Mother's Day Gifts [Sort of]

Do you ever buy yourself a gift?  ;-)  I recently bought myself a couple.  On April 29th I was reading the March/April 2020 Issue of The Tea Life Style online magazine and I came across a very interesting article about tea infusers written by Melanie Holsti in The China Cabinet.

I have lots of cute little tea infusers that I've received as gifts over the years, but I never use them because they're too small to allow the tea leaves to expand as they're infused with water.  Below are the two infusers I use all the time.  The one on the left is for teapots and the one on the right is when I make tea by the cup/mug.

In Melanie's article she likened small tea infusers to an overloaded washing machine.  Just as clothes can't adequately wash when the tub is too full, the flavor from tea leaves can't be fully extracted when they're stuffed in a small infuser.  Infusers shouldn't be filled more than 1/3 full to allow for expansion.

The article then went on to show a 'Tea Ball Teapot' with an infuser built into the lid.  In all my antiquing and visits to tearooms I have never seen a teapot like this.  It was made by Buffalo Pottery, established in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1901, and was a mail order company.  The teapot was listed in their 1915-1916 fall/winter catalog, and sold for $2, but I had to pay a little bit more than that.  ;-)

I've stopped shopping for blue and white china because as you can see, the shelves in my living room are maxed out.

But... I was so intrigued by this teapot.  Just for kicks, I went to E-bay and to my amazement a few were listed, but only one still had the infuser attached.  There was a 'buy it now' option for $39.95 plus tax and shipping. I succumbed, and it arrived in time for Mother's Day. A present to me from me!  

Backstamp: Buffalo Pottery, Argyle, 1914

The infuser is a nice size, and when it's released into the pot, the ball sets flush on top of the lid.

To pull the infuser up into the lid/dome after the tea has steeped, the chain is pulled up and a latch holds it securely inside the lid.

Isn't that the neatest design?  I don't know why they don't still make teapots this way.  What a great purchase!  It's not only a unique design, but it's flo blue to boot!  How could I go wrong?

A tea-loving lady in Texas, and member of ATAA [Afternoon Tea Across America] owns a jewelry business called SAjolie with her son.  She advertised a tea-themed bracelet, so I ordered one and it arrived in today's mail.  It was on sale for $16.95 plus tax and shipping.  I like helping small businesses especially during this pandemic.  If you're interested, she's on Etsy.

I'm excited about the virtual Mother's Day tea tomorrow with the Royal Park Hotel.  I got the Zoom log-in link today.  

I tried a new scone recipe that was discussed on ATAA for tomorrow's tea.  It's an Australian recipe and only calls for three ingredients: self-rising flour, heavy cream, and a carbonated lemonade similar to our Sprite.  No eggs.  My hubby and I gave them a taste test and liked them, but I think I'll stay with my American recipe. I'll make tea sandwiches and desserts in the morning.

I'll be sure to tell you all about it when it's over.  The tea begins at 1:00 p.m.

Until then, be safe and stay well!