Categories
Blog

Lessons from My Tea Pet

In honor of the second birthday of a tiny clay turtle generously gifted to me, I am sharing a few lessons from my tea pet.

My Tea Pet’s Backstory

A small clay turtle teapet with a white shell next to a piece of paper that says: "Name: Bonsai. Birthday: July 23, 2022. Birth place: Snohomish, WA."

Bonsai is my tiny turtle tea pet. She’s slightly smaller than a quarter. If you aren’t familiar with tea pets–which are used by some people who drink tea in a style where they pour out the first rinse of some teas–my previous post on tea pets could be helpful.

Michell Hovey made Bonsai (and other clay tea turtles). She is a tea lover brimming with kindness and affection for small things. Many of us first learned about the sweet clay tea pets she made through the Instagram tea community by following Herb the Traveling Tea Turtle. (Find out more about Michell and Herb in this earlier post.) You can also follow Herb on Instagram.

Categories
Newsletter

Tea Infusiast News, No. 16

Welcome to the April 2024 edition of Tea Infusiast News–a newsletter for tea lovers to connect with and through tea. This is the 16th edition of the newsletter.

In this April 2024 Edition

Categories
Blog

Tea Love Stories

Let’s explore some tea love stories! This post shares how tea has been a conduit for different kinds of meaningful relationships among members of the tea community.

A glass, heart-shaped mug full of tea and love, surrounded by colorful tulips.
Love for tea connects so many of us.

Marriages and friendships have been made and celebrated through a shared love of tea.

Categories
Blog

Turtle Tea Pets and the Potter Who Creates Them

Meet the potter who creates turtle tea pets that have brought so much joy to the tea community.

Herb, the Instagram-Famous Tea Turtle

If you follow tea accounts on Instagram, you may have seen the handiwork of potter Michell Hovey. She created the ceramic tea pet, Herb, and a number of other turtle tea pets that show up in the Instagram photos of various tea lovers.

A tiny, smiling ceramic turtle teapet with unglazed shell perched on top of a blue and gold gaiwan. A magenta flower is in the background.
Bonsai, a sibling of Herb, on top of my gaiwan. Bonsai is one of two micro-turtle tea pets created by Michell Hovey.
Categories
Blog

What Can a Tea Pet Add to Your Practice?

What can a tea pet add to your practice? So many things! I’ll focus on three here, and then share about a special tea pet, Herb the Traveling Tea Turtle, that visited me.

clay tea pet in shape of a ram
Rocco, my first, and so far only, tea pet.