Tea Project #1
MEM Organic Earl Grey (pot, $2.95)
South End Buttery, South End, Boston

Here’s the thing. Sometimes, when you have a grand idea for a project that will make you happier, and you haven’t quite figured out all the details, you just start. And see what happens. You shouldn’t wait on the things that will make your heart soar. I have this plan, to taste 500 different types of tea – and to share the experience, the tea, the moment, the people, the places, and what I’m reading – and this is the start of the project.

I was at Lekker, in the South End, buying a tea pot, naturally, and solicited advice for where I could find a good cup of tea. Mara, the kind shopkeep, recommended South End Buttery. I had not been there, so I headed off for my first “official” cup of tea.

I took notes that looked like this:

South End Buttery. MEM Tea Imports. Organic Earl Grey, served in a metal tea pot, on a marble bar. Paired with turkey chili (which ended up being a very good hearty vegetarian chili, a fortuitous error), even on such an un-seasonally warm day at the end of November. Soundtrack: Lena Horne. Wait, make that Lena Horne, and then what can only be described as music that sounds similar to the Queer as Folk soundtrack. Glam pop? Crowd: Young, old, mostly hip South End crowd. I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous of the variety of fall jackets. Dog friendly! They have dog treats at the door.

A remarkably small amount of Apple Macintosh Computers. As in, yes, I do believe I was the only one.

What I like about Earl Grey: It’s my favorite type of tea. Black tea, flavoured with bergamot oil (a type of citrus fruit). Maybe it was a mistake starting out with my favorite type of tea, so early in my project. But, I’m going to go ahead and say that I can drink different brands of the same tea. You wouldn’t limit yourself to one bottle of Riesling, why do the same with tea?

{What I was reading:}

Design*Sponge. They have this really great series of “Sneak Peeks“, where they showcase the homes of creative people of all disciplines.

My notes from TEDxCambridge. Still working on getting those typed up.

This article about how Twitter helps a small business thrive. (I’d like to think I had a small hand in that one – it’s all about Celia using Twitter at Omnivore!)

Thanks to this lovely post about breakfast at bigBang studio – re-discovering the WGBH Streaming Classical Radio Player. (Warning, it starts playing nearly immediately if you click).

Food in Jars.  Just what it sounds like. This happens to be one of my favorite topics. See : Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar. I’m also happy to say that my back-ordered shipment of Weck Jars from Heath came in the mail last week, and I’m in love.

The websites of two small bakeries in the Bay Area making me hungry from afar: Marge Bakery and Starter Bakery. Both are wonderful choices for holiday treats.

Well, that’s it for now. We’ll see how this all shapes up.