Welcome to the Traveling Teapot Blog

The Traveling Teapot is an event thought up by the nice folks from the Yahoo chat group "Afternoon Tea Across America.” Our members come from all over the world and our group is open to anyone who loves tea. Whether you like your Japanese greens from hand fired wabi sabi porcelain, or your English breakfast with milk and sugar in a chintz cup, there’s always something to talk about.

The first Traveling Teapot hop was a couple of years ago, and you can read about it on the first blog, here.  It was SO much fun!  Well… a couple of weeks ago, someone (who would be me) got the bright idea to do it all over again.  My co-hostess and the originator of the first teapot hop gamely agreed to get it going again, and here we are. 

It’s really very simple. As an Official Traveling Teapot Hostess, you get the teapot for the better part of a month. During that time, you get to have some fun tea times, take 
it on trips, share tea with friends, take it to your D&D group, to the hairdresser, whatever and where ever you like you like. You get to do ALL the tea things with the teapot.  Then, at the end of your time with the pot, you ship it off to the next Official Traveling Teapot Hostess in line. She repeats the fun all over again, around and around it goes, until the hop is over. 

We had SO many hostesses wanting to sign up this time; we separated them into two groups. Our teams are Team Darjeeling and Team Oolong. You’ll be seeing posts from both teams here. 

The Traveling Teapot is basically a short and stout ambassador of tea, with a handle and a spout. Kind of like the poem says. Last time, our short, stout little ambassador was a lovely plum colored pot named Prissy. This time, well… this time we’re shaking loose a little bit. One of our mailing list members suggested a figural teapot, and I knew JUST the thing. 

I’m proud to announce that the new, figural, Traveling Teapot 2.0 is equipped to travel in both time and relative dimensions in space.  

Yes, this is what happens when you let the geek plan the kiki. 

Why a blue police box? It’s the TARDIS from the hit BBC series Doctor Who, a time machine that can travel anywhere in time and space. I suspect our little TARDIS teapots will be sitting pretty at some fantastic tea tables over the next 12 months. 

We’ve got so many great tea lovers in this group, and they’re all excited to share their unique tea times with our blog readers. From the lace and chintz of classic Victoriana, to tea in the forest, to fairytale teas, I suspect you’ll see a little bit of it all 

Hold on to your oolong, and don’t blink! This teapot hop is on!

~ Rain ~

Let the Adventures Begin

The adventures of the ATAA Traveling Teapots begin with a photo shoot on a pleasant afternoon in April. Rainy prepared a tea tray and filled the teapot for Team Darjeeling with hot tea, then sat down with a friend to chat and enjoy. 

In the meantime, LaDonna carefully packaged up an identical teapot for Team Oolong and mailed it to Mia in Maine. It has arrived safely and Mia is making many plans for tea!

For a year, both teapots will be traversing back and forth across North America, stopping for tea at the homes of a variety of hosts. Each host is a member of the online group called Afternoon Tea Across America. They will use the traveling teapot as it comes to them as an ambassador of tea, sharing many pots of tea with family, friends, and strangers along the way. Each host will spend one month hosting and will share of their adventures by blogging of cups poured from the teapot during its visit.

Please stop by again to read about the adventures of these beautiful traveling teapots. Let the hospitality begin!

~ LD ~

*If you'd like to join our virtual community, you can find us on Facebook! Key words: Afternoon Tea Across America