Upcoming Books by Kathleen Kern
"Every new chapter begins with a blank page."
Excerpts from Kathleen's Upcoming Book
The 7th Duchess of Bedford is credited with creating a legacy that made tea and the Afternoon Tea ceremony synonymous with Great Britain.
……. Whether true or not, it’s nice to credit someone.
The path to the Duchess of Bedford creating and popularizing the lovely, and today embellished ceremony, fondly known as ‘Afternoon Tea’, is fraught with a history that reads like a novel. Opium wars, downfall of a dynasty, greed, mayhem, industrial espionage, new industries, and so much more.
When tea was discovered thousands of years ago in ancient China, it would eventually reach out into the world and become the most consumed brewed beverage and create meaningful social and welcoming gatherings.
Creating and building a tea business led to many tea experiences and helped the passion grow over my 20 years of ownership. During the development of the business and my family’s travels to tea-growing countries and regions, some things stood out as most inspiring and continued to fuel the passion. No matter where we journeyed to visit tea gardens, the hosts welcomed us and always greeted us with their long-standing tradition of showing respect for their guests with a tea ceremony.
Imagine the exotic and historical settings of Morocco, Japan, Turkey, Great Britain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and China, each country or region creating its own tea ceremonies.
The customers who entered our shops showed respect for the other customers, would let people go ahead, and would also recommend tea to strangers. It was a beautiful thing to see. There is something about tea.
A Meeting in the Delta Lounge
While sitting in the Delta lounge at CVG (Cincinnati Airport) for a flight to Washington, DC, a gentleman sat down next to me, and we began to chat as one does. I had settled in with a glass of bubbly and some nibbles as my flight was delayed. He had a drink in his hand, so we were going to be neighbors for a little while. He indicated he traveled a lot for his job and, in addition, was a part-time professor at UC (University of Cincinnati).
I provided a minimal overview that I am now retired and recently sold my tea business in Cincinnati after 20 years.
“Oh my gosh! I am a great customer, and I have family who travel from Louisville (about an hour and a half away) with the point of visiting the shop too. You have a location in Findlay Market, and I know you had one in Hyde Park.”
“Tell me about it.”
Start talking about tea, and I can get carried away. “Yes, I started the business after a different career to initially source good tea for myself and then, as the passion grew, to introduce Greater Cincinnati to the varieties of leaf tea. The leaf provides the flavor and most health benefits, not the flat tea bags available at the time, which contained only fannings. Fannings are the pieces that fall through the drying rack. The rack that shakes the leaves as it dries. When brewed, the fannings provided a flash of color and no flavor.”
“Hmm, a bit too much information,” I asked him.
As my new acquaintance got up to head to his flight, he turned around and, with a thoughtful look, said,
“I feel like I just met a celebrity.”
I smiled and told him how sweet of him to say.