#TuesdayTeacup is a hashtag on Instagram that is continuing to grow. Lauren R. started #tuesdayteacup as the perfect way for tea drinkers to share their fondest cups, and also give other tea lovers the opportunity to admire them (my favourite!). You can often find Lauren pairing her tea and teacups with needles and hooks. In addition to being a tea lover herself, her love for crocheting is also evident throughout her online shop A Bee in the Bonnet. At the tea table we talked about her earliest tea memory, creating with tea by her side and she gave us a peak inside her own teacup collection.
The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?
Lately, I’ve been enjoying a nice orange pekoe after lunch, but if it’s evening, only chamomile will do.
I always find it interesting to hear the different ways we can fall in love with tea. Can you recall your first tea moment?
When I was a little girl, my mom drank a lot of the Good Earth Sweet & Spicy tea. I can remember sitting at the table with her, watching her wrap her hands around the mug, and smelling the signature scent of that tea. I recently bought a box of it for the nostalgia factor – it still smells like childhood.
It’s so awesome when tea can bring back fond memories like that. I began connecting with you on Instagram when I came across your #tuesdayteacup hashtag. I love checking out others’ teacup collection there. Let’s take a peak at yours.
This teacup was my very first special cup. My grandmother gave it to me when I was a little girl because we loved reading the Brambly Hedge books together. Until recently, I thought it was too special to use, but now I have decided that life is too short to wait to use the good dishes.
This one is special for a couple reasons. January is my birth month, so pulling out the January teacup always means that it’s almost time for my birthday. The snowdrops are also special to me because after I survived my first Massachusetts winter, I saw a patch of snowdrops peeping out of a neighbor’s yard and knew that spring was really, truly on its way. Snowdrops are a sign of hope.
This cup doesn’t have any particularly interesting story behind it, but I think it best captures my preferred aesthetic. Whenever I need a pretty cup for a photo, I tend to reach for this one.
Wow! So many stunning teacups. What are the top 3 teas from your collection that we would find inside of these cups?
I try not to keep too large of a collection so that the teas stay fresh, but my mom recently bought me a bag of loose leaf French rose plum tea from a local tea and coffee shop that is truly delightful. For quick cups, I’ve recently been drinking unseemly amounts of the Traditional Medicinals lavender chamomile blend, and our supply of the classic Earl Grey is always well stocked.
That French rose plum tea sounds wonderful! Speaking of wonderful, your Etsy shop filled with crocheted items is just that. Do you find tea to be mandatory to get your creative juices flowing?
Tea and yarn have been an important duo in my world for a decade now. I took up knitting in law school as a stress relief exercise, and since it was always cold during winter, I would usually have a hot cup of tea nearby while I stitched. I’ve since expanded my skill set to include crocheting and embroidery, and while it’s never anywhere near as cold here in Ventura as it was in Massachusetts, I tend to keep the tea nearby whenever I settle in for an evening of stitching.
Speed Round:
Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
A strong cup of black tea will always make me happy.
Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot, almost exclusively. I hate the condensation on cups of iced tea.
Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Teapot whenever possible.
Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Straight for the most part, sweetened on occasion, and black tea sweetened with milk for a special treat.
Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Why not both? I find chocolate and cheese balance each other nicely.
What makes a tea great to you?
I love tea with unexpected flavors in it – a bit of spice or some floral notes.