tea and chinoiserie

Teavivre.com was nice enough to send me some samples of tea all the way from China (as Leonard Cohen says) and I hope to start reviewing them soon.  I've already tried their Unbridled Love Fruit Tea, because it's got a name that's hard to resist and is a tangy-sweet blend of apples, rose hips, orange peel and black currants.  Liked it very much and will have another cup or two around Valentine's Day.

A major Chicagoland celebrity tea happening comes from Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who recently announced plans to open a 1930s French Chinese decor tea house in Highland Park at the former Ravinia Station post office.  With a varied selection of teas and and tea treats, including vegan options and coffee on the menu amidst probably what will be a really lovely setting.  

Pictured:  Tea caddy, Chinese, circa 1780, with caddy spoon by silversmith Elizabeth Morley, 1805. Exhibit in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis (Daderot photo from Wikimedia Commons)