Saturday 19th July and Sunday 20th July 2014 The ‘Chinese Gardens of Friendship‘ in Sydney’s Darling Harbour, became the venue for a tea appreciation weekend, named ‘Fragrant Cup’. The event was organised by New South Wales Governments, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. Over two day’s visitors to the gardens and attendees of the events, were treated to various aspects of Chinese tea culture. On Saturday 19th July, I had the pleasure, along with many others of attending a ‘

Choosing a teapot for yourself or as a gift can be quite a difficult decision – there’s just so many to choose from. So where do you start? After many years of working in the hospitality industry and serving more than my fair share of teapots, I certainly have dealt with the good, the bad, and the downright ugly! From teapots that pour everywhere except into the cup, to the dribblers who love making a mess; (especially if you’re serving on linen!); to the chipped and falling

It’s a little ironic, that today we try to tease those avid coffee drinkers away from their regular shot of coffee, from those rich fine roasted beans, with a sweet, spiced, milky drink called chai. Today just about every coffee outlet, from the corner café to global giants like Starbucks, have at least one – if not many – variations of chai on their menu. How long will it be before the comedians create a similar skit to the one in Steve Martin’s 1991 movie, L.A.Story, where