Whenever tea brings together people of different nationalities and different cultures, an immediate warm bond of friendship is formed and a powerful atmosphere of common interest, purpose and pleasure created.  Wherever I travel, or when I spend time in Britain with like minded people who are interested in tea, the sense of shared enjoyment is remarkable.

World Tea Expo always impresses with the vibrant energy and vitality that propels people into seminars, lectures, meetings and the exhibition hall.  Those who come for the first time are amazed by the generosity of spirit, the willingness of others to share, to teach, inform and support and by the incredible buzz that fills the air.  It’s unlike any other industry, they say, smiling in their joy at having discovered this wonderful world of tea.  Each year, I too am thrilled by the sense that we are so privileged to be a part of it all.

After the excitement of Expo this year, I flew to North Carolina and spent a week speaking and signing books at events there and in Virginia - all organised by Connie and Rex Lou who, over the past four years or so, have become my American family!  They organise my events, house and feed me, drive me and advise me, and they care for me as parents would.  And guess how we met - over tea of course!   

At each venue, the warmth and friendly harmony was the same  - groups of people coming together from their different and disparate busy lives and immediately becoming friends.  Any outsider walking into the room would imagine they had all known each other for years.  They chat, laugh, swap stories, tell each other their dreams and ambitions - all because tea has brought them together.

My first event was at Southern Seasons in Chapel Hill in North Carolina - well worth a visit by anyone who is a foodie and loves the worthwhile indulgences of life.  It is a vast store that contains everything you could possibly wish to buy for cooking, organising parties, laying tables, feeding families, drinking wine, preparing and serving tea and coffee.  The store offers an amazing wealth of unusual ingredients, has a really extensive tea range (brilliantly selected and managed by Caroline Cahan) and upstairs a cooking school (also brilliantly run by Marilyn Markel) with its theatre-style classroom that seats 50 or so people, and a fabulous streamlined workbench equipped with overhead mirrors, projection facilities and monitor screens.  The school has a wide following locally and is usually fully booked for all the excellent regular events that it runs.  I had a really fun time. We held a tea and food pairing event and tasted a wonderful rich woody China Yunnan with Portobello mushrooms in a light cream sauce on toasted brioche, then smooth, mellow China Gunpowder with a selection of creamy cheeses.  Then came a fine Darjeeling which we paired with carrot cake topped with a cream cheese and orange frosting, and the last treat was a beautiful, fruity, open leafed Taiwanese oolong which we matched to an apricot mousse.  It is fascinating how careful pairing can bring out the best in both the teas and the foods and we had a really indulgent time assessing how each partnership pleased and teased the palate.

From here I travelled up to Virginia Beach where Tea Society Director, Aurora Livingstone, had amazingly organised a Hawaian-style Luau in her garden.  We tucked into Hawaian and Polynesian food and quenched our thirst with mango-flavoured iced tea and, while everyone melted in temperatures over 100°F, I talked about how different cultures brew and drink their tea in contrast to the British and American way of doing tea. 

My next stop was Taste in glorious Williamsburg.  Taste belongs to my friends Diana, Cherri and their amazing mother Lilian who serve truly delicious food at tables set amidst an inspirational selection of gifts, teas, jewellery, lotions and potions, childrens’ toys, and all sorts of temptingly pretty things.  If I lived in Williamsburg, I would spend every afternoon in the shop.  It’s one of the prettiest, most magical tearooms I have ever discovered and its name reflects the true taste with which everything there has been arranged - the service, the food, the excellent teas, the care and thoughtfulness that lies behind the success story.  It lifts the spirit with its pastel colours and whimsical displays and creates calm and tranquillity to nourish both soul and body. 

From Williamsburg, Diana and I drove to Richmond in Virginia to visit a brand new tearoom owned by Lurline and Allan  Wagner. It’s called Cuppa Tea Company (see image to the right of Lurline, Allan, Connie & Rex Lue and me at Cuppa Tea Co) and it is lovely.  Lurline has poured heart and soul into creating a really imaginative and original tearoom with a fascinating oriental and occidental fusion that is charming.  It’s full of beautiful visual treats and even has a clock set at London time, just to remind you that hotels and tearooms throughout London and the UK are sipping their tea and nibbling scones when the hands reach 4 o’clock.  As well as serving wonderful teas to anyone who drops in, Lurline arranges special teas for wedding showers and other special events like the one I was honoured to attend. 

My last day in North Carolina was at Washington Duke Inn in Durham, North Carolina where Jill Sheets, Executive Club Manager, had arranged a stunning event for about 50 people.  We had tea and a deliciously impressive tea during which three different teas were served to pair with the different sweet and savoury foods we tucked into.  (All the images posted here - except the one of Cuppa Tea Co  - are of Washington Duke Inn).  While the guests nibbled and sipped, I talked about the teas they were drinking, tea cultures, the history of tea dances and tea gowns and all sorts of other quirky tea stories.  It was a luxurious and stylish afternoon and, as at all the places I had visited during the busy week, I felt spoiled, honoured and so grateful for this incredible world of tea that brings so much pleasure and so many memorable moments to so many people all over the world.

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