Tea and Other Ramblings

You know, you just never know where you will find a special addition to a collection! This one was made by a company called Franz, and is an official Disney item: the "Alice in Wonderland" teapot and cup and saucer sets. (As if you couldn't tell by the decoration!) This is a real treasure. The minute I saw this it was love at first sight. Is there someone somewhere who wasn't completely charmed by Alice's adventures? I don't think I have met them. There is the butterfly who was first introduced to Alice as the caterpillar sitting on his mushroom. So much of the beautiful garden from the movie is represented; from the leaves and scrollwork on the spout and handles, to the bread-and-butterflies on the teacups. And Alice, herself, as she was in the garden. The spoon, which comes with every cup and saucer set (of which only 500 sets were made), is the grand-dame of the garden, The Red Rose. The bowl of the spoon is made up as a cluster of her leaves. Such a charming set can only hold a wonderful English tea; maybe an English Breakfast or even PG Tips.

PG Tips is a very aromatic black tea that I first tasted in England. It may be an everyday tea to the English, but I found it to be almost the epitome of a good black tea. I looked everywhere for it when I got home and found it one day when I was shopping to replenish some of my herbal teas at the local natural foods store. Now that I know where to find it, I can have it as often as I like. There is no bitterness to this tea at all; it is mellow and smooth light or strong. In fact, we had it just this morning and savored every drop. You have to try this tea.

By the way, I never did find out if Disney had a creamer and sugar bowl made for this teapot, and it is now a discontinued set. Sigh!