“What’s Brewing?” is a World Tea News round-up of recent happenings, news and factoids from the global tea industry.
Here’s what’s notable:
The “Tea Things” of Jane Austen
Throughout her novels, Jane Austen was fond of using the term “tea things,” as she set the scene in a fine Sussex parlor or the formal Assembly Rooms of Bath. In fact, tea was an essential ritual in Austen’s stories because a character’s reputation could be determined by how they held a teaspoon or whether they added milk to their cup. will discuss the origin of Austen’s teas and myriad etiquette tips for enjoying tea at the dawn of the 18th century.
This month, TeaTime contributing editor Bruce Richardson – owner of Kentucky’s Elmwood Inn Fine Teas – will delight his global audiences by sharing what those “tea things” were and how manners played a significant role in Georgian society.
Richardson is the author of 14 books on tea, including A Social History of Tea and Tea & Etiquette. He serves as Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and is a frequent speaker at tea and art events worldwide, including the North American Jane Austen Society Annual Convention.
The “Tea Things” of Jane Austen will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. CST, as an educational Zoom meeting. The US$25.00 registration fee includes:
- anhour-long interactive presentation by Bruce Richardson
- TeatimeCelebrations Special Interest Publication shipped to your home
- 40percent discount on select items from TeaTimeMagazine.com/shop
- Digitaldownload of TeaTime November/December 2020 issue
- Accessto video recording of event will be available to all attendees
For additional details and to register for the event, visit TeaTimeMagazine.com/tea-things-jane-austen.
Curtis Combo Brewer Simplifies Operations for Iced Tea, Hot Coffee and Iced Coffee
Curtis, part of the SEB PROFESSIONAL North America family of industry-leading coffee and tea solutions, is enhancing beverage and foodservice operations nationwide with its G4 Combo Brewer digital coffee system. Using this brewer, operators can satisfy customer demand for consistently fresh batch brew coffee – hot and cold. They can also provide perfectly chilled, flavorful iced tea, all with a single brewing system.
The Combo Brewer is powered by the Curtis G4 digital control system that provides precise fine-tuning with pulse brewing, pre-infusion, fast brew option and more. Available in both standard and low-profile models, a simple change of the brewing vessel and brew cone allows users to instantly switch between coffee and iced tea preparation.
Factory-set, pre-programmed iced tea recipes and coffee brewing modes deliver ideal out-of-the-box use or operators can fine-tune settings for signature beverages. For enhanced iced tea appearance and superior taste, two ultra-precision inlet valves provide superior control over brewing and dilution cycles.
"Gourmet brewing features and sophisticated digital controls have solidified the Curtis Combo Brewer's status as an industry leader," said Couppey. "The brewer's intelligent design, sophisticated G4 technology and an icon-driven control module make versatile brewing a breeze."
Curtis combines almost 80 years of passion for coffee with technology, innovation and a commitment to do the right thing for customers and the environment.
Learn more about the Curtis Combo Brewers at WilburCurtis.com/microsite/combo.
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Offers New Virtual ‘Tea Talks’ Series
This November and December, The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, a floating museum dedicated to accurately reliving and representing a key time in history (1773-1775), is offering several new virtual programs, allowing people to learn about and experience the Boston Tea Party, “The single most important event leading up to the American Revolution,” from the comfort and safety of their own home or the classroom (whether at home, in-person or a hybrid model of learning). The new virtual “Tea Talks” series was launched to highlight various stories of the Boston Tea Party, in addition to offering virtual field trips ideal for teaching children about this iconic event that helped shape the United States of America.
“Every day, the entire team at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is passionate about telling and teaching the story of The Boston Tea Party to visitors,” said Shawn P. Ford, executive director of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. “In this COVID-era through which we are all navigating, our creative team has done a masterful job creating a new ‘Tea Talks’ series, highlighting interesting and engaging virtual discussions about interesting aspects the Boston Tea Party, in addition to cost effective virtual field trips for teachers and students who are not able to visit the museum directly to learn about his pivotal time in American History in an interactive and immersive way.”
For details and dates/times for the talks, visit BostonTeaPartyShip.com.
- Aaron Kiel, World Tea News