The Tea Ritual

Now that Christmas is a fond memory, it is time to take a few minutes to relax and enjoy a nice cup of tea.

As far back as I can remember, tea has been a very important part of my household.  Wake up in the morning; time to brew a cup of tea.  Come home at the end of a busy day at work; brew a cup of tea.  Wind down after dinner; brew a fresh cup of tea.  Come inside after dividing the hostas in the garden; brew a cup of tea. Well, you get the idea, a freshly brewed cup of tea was a mainstay.

Of course I quickly learned that there was a ritual to the properly brewed cup of tea, as well.  First and foremost, we had to have the right kind of tea.  For us, than meant black tea, loose, in individual tea bag and packaged for sale by the Red Rose Brewing Company. Each tea bag could be used once, and only once.

Black Tea relief print- leaves in a flow-through tea bag.  Tea bag, string, tag and staple are Black Ranger ink on tan Strathmore 400 series paper covered with a single coat of white gesso.  This is one of the few relief prints that has been made using two different carved blocks and aligned for printing with register marks.  The tea leaves inside the bag make up the second block.

The process started with the kettle of water.  The water had to be heated to a rolling boil so that the whistle on the kettle would scream.  A gentle boil or evaporating mist meant the water was not warm enough.  Next, 3 or 4 ounces of this boiling water had to be swished around the cup to thoroughly heat the interior.  This water was discarded.  Only now could the tea bag be unwrapped and the flow-through portion placed in the bottom of the cup, with the string and identifying tag carefully drawn outside the cup and secured around the handle.  This help to avoid the terrible "string and/or tag in the water" incident.

Once the water in the kettle had been returned to it's screaming status, it was time to pour gently on top of the anchored tea bag.  After a minimum of 3 minutes, the bag could be teased up and down in the cup to coax out all of the tea flavors, BUT never should the bag be pulled so high as to be out of the hot water.

Four to five minutes into the "steep," and the bag could be carefully cradled in the bowl of the spoon and squeezed with the strangulating string, before being discarded, this officially signifying..............

"Tea Time" - Mixed media double print made up of Black Ranger ink printed on tan Strathmore 400 series paper.  A second print was made on multi-color paper and pieces of the second print were carefully cut out and glued to the first print to create a filled tea-bag with colorful tag.