretty darn fond of tea. Okay, so I’m obsessed with it. I begin every day with it. I’ve got a cup in front of me right now. I’ve been drinking it since I was a toddler and I’m sure I’ll continue until the day I die.

So today I am thankful for tea, that elixir of life.

Several minutes later:
I was going to find a picture of a cup of tea to add here but then we had a REALLY strong earthquake. I think I won the “first to post about the earthquake on Facebook”. There was just another tiny little shake a second ago so I think I’ll go ahead and post this. Must stay ready in case I need to alert the world via Twitter or Facebook.