Thank you, Jim Cahillane, for your wonderful treatise on tea (“Longevity in a teapot? Gazette, Feb. 15). It warmed my heart just as a good cuppa does. True confession: when I dropped out of college in 1971, I found my way to England and lived my dream, first as a “dinner lady” (aide) in an infants (primary) school in Brixton, London, and then doing my undergraduate work at Nottingham University College of Education. As an American who didn’t (and still don’t) like coffee, I embraced tea drinking, not just for its taste but for the lovely ritual it entails.
I agree about how Mr. Cahillane described the proper way to make tea as well as with his brand recommendations (plus Typhoo and Yorkshire). Because people knew of my tea obsession on my return to live in the States, I received over 100 teapots over the years as gifts. I displayed them all at Jackson Street School in Northampton when I was its principal and upon my retirement, I staged the Great Teapot Giveaway. Families and staff and friends all adopted my teapots and I love the idea that they live somewhere, serving tea to all. Be assured that I still own nine, including two that my daughters made for me in the Northampton High School art department. Thank you again, Mr. Cahillane, you made my day. And now I must go put the kettle on.
Gwen Agna
Northampton