Tea Blog

Hello again, fellow tea lovers, time to explore special dates in October that are worthy of a toast of the teacup. Of course, there some well-known ones: Columbus Day on the 8th, and the biggee, Halloween on the 31st. Let us not slight, though, the lesser known occasions. I present some for your to explore and celebrate.

1. International Day of Non-Violence — October 2nd — Time to practice that old adage “Make tea, not war.” Just imagine if before every great battle everyone had to stop first and have a nice tea time.
2. Do Something Nice Day — October 5th — The best thing I could think of is to prepare a special tea time, complete with such goodies as chewy chocolaty brownies and bursting-with-fruit tarts to have with that pot of Formosa Oolong Estate Tea or a hearty Assam.
3. Leif Erikson Day — October 9th — Celebrate here in traditional Viking style, and remember that they only had horns on their helmets in the movies. Serve up a hearty black tea with a selection of smoked meats, roasted potatoes, and lightly boiled greens.
4. Old Farmer’s Day — October 12th — It’s inevitable that young farmers become old farmers. By then, they are usually rather weathered from being out in the fields so much. They may also be a bit sore in various joints, especially knees and hips, from climbing up into their big machines used to till the soil, plant the seed, spread the fertilizer and pesticide, and harvest. There comes a day when they just plain have to stop and let the younger generation take over. But they’re not forgotten, and the food we buy at the grocery store is a testimony to their hard work and dedication. So, raise a teacup toast before digging in to the feast on your table that these farmers grew.
5. Wear Something Gaudy Day — October 17th — Why? Just ’cause. Consider it practice for the big event on Halloween. Do it up as wild as you can and make Lady Gaga look like Granny Clampett.
6. Evaluate Your Life Day — October 19th — Time to take stock, see if your life goals have been met. This is especially important when your goals involve tea. Have you traveled to that tea garden and experienced hand-plucking the tender tipmost leaves? Have you gotten that Tea Sommelier certification? Even simple goals like drinking more tea every day and less coffee and colas would count here.
7. International Newspaper Carrier Day (date varies each year) — October 20th — News-what? Oh, yeah those things used to line bird cage bottoms. Even though we get our news online a lot these days, there are still some newspapers actually printed and carriers who deliver them, flinging from not a bicycle but a window of their SUV or pickup truck.
8. TV Talk Show Host Day — October 23rd — The very first talk show on TV was hosted by Joe Franklin starting in 1951. Today, talk shows are big business, and in Japan they have developed in tandem with the Japanese variety show. Try toasting that with some wonderful Japanese tea. You can try Sencha, Houjicha, Genmaicha, or Gyokuro. Each has its own unique flavors.
9. National Tell a Story Day (Scotland/UK) — October 27th — If you’re having friends in for tea, tell them a story about Robert Fortune, a brave Scotsman who was able to slip into China and find out their secrets for growing tea, and then slip back out with some of the plants. Thanks to him, tea drinking was able to expand and is now grown in a variety of countries on several continents, including Cornwall in the UK.
10. Hermit Day — October 29th — Solitude can be a thing to be cherished, especially when you’re trying to have a nice cuppa that special oolong tea. There is also going to be a full moon on this day, so you can stay up late and contemplate it along with that oolong.

You’re all set for October now. Set the kettle on the boil, prep that teapot, and open up that package of McVitie’s Digestives to be ready for a cozy tea moment!

See also:
Growing Tea in Britain

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