Hey friends,

I have been trying my hands at drawing of late, and these are two tea-time floral dresses that I have sketched.

Thank you,

The Earl of Lavenders

Alright friends, Happy Spring Equinox! It has been a very rainy week in Seattle so there was no real Spring Equinox celebration. The rains were more intense and the winds were cold. But for purely ceremonial reasons, I decided to make myself some Lavender Limeade and wear an outfit that I thought would scream ‘Spring!’ I wasn’t really going anywhere but hey, sometimes, you dress for yourself.

Talking about the Lavender Limeade, I have had Lavender Lemonade before- both the cold version at a cafe, and a hot version that I made at home. I was reading about the health benefits of lemon versus lime, and it seems like lemons have a greater Vitamin C content as well as ions like potassium. However, both have these essential nutrients and are beneficial to one’s health. Honestly, I prefer the taste of limes and it is more difficult to make the drink sour with limes.

Lavender, of course is a super calming herb. I got these culinary Lavender flowers from a company called Lavessence. 1.5 teaspoon of lavender flowers, 1.5 cups of hot water (200 F or 93 C) and one teaspoon of lime juice would be a good proportion to use.

Brewing time: 7 minutes

The result is a beautiful pinkish hot drink that calms the mind and senses. If you are a singer, this might be an ideal drink for you.

Coming to my Spring Equinox outfit, I paired up all my second hand pieces. The Green-blue striped Rugby Shirt by Psychobunny (Made in Canada) , yellow trousers by Express, Timex watch and a Kiels James Patrick (KJP) bracelet. This Timex watch is the only watch that I wear. I have a few watch bands and I wear them on rotation. Lastly, I put on my Sperry Topsiders’ Wetlander loafers, to indicate warm weather will be arriving soon.

Well, I don’t mind the cold actually but I’d like some sun instead of the rain. The Rugby shirt is certainly a stable piece in anyone who is trying to build a New Englander wardrobe. Yellow pants aren’t essential but if you would want to announce that it is Spring or Summer, they are actually very versatile. The KJP bracelet is very comfortable and doesn’t put pressure on my wrists or constrict the blood flow in any way. There are a number of them being sold on Poshmark, under the Women’s section.

Let me know what’s in your Spring wardrobe, and what you are drinking to commemorate the start of the new season.

Happy Spring Equinox, my friends!

Yours truly,

The Earl of Lavenders

There has been a proliferation in the number of youtube videos today talking about people’s nostalgia for the masculine man. “Where are the real men? ” or “Men today are way too feminine”, etc.

There seems to be longing for the post World War II men in the 1950s. Men had just fought in the World war and have returned back to their household. The men took care of the family, earned a living and the woman did the household chores. Men were supposed to behave a certain way and women were supposed to behave a certain way. After the Civil rights era, styles became way more casual, and people had way liberty to choose how they wanted to present themselves. More women climbed the corporate ladder, and there was a decline in the traditional landscape of the western world.

In today’s world, there have been so many different fashion movements that have revolutionized the society. Everyone is free to express themselves the way they want to. Even amongst, cis men and women, cross dressing and men embracing a certain degree of femininity could be seen. However, there is always this fear of being ridiculed by friends and family. For heterosexual man who embraces his feminine side, there is also this fear of losing out in the dating scene where people believe that tall, muscular bearded wearing a flannel shirt would be preferred.

The truth however is far from this. I have always loved style, florals, bright bold colors, and colors many men stay away from. I love having tea and decorating my house with bone china. I love felines too. All these are bracketed under a ‘feminine’ category by some people. I however beg to differ.

To me, masculinity and femininity are energy levels. Apart from physical differences that exist in human genitalia and sexual organs that define a man and a woman, there are other things that constitute masculine and feminine energies. Whether it is a heterosexual couple, a lesbian or gay couple, there is always a certain degree of masculine and feminine polarity. Masculine energy would be defined by the ‘drive to achieve certain things in life’, ‘the willingness to invent or compose something’, ‘the need to protect oneself and family from intruders’. Feminine energy could be defined as ‘the need to nurture’, self care and caring for the society’, ‘the need to form meaningful relationships’ , ‘the desire to infuse love into human relationships’, etc. As such, everyone possesses a certain degree of both energies. Denying it, will lead to loads of issues in one’s emotional health.

As a straight man, I used to hide the things about myself that were considered ‘effeminate’ so that women could perceive me as ‘masculine’. I watched tonnes of YouTube videos on how to be more manly and dateable. I went on dates but I couldn’t be my authentic self.

Then, the pandemic hit and I was stuck at home. I just wanted to get in touch with who I am- I love tea, clothing, traditional western decor, English styles and I decided to embrace them and read more about them. I learn about their history- the good , bad and ugly. I opened up Tea with Adi on Instagram under the moniker ‘Earl of Lavenders’ and I have been having my own tea parties at home- something that is considered feminine for a straight heterosexual man. Ever since this happened, I have made more friends, more connections, and have cultivated a meaningful romantic relationship.

Being your own authentic self is the key to succeeding in personal relationships. Putting up a pretense is not. That’s the motto of ‘Tea with Adi’

Cheers and have a great day ahead,

The Earl of Lavenders.

I’m not a minimalist and I would be a hypocrite if I called myself one. However, I do like the concept of frugality and the idea of buying things second-hand. In my case, I actually exchanged an oversized peacoat for this leather jacket with my father, when we had gone a family trip to London. (I live in the United States and my parents live in Singapore and my sister hops from one European country to the other).

The oxford shirt and tie are also thrifted items. The shirt is from Vineyard Vines and the tie is from Yves Saint Laurent. The quality of the Vineyard Vines shirts and chinos have been outstanding so far. I was introduced to this brand via a Facebook group that I’ve been part of, and love the fact that they have a good variety of clothes belonging to the Northeast aesthetic.

As the shirt is green and of a gingham pattern, I chose a tie that wouldn’t clash too much with the pattern of the shirt, hence a dark purple polka dot tie was perfect for this ensemble. Brands and logos these days don’t tell you much of the quality of a product however, if a certain brand has stood the tests of time, it does speak of the timeliness value of its product. Yves Saint Laurent, who was an employee of Christian Dior before he branched out on his own, is certainly one of my favorite designers from France; I jumped upon the opportunity to thrift this tie on Etsy.

The navy chinos are from J-Crew. Oh well, given that it’s a work-from-home situation, footwear is not really important, is it? I’m often roaming around my house in my socks. Anyways, I’d call this style an amalgamation of classic American mixed with 1980s rocker.

I love drinking Matcha from my traditional Matcha bowl, and coming up next would be article on how I prepare my cup of Matcha.

Stay safe and hydrated, friends, if you drink a lot of tea like me !

The Earl of Lavenders.

This is a beautiful English rose tea lamp, which my previous roommate had gifted me before we moved into our respective new places. She has great taste, doesn’t she? This is a wonderful two-piece lamp, featuring English roses. The two lamps can light up individually or together.

In this picture, I’m drinking Pu-Erh tea from China. This is one of the few teas that undergo fermentation and not just oxidation. The older the Pu-Erh, the stronger the fermentation, and the stronger the tea. This is a young Pu-Erh.

Thank you,

The Earl of Lavenders

Thorn-proof, water-proof and a timeliness classic- Barbour jackets are simply wonderful. I got this second-hand from someone based in Ukraine. It took a long time to arrive but the wait was worth it because I saved three-quarters of the original price. It is certainly an older Barbour as it was made in England. Whether an item is made in USA, Moldova, Turkey or China, tailors have to be respected; The craftsmanship has to be respected. However, I just love it when an item is made in the country of its design conceptualization.

Barbour paired with a black turtleneck sweater, black jeans and LL Bean boots is the combination that I went for. Tea : Yorkshire Gold, of course !

Best Regards,

The Earl of Lavenders

For bedtime, I love my tisanes as opposed to regular teas which love earlier in the day.

Teas come from the Camelia Sinensis plant. They are namely Black, green, white, yellow, oolong and post-fermented teas. There is another group of tea called the herbal teas which are not really teas as they do not come from the Camelia Sinensis plant. They are called tissanes.

Now, nerdy stuff aside, when it is bedtime, I love my tisanes. Whether they have chamomile, lemongrass, rooibos, lavender, it is pretty calming to sit down, curl up with a nice book and drink something tranquilizing.

The Butterfly Peaflower Tea

This tisane has chamomile, lemongrass, lychee but most importantly the ‘butterfly’ peaflower .

The scientific name for this flower is ‘clitoria ternatea’ because it is shaped like the female genitalia hence the Latin name ‘Clitoria’ ( clitoris ). In Indian traditions, this flower is used in rituals.

Science experiment and some Tea ASMR for y’all trying to sleep on a Sunday night. The blue ‘butterfly’ peaflower tisane turns purple when citrus is added, pH is lowered and a bit more of the blue tisane is added to increase the peaflower concentration. Super cool!

Yes, there is something endearing about British tea culture, and watching Queen Elizabeth II sip her Earl Grey or rather Olivia Coleman in Season 4 of The Crown 🤴
British tea culture reminds us of black teas, bone chinas and afternoon tea traditions, scones to crumpets and shortbread cookies. And globalization of tea of course. That said, we do need to understand that tea is part of British colonial legacy – this includes oppression under indentured servitude, exploitation of workers in South Asia to illegal smuggling of opium into China causing Opium wars.

Till today, there are several plantations where employees live in sub-human conditions.

Now understanding and recognizing this complex colonial legacy and denouncing the negatives :

History is history and we learn from it. We also learn to appreciate each other’s cultures. We can’t judge Japan of today or Germany of today for what the Axis powers did in World War 2. Or judge UK, France, Belgium, Spain of today for their colonial legacy.

So if you want to have a cuppa like Lizzie in Buckingham palace does, go for it!

But let’s appreciate the hard-work put into tea manufacturing. It’s not all fancy and candy-flossy as things appear to be. historically many things were built on the backs of other people. Let’s not forget their sufferings and sacrifices.

Best Regards,

The Earl of Lavenders

There are a number of tea shops in Seattle but I absolutely loved my experience at the Queen Mary’s Emporium. It is a quaint British styled tea shop with beautiful interiors and a wonderful scent. It is connected to the Queen Mary’s Tea room at the back and I have read numerous positive reviews about it. However, that remains closed due to the pandemic and they are taking efforts to make it even better.

Coming back to the emporium, it has a wonderful selection of teas from black tea, green teas, white teas, oolongs, Pu-erhs, herbal blends and other adventurous teas. Within Earl Grey’s, they have blends such as Countess grey and Creamy Earl Grey black tea. The tea which I personally bought from them was Goddess of Mercy Oolong tea, one of the best oolong teas that I have tried in my life. It had such a beautiful earthy flavor to it when brewed at the right temperature. I also tried their juniper rich ‘Weekend in Seattle’ which is perfect for a rainy Saturday morning, after a bike ride. They currently have crumpets to-go as well, and are so tasty with butter and marmalade.

Apart from the teas and crumpets, they have an impressive selection of bone china silverware- cups and saucers, teapots and plates. If you are looking to recreate an authentically English tea experience at your very home, these might come in handy. They make for adorable home decor as well. I have yet to purchase and sample their silverware.

Their knowledge database consisting of tea related books is impressive and I bought a book called ‘Book of Tea’ which gives one a deep insight into each type of tea and tea traditions across the world. Highly recommended because it makes for the perfect bedtime read. Pair that with an hot cup of Rooibos tea and a cat on your lap.

The lady who runs this tea emporium and the tea room is Mary, who started this business in the year 1988. As you can guess, Queen Mary is named after her.

Lastly, the interior decorations, the scent and the British styled outdoor seating with the union jack flags, and bone china decor make this place really come to life; If you are looking for a quintessentially British place outside UK, look nowhere other than Queen Mary’s Tea Emporium. You wouldn’t be disappointed. It’s fabulous.

Best Regards,

The Earl of Lavenders.

As an amateur tea connoisseur, the most important questions to ask are: How can I brew my tea better? What are some different ingredients or combinations I can come up with? What goes well with these teas?

I’m not vain but sometimes, it does feel nice to wear a traditional outfit and enjoy my cuppa. It is the same feeling you get when you visit a tea room. Tea rooms are closed because of the pandemic, as I’m writing this blog post; Also, going to tea rooms regularly could be expensive and a bit of a luxurious experience. This got me to becoming some sort of a tea connoisseur whilst juggling a 9-5 job. I wanted to not just experiment with different teas but curate my own tea room experience in my very apartment- whether it is brewing a nice loose leaf tea with fruits and baked goods, or dressing up as if I’m going on a date with a lovely lady to a tea room.

Outfits wise, I feel that there are so many options out there- if you are keeping having a nice cup of Matcha with Japanese goodies or having a traditional Masala chai with Indian snacks, you could wear a Japanese or Indian themed outfit you’d like. Most of my wardrobe consists of traditional British styled or traditional American styled clothing and my Anglophilia translates to my bone china ‘English rose’ themed tea sets, and Yorkshire Gold being my favorite tea at the moment.

I played cricket as a teenager, and whilst I do not really enjoy the game anymore, I liked the cricket outfits sported by players in the colder seasons in the past. Nowadays, with advancements made to at-leisure clothing, more technical sweatshirts have supplanted the use of cable-knit sweaters like the one I’m wearing below. That said, I’m lean somewhat on the traditionalistic side when it comes to clothing and wanted a good quality cricket sweater that would fit me perfectly, and that would keep me warm. My initial search was on Ebay and Poshmark but I couldn’t find a good sweater in Extra-Small sizing.

My next search was the websites of ‘Ralph Lauren’, ‘Brooks Brothers’, ‘Rowing Blazers’, and several other American and British companies. I wasn’t pleased with their offerings in Extra-Small size, and even if they were available, they were way too expensive. I finally came across this Norwegian company based in Sweden called ‘Berg and Berg’. Their motto is Nordic simplicity and they make good quality clothing without going over the top. This cricket sweater was on a discounted sale then and I got it and I’m very happy that it fits me well. I was surprised that for a Nordic company, most of their offerings tended to be of a British aesthetic; Well, I have no complaints here.

Several ways to sport a cricket sweater:

Way 1) A dress shirt, and chinos/jeans and a tie. Choose contrasting colors, but a plain shirt if the sweater is a little bold. This sweater has bold stripes so I choose a plain oxford shirt from Brooks Brothers that I got second-hand on ebay. I paired it with pink striped tie and grey Levi jeans. I wore an overcoat when it got cold and chose a camel colored coat to add some contrast. When using bold colors, it is best to cut down on the number of patterns and go with solids, to prevent the ensemble from looking over-the-top.

Way 3) With a blazer or suit.

A blue blazer could work really well with a cricket sweater like this.

A tweed suit could do the job as well.

Way 4) A simple T-shirt and jeans/chinos. The model in Berg and Berg stayed true to the motto of Nordic simplicity by sporting a simple T-shirt and wore this cricket sweater over the T-shirt. To be honest, if I will choose this combination when playing tennis or cricket in colder weather

Below is my video post about exploring tea time outfits for men. Women have many options from floral dresses in summer to tweed jackets and blazers in colder weather however men are normally taught to wear whatever they can find. A little bit of thought, albeit not too much can ensure one looks his best for tea. These are obviously my own personal suggestions. The possibilities are endless.