Sipping tea, reading books and enjoying brunch are a few of Marisa Davies’ favourite things. Her interest in tea began at a young age and was the start of something big. Her love for tea and gorgeous teacups led her to creating and selling quirky coaster sets for her fellow tea lovers later in life. Marisa started her popular Instagram account soon after and has been climbing chairs and tables to get the perfect photo of tea from above ever since. At the tea table Marisa opened up about her daily tea ritual with her Nanna when she was young, favourite tea spots in London, England, the ultimate book and tea pairing and much more!
The kettle is on and I can hear it about to sing. What tea are you going to steep for us today?
Let’s go for an English Breakfast to start! It kicks off the day nicely and is great to have a chat over as it is comforting and homely.
How did your journey with tea begin?
It’s not quite a memory but there is shaky 80s video camera footage of me at about five years old asking my Nanna for a cup of tea instead of lemonade. So, I was obviously a fan early on!
My family then moved to Hong Kong for a bit so I was lucky to try tea there, too. But, having a cup of milky black tea with my Nanna was a daily ritual whenever we came back to England for summer holidays.
My journey with @tea.from.above actually started when I created Cuppa Coasters – selling coasters for tea lovers – but instead of still using it for marketing coasters, I now use it for fun, tea reviews and basically an excuse to eat cake!
You love to enjoy your cuppa with books, baked goods and brunch! What is your ultimate tea + book + treat pairing though?
I am very lucky that I work for book publisher Pan Macmillan so I get to enjoy tea with lots of brilliant books.
In fact I recently teamed up with their Book Break channel on Youtube for a video about tea and book pairings, where we also enjoyed an afternoon tea at Fortnums – so that was a fab tea, book, and (lots of) cake combo!
As such a big book lover I honestly can’t pick a favourite. Just any moment I’m reading with a cup of tea in hand…I’m happy!
But, in particular from that video, I loved The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota paired with with Jing Tea’s Chai. The book is about 3 immigrants who moved from India to Sheffield in search of work. The story line often took me back to my own trip to Mumbai – the hustle and bustle of the streets in India with Chaiwalas serving warm cups of tea. It really is the perfect read to enjoy with a cup of chai!
I love all of the tea ware that gets featured on your Instagram. What are the top 3 teas from your collection that we would find inside those gorgeous teapots and teacups?
My teaware and tea collection is getting out of control! But currently the tea I reach for the most is Jing’s Jasmine Silver Needle, Rare Tea Company’s Speedy Breakfast, and I’m just about to run out of Whittard’s limited edition Halloween Chocolate Popcorn tea which is great for an afternoon treat.
What a great selection! Take us on a virtual tour to some of your favourite tea spots in your city. What would you order there?
I’m very lucky to live in London where there are so many tea shops and tearooms, ranging from little locals for a cuppa to grand hotels for afternoon tea.
I love getting lost in Fortnum’s huge tea department, or browsing the shelves at Twinnings on The Strand – the oldest tea shop in London. For a classic afternoon tea, Browns Hotel is perfect – they take tea seriously and the Jing tea list is fab.
Speed Round:
Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong or Puerh?
Don’t do this to me, so hard….ummmm Black.
Hot, Iced or Cold?
Hot
Teapot, Infuser or Gaiwan?
Teapot with guests of course but I love my JING Tea infuser for just me.
Straight, Sweetened or Latte?
Straight
Cheese or Chocolate pairing?
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. I am a massive chocolate fan.
Cream or Jam first?
Cream. Sorry jam-first fans.
Choose one person, living or passed, celebrity or family, that you would love to go out to afternoon tea with.
My Nanna. A lot of the teacups I use in my photos are hers.
Like I said she was my tea drinking buddy and if she were alive today I’d love to treat her to an afternoon tea. Her baking was amazing though so it would have to be somewhere extra special that could compete!
Find Tea From Above:
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.
What a fun read! It is such a pleasure to connect with people who share the same passions as you – great tea, books, and food! These blogs always lead me to new areas to explore. I will check out Marisa’s Instagram and need to watch that YouTube video. Thank you!