Tea time is anytime
Tin Nguyen/Fairfax County Times
A tea bloom consists of long tea leaves bundled with jasmine and orange lilies into a bulb.
Whatever your political bent, a tea party really suggests a relaxed moment. Over a cup of steaming aroma-filled tea and a plate of pastries, you can enjoy conversations, a book, or simply a quiet time. Such is the appeal of this beverage that American tea consumption has jumped to about 230 million pounds of tea leaves in 2012. Imagine how many pots of tea that equals! The Tea Association has estimated that to be about 3 billion gallons of tea annually.
Its no wonder, then, that someone like Great Falls resident Laurie Bell continues to hold her successful tea seminars each year, growing in size and number. From her first efforts of the Great Falls Tea Garden, she has moved from her home kitchen to Cathys Corner and the Artists Atelier in Great Falls to the larger space, the barn at Colvin Run Mill, also in Great Falls. My business has been growing at a steady pace, and I love to share information about teas, she said. The interest in tea in the United States is today like wine and coffee was 30 years ago.
Fortunately for her students, Bell is no stranger to the food world, having run her successful Great Falls-based A La Bell Cuisine catering business for many years. But she transitioned to the tea world about 10 years ago because of a life-long interest in the plant. I have always been interested in tea and through my travels, she said. I discovered there was much more to tea than black tea bags, and as I discovered all the various teas out there, I wanted to share that knowledge. I have always been a teacher at heart and tea seemed like the next step. Bell also attributes her love of tea to her grandmother, who used to serve daily afternoon tea with milk and sugar. Bell admitted that she reached middle age before having a cup of coffee.
Bell is also no stranger to the tea world, having earned two levels of tea certification from the Specialty Tea Institute. Adding to her in-depth tea knowledge, Bell also attends seminars and tea conferences, thus making her a valuable tea consultant in the metro area. For that reason, Bell has brewed teas for such groups as Slow Food, American Institute of Wine and Food, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.
For students in her two-hour Colvin Run Mill classes, Bell follows a typical routine, starting with a brief history of tea growing and consumption, and then offering samples of the tea style the class is focusing on. As an added incentive for students to learn more about teas, she serves a treat made with tea as an ingredient, some of which are on the Great Falls Tea Garden website.
I experiment with tea recipes on a regular basis, she said. As a result, she has created a variety of taste treats, including the tea-infused panna cotta recipe below.
For more information about upcoming tea classes or about teas in general, contact Laurie Bell, Great Falls Tea Garden, 703-757-6209 or email her at Laurie@greatfallsteagarden.com. Or go to the website: http://www.greatfallsteagarden.com
Tea-Infused Panna Cotta
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Tea time is anytime