T Stands For Tuesday: a retrospective

One year ago next week, T Stands For Tuesday was born.  Several of you have been here from the beginning, some joined recently, and some visit when time allows.  That's perfectly acceptable, because I'm not about rules, but about sharing a common theme: our drink for the day.

So much like my friend Seth Apter hosts a Buried Treasure each year, I'm going to ask you to Dig Deep into your T Tuesday posts, and pick ONE POST you consider a favorite.  Then, we will share our favorites from this past year when we link up next week.  

I realize some of us have been sharing tea and other drinks for more than a year, and had it not been for Divers and Sundry saying how much she wished this weekly tea event  was a bit more organized, the linky might never have been born.

I have Kimmie to thank for starting this ritual many years ago: in fact, long before I joined.  At some point along the way, she created a lovely piece of art she painted that we could add to our sidebars.  My dear friend Halle was kind enough to write the code for my art.  I went with mixed media, because that's more my style.

Today I'm bringing back an old post I made several years ago: October 11, 2011 to be exact.  I called it Blooming Tea and you are welcome to revisit the post.  However, today, I've updated it, because I have a much, much better camera, and can now share the beauty of the blooms with you.


Like before, I started with my supplies, including the heat resistant pad to protect my wood table, the tea, and my 3-minute egg timer.  This time, instead of using a clear heavy drinking glass, I found a bowl that would allow the blossom to expand to its full capacity.

A close-up of the tea blossoms shows what they look like before boiling water is added.  If you've never seen these before, like I had not until my friend Cath in Cyprus sent this box to me, they are, in my opinion, more beautiful before they bloom.

I don't know about you, but I don't have any wine glasses I would trust with boiling water.

Instead, I heated my water in a pyrex baking dish, and dropped the blossom in the heated water.  Then I waited.

And waited!  In fact, I was in the process of taking this photo of my "timer" where the hourglass sand had definitely passed through to the other side,

when I completely missed the opening of the blossom.

A few close-up shots show how it opened as I continued to take photos of its progress.

It took nearly 20 minutes for the tea to get dark enough to drink it.  And before you ask, I think the real appeal is in the blooming of the blossom, because the tea is not very palatable at all.  In fact, even though I had enough for two cups, I only had part of one cup and threw the remainder away.  I'm trying to decide if there's a use for the spent blossom, though (other than the compost pile, of course).

It's time for you to link your T Stands for Tuesday post.  Remember, your T Stands for Tuesday post can be about anything drink related, as long as you can tie it back in some way to a drink, a drinking vessel, or something wet.  And as always, your photos do not have to be taken on Tuesday.  After you link, Bleubeard and I will be by to visit, as well as other Tuesday Tea participants.



And please don't forget to dig deep and find a favorite post for next Tuesday when T Stands for Tuesday turns ONE.  I look forward to our first birthday party.