Where's the Party at?

After what has seemed like an eternity, it is time to pick up the proverbial pen and begin writing once again.

The year prior (affectionately known as 2010) brought with it a marathon of articles and blog posts like never before.  I was fortunate enough to be writing for The English Tea Store and for Examiner.com, in addition to this blog, and getting paid to do so.  By the end of 2010, however, the "mad tea party" became a "virtual" tea party, attended only by me and my computer.  The only tea time I was having, was the time I took to write about tea online.  All too often, I was only "enjoying" the cup or product that I was writing about, as I wrote about it. "Sharing" online is not the same as actually sharing in person.

I began to fall out of love.  I was no longer mad about tea, but I had become frantic about creating tea-based content. So much writing to keep up with, so little time. I was losing the purity of this simple pleasure. So to salvage my relationship with my love of tea, I had to let the writing go...

For me, tea is something to be shared with others.  I can think of no better custom that that of an afternoon tea party - stopping your day to enjoy tea and food and conversation,  I mean, what could be better???  Let there be Friendship and Laughter and Cake!

So while I haven't written about it, 2011 has become the Year of the Mad Tea Party.  At least once a week, a small party of friends and acquaintances shows up to my house to drink tea. Sometimes that includes lunch, sometimes we assemble tea projects and orders, sometimes there's baked goods and there's always music.  It's amazing what can happen with the littlest invitation - like asking others to drink some tea with you.

So to those of you who have come over to my house, have brought over friends, and have raised a mug of tea with me -- thank you.  Thank you for being part of the madness and for bringing back the Love.

The Jersey Shore Tea Party Movement

Mom always told me you shouldn't share your politics in polite company....but you should share tea. And so tea lovers across NJ are doing just that - they are coming together in the spirit of community and harmony - to rally support for neighborhoods and supporting local businesses.

Atlantic Highlands Tea Party: Coming up next Thursday, come out and support Atlantic Artisans Custom Frame Shop & Design Studio.  On October 7th, from 11am-3pm, Madam Potts will be hosting a tea tasting - featuring a customized blend created for the store by Mad Pots of Tea!  This event is FREE and open to the public.  Atlantic Artisans will be having events all week in conjunction with American Craft Week. So what better than hand-crafted tea? Also on hand at the Studio is a gallery of twisted tea pots, the likes of which you've never seen, but can't help but want to own, by artist Bryan Quincannon.

So stop by Atlantic Artisans for an artfully-designed cuppa tea and take some home with you!
Thursday, Oct 7th, 11am-3pm @ Atlantic Artisans, 77 Center Avenue (behind Zoe's Kitchen!)

and for those who aren't followers of Madam Pott's Local Tea Column on Examiner probably missed this next event....


Red Bank's Tea Party: There was a West Side Block Party in Red Bank, NJ, sponsored by NovelTeas and Glen Goldbaum 72 Salon, this weekend - and a good time was had by all. There were so many people mingling and mixing, I found it challenging (if not impossible) to flit between the 2 west side establishments. I saw people I hadn't seen in a long time, and I met new friends and acquaintances. There was wine and cheese and desserts and tea. There was laughter and frivolity, music and genuine smiles that made you feel like you were a part of something altogether larger. 

Read more about this Tea Party here.

Never miss an event @ NovelTeas.  Friend them on Facebook.  Know them. Go there.  nuff said.....

Taking Back the Tea Parties: AGREED

I know I am not the only one in the blogger or the tea community that feels the angst against the political movement, and I have been encouraging people to throw tea parties whenever they can.

So I was particularly satisfied to read this article from Slate.com that had the same sentiments  - not to mention  a wonderfully researched history lesson about the popularity of tea over the centuries!

(Thank you Sara Dickerman for writing this)....

The Tea Party Is Giving
Tea Parties a Bad Name

Take Back the Tea Party: Understanding History

Tea has certainly taken its lumps in American History. The iconic dumping of tea into the Boston Harbor as a symbolic action against the taxation of this quotidian delight resulted in punitive action against the colonies by the British Government. (not to mention the subsequent trend of increased popularity of coffee over tea, a trend that has not yet ended in this country)

Perhaps the American consumer learned its lesson in 1773, when as a result of the Boston Tea Party, the colonists got a beat-down in form of the Intolerable Acts. These acts were a punishment from King George III that led to a closed Harbor, more British troops, and the designation that any colonist who did not feed and house British soldier could be shot on sight, by order of the King.

Nowadays we are used to the idea that standard commodities, like oil, natural gas, fossil fuels, are sold and traded, or rather - manipulated - for the sole purpose of increased profits for the investors. And who pays for those profits but the consumers.

So first it was the good name and reputation of tea that was used as a political play piece in American History, and now it is the entire concept of having a tea party that is being bandied about. After having had taken a back seat to coffee, and keeping a low-profile for 200 years, it is quite frustrating that there is a political party called the Tea Party.

I don't care what side of aisle you align yourself with politically. Really -- I don't!  My concern here is the waning social support for the ritual and cultural significance of tea.  How much more political volley can tea take? The very fact that I must preface any tea party that I might throw with an anti-political statement has indeed dissuaded me throwing any tea parties.

And it is THIS notion -- that I have pulled back from hosting social gatherings (and I am not the only one to hesitate to throw social tea gatherings) that MUST be addressed - lest tea suffer a 2nd downward trend in its own popularity, as it did over 200 years ago.

So if you have found this story, if I have sent you this link, if you like tea, if you own a tea company or tea house, then I encourage you to THROW A TEA PARTY.

We can only take back the social name of tea parties by HAVING THEM!

So please join the Tea Party Challenge.

The Mad Pots of Tea! Traveling Tea Party Challenge:
 - Throw a Tea Party in the next 6 months.
 - Have fun with different themes, ideas and concepts
 - If you plan to throw a party: email me the invite/press release and I will post it.
 - If you threw a party recently: send me a link to the photos.
 - If I can be at your party I will....
And...
 - if you would like to join Madam Potts at an upcoming tea party, email me with the Subject Line: I want to Party!

Cuz it's NORML to Drink Tea

Perhaps more than ever, the subject of medicinal marijuana and legalization is at an all-time high in the mainstream media. First and foremost, it is a humanistic issue - being able to offer relief care and comfort to those in need. Yet for some, going green is a pathway to tax revenues and the reallocation of much needed budgetary funds for police units across the country. And for others, it is simply stating that prohibition is an outdated idea that does nothing to stop something that is ubiquitous in our culture and society at large, and is also safer than alcohol.

So when I was asked to create a special blend of tea for the Philadelphia chapter of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), I was excited. By getting involved in this particular chariTEA, I've been able to share the warmth and healing of tea. And there's nothing I love more than introducing people to all that tea can be...

Behold: The PhillyNORML Tea.
This warm and comforting brew is combination of teas, herbs and spices that has a very easy to drink, easy to enjoy quality. Created as a whole body comfort tea with helpful herbs, including: Red Clover, Ginger Root, and Peppermint.

No, this blend does not come "medicated" - but it was designed to be medicinally steeped in milk, (or half milk/water) if you so chose.

Madam Potts will be at the 4/20 Fundraiser in Philadelphia, this upcoming Tuesday,with samples of this and other teas, which will also be available for purchase.

Likewise, you can support the cause by purchasing the PhillyNORML blend online. Standard orders are either 3oz loose or 15 tea bags and all orders include tax and shipping.

**All profits go to support the work of PhillyNORML and the fight to legalize the compassionate use of medical marijuana.

************************
I hope all my friends and tea lovers in the area can make it to the party. Info as follows:

April 20th
@ the Blockley Pourhouse
38th & Ludlow, Philadelphia
7:30pm
and a mad, mad, mad line up of bands!
including Agent Moosehead and Psychedelphia

Find this Event on Facebook!

Take Back the Party: Part 2

Ok! That's it!.....I have had it with the Tea Party Movement stealing the spotlight from tea bloggers. All I want to do is talk about tea, a soothing, comforting, culturally-rich and tasty beverage choice....not contend with politics.

To illustrate my point of frustration, if you log onto www.Examiner.com, where I am the Monmouth County Tea Examiner, and where I am one of many "tea examiners" across the US, and you enter "tea" in the search bar, it ONLY brings up politics. I mean, there are people writing every day about the finer points of oolong and the health benefits of green teas, but that never seems to make it up the charts...

You can find more of my original gripe about this subject under: Take Back the Tea Party which I wrote about a month ago. only now...I have a better idea.

It's Time to Take Back the Tea Party...with a simple dose of their own medicine - by way of messing with their internet searches.

ACTION: If you are a tea blogger, use the words Tea Party as much as possible; add links or videos of the Tea Party Movement into your blog entries so as to boost your blog's visibility in news & internet searches; and also, be sure to make passing references to the national situation! Be creative in linking into or simply creating tea party fodder decoys.

Then when searching for stories/info on the Tea Party Movement, people will be accidentally redirected to your tea blogging site! Easy, simple and devilishly fun enough, no?

It's time to give the tea-baggers some REAL TEA!

So...if you start finding links to the tea party in my blog, you'll know why.

Oh, it'll be a Grand Ol Tea Party!
(ha ha!! made you look!)

*****************
(Photo credit by: Amishsteve, Creative Commons)

The Spicy Dorito Tea Challenge

For those of us who drink tea on a daily basis, it's only natural to find complimentary teas for the different things we eat as a matter of course. Not every meal however is going to be Asian fusion cuisine or some fine dining dish worthy of a high quality tea to match. Like every other single American, sometimes I need a tea that will go with something as basic as a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. (a stronger straight black tea such as an English Breakfast or even Lapsang does the trick for me!)

It wasn't too long ago that this same trend, pairing an upscale drink with low-grade food, hit the wine scene. Despite the connoisseur status of knowledge one might have about wine, the question still echoed, but does it go with pizza? What first either bemused or possible ruffled the educated wine drinker, the concept of "but does it go with pizza?", has now become a marketing tactic. Even the NYTimes is not beneath reporting the finer points of wine and pizza choices.

So when a discussion of junk food cravings turned into a plan to get together after a friend of mine joked, "I'll bring the Doritos if you bring the tea", I knew that I would be exploring a new aspect of tea pairings never researched before. What tea goes with not only Doritos, but SPICY DORITOS. Apparently this stuff comes in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degree Burning Spice Flavors -- and apparently Pepsi came out with a limited time cross-promotional soda called Cease Fire -- to "cool the burn" left by these fiery hot chips!

So what tea goes with chips so spicy you really only need to 'eat just one'?

What I came up with was a sweet & spicy black tea. Prior to eating the chips, there was a natural sweetness with an underlying warmth to the strong black tea base. But as you ate the 1st or 2nd Degree Doritos, I think the tea actually intensified the spice! Really, it was difficult to tell the affect of the tea or anything afterward, due to the long-lingering tingling of fire that coated the inside of my mouth.

If you ask my friend Steve, I don't think he'd claim that the mad blend that I created is a remedy to or partner with Doritos (spicy or otherwise) -- but it did spawn a rather enjoyable excuse to get together and drink tea!

Perhaps this calls for more field research and a government grant?....and more tea parties!

Take Back the Tea Party!

I was joking about this 3 months ago, that I was going to write my rant against the Tea Party Movement and how much it's pissing me off as a tea blogger. Ever try to find a picture to go along with your article on black tea and have to wade through pages and pages of political rallies??? it has now become epidemic and I am only one of many frustrated tea bloggers and retailers.

I remember last year when I threw a tea party at a local Vintage store, how I had gotten a few people asking if this was political...and I rolled my eyes at a movement that had just started and I thought would die out soon. A year later and and we still have politics to contend with.

AND what really boils my brew is that their vantage point of "us vs everyone who is not us and is thus not the real America" works to divide this country....and for me and many other Camellia Sinensis loving folk, we work to bring people TOGETHER.

That's right...I've said it here before and even created a Blog Label under the word "CommuniTEA" because that's one of the many wonderful things about this small hot beverage is its ability to get people to sit down and talk with each other. Drinking tea TOGETHER is a show of civility and a gesture of love. It is custom in many countries upon entering someone's house or a meeting of business that tea is served first. A peaceful tradition America might want to look into adopting....but then, as a tea lover, i am biased to think that daily interactions over a tea pot would improve the quality of life for all those involved.

I am however not the only dealing with this issue. recently my tea friend, Tony Gebely of Chicago Tea Garden has found marketing tea in Chicago to be an unwelcome mash-up of tea and politics. And was quoted in an article in the Chicago Tribune which reported on the same sentiment as I am now.... and again I read the same frustration of tea purveyors vs political rallies in the Boston Herarld this past Sunday.

An interesting side note is that coffee became America's beverage of choice after the the showy Boston Tea Party. It takes a long time for things to change, which is why this political movement is now the 2nd thing to come along to tarnish the reputation (and sales of) tea.

I say we TAKE BACK THE TEA PARTY!
Celebrate everything with tea parties.
Get together with friends and family and Drink Your Tea with Pride!

Fall Madly in Love with tea -- and throw a party!

Catch Madam Potts LIVE: December 11th

Tis the season to share the warmth of friends and family -- and what better way to do that than with a pot of tea? As many of you know, my company only sells custom blends of tea. Obviously, as a tea artisan blender, these PersonaliTEAS are not the only blends I have, in fact I make many many blends of tea. So anyone hoping to find other Mad Pots of Tea! blends must seek me out in person. It just so happens that those local to the Jersey Shore region will have their chance next Friday, December 11th.

Just in time for the Holiday Season,
Mad Pots of Tea! is releasing 3 Seasonal Blends ~

* Silent Night: This herbal mix of soothing, relaxing, caffeine free herbs will help your find your calm amidst the holiday rush. Great before bedtime too!
* Peppermint Dreams: This minty white tea mixed with candy canes and peppermint will have you dreaming of a white Christmas... and
* Chocolate Orange Spice: Chocolate and spice and everything nice in a black tea blend! Yum!

These 3 Teas will be featured at the Ocean Avenue Holiday Bazaar!
Come and Meet Madam Potts
When: Friday, December 11th
Time: 6-9pm
Where: Ocean Avenue PTA Holiday Bazaar
Address: 235 Ocean Avenue,
North Middletown, NJ
See Map

Now if you would like any of these teas (loose, bagged or in Mad Bags) and you don't live in the New Jersey area, email me and I will ship your order anywhere in the world!

New Blend: Vintage VarieTEA & Tea Party recap

I got the opportunity to design a blend of tea on a place of business, which I have always wanted to do. It is similar to designing a blend on a person (especially when the business in question has a lot of character) but it is more challenging and requires more intuition. The usual method of simply using the PersonaliTEA Form does not really apply.

However, my latest blend, Vintage VarieTEA was created for the host of the Mad, Mad Tea Party -- a unique shop called Vintage Variety. This artsy edgy vintage shop lended itself quite easily to a Mad Tea blend. And while it is easy to say that all I did was mix a little bit of everything, whether your mixing tea or paints or liquors - simply adding a little bit of everything is not a easy as it sounds.

Vintage VarieTEA is a mix of 2 types of tea (White and Black), plus Rooibos, 2 types of roots, 2 flowers petals and 3 dried fruits -- it is by far my most experimental blend ever.

Having had this blend samples by over 50 people in its short time of existence, I am more than pleased to say that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The taste of the blend is fruity and sweet without being predominately so. The color brews up a beatiful reddish pink hue. And as one friend remarked of the aroma of the dry blend, that it"smells oddly enough just like a vintage store". While that comment could sound less than complimentary, it was indeed meant as a statement of excitement that the blend truly matched the inspiration in every way.

Vintage VarieTEA is available for purchase at Vintage Variety in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

As for the party, I would like to thank all those who helped to make it happen, and all those who came to be a part of this CommuniTEA.

I sensed a real need for social outlet, a way for people to take little journey in their day to experience something different, to try something new, to meet fresh faces, to hear some live music..to do something fun and random....and the Mad, Mad Tea Party is certainly all those things.

I'd especially like to thank Mr. Ron Santee for lending his musical talents to the party, for setting a fun, relaxed atmosphere. I look forward to working with more musicians and varied styles of music for future parties. Music and Tea just kinda go together....

The Mad, Mad Tea Party has been asked to return to Vintage Variety next month!

::Happy Dance!::

So I will keep you all posted. Next month will feature the cool side of tea as we delve into the hot summery months on the shore and brew up some crazy-blended iced tea...

Pictures of the Mad, Mad Tea Party
can be found here: Mad, Mad Tea Pix!

The Mad, Mad Tea Party: May 3rd

BREWING UP BUSINESS
In an effort to brew up some business in these hard economic times, Vintage Variety Shop in Atlantic Highlands has teamed up with Madam Potts and the Mad Pots of Tea! Company to throw the first ever Mad, Mad Tea Party, on Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 2 – 5pm shoppers can enjoy a tea tasting while shopping store-wide sales. Likewise they are invited to relax and listen to some live music and chat with friends.

The Mad, Mad Tea Party (which has no political affiliation whatsoever) will be held in the back of the store on the second floor.
Setting the party atmosphere will be the relaxed reggae music stylings of Ron Santee

The purpose of the party is to not only brew up support for local businesses, but also as a social outlet, creating a brand new COMMUNI-TEA - a blended crowd of artists, musicians, business owners, and tea lovers alike.

The tea being featured at the event has been designed and will only be available for purchase at the Vintage Variety Shop. This Limited Edition blend called "Vintage VarieTEA", was inspired by the store’s eclectic nature.

Vintage Variety Shop sells and buys vintage clothing for guys and girls, and also carries posters & paintings, belts, buckles, jewelry, accessories, shoes, gifts and home décor. Every square inch of the store boasts a smorgasbord of edgy, arty and unusual stuff. You will need more than an afternoon to shop this store!

Come to the Tea Party and receive 15% off any store purchases (some exclusions apply).

Madam Potts loves mixing teas and herbs and gets madly inspired by people. She has been creating custom tea blends since 2006. Her goal is to turn people on to herbs and teas by creating unique blends they’ve never had before. Her latest blends, called “PersonaliTEAs” have been created for radio hosts, graphic designers, and musicians. Madam Potts is available for tea parties, showers, tastings and classes and can be contacted here.

So grab your friends and head down to the Mad Mad Tea Party! Enjoy a refreshingly different take on tea, engage in a new style of social networking, take in some live music and shop the sales at New Jersey’s most rock & roll Vintage store!

The Mad, Mad Tea Party
WHEN: Sunday May 3, 2009
TIME: 2pm – 5 pm.
WHERE: Vintage Variety, 76 First Ave. Atlantic Highlands, NJ
This is a FREE event

Tea Party Alert!

Snow, snow go away and let's all hit the beach and play!
Who couldn't use some tropical island warmth this month?

So we're going to the islands in a teacup --
featuring the Tea and the Music of
Bishop Wayne's own PersonaliTEA ~
Caribbean Delight

The Tea Party is happening this Sunday, March 15th at

Madam Pott's Mad Tea House
(in Highlands, NJ)

RSVP only: Contact Madam Potts

SIREN FM hosts a Tea Party!

Good Morning UK!

SIREN FM is featuring Madam Potts in their inaugural show called, "Take On..." The idea of the show is that they 'take on' a new topic and the first topic is TEA (ooh! my favorite subject!).

WITNESS people...TASTING SOMETHING MAD!

What does it take to create a fun PersonaliTEA?

Find out: Wednesday, April 23rd,
TIME: in the UK: 10am
If you live on the East Coast, that's 5am
but only 2am for my WCoast sippers!
audio file to follow soon

The show lasts 30minutes so TUNE IN

Or for anytime, because this is one fun radio station!


Let me know if you get the chance to listen in!


Sipping Madly!

Boston Tea party

Today isn the 232nd Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

I much prefer drinking it to sending it into the briny deep, but the colonists were standing up for their rights and holding to their principles in the face of what they felt was an injustice. I admire their courage and spirit. Taking action against unfair trade practices which were made lawful by the Tea Act of 1773. Tea Act of 1773 gave the East India Tea Company the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies without paying any of the regular taxes that were imposed on the colonial merchants, who had traditionally served as the middlemen in such transactions. With these privileges, the company could undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade. To protest this Act, the colonists, led by Samuel Adams staged quite a dramatic resistance.

As the electrifying news of the Boston "tea party" spread, other seaports followed the example and staged similar acts of resistance of their own.I had written a small entry last month on this topic called Revolutionary.

So, kick back and enjoy a cup of history.

Revolutionary

One of the great things about this country is that when people feel there has been an injustice, they have ways and means to revolt or to protest. Way before the 1960's, people were staging protests so that their voices would be heard. Back in the late 1700's there was a lot of economic and political struggle over tea.

Sure we all know about The Boston Tea Party (Dec. 16, 1773), but there are lesser-known incidents related to the American colonists revolting against the British that are receding into history and which shouldn’t be forgotten.

Did you know that when the British government imposed a tax on tea headed to the American colonies, the volume of tea smuggled from Holland increased dramatically? It's bizarre in today's world to imagine tea being "smuggled", but at that time, drinking tea was a part of daily life. It would be akin to someone smuggling gasoline in the country due to the preposterous taxes and prices that are imposed. Though I would think smuggling tea to be a much easier commodity to conceal.

Besides Boston, other port cities resisted the British. The was a "Tea Party" in Greenich, NJ on December 22, 1773, in which stocks of tea and tea chests lit up the market square. In late April 1774 the British ship LONDON was boarded in New York and the captain’s private stock of 18 tea chests were opened and dumped into the water.

In October 1775, 51 patriotic ladies got together in Edenton, N.C., to renounce tea drinking; they enjoyed dried raspberry leaves instead. They pledged not “to conform to the Pernicious custom of drinking tea, until such time as all acts which tend to enslave our native country shall be repealed…” This proclamation sent waves through English society when it was published in London.

These people were SERIOUS about their tea!

So, go brew yourself a pot of history.

Brew Proud.

Brew often.