'To know the spirit of Japan, pass by a tea house!'

I've been meaning to post this film for a while — "Chambre du The," a half-hour 2005 documentary about the building of a tea house in Paris a few years earlier.

Architect Masao Nakamura is interviewed and filmed as he constructs this gift from the nation of Japan. The footage of the work is remarkably peaceful to watch, and Nakamura remarks about his goals for the space — a space in which he imagines the universe itself to be re-created.

"Take time for somebody — this is tea," he says.

Tuesday tea TV: A bloody tea

Even I sometimes just want a bloody cup of tea ...

Same song, umpteenth verse

Another inexcusable absence — the blues song of every blogger.

Summer: festivals (Lollapalooza here, the only time I ever see much less drink Sweet Leaf canned iced tea), research (ugh), capped by a lovely stomach flu last week. You wanna know sick? I didn't even want a cup of tea. That sick. (Though I found that a certain brand of detox tea tastes remarkably like the paregoric my mother dispensed when a very young me had a tummy ache, and thus it has a similarly calming effect on the old belly.)

The autumn ahead: concerts (Springsteen, David Byrne, Robyn Hitchcock), more research (double ugh), perfect health (ahem).

Tuesday tea tunes: Shhhhhhh

After the insane weekend I had, here's the perfect soft music for a "Quiet Tea Time," from one of the many soundtracks available to the anime "Aria" series ...

Tea at the London Olympics

In London for the games? (Lucky so-and-so.) Looking for tea shops or afternoon tea? I spent five days in London a couple of years ago doing nothing but tea sampling. Here's what I found:

• Afternoon tea at the Langham Hotel is just off London's well-beaten paths and in a bright, surprisingly modern room. The gin menu we enjoyed seems to have changed, but whatever's current I suspect is just as delicious.
• My takes on tea at the Ritz (overblown, skip it), the Mandeville (they've completely remodeled since I was there, but their current afternoon tea menu looks just as hearty and impressive), and the divine Dorchester (book it now).
• Tea shopping at Fortnum & Mason (way better than Harrod's — the Queen agrees) and the splendid Postcard Teas.
• Tea and half-naked women, should you desire.
• If you wind up at the Victoria & Albert museum, check out their teawares.
• You might want to check out the new East India Co. store. Yes, that East India Co. Sort of.

Other Olympics-related tea tidbits:

— I've seen several tea towels for sale, each branded with various London 2012 designs. This one (pictured above) is my fave. I dig this one, too, though it's sold out. Plus, here's one for the ’48 London games.

— Since tea is an iconic British image, it shows up in odd ways among the mountain of merchandise — including these three logo lapel pins.

— Olympic officials had to adjust their doping tests when green tea was found to help cover certain steroids.

— The phrase "tea leaf" in London is slang for a thief. Who knew?