#109 - Meagan Francis Spills the Tea: History, Sourcing, and Brewing a Good Cup

George Orwell writes, “If you look up ‘tea’ in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points. This is curious, not only because tea is one of the mainstays of civilization … but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.” In this episode I got to sit down with Meagan Francis, a supporter and friend of Ancestral Kitchen and veteran podcaster herself. She is the host of The Kettle with Meagan Francis, which is a lovely podcast, and author of “The Last Parenting Book You’ll Ever Read” which just came out this spring. Meagan also owns a tea and variety shop and in this episode she shared with me some surprising and interesting tidbits on the history of tea and how it was introduced to Western civilization, some of the finer points of sourcing and brewing, where some of our familiar tea traditions came from and what High Tea really means. We had so much to talk about that we overflowed into an Aftershow which will be available on Kitchen Table Chats, our private podcast of bonus episodes for podcast supporters. As a thank you to our podcast supporters for keeping us on the air, Alison also created a new recipe for Spelt Buttermilk and Honey Scones, which is available where supporters can log in to the podcast downloads section of our website. Sorry Orwell, no violent disputes broke out today, but I learned a lot. Pour yourself a hot cup of brew - whether you’re doing the dishes or just gazing across the lonely windswept moors as you listen - and let’s get into it. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * One Earth Health make the grass-fed organ supplements we use and trust. Get 15% off your first order here and 5% off all subsequent orders here . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Get more news from Alison & Andrea by signing up to their newsletter at the top of the page here. For more tips, inspiration and recipes plus a free 30-page guide to Baking with Ancient Grains sign up for Alison's newsletter here! Get our two podcast cookbooks: Meals at the Ancestral Hearth Spelt Sourdough Every Day Alison's course, Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics Alison's Sowans oat fermentation course Get 10% off US/Canada Bokashi supplies: click here and use code AKP . Get 10% off UK Bokashi supplies. Visit our (non-Amazon!) bookshop for a vast selection of ancestral cookbooks: US link here and UK link here . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Our podcast is supported by a community of ancestral cooks around the world! Come join our community! You can choose to simply sponsor the podcast, or select from a variety of levels with benefits including monthly live Zoom calls, a private podcast feed stuffed with bonus content from Alison and Andrea, and a Discord discussion group. To read more about becoming a supporter and explore the various levels, click here! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What we cover: Meagan's new book! Alison's Sourdough Starter course (with code for FREE purchase) A brief history of tea and how it came to the Western world What is the difference between black, green, oolong, white tea and more What about herbal tea? What about local, free-trade and organic concerns for tea? The truth about tea bags (and the surprising history!) Best ways to prepare tea at home? Steeping and straining tea In the aftershow available on the private podcast feed for podcast supporters, Meagan and Andrea chatted further about tea and tradition, discussing Orwell's Essay about A Nice Cup of Tea, caffeinated and decaffeinated tea and how to brew a low-caff cup at home without chemicals, why Americans are challenged by traditions and more. The personal views and opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect our own personal views or opinions. We recognize that our guests are whole persons and this may include views we or our audience actively disagree with; our guests are invited to the show because we feel they have something valuable to share with us all, and we do not ask them to censor their personal views on air. Our sharing of their work is not necessarily an endorsement of their personal views. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5* reviews on Apple Podcasts, mean the world to us! Here's how you can leave one: Open the Apple Podcast app Find Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your library Scroll down to 'ratings and reviews' Click on 'write a review', give us 5*s and then tell us why you love listening in the box below * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Resources: Meagan's Website Meagan's Shop and Tea Tips Meagan's Podcast, The Kettle with Meagan Francis Meagan's new book, The Last Parenting Book You'll Ever Read Link to Alison’s course 10 Tips for Creating & Maintaining a Sourdough Starter - Use code STARTER100 to get the course for FREE! Too Many Eggs by Mimi Dvorak-Smith Free PDF of the book Infused: Adventures in Tea, by Henrietta Lovell The Tea Cyclopedia: All You Ever Wanted to Know about the World's Favorite Drink, by Keith Souter Where Meagan got her Camellia sinensis tree Do you have memories, documents, recipes or stories of those who cooked ancestrally? If so, we would love to hear from you! Visit our website here for how to share. Thank you for listening - we'd love to connect more: The podcast has a website here! Alison is taking a break from Instagram. You can stay in touch with her via her newsletter at Ancestral Kitchen The podcast is on Instagram at Ancestral Kitchen Podcast The podcast is mixed and the music is written and recorded by Alison's husband, Rob. Find him here: Robert Michael Kay