Almost everyone in Tea Land is in a bit of a frenzy preparing for Expo. I realized several weeks had snuck by without posting a new article. It seems like the perfect time to turn back to the original and constant question for this blog:

What’s the big deal about tea that inspires artists and writers?

Indeed, the wares of tea are objects ‘d art and collectibles in their own right. Teapots. Tea bowls. Strainers. Caddies. Chests. Cups & Saucers. Cozies. Painting. . . . Paintings? . . . Yes. Teapot Paintings. I was pleased when the painter, Pamela Cambiazo, offered a comment on the why of her teapot paintings.

Teapots are so much more than vessels for tea; they are the altar of many conversations, they provide social connection and personal comfort, they give pleasure and bring peace, they travel the world, the travel through generations. Every teapot has a story.

Pamela Cambiazo, Painter

I met Pamela at the Victoria Tea Festival in February and was able to saw the display of her work. She is passionate about the form and the function of teapots and is equally sensitive to the emotional attachment we feel for the tangible equipment of tea. It represents something more.

For many of us it is a family connection. We began the habit in our grandparents’ home. For others of us it is new. Perhaps something we wish we had shared with our parents and siblings, but did not. The use of a special pot or cup can trigger a sense of well-being. The act of preparing tea is, in itself, reassuring.

I like Pamela’s phrase, “. . . altars of many conversations. . .”  Talking in real time, face to face, smile to smile. Someone said to me last week, “You can’t Twitter Tea.” A profound and comforting realization.

So here we are - several thousand of us packing bags, registering for seminars, arranging meet-ups and other Las Vegas fun in conjunction with the tea trade. I know people who are packing their teapots and special leaf favorites to brew it in their rooms. The 20+ cups they’ll sample on the trade show floor don’t seem like enough. Others of us bring a favorite infuser cup and never-been-touched-by-coffee water heaters because we know we won’t be able to wait wait to open a new package of leaf until we get home. Been there. Done both.

I’m trying something new this year. Packing light. I’m going to be focusing on the aspect of tea that we can’t order online. It’s not Twitterable. Or Googleable. It’s not limited to the teapot or traditional contents. Just as we all do every year, we will talk until our jaws are sore and mouths dry. We will buy and sell. But mostly, we will meet for conversation. Because at the heart of this business is the spirit of tea who reminds us we are about much more than a beverage.

I’ve come to trust several things about gatherings of tea professionals:

There will be fantastic tea. I don’t need to bring mine from home.

1.  I will discover new ways to brew and serve it. I can leave my tea-to-go kit and make room for an extra pair of comfortable shoes.

2.  There will be some wonderful new discoveries by medical science to prove what ancient cultures have been saying about tea for thousands of years.

3.  And there will be little altars of conversation and in the middle of the noise where I will experience the peacefulness and meaning that lured me into the world of tea in the first place.

4.  I will have a great time!

The Spirit of Tea thrives wherever we create the ‘. . . altars of conversation.”

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