The Chinese Tea Ceremony 功夫茶道

I have been fortunate to participate in a Chinese Tea Ceremony in CHINA! Our son shouted my husband and I to a trip to Shanghai and while we were there, he took us to a Chinese Teahouse where we took part in sharing tea with a tea officiando. As with the Japanese Tea Ceremony, this was a solemn and purposeful occasion. There are significant differences between the two ceremonies. For me the most unusual was the cleaning/washing of the teapot and cups at the table, prior to preparing the tea. The drinking vessels are very small and the emphasis on using only the best quality water is also important.

Chinese Tea Ceremony History
The evolution of the Chinese Tea Ceremony mirrors the growth and importance of tea within Chinese culture. In the beginning, tea was cultivated and used solely as herbal medicine mostly within temples. Monks began to use tea to teach a respect for nature, humility and an overall sense of peace and calm. In fact, the spirit of the Chinese Tea Ceremony is described as he, jing, yi, zhen which translates to peace, quiet, enjoyment and truth. Monks felt they could illustrate deep philosophical concepts through tea service. It is for that reason that the underlying philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism blend together through the Chinese Tea Ceremony. Over time, people recognized the health benefits of tea but also its overall enjoyment. Tea ceremonies could be seen in memorial celebrations for both emperors and family ancestors.
The first written account of tea ceremonies was during the Tang Dynasty over 1200 years ago. The term to describe the serving of tea was initially called cha dao or the way of tea. Japanese monks traveling through China during this period began to learn tea and tea culture. After bringing this knowledge back to Japan, tea ceremonies evolved in Japan as it blended with Japanese culture resulting in the well-known Japanese Tea Ceremony and is still called cha dao. Although cha dao originated in China, many felt a new term was needed to distinguish between Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies. In 1970, a Taiwanese tea master Lu Zi Kuang coined the term cha yi or art of tea, to represent current Chinese tea ceremonies.
There are six major aspects to consider when performing a Chinese Tea Ceremony. The following is a summary of both the technical knowledge and subtle skills for a successful ceremony.
1. Attitude – The attitude of the person performing the ceremony should reflect both a happy and confident demeanor. The performer should exude a calm and relaxed manner to create a peaceful and enjoyable tea ceremony.
2. Tea Selection – There are many considerations when selecting the right tea. In addition to fragrance, shape and taste, the tea should have a beautiful story and name.
3. Water Selection – The best quality tea leaves will have poor taste if bad quality water is used. Therefore, select pure, light and clean water to ensure a wonderful tasting tea.
4. Teaware Selection – It is important to select the correct teaware for brewing your tea leaves. In addition, allow your participants to fully appreciate the teaware by selecting both useful and beautiful items.
5. Ambiance – A peaceful and calm environment can be created with a clean, comfortable and quiet room. Artwork can be used to enhance the overall atmosphere of the space.
6. Technique – The basic skills for brewing tea are needed but also a graceful manner reflected through hand movements, facial expressions and clothing.

Tea plays a significant part in the Chinese Wedding ceremony and has its own special ritual.
Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony
Significance of the Tea:
Tea is probably used because it is China’s national drink and serving it is a sign of respect. Using tea is practical because not everyone can drink alcohol.
Lotus seeds and two red dates are used in the tea for two reasons. First, the words “lotus” and “year,” “seed” and “child,” and “date” and “early,” are homophones, i.e. they have the same sound but different meanings in Chinese. Secondly, the ancient Chinese believed that putting these items in the tea would help the newlyweds produce children early in their marriage and every year, which would ensure many grandchildren for their parents. Also, the sweetness of the special tea is a wish for sweet relations between the bride and her new family.

Serving the Tea:
On the wedding day, the bride serves tea (holding the teacup with both hands) to her parents at home before the groom arrives. She does this out of respect and to thank her parents for raising her. The tea at this time does not need to have the lotus seeds or dates, and the bride does not need the assistance of a “lucky woman.” She pours and serves the tea by herself without the groom.
Traditionally, after the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds serve tea (holding the teacups with both hands), inviting the groom’s elders to drink tea by addressing them by formal title, e.g. first uncle or third aunt.
The general rule is to have the woman on the left side and the man on the right side. The people being served will sit in chairs, while the bride and groom kneel. For example, when the newlyweds serve tea to the groom’s parents, the bride would kneel in front of her father-in-law, while the groom would kneels in front of his mother.
The newlyweds serve tea in order, starting with the groom’s parents then proceeding from the oldest family members to the youngest, e.g. the groom’s parents, then his paternal grandparents, then his maternal grandparents, then his oldest uncles and aunts, and all the way to his older brother.
In return, the newlyweds receive lucky red envelopes (“lai see,” which means “lucky”) stuffed with money or jewellery. The helpers, who are usually women blessed with a happy marriage or wealth and chosen by the fortune teller or bride’s mother, also get lucky red envelopes stuffed with money from those being served. These envelopes are placed on the platter which holds the teacups.

Tea drinking customs
There are several special circumstances in which tea is prepared and consumed.
• As a sign of respect
In Chinese society, the younger generation always shows its respect to the older generation by offering a cup of tea. Inviting and paying for their elders to go to restaurants for tea is a traditional activity on holidays. In the past, people of lower rank served tea to higher ranking people. Today, as Chinese society becomes more liberal, sometimes at home parents may pour a cup of tea for their children, or a boss may even pour tea for subordinates at restaurants. The lower ranking person should not expect the higher rank person to serve him or her tea in formal occasions, however.
• For a family gathering
When sons and daughters leave home to work and get married, they may seldom visit their parents. As a result, parents may seldom meet their grandchildren. Going to restaurants and drinking tea, therefore, becomes an important activity for family gatherings. Every Sunday, Chinese restaurants are crowded, especially when people celebrate festivals. This phenomenon reflects Chinese family values.
• To apologize
In Chinese culture, people make serious apologies to others by pouring tea for them. For example, children serving tea to their parents is a sign of regret and submission.
• To express thanks to your elders on one's wedding day
In the traditional Chinese marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom kneel in front of their parents and serve them tea. That is a way to express their gratitude. In front of their parents, it is a practice for the married couple to say, "Thanks for bringing us up. Now we are getting married. We owe it all to you." The parents will usually drink a small portion of the tea and then give them a red envelope, which symbolizes good luck. Another variance is for the to-be daughter-in-law to serve tea to her to-be parents-in-law, symbolizing that she is to become a part of the latter's family.
• To connect large families on wedding days
The tea ceremony during weddings also serves as a means for both parties in the wedding to meet with members of the other family. As Chinese families can be rather extended, one or two hundred people, it is entirely possible during a courtship to not have been introduced to someone. This was particularly true in older generations where the patriarch may have had more than one wife and not all family members were always on good terms. As such, during the tea ceremony, the couple would serve tea to all family members and call them by their official title. Drinking the tea symbolized acceptance into the family. Refusal to drink would symbolize opposition to the wedding and is quite unheard of since it would result in a loss of "face". Older relations so introduced would give a red envelope to the matrimonial couple while the couple would be expected to give a red envelope to younger, unmarried relations.
To pass on the tradition
Kungfu cha is drunk in Chaoshan because it is part of Chaoshan culture. They have a term for it and cannot be translated to another Chinese language. In Chaoshan hua [using Guangdong PinYin for Chaoshan hua], it is Ain7goin1 Bhung7Huê3 閒間文化[閒间文化]. It is when friends and family get together in a room to drink Kungfu cha and chat. During such occasions, tradition and culture are passed on to the younger generation.
• Folding the napkin in tea ceremonies is a traditional action and is done to keep away bad Qi energy in China as tea (茶) was regarded as one of the seven daily necessities, the others being firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar（柴,米,油,鹽,醬,醋）.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony

One of the most moving and interesting things I have experienced is the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I have been fortunate to have been served tea in this way many times - from being shown the process by a real Geisha to having some homestay students prepare the tea for me. It is special every time.
I have selected some beautiful images to accompany this post. I love the very old photos which show the solemnity and 'specialness' of the occasion.

Japanese Tea Ceremony 茶道（さどう、ちゃどう）

Japanese Tea Ceremony Procedures
The steps to the ceremony are quite simple: clean the serving bowls, boil a pot of water, serve a sweet treat to guests before the tea, mix powdered bitter green tea (Matcha) and water to make a frothy tea, serve the tea to guests. [ The flavors of the sweets and bitter tea compliment each other. This is a sign of harmony. ]
1. Bow when you receive the cup of tea which is called a chawan.
2. Take the chawan with your right hand and place it in the palm of your left hand.
3. Turn the chawan clockwise three times before you take a drink.
4. When the tea is gone, make a loud slurp to tell the host that the tea was truly enjoyed.
5. Wipe the part of the chawan your lips touched with your right hand.
6. Turn the chawan counterclockwise and return to the host.
Japanese Tea Ceremony History
In the middle of the 16th century the first Westerners, the Jesuits, arrived in Japan, and at that same time a Japanese man named Rikyu was developing a new approach to the ancient practice of serving tea with some food. It did not take long for the Jesuits to discover and develop an admiration for tea practices and to incorporate them into their everyday life in Japan. But the relationship between western civilization and the tea ceremony came to an abrupt halt when Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shogun, forced Westerners out of Japan and shut the doors on them for almost 300 years. Although the doors re-opened in 1868, it took almost 100 years for Westerners to develop an interest in the tea ceremony to the extent that they would begin to practice it and not simply view it as a quaint, inscrutable custom of the Japanese.
The experience of a tea ceremony can have 3 dimensions to it:
1. it is a social event;
2. it stresses aesthetics very much;
3. it can have a religious dimension.
That it is a social event is obvious. Guests gather at an appointed time to be served food and drink. This can be an informal tea which consists of serving a sweet and some tea, or even a small meal with the sweet and tea. This is called a chakai and can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or so. The number of guests for this sort of tea can be as small as one, and the highest number of guests is determined only by the limitations of the host's facilities. Guests also can be invited to a much more formal gathering called a chaji which involves highly structured gathering rituals, the serving of a meal in multiple courses, an intermission in a garden, and then a solemn thick tea ceremony followed by the less solemn thin Japanese tea ceremony.
A chaji will last from 3 to 5 hours and only 5 guests at most will be present. Both the chakai and the chaji have the same purpose which is to serve food and drink to guests. The difference lies in the quantity of food and drink, and the increased amount of ritualized movement that is necessary when you are serving more and doing it in your finest fashion. As with any serving of food and drink in the world, a sensible host will invite people who are compatible, for no one sits down with enemies to share a meal. In English we have the word "companion" which means a friend who does things with you. Etymologically "companion" came from 2 Latin words, cum which means with, and pan which means bread. Thus the original meaning of the word was the one with whom you were willing to share food. I believe that all nations can readily associate the sharing of food and drink as a symbol of friendly acceptance. The Japanese tea ceremony is definitely this sort of social event.
Let's turn now to the aesthetic dimension of tea. All great cultures in the history of civilization take care to serve a meal in a proscribed manner, and that prescription will always involve a certain amount of beauty. The appearance of the food, the utensils used in serving the food, and the decoration of the eating place should be quite appealing to the eyes. This is common throughout the world. In the tea ceremony this concern for beauty is so deeply pursued that tea can truly be referred to as an art form. Body movement is completely choreographed, even down to finger positions. Tea utensils can be of such a high quality that you will find them in art museums throughout the world. This is true also of tea architecture. (The Philadelphia and Los Angeles museums have complete tea house complexes which they display with great pride.) The arrangement of food in a chakai or a chaji can be so striking in beauty and so subtle in choice and form that it is almost on the level of poetry. The Japanese say that food must be tasted with the eyes before it is tasted with the mouth.
People frequently ask, "How long does it take to learn the tea ceremony?" This is like asking, "How long does it take to learn to play the piano? "If you are a fast learner, you will be able to play a simple tune within 10 weeks, but if you really want to play well, count more on 10 years. There is an old Latin saying, Ars est celare arlem. This means that true art is so subtle that it looks quite natural and simple -- it does not look contrived. This is true of the art of tea also, and thus it takes years of study and practice in order to master it. People are surprised when you tell them that it takes years to learn tea, but think about how long it took you to learn proper table manners, and these, though refined, are certainly not on the level of an art form. And think too about the many years any good cook has spent in developing the ability to gracefully prepare and serve a good meal.
The tea ceremony as an art form cuts through a whole spectrum of Japanese culture because it embraces many art forms such as architecture, gardening, ceramics, textiles, Japanese calligraphy, flower arrangement, and Japanese cuisine, plus a few rather arcane art forms such as the sculpting of ashes and the building of a beautiful fire. Certain arrangements of ashes on which charcoal is placed can take as long as two hours to prepare. Other than the Japanese tea ceremony, where else can you find humble ashes raised to such a level of refinement and beauty? Indeed, they are the finest ashes in the world. A story is told about three tea masters who had a magnificent tea room with much valuable equipment. One day the house caught fire and the 3 tea masters rushed in to save what they could. The first thing they saved was the ashes! The point being made with this story is that everything involved in a tea ceremony has been given careful aesthetic attention, even the ashes. Going to a high quality tea ceremony can be every bit as much of an aesthetic experience as going to an art museum or the theater.
The third dimension of tea is the religious dimension, and it is optional. I would compare this to meals in Muslim or Jewish, or Christian homes, and many other religious homes. Pious people in these religious traditions will bring a religious mentality to meals and thus experience the meal as a religious event. The religious mentality which is frequently brought to a tea ceremony is that of Zen Buddhism. Zen people talk about the whole universe being experienced in the drinking of a bowl of tea. This experience comes from giving yourself over totally to the here and now and fully participating in the tea with a heart free from selfish desires. But this is up to the individuals participating in the tea. As Mr. Yamada, the director of Urasenke in New York, says, "Zen people (particularly of the Rinzai sect) are often interested in tea, and tea people are often interested in Zen, but tea is tea and Zen is Zen." One could just as easily bring a Christian or Islamic mentality to a tea ceremony, and in fact Soshitsu Sen XV, the present Grand Master, highly encourages just this sort of thing. Giving oneself over to the here and now with a heart free from selfish desire is a thought quite acceptable to all the major religions of the world. Christians speak about experiencing Christ at the supper table; he can also be experienced at tea. Jews speak of living out their covenant with God by keeping his law. Tea can be quite kosher. And Muslims can accept the will of Allah while sharing food and tea. Tea is for all nations, all cultures, and all religious traditions.

Australian Tea - An Aussie Cuppa - Grown in Oz!

The tea growing industry in Australia is burgeoning. I try as much as possible to buy ‘homemade’ products and I am always delighted when I read of a new boutique tea manufacturer locally.

Australia has diverse landscapes and weather. You can find any type of landform and any sort of weather somewhere in Oz. Where I live, Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia, we have a pretty moderate climate in winter and quite warm in summer. Actually, compared to the southern state, I don’t think you can even call what we have at this time of year, ‘winter’! We have the odd cool day – usually when the sun is hidden behind clouds, but a light jumper or coat usually satisfies. We do have some strong winds that whip around building, especially in the city – and this can be considered wintery! But no matter what the weather, a cuppa, made in Australia, is always a great reward.

Tea drinking etiquette in Australia! To dunk or not to dunk? The act of drinking tea may have its own etiquette, but unlike their traditional British pinkie-lifting counterparts, Australian tea drinkers do not make a career out of. A recent Bushells tea drinking survey revealed just how far Australian tea drinkers have gone to abandon formal British tea drinking rules and Australianised it into a more laid back act of fun. According to traditional British tea drinking etiquette, there is much more to tea drinking than just switching on the kettle. While holding the cup, the thumb and index finger of the right hand should be used to pinch the handle, placing the thumb at 6 o’clock and the index finger at 12 o’clock.
The pinkie should not be raised straight up, but at an angle between 33 and 47 degrees and when raising the cup, one must bring both the saucer and cup towards the mouth, holding the saucer in the left hand. This rule is almost impossible for most Australians to follow because, according to the survey, a massive 76% of Australians drink their tea without a saucer. And if that fact is hard to swallow, the survey also revealed that 50% of Australians enjoyed dunking cake or biscuits into their tea — an unimaginable act in the British tea etiquette set of rules. While the only acceptable way to eat a scone with tea in Britain is to break it into small pieces on a separate plate, Australians’ dunking habit is limited to master the art of removing a biscuit from the tea before it breaks into pieces. To test the results of the tea drinking survey in Mount Gambier, The Border Watch asked a few tea drinkers if they liked to dunk their biscuits.
Michelle Berlin said “of course…I even do it in public.”
“I don’t mind the bits landing in the bottom of my cup either…I swallow it down with the last few sips,” she said.
Her friend Addie Guess agreed.
“The art of dunking is to know how long to keep the biscuit in the tea before you take it out, and besides, it’s only the cheap and nasty ones that break down,” Addie said.
In line with the survey results suggesting that half of the Australian population do not dunk, Ruth Weath said she gave up dunking years ago. “I don’t particularly like the bits in the bottom of my cup…but to be honest, there’s actually another reason,” she said.
“I gave up eating biscuits all together when I started watching my weight.”

Australia's Tea History

Tea arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788. By 1820 tea was the drink of choice, not reserved for the drawing rooms of the privileged but enjoyed by all Australians. In early colonial times, the four imported staples were tea, sugar, wheat and flour-so everyone from servants to officers to convicts were able to sip on their favourite brew.
Early folklore speaks of swagmen roaming the countryside and sharing yarns over cuppas beside remote campfires, and of cherished tea rations during colonial times. Swagmen and soldiers used to carry the leaves in their kit and the sundowner was rarely without his billy as he traipsed well-trodden outback routes.
Throughout Australia's history, tea has continued to be a drink for men and women of all classes and regions. It has inspired much art, poetry and song and features in Australia's un-official national anthem, Banjo Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda" as well as Victorian poet Keighley Goodchild's 1883 ballad "While the Billy Boils".
Tea now evokes a sense of nostalgia, representing for many a time of togetherness and friendship. This was especially true during conflict, with Australian soldiers abroad mailed packets of tea to remind them of home, and as a comforting pick-me-up.

• Australian Fruit Tea Company
• Bushells  - Our Cuppa since 1883 Back in 1883, when Alfred 'the Tea Man' Bushell opened his first teashop in Queensland, he knew he was onto something good. His distinctly smooth and full-flavoured tea quickly became an over-the-counter sensation. His rigorous attention to quality and authenticity ensured his success. Through two world wars, floods, droughts, booms and busts, Australia has changed a lot. But it's nice to know some things haven't. For over 125 years, a long line of expert tea tasters have worked hard to maintain "the Tea Man's" highest quality standards, so that we can now, all enjoy the great authentic Bushells cuppa, year after year, generation after generation.
• Chai Tea is a 20 year old, wholly Australian owned company. Located deep in the forest, on a community/land sharing co-operative, we are completely “off the grid”. What this means is that not only is the Chai Tea Co. run exclusively on solar power, but so too are the homes of all the members of our team.
• The Daintree Tea Company is located on the Cubbagudta Plantation, situated in the heart of the Daintree Wilderness area in North Queensland. High rainfall of around 4 metres per annum and a temperature range of 25 to 35 degrees, along with granite alluvial red soils, all combine to make the perfect growing environment for a unique tasting tea, free from tannic acid and pesticides residues. Since the Australian growing conditions are environmentally suited, and free from pest infestation, pesticides are not required. These conditions result in a product which provides the discerning tea drinker with a more natural flavoured and environmentally friendly tea. The Cubbagudta Plantation was established in 1978, by the Nicholas family, who still own and operate the business. Their home overlooks the processing plant, down to the tea hedges used to produce the green leaf which is processed and packaged on the property. The name Cubbagudta means "Rainy place" in the language of the local Kuku Yulangi Aboriginal people.The Cassowary shown on the packaging is a large flightless bird, standing from anything to 1.2 to 1.8 metres high, and can reach speeds up to 48 km/h. Their inner toes bear long, straight, knifelike nails which are deadly defence weapons. The large bony crest on top of their heads is useful for pushing through the dense rainforest, which is their preferred home. The male incubates the eggs, and is a determined protector of his young when threatened. The clutch of eggs usually numbers three to six and are dark green in colour. Originally from Northern Australia and New Guinea, the Cassowary now occurs in New Britain, Ceram and the Aru Islands.
• Eumun Tea  Daintree tea is grown in the Daintree wilderness area in Far North Queensland. The remoteness and growing environment combine to create a delightful tasting tea, free from tannic acid and pesticide residues. The resultant tea is a more naturally flavoured, less acidic beverage and is uniquely Australian!  Eumun-Tea Australian Blends use Daintree tea as a base for delicious combinations of typical Australian flavours like Billy, Ginger, Wattleseed and Lemonmyrtle.
• Koala Tea  The rich soils of a plateau between lush old growth rainforests in Northern New South Wales, Australia, is the land of the koalas after whom we named our company. Endless golden beaches of Byron Bay, prehistoric volcanic landforms, idyllic hinterlands - this is the home of the Koala Tea Company.
• Madura Tea The Madura tea plantation is a little piece of Australian paradise, located in the lush surrounds of the sub-tropical Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales. Our delicate ecosystem has been protected and nurtured since the first tea bushes were planted in lush soil in 1978. Today, the Madura estate is a botanical garden rich with meandering streams and prolific wildlife. It provides a home for endangered native Australian plants and rare animals including platypus, tortoises, water hen, wrens, parrots, echidnas, wallabies and koalas. All Madura tea is tasted, blended and packed at our plantation to ensure complete quality control.
• Pine Tea & Coffee , a family company based in Castle Hill, a growing, prosperous leafy suburb in the North West suburbs of Sydney, Australia, is one of the leading Specialty Tea and Coffee importers and manufacturers in Australia servicing a niche category in the specialty retail, gift, tourism and café sectors. Flexible manufacturing techniques, attention to detail, sourcing best quality products and providing dedicated friendly service from management and staff have ensured the continuing success of the specialty range of products.
• Goanna Dreaming was started by two average Aussies and one unusual American who like good coffee! We had access to excellent coffee and located some great tea. We decided to combine our loves, coffee and dreams, to make high quality tea and coffee available to people at a reasonable price and use the profits to fund our bigger dreams. To date we have been able to sponsor a child and community in South America. We are in the process of buying and fitting out a small bus that can be used as a mobile office for the business, but also to assist people living on the streets to access some of the things they need. Long term we have dreams of all people throughout the world having easy access to safe, clean drinking water, and closer to home, having a property where people who need some space and support to make their own dreams reality can find what they need. We have several dreams in between, including to keep providing excellent products to Australia and further afield, with our "Tastes of Australia" gifts for the tourism market. We believe in dreaming big, then creating a means to get there and living in the reality of that dream. Knowing us, from there we will probably go on to dream bigger dreams and find creative ways to live them too. Come on, live the dream with us, even if it is just the dream of waking every morning to the perfect cuppa.
• Nerada Tea
• Alpine Tea Company is a local business, growing Japanese Style Green Tea on the family farm in the upper reaches of the picturesque Kiewa Valley at Tawonga. Alpine Tea Co grows and produces a wholly Australian Green Tea. There is no imported product in our tea and it is processed exclusively in Australia. We have been with the tea every step of its process to you. Our tea has been developed with the Australian Palate in mind; therefore it has a light and refreshing taste to the palate. This means it looks different, (you can actually see the leaves), and more importantly it Tastes Great. The tea could be considered a Sencha (the most widely consumed tea in Japan.), however to ensure no direct comparison to Japanese Sencha (ours is not as strong), we prefer to call it Australian Green Tea.

Tea Strainers

My recent afternoon tea experience reacquainted me with the humble [or not so] tea strainer. The little silver gizmo made my heart sing! I am not sure if it was the fact that it was a delicate silver implement or that the cafe was thoughtful enough to 1. Use real tea leaves 2. Consider that I may not like to have leaves in my drink!


I grew up with tea strainers. We had a lovely little silver job, as I recall. It was used every time the teapot was. I can remember that one of my grandmothers had a teapot leaf catcher which was placed inside the spout. It was very effective and I thought ‘clever’ – I also thought that only very old people used them! I realise they are still around and obviously just as popular and ‘trendy’!

A tea strainer is a type of strainer that is placed over or in a teacup to catch tea leaves.
When tea is brewed in the traditional manner in a teapot, the tea leaves are not contained in teabags, but rather are freely suspended in the water. As the leaves themselves may be distasteful, it is usual to filter them out with a tea strainer. Strainers usually fit into the top of the cup to catch the leaves as the tea is poured.


Some deeper tea strainers can also be used to brew single cups of tea, much as teabags or brewing baskets are used - the strainer full of leaves is set in a cup to brew the tea, and then removed, along with the spent tea leaves, when the tea is ready to drink. By using a tea strainer in this way, the same leaves can be used to brew multiple cups.


Tea strainer use declined in the 20th century with mass production of the tea bag, but is still preferred among connoisseurs who claim that keeping the leaves packed in a bag, rather than freely circulating, inhibits diffusion. Many assert that inferior ingredients, namely dust quality tea, are often used in tea bags.


Tea strainers are usually either sterling silver, stainless steel, or china. Strainers often come in a set, with the strainer part and a small saucer for it to sit in between cups. Tea strainers in themselves have often been turned into artistic masterpieces of the silver- and goldsmith's craft, as well as rarer specimens of fine porcelain.


Brewing baskets (or infusing baskets) resemble tea strainers, but are more typically put in the top of a teapot to contain the tea leaves during brewing. There is no definitive boundary between a brewing basket and a tea strainer, and the same tool might be used for both purposes.

In my surfing, I came across many varieties of tea strainer; from the very basic cooking strainer variety to the solid silver and even gold finely made posh ones. I rather like the bamboo strainer. I used to have one which I used for my herbal & fruit teas. The bamboo imparted a special flavour which added to the drinking experience.

Tea strainers today come in all shapes and sizes. What do you think of the beautiful glass flower, the scarily clever silver spider, the silicone spoon-shaped strainer, the little man clinging on to the cup? They are very clever.

What do you use to catch your leaves?

Happy (39th) Anniversary to me!

Today is my husband and my 39th wedding anniversary. I am blown away by this achievement. We married in 1971 and I was 9 months pregnant – not unusual in the 70s! They (everyone including my parents) said it wouldn’t last and I must say I am proud of our marriage longevity.


It hasn’t been easy! Is marriage easy? If you have been married for over 20 years and you find it easy, I would love to know your secrets! We have 4 adult children. I sighed a big sigh when the youngest turned 18 and congratulated myself on getting them all safely to adulthood! They are all happy, healthy and have lovely partners. We are proud of them all, though we miss them tremendously – one in Hong Kong, one in Christchurch (NZ), one in Sydney and one here in Brisbane.

We also have 3 gorgeous grandchildren - aged 16 months, 3 years and 5 years. The older 2 live near us and we feel blessed that we get to see them every week, and they ‘sleepover’ at least fortnightly! So the outcome of our union has been VERY positive!

Over the past 39 years a lot has changed in the world and our world in particular. I went back to studies when our youngest started school and worked from graduation until 2 years ago in educational institutions in various capacities. I now work every second semester as a Sessional academic at a Brisbane Uni, teaching trainee teachers. My long-suffering husband supported me through full time study as I did later on with his studies which he started at age 50! He graduated with Honours 2 years ago.

So, I think, when considering the issues which have helped maintain our relationship it is friendship, support and encouragement (we hope that has also flowed on to our kids).

We had a pretty low-key celebration today. I got a card! I gave him some toiletries and 20 lotto scratchies! Unfortunately no big winners among them! He took the day off work – not to celebrate with me, but to go house hunting!

Our house is auctioned tomorrow. It has been the longest 5 weeks of my life – waiting for this auction. We are very worried about the outcome. The Brisbane housing market is very slow at the moment and where we move to next is totally dependent on the outcome of the auction! KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!

So we looked at many homes today, some possible amongst them... we’ll have to see!

One of the lovely things we did before returning home was to have a lovely afternoon tea in a cafe at our local shopping centre. It is a long time since I had a silver teapot, a tea strainer and real tea leaves served to me at a cafe – I thoroughly enjoyed my cup of Earl Grey, it came at just the right time.

I looked up the list of anniversary gifts and the meaning of each year – we are in between the important years, I believe 39 is the year of ‘lace’ – I can’t see him with a lace hanky or socks!

History of Wedding Anniversary

Anniversary is a special occasion that celebrates the union of two human beings who lovingly share their joys and sorrows together. An anniversary symbolizes the timelessness of love. We owe our thanks to our forefathers who developed this beautiful idea of celebrating anniversaries. History of wedding anniversary reveals that in the beginning idea behind celebration of anniversary was to de-stress and break the monotony of everyday life. However, it is gladdening to note that the concept beautifully developed into the tradition of rekindling the feeling of love every year with a promise to fortify marital vows with trust and affection.
Need for Celebrations
Man has been a social animal since the beginning of civilization and has always welcomed an excuse to celebrate. In the beginning of the social and cultural life human beings began to celebrate the change of season but that was not enough. They wanted celebrations to go on round the year. So they began to celebrate wedding anniversaries too. At that time the date of anniversary was easier to remember as there was no individual ceremonies. A big get together was organized about twice a year and all the eligible bachelors were paired off with unmarried girls of marriageable age. The idea became an instant hit with the people. This simple tradition changed when individual marriage ceremonies began to take place.
Beginning of Milestone Anniversaries Celebration
In the medieval times only milestone anniversaries like 25th and 50th were celebrated. To mark the occasion of Silver or 25th wedding anniversary a husband would crown his wife with a wreath of silver. Likewise, he presented her a wreath of gold on a Golden or 50th wedding anniversary.
By middle-to-late 1930s, people began to celebrate 1st, 10th, 20th and 70th anniversary along with 25th and 50th. A gift for each of these milestone anniversary years was also decided by the society. The logic of presenting gifts was that stability deserves a reward and more the stability the greater should be the reward.

Celebration of all Wedding Anniversaries
Today, of course, people celebrate each year of the anniversary. Some even go to the extent of celebrating the landmarks days of their anniversary like 100 or 1000th day of their anniversary. In present times there are clearly defined list of traditional and modern gifts for each anniversary year. There is also a set list of stone gifts by anniversary yearand a list of flowers by anniversary.

Herbal Teas

Feeling down? Got a rumbly tummy? Feeling bloated? Feel like a pick-me-up? Well don’t go to the drinks cabinet, head for the herb garden. Herbal teas have been around forever in various forms – most commonly today in tea bag form. Not only are they a good accompaniment to some foods they can also provide health benefits.

Herbal teas can be made with fresh or dried flowers, leaves, seeds or roots, generally by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and roots can also be boiled on a stove. The tisane is then strained, sweetened if so desired, and served. Many companies produce herbal tea bags for such infusions.

Herbal Tea Benefits

Herbal teas are renowned for their benefits but what benefits do herbal teas actually have and why are they so advantageous to our health? Read on to find out more.
What is Herbal Tea?
Herbal tea looks like tea and is brewed in the same way as tea, but it not actually a tea at all. This is because they do not come from the Camellia Sinensis bush, the plant from which all teas are made. Herbal teas are actually infusions, and are properly called tisanes. Tisanes are made from mixtures of dried leaves, seeds, grasses, nuts, barks, fruits, flowers, or other botanical elements that give them their taste and provide the benefits of herbal teas.
Unlike other forms of tea, herbal teas contain no caffeine. They also taste great and are easy to drink. Your herbal tea may consist of one main herbal ingredient or it may be a blend of herbal ingredients, designed to bring about a specific purpose, such as relaxation, rejuvenation, relief from a specific condition, amongst other things.
Noted Benefits of Herbal Teas
Firstly, it is important to note that there is a huge array of herbal teas available on the market – each one designed to have a specific therapeutic or medicinal benefit. However, there are some general benefits that can be obtained from herbal teas, and these include:
• achieving a more calm and relaxed state of mind
• supporting heart health
• aiding with stomach and digestive problems
• providing cleansing properties for the body
• promoting energy and wellness
• nourishing the nervous system
• strengthening the immune system
• providing antioxidants to the body
• boosting energy levels and invigorating the body
• relieving stress
• helping to avoid colds
• stimulating the internal organs
• promoting a good night’s sleep
• it is caffeine free and tastes great
Making Herbal Tea
When you are making your herbal tea, use fresh, cold water. Do not use aluminium cookware as it can affect the taste. Use glass, cast iron, or stainless steel where possible. A tea strainer is very helpful as it lets you create your own blends of teas or herbs, and stops the leaves and flowers from escaping into the drink.
Once the water has boiled, add one heaped teaspoon of herbs for every cup of water. Cover and let the herbs steep for ten minutes. Do not over-steep the herbs as the flavour may become too strong and taste more medicinal rather than pleasant. If you want to enhance the flavour of your tea, honey or lemon can be great choices.

On many commercially available herbal tea packets there is a warning that over indulgence can cause adverse reactions in some individuals, so make sure you read the instructions and warnings before you imbibe.

• Health Benefits of Herbal Teas
• Herbal teas are good for you
• Herbal tea, tisane, or ptisan is an herbal infusion not made from the leaves of the tea bush. 

Do you have a favourite herbal tea? What is it and is there a particular health benefit you derive from it? I am always coming across new varieties of ‘herbal’ teas – I am not sure they all really deliver what they promise in terms of health benefits but some of the flavours are quite lovely. I love chamomile tea when I am a little stressed [it’s been getting a great workout lately!]; Echinacea tea when I have a sore throat or have a cold coming on; lemon and ginger when I am travelling and lemon grass when I want a pick-me-up.

TEA CAKES

Make yourself a cuppa and take a piece of Tea Cake. Nothing better than your favourite cup of tea accompanied by a generous slice of tea cake. There are many recipes for tea cakes, you may have a favourite one that has been passed down through your family. It is an old custom - taking tea with tea cake. I rather like the ones that are buttery, and quite plain. No fruite or nuts to mask the flavour of my tea but I also know that you can easily match your tea cake to your tea variety.

A teacake or tea cake is a kind of bread or cake. The name is commonly used for whatever bread or cake is traditionally served for afternoon tea within a region, but can be applied loosely to any kind of cake that is sturdy enough to be picked up with the fingers. Teacake is normally not frosted.

Regional variations
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a teacake is a soft, chocolate-coated marshmallow on a biscuit base.
Great Britain
In Great Britain, a teacake is usually a light, sweet, yeast-based bun containing dried fruits such as currants, sultanas or peel. It is typically split, toasted, buttered, and served with tea. It is flat and circular, with a smooth brown upper surface and a somewhat lighter underside. In certain areas of Barnsley, West Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, teacake recipes omit currants and sultanas. In Kent the tea cake is known as a "huffkin", which is often flavoured with hops, especially at the time of harvesting hops in September. In Sussex a luxurious version of the tea cake with added aromatics such as nutmeg, cinnamon and rose water is still sometimes made and called a manchet or Lady Arundel's Manchet. In West Cumbria, some East Lancashire towns and parts of nearby West Yorkshire, a teacake is the name given to a plain bread roll. In this area, the normal "teacake" is referred to as a currant or fruited teacake.
Europe
In Sweden, the word for teacake (tekaka) refers to wheat soda bread, resembling a farl and served warm with butter and jam.
North America
In south eastern United States, a tea cake is a traditional cookie, similar to a mom pie dumpling.
Oceania
In Australia, a teacake is a larger sweet cake. It is served sliced as an accompaniment to tea. Australian teacakes are sometimes sprinkled with fine (caster) sugar, and are often served warm. In some parts of Australia, the term "tea cake" is used to refer to as Boston Buns.

GRANNY'S OLD - FASHIONED TEA CAKES

1 1/2 c. plain flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Cream butter; add sugar and well beaten egg. Add salt and flavoring. Sift flour and baking powder. Add slowly to mixture, alternating with milk until mixed. Roll 1/8 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

LEMON TEA CAKES
Makes 28

Note: when I make my icing I like substituting the milk and the lemon extract for all real lemon juice and freshly grated lemon zest.

1-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

250g cream cheese, softened
2-1/4 cups caster sugar
5 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
2-1/2 cups pure icing sugar (not icing mixture!)
1/3 cup milk
1-3/4 teaspoons lemon extract
Heat oven to 160 degrees C. Coat three 12-cup small muffin pans (not mini-muffin size, just patty cake is fine) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
With mixer on medium speed, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar in bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in lemon juice, extract and lemon peel. On low speed, beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Fill each muffin cup with about 1/3 cup of batter for a total of 28. Bake at 160 degrees C for 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Glaze: In medium-size bowl, blend icing sugar, milk and lemon extract until smooth. Dip top of each cake in glaze; place on baking paper or cake rack to dry.

Some popular recipes

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• My mother always made
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