Your Journey Continues

November 10, 2025

This edition of the newsletter is sponsored by

Hello everyone,

I have such a fantastic story to share with all of you today, and I am really excited. The Indian women’s cricket team won the ODI World Cup, and could I be any prouder? It was such a fantastic tournament, seeing women play amazing cricket. That got me thinking, so many women walked before the ones I was seeing on the screen, so the latter could run. Lack of facilities, no resources, gender bias and discrimination, no sponsors, no good venues, they have faced it all. The bigger shocker was that India has been playing women’s cricket for 50 years; 2025 marked the 50th anniversary year, and I had no idea!

We often talk about history in terms of big battles and famous names, but what about quiet revolutions that happen in everyday life? The article I am sharing today is about one such revolution.

In the early 20th century, a powerful movement bloomed across America’s backroads: the rural tea room. As Tea Journey writer Meagan Francis reveals, these weren’t just quaint spots for pie. They were a surprisingly feminist cottage industry!

Reading about how these tea rooms—often run right out of someone’s parlor or front porch—became one of the only “respectable” public spaces where women could gather, travel, and dine alone, honestly gave me chills. At a time when a woman entering a regular restaurant was often seen as “suspect,” these spaces were run by women, for women.

This isn’t just about tea (which, funnily enough, often wasn’t the main event!). It’s about women carving out financial independence and a public voice for themselves during the suffrage era. It’s the story of Prohibition, the rise of the automobile, and massive social change, all told through the lens of a home-cooked chicken dinner.

The fact that these spaces—which we might dismiss today as ‘frilly’—were actually economic lifelines for widows and women entrepreneurs is the kind of “everyday history” that is so powerful and so easy to lose. This is the kind of story that makes you see the past in a whole new light.

We love uncovering these hidden histories and will have more stories that explore the past in unexpected ways soon, so stay tuned! Don’t forget to share the stories with your friends, family, colleagues, or anyone who you feel would enjoy reading them.

Yours in tea,

By Meagan Francis

America’s Feminist Rural Tea Rooms

Explore the forgotten rural tea rooms of the early 1900s, built by women seeking financial independence and a public voice, serving as feminist hubs for suffrage and business

Earlier, Tea Journey writer, Peter Keen, talked about the tea room revolution and how they were a weapon of women’s rights and entrepreneurship. His article digs deeper into how tearoom mythology is reinforced through evocations of scones and clotted cream.

Check it out here:

By Peter Keen

Tearoom Revolution: The Weapon of Women’s Rights and Entrepreneurship

Far from just cozy spots, 19th-century tearooms were a quiet revolution, fueling women’s rights by providing a base for political organizing and female entrepreneurship.

Peter also writes about tea and Buddhism, discussing in-depth how tea is called té if it reached the region by sea and cha if it reached by land from China. He also talks about how tea symbolizes the ethos and practices of yoga, zen, and meditation.

You can read the article here:

By Peter Keen

Tea and Buddhism: Té if by Sea, Cha by Land

Tea and Buddhism: Much More than Just Contemplation. It seems natural to associate Buddhism with tea. Tea expresses China’s history. It symbolizes the ethos and practices of meditation, yoga, and Zen.

Do you have any biochar initiatives at your estate or know someone who does? Drop me a line sharing some details, and I will share a recent research paper about biochar.

Most importantly, if you aren’t already, please follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
It means a lot to us!

Until next time.

Bhavi Patel, Editor, Tea Journey Magazine

Bhavi Patel, known as Banjaran Foodie, is the editor of the Tea Journey Magazine and a distinguished tea and coffee expert with a background in dairy technology and brand building. As a trusted writer for renowned publications including Perfect Daily Grind, Barista, and STiR Magazines, she combines scientific expertise with storytelling to explore specialty beverages.

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Bhavi Patel

Bhavi Patel, known as Banjaran Foodie, is a distinguished tea and coffee expert with a background in dairy technology and brand building. As a trusted writer for renowned publications including Perfect Daily Grind, Barista, and STiR Magazines, she combines scientific expertise with storytelling to explore specialty beverages.