The Exotic Teapot

It is time to stop considering tea to be a beverage only and see beyond. Tea has always been the most sought after beverage, but the time is not far when you might be looking for the deodorant that is made of tea. This is not a far off fantasy but actually stands true. There is a stick deodorant that has got tea as an ingredient and it is made of all natural ingredients. So now tea promotes the use of natural ingredients in everyday products. Indulge!

M.C. Escher is known for his graphic shapes which created a tantalizing maze.  Through sheer determination the Dutch artist started with one subject then repeatedly positioned into an amazing motif tiling.  An algorithm created to emulate his process is successfully shown in the teapot image to the right.  Escher progressed to add two objects then three as he perfected his complex tiling artwork.  Only four circle shaped patterns were created throughout his career.  The teapot image below was produced applying Escher’s non linear warp method. 

Drinking tea now can bring out the budding astrologer in you! Yes, you can ‘read’ tea leaves patterns after you stir your tea and know what is in store. This rather unique process entails in you interpreting the shapes of clusters of tea leaves that get settled in the variant corners of your tea cup. From simple symbols like Triangles, Squares and Circles to more complex ones like an Arrow, Rose or Star, they all carry definite meanings. Works or not, it certainly piques the interest.

So you do not have time to relax and enjoy your cup of special green tea? Days of worry are over; all you need to do is to pop a green tea capsule! For all green tea lovers, you now have the option of thinking beyond tea pots and tea cups. Have it on the go, while you are heading out or even in the park, when you want it is when you have it. It is certainly a fast and effective way of never missing out on your favorite tea again.

How many baby boomer girls made potholders with the loom kit mum bought from the local craft store?   Madeline Kaczmarczyk perfected potholders then proceeded to creating ceramic teapots.  She air brushes her vessels, low fire bakes in the kiln then meticulously embellishes each with tiny beads, golden pieces and anything else that wreaks femininity.  Madeline’s teapots are so stylish that most women wish they were purses.

There is a TV commercial in the USA with a mini giraffe that viewers just love.  Even though not real ,who would not understand why the giraffe’s body shape would not be regularly emulated as  a teapot: it’s extended neck as the spout to control the pouring of steeped tea; round body as the base to retain enough cups of tea for guests; long legs for a handle, and; colourful spots for design.  If you haven’t seen the mini giraffe, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVxxLYmypv8

Let your cup store your cookie? For a teetotaler there is a perfect cup which has a shelf right underneath for cookies or any goodies that you might want to munch on while reading or tapping on those computer keys. This is a modern stylish ceramic cup that has got a cookie shelf and it certainly saves you the bother to carry an extra dish. Now you will always have a free hand and added space on the table. A multitasking cup for sure!

Mint tea for cats is good for their health and if you have a feline friend that stays with you, a little cold peppermint tea is beneficial not just for the physical health, but is also said to have a positive impact on the feline mentality. It has been concluded that they tend to be more agile and sharp at senses after regular consumption of mint tea. Mint is related to catnip, a happy drug for felines that gives them a feel good factor. So order’s up for your cat!

Ever walked on the beach and had some glob catch your eye not because of its beauty but because of its texture caused by the strong seas, ocean breezes and sandy floors?  Artist Susan Collett must have experienced this phenomenon.  She, with clay, emulates the push and pull forced by nature.  The result is a chaotic combination of shells, mollusks and fossilized sea creatures loosely shaped into one of the most admirable forms of all time, the teapot.

So you think that the teapot that you purchased from that cutlery store last weekend was really expensive? Here is something to console you. A pair of “famille rose” coral ground teapots from the Quianlong Period were sold for $1,264,629 at an auction in Hong Kong. These pots have been painted with landscapes in blue and green colors. The design of the art indicates the appreciation of European subject. Hence not only are they the most expensive teapots, but they also explore the European connection of China 200 years back. 

There have been ways to serve a drink but there is nothing quite like flipping a coin and let it drop into a cup of hot water. Let it dissolve and sip it in leisure. Now tea coins have become popular and they are being used more and more considering that the teabags have been around for a very long time. Just the new round compact structure seems so modern that Green Tea has another fad attached to it now. Certainly stylish! 

Lips, feet, shoulders, rotund, jolly are some common characteristics used to describe people and teapots.   This is why ceramic artist Suze Lindsay designs her pots with identifiable hips or waists and legs or feet. She uses the handles and spouts as arms, shaping then placing in such a way that creates a mood or personality.  At first glance Lindsay’s pots are of mere contemporary genre.  Look again.  Do you now see the human characteristics of a female?

Prepare and drink tea with chopsticks. This is not just a crazy whim but one of the most different ways to have tea. Some might say that this is not possible on this planet. They are right. Tea has been had in space using chopsticks. The International Space Station has been a hub of many out of the world experiments, including this one. With the space flight to be commercialized in the near future, you will also be able to gather the quaint experience of using chopsticks to drink tea.

If you are hungry then you can eat tea snacks. They are healthy, they are the latest fad and they are nutritious. Yes, now tea is being worked upon and being served as a snack too. Chinese chefs have come up with recipes that include tea not just as a flavored ingredient but also being served as food. Green tea is now being extensively used to make snacks and dishes. Green tea with walnut and lettuce is a popular and healthy dish. So, next time want a healthy snack? Try tea.

For centuries tea has entered the political arena hence impacting societies, prosperity and traditions around the world.  In 1391 the Ming Dynasty in China ruled that loose teas were to be honoured by the courts instead of tea bricks.  In 1773 a historical event in the soon to be USA occurred, rebuking taxation of tea from the British Parliament. This was instrumental to the American Revolution.  Today, if using a US search engine such as Google.com then typing in tea party over 72,500 links appear, with the first page and many more associated with the current political movement called the tea party.  These are just two nations’ examples.  The history of tea and its benefits indicate what a precious commodity it truly is.   

Are you planning to go on a snow trek? Or are you planning to do parasailing on your vacations? Whichever the case, do not forget to take your tea cup and kettle. Now tea drinking has been officially recognized as the newest form of Extreme Sport! Stoke-on-Trent in the U.K. organizes this competition and offers a grand prize of Wedgwood Tea set to the winner. All you have to do is to send a photograph of you having tea in the most bizarre places and you are in the competition. Tea drinking has never been this exciting.

What if you ordered for your tea and you were served hot water in a cup and a pack of cigarettes instead of tea bags? Would you call the waiter and take him to task or would you simply pull a cigarette out, tap it on the table and dip it in the cup? The answer is, you dip the cigarette in your tea cup, add a lump of sugar, stir, have your tea, pick your hat and leave. Yes, this is a tea bag that looks like a cigarette and has a tagline “Don’t smoke tea, drink cigarettes”.

According to accredited research drinking tea can boost your mental state. Tea has amino acid L-theanine which helps the brain relax and stay focused.  Drinking 4 cups daily of black tea lowers cortisol, the hormone associated with stress.  Red teas are known to relax irritations; green tea studies have shown that 2 cups daily reduce the risk of confusion by 50%.  The infamous late British actor and play writer, Arthur W. Pinero was correct:  Where there’s tea there’s hope.

There has been a way found to use tea bags in an artistic form which has made drinking tea an enjoyable hobby. Designers Yuree S. Lim and Jieun Yang have created tea coasters which have designs embossed on them and when you put a used teabag on these coasters, the dripping tea stains just the design on the coaster, leaving the white background intact. Some consider it to be an excellent form of relaxation. Having tea has never been this interesting and artistic before.

Tea is now an exotic collector’s item. Pu’erh is also called Pu’er or Bolay is the traditional Chinese tea that has been fermented and lovers of tea have found that when it is stored for years, sometimes even 50 years or more, it improves with age. This storage results in tea acquiring aroma which differs with age. It is said that the tea stored over 50 years is considered to be most valuable and collectors from China and Hong Kong are willing to pay handsome prices for it.