Moving!

I have come to the conclusion that instead of hardly ever updating several blogs, I could try maybe occasionally updating only one blog. So if you don't mind a less-focused blog that still contains some tea content, from now on I'll be updating here.

Nerds have not been so interested in tea since Captain Picard

My coworker sent me a link to this because Gizmodo's writeup of it combined my love of tea with my love of LL Cool J in Deep Blue Sea. "What more could you ask?" he said.

I could ask for it to be an actual product instead of a concept design, that's what.

[DesignBoom, via Gizmodo, via BoingBoing Gadgets, via GadgetLab, via 71°]

Miu Miu Tea Cup Platform Pumps

Over at Manolo's Shoe Blog people be talking smack about these Miu Miu teacup shoes, but they are clearly insane because these are 100% fantastic.

The ones that got away

I think it's fair to say that these are the awesomest cookie cutters ever, and therefore it's no surprise that they're not available on this continent.

At Impressionen, if you can read German. Except I think they're out of stock.

The Pouch Mug

Totally useless for those of us who don't use teabags, yet still very cute. These would be great for a restaurant or cafe.

$11.50 at Catching Fireflies (via Apartment Therapy San Francisco)

Etsy picks: jewelry

Something about crafters/vintage fans and tea must go together, because there is a ton of tea-related stuff on etsy. Here are my favorites.

Black Pearl Teapot Earrings, $23 at Bead on a Wire

Tea Party kilt pin, $9 at Mootsie's Altered Art Studio

Tea for Two necklace, $100 at Birdland Creations

Boston Tea Party Necklace, $21 at Peapod Treasures

Teapot Heart Necklace, $10 at Finest Imaginary

Famous Brown Teapot, mark II

Here, at last, is photographic proof of my Betty's radness:



How many people have had their teapots featured on national tv?

Also pictured: Nick Matzke, hero of Dover. You can watch all of Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial online at pbs.org.

Review: Republic of Tea Pink Grapefruit Green Tea

Before the review, a caveat: I bought this tea so that I wouldn't feel guilty for using my credit card for a $2 loaf of french bread, which means I purchased it from a grocery store where I would never usually buy tea, on account of I don't believe their merchandise turnover is very high. Possibly, this tea would be better if it were fresher, though just as likely not.

It's a little dangerous talking smack about a tea that's setting out to cure cancer. What if this review dissuades someone from buying a tin, and that $0.75 would have paid for the pipette in which the cancer-curing agent would have been created? Would I feel like a jerk then.

But then I got to thinking, why should I blame myself for telling it like it is? Why shouldn't I push the blame back to the source? Republic of Tea, doesn't breast cancer deserve better than this? Better than flavorless, stale, dry tea that's only available in bags? Tea that claims to be "premium quality" but is obviously average quality at best?

Why do you hate breast cancer research, Republic of Tea?

Let's look at some facts.

Fact 1: I enjoy grapefruit tea. Several people I've talked to have responded negatively to the very concept, but not me. Since my only experience was positive, I had high hopes when I bought this. In fact, it's one of those things I thought about every time I was at the store. "Should I try the pink grapefruit tea? No, I already have lots of tea." (this is always the case)

Fact 2: I am not a teabag snob. I have yet to write my big long post on this, but I mainly use leaf tea for better control and variety, not because I'm convinced that tea can only be enjoyed when it's brewed loose in a pot.

Fact 3: I don't like cancer. I'm a hypochondriac; with better treatment options, maybe I could spend less time worrying about having it. Go cancer research!

So there is nothing about this tea that made me predisposed to dislike it. It did that all on it's own.

Final verdict: I'll give it a star. Fewer than that is reserved for teas with an unpleasant taste, and this doesn't have enough taste for that.