At the Tea Table with Marian Peter of Tea Amo Hamilton

It has been over 5 years since I first learned about the plans for a travelling tea trailer in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Heather Peter was renovating a vintage trailer to take her love for tea on the road. Her plans were put on hold for a bit though and with help from her mother, Marian Peter, Tea Amo Hamilton came to life! Marian is no stranger to tea. Before joining her daughter in this adventure, she was an avid tea drinker and vintage tea ware collector. At the tea table I chatted with Marian about her fondest memory that involves tea, her favourite vintage teacups and teapots, and she even gives us a virtual tour of the adorable tea trailer.

The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?

A very favourite tea of mine right now, is Tea Amo’s Vanilla Fruit Earl Grey! It has a more subtle flavour of the bergamot in an Earl Grey, but the Vanilla just gives it a smoother flavour. This is one I would proudly to serve to my guests!

That sounds delightful! I love that the bergamot isn’t overpowering in that blend. How did your journey with tea begin?

When I was a little girl, my family lived with my Irish grandparents. My grandfather was always up very early, so him and I would have tea and bread together. It was one of my fondest memories. There was always a pot of tea on the stove and tea grounds in the sink! I have since discovered it most likely was Irish Breakfast tea and I only know this because the look and fragrance of a good Irish Breakfast tea is exactly what I remember!

I’ve noticed from Tea Amo’s live tea chats that you have quite the tea cup/tea pot collection! Can you share your favourite teacups & teapots?

Sooo many tea cups, and sooo many stories! But to narrow it down, I would have to say my two favourite tea cups at the moment, are my beautiful pink Aynsley (made in England) and a black and gold Elizabethan by Taylor and Kent.

The pink Aynsely was my mother’s and whenever we had an event where the good cups came out, I would always choose that one. It is especially delicate with beautiful flower blossoms and the handle looks like a branch! Lovely!

I have a lot of black accessories in my home, so the black and gold cup definitely spoke to me when I saw it. It is quite bold and always gets compliments when tea is served to guests in it.

As far as teapots, two of my favourites would have to include a beautiful little Sadler that I purchased in Bermuda, and a nice big 1970’s retro.

The pretty little Sadler is called “Rooftops” because it depicts the most beautiful white rooftops of Bermuda as well as some of the lovely flowers of this wonderful island.

The 1970’s retro is simply loved to for two great reasons. 1) Its large enough to serve tea to all my family, and 2) It was given to my as a gift from my eldest sister Louise, who has since passed away. She gave the identical teapot to each of her sisters.

Beautiful tea ware and stories. I love that the tea connection is strong in your family. How did you take the leap to join your daughter’s tea trailer dream?

My daughter Heather had purchased the vintage trailer a few years ago. She had the dream to start a travelling tea trailer. I thought the idea was just fabulous! She started the ball rolling with wonderful ideas and developing the brand, but then got too busy with her career so she put it on hold. Then, a couple of years later, when I retired from teaching, I asked her if she would like to embark on this travelling tea trailer together! She said “Yes” and so it began!

Take us on a virtual tour of your travelling tea trailer.

Our travelling tea trailer, aptly named – Tea Amo – (“I Love You” in Italian and Spanish) is a most adorable little vintage trailer! We have painted it a beautiful turquoise blue and white on the outside. The interior is mainly a fresh white with turquoise ties on the lace curtains. Touches of pink often get intermingled in the form of flowers for the table and vintage style tins for sugars. It has certainly been a labour of love that we love to delight people with!

Speed Round:

Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Black

Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot

Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Teapot

Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Sweetened

Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Chocolate

If you could bring your travelling tea trailer anywhere in the world to share your teas and treats, where would that be?

If I could, I would bring Tea Amo to Ireland! After all, Ireland is the country where the second largest amount of tea is consumed per person (Turkey is the first). Also, Ireland is my heritage so we would likely be serving up a cuppa to some cousins!

Find Tea Amo Hamilton:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Read At the Tea Table with Heather Peter (the other half of Tea Amo Hamilton)

ABOUT THIS SERIES: Tea tells stories and when connected with humans, more are created. That’s where the idea for this blog series, At the Tea Table, originated. With this series, The Cup of Life asks tea lovers around the world to take us inside their tea lives to share their favourite steeps, spaces, routines and more. Meet some of your fellow tea drinkers here.