#7 from Sanndi Thompson
Q: Share what you deem to be tea "blunders" such as the wrong way to make tea, or steep tea or add things to tea (things that make you cringe). A: There’s nothing that makes me cringe, though there is one thing that makes me very very sad, and that is rudeness. By rudeness, I don’t mean things like using the wrong utensil or shlurping tea too loudly. I mean snobbery, condescension and cruelty. They cause me more consternation than I can say. Etiquette is meant to make people feel comfortable and included, and so actions or attitudes that serve to alienate, demean or embarrass others are not practices I espouse. But to give you a bona fide answer to your question, the Tea Travellers Societea offers an entire workshop on this subject, titled The Wonders & Blunders of Tea, conducted both in person and online. The one held in Orange County CA this spring will have already happened by the time this magazine issue comes out, however, there is an online version available via videochat in June. I do hope you’ll join me there for some juicy ‘how-to’s and ‘how-not-to’s. Warmly, Joy
