Visit from author Laura Schaefer

I am thrilled to announce that we are fortunate enough to have another visit to the blog by author Laura Schaefer. You might remember that Laura visited us back in March of 2009 after the release of her book "The Teashop Girls." (My review of that book is here.)

Laura has just released her second book in this great series. "The Secret Ingredient" hit bookstores this week and Laura agreed to answer a few questions for us.

This is part of Laura's "blog tour" to celebrate the release of the book. You can see some of her other stops here: "Read, Write, Repeat" on June 28, "Mrs. Katz Book Blurbs" on June 29, and at "International Tea Moment" on July 1.

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AN(OTHER) INTERVIEW WITH LAURA SCHAEFER

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Welcome, Laura. It is great to have you back. I'm very excited to see your new book. 

 The first book in this series, "The Teashop Girls," was set in the Steeping Leaf teashop. Where do we find Annie, Genna, and Zoe as we enter "The Secret Ingredient"?
Writing the opening scene of the new book was so fun. It begins on a Saturday at the Madison, Wisconsin farmers' market (www.dcfm.org) on the capitol square. I go as often as I can throughout the season, and I love it. Anyway, "The Secret Ingredient" begins about two months after "The Teashop Girls" ended. It's the middle of the summer before ninth grade (high school! Augh!). Annie and Zoe are shopping for ingredients for a baking contest Annie has just entered, when Genna finds them in the crowd. She's home from theater camp a bit early, so as you can imagine, the girls are thrilled to be reunited, and still have a few weeks to enjoy together before school.

We're anxious to hear what everyone is up to in your new book. Can you tell us a bit about what we'll find in this latest edition?Annie is baking her heart out, inventing new scone recipes, and running a brand new food blog. Zoe has started volunteering at a community garden and is learning all about local food, so she's happy to help Annie with her recipes. Genna is consumed by a long-distance romance and seems to have stopped eating healthfully. As you can see, the whole book is about food! Zach has taken to hanging out at The Steeping Leaf almost every day to bother Annie--that is, until he kisses her out of the blue. It's all very exciting. ;-) So fun to write!

I read that Annie is in a scone bake-off with one of the teashop suppliers in this book. Is baking a big interest of yours? If you were in such a contest, what scone would you make?I enjoy baking, but the truth is, I was as much of a newbie as Annie. I made some scones that didn't work, and I had to remake them until I got the hang of it. Baking can be a very relaxing hobby, especially in the wintertime, which is when I was putting a lot of these recipes together. If I were in such a contest, I'd probably make a savory scone with lots of delicious Wisconsin cheese.

Do you find the books easier or harder to write as the girls begin to get a little older? Why? 

I found this book quite easy to write. I already know these characters, so some scenes were written at typing speed. Of course, it all needed revisions and added details, but the book just kind of tumbled out of me. I have a good editor and an outline to thank for that, I think. Also, the girls have only aged two months, even though I've aged three years since the last book. No fair!

You used amazing graphics in your last book - images of tea advertisements. Do you employ any of the same techniques with this latest book? 

YES! I loved including all my "tea extras" last time, and I wanted to do it again. Now, however, the between-chapters material has a new feel, because each page is from Annie's food blog. Some of the entries are recipes, some are vintage ads, there's one interview with a pro baker...it was all very fun to put together. The only thing difficult about it for me was getting the time stamps correct within the timeline of the story. I think I have some sort of chronology block because my poor editor Alexandra had to redo my efforts. Thanks, Alex!

Oh, and I found all new tea quotes for the chapter beginnings. I think between "The Teashop Girls" and "The Secret Ingredient," I tracked down or invented about sixty tea quotes. If I write a third book, I'm not sure what I'll do about finding quotes. They've all been found!

Finally, the question I always have to ask (although I admit that I already know a bit about your answer!): Can you tell us briefly about your favorite tea memory? 

I recently did a blog post about a fond Florida tea memory that you initially read two years ago, but I want to actually talk about something else. When The Teashop Girls came out, I didn't really know anything about the "tea community," as it were, and I want to thank everyone who has been so kind to me. Lots of tea shops did events, sent delicious samples, reviewed the book online, purchased the book, or just generally made me feel awesome. What an amazing group of people. Every time I got a kind note or met a new tea lover, I made a nice new memory. It's super cool to get to do this all over again. I look forward to meeting and connecting with more tea people. They're the greatest!

Thank you for having me to your blog. :-)

Warmest regards,

Laura

Tweet, tweet little bird

I've been having fun in the Twitterverse lately. (Come visit anytime.) The medium is so peculiar though. Sometimes you find amazing connections with people and begin to develop relationships. Other times you feel like you are suddenly in the midst of people's very private conversations. And sometimes a comment comes back at you that sticks.

A few weeks ago when I was working on my tea decluttering project (which will start again soon) I mentioned a particular tea that I'd found mediocre. Someone tweeted back at me, "Awful." That's it. No more. I had never read any tweets by this person and knew nothing about them. So I responded, "Which? What I said or the tea?" or something to that effect. No response came my way. I chalked it up to the usual crazy that sometimes happens on Twitter. I figured I'd never know. A few weeks later I expressed similar dismay over another tea by the same company. Once again, the comment appeared, "Awful."

I felt a mixture of irritation and curiosity. It felt like I was being heckled, but I didn't know why.  I wrote, "I remember a similar response about a month ago. I guess you're not a fan of (X Company)?" A response did arrive this time to the effect that he actually loved the company but couldn't believe that with that shop's amazing selections that I would buy teas targeted at tourists. I felt like I'd been slapped by a stranger who walked by me on the street. I posted something back about having bought them for friends who weren't yet into more exotic teas...or something to that effect. But I instantly regretted my answer. It wasn't completely true and it wasn't really what was bothering me.

1) I bought the teas because I liked the containers and the tea names. I totally admit it. It's what I do sometimes and occasionally I find a real treasure.

2) Yep - they were teas targeted at tourists, and you know what? I was a tourist. I was in London for just a few days and I ran into the shop after my tea masterclass with Jane Pettigrew, on my way to meeting my friend at the theater. They caught my eye and they seemed like perfect mementos of the trip.

3) The most important point of all: I have no problem with companies making teas intended for a particular population (like tourists). However, I feel that the tea should still reflect the company's level of quality. It actually bothers me to think that this company with a truly stellar reputation would deliberately create an inferior product to take advantage of out-of-towners. I have no problem believing that it happens, but it's wrong. Your job should be to create an absolutely brilliant tea that would appeal to a tourist in order to gain a following. I would happily order teas online if I had had a great experience. I didn't. I had a mediocre experience and so it really isn't worth placing the order from here.

Have any of you had experience with "tourist" teas? It's funny after so many years of tea study that I still feel like I have to justify my palate. But also, I think this whole discussion grated on me because it goes against everything I've tried to do at Tea Pages. Tea shouldn't be intimidating and people shouldn't feel guilty or self-conscious about their choices. They should drink what they love and be open to trying new things.

Off my soapbox now...and maybe I'll just peek at Twitter.

Summertime tea fun

I love tea in its beautiful, simple, unadulterated form. At its best, the pure rich earthy cup does not need anything more. You can keep your sweetener. I'll put the milk in my cereal where it belongs. Just give me the leaf, simple and perfect.

But then, sometimes, I make room for tea with a bit more. Sometimes it is flavoring or scents. Other times it is tea with some milk or honey or agave or spices. Lately, I've been feeling that itch -- that itch to try something a little bit different.

It started the other day when I brewed some White Peach tea from Persimmon Tree Tea Company. I put about 4 tablespoons of loose tea in a t-sac in about a quart of water. Once the tea steeped, I removed the t-sac and added ice to fill the pitcher. I had a glass...and another...and another. I ended up drinking about 2/3 of the pitcher in one sitting. That tea didn't make it through the next morning. (Thank you to Persimmon Tree for another brilliant sample.)

So my mind was then stuck on interesting summertime tea treats. What iced tea would be next? Then, I saw a link from Heaven of Tea on how to make white tea popsicles. White tea POPSICLES? I loved the idea. I was excited by the range of possibilities opened up. Then I noticed a comment on the article from a tea colleague, Lindsey Goodwin, who mentioned tea granitas. How much fun would those be to make? (Eating Well had an article on how to make them awhile back. Most recipes I've seen actually stick with the idea of pouring the mixture into a pan and scraping it, rather than using an ice cream maker.)

Then, yesterday, the one that blew my mind. It made me want to revisit my days of physics classes. I have now promised myself that someday I will figure out how to make this. Just on principle. I have no idea how it tastes, but I have to see this/make this someday.  Welcome to the world of seven layer tea.

Finally, with my head full of amazing summertime opportunities I saw one last tweet that made me realize a trip to NYC will be imperative this summer. Harney Soho (the new-ish location for a Harney & Sons tasting room. There is also one in Millerton, NY.) is making tea floats this summer. Seriously. They are adding carbonation to iced tea to make, essentially, an iced tea soda. Then they are topping that with tea-infused iced cream.

Swoon.

I love summer.