We drink tea to forget the noise of the world...

Sitting on the train on our way back from a weekend in Spain, my mate Taylor directed my attention to an article in the Metro about a woman who saves the tea bags from each cup of tea she drinks. Eleven years in, and her collection is in excess of 32,000 tea bags.

You should have tea with her my girlfriend exclaimed!

That was on Monday. On Thursday afternooon, Kiwi and I were on a train from London to Portsmouth to meet with Patti Gaal-Holmes.

Patti is a PhD Student in Portsmouth - and while her project might seem a little zestful - it begins to make a lot more sense when you look at it from an artistic perspective. Patti is not simply a 'nutter' who collects tea bags - she has found a visual, and more tangible way to keep track of her past.

What I think Patti feels, and it's definitely something that falls in line with our own tea project, is that each cup of tea is something more than just the consumption of a hot beverage. A cup of tea represents something much more than that. A cup of tea is conversion. It is learning and sharing. It is personal reflection. It is therapy. It is time spent with old friends. And now, time spent with new ones... Each tea bag is a reminder of these things. And in a world that is moving further and further away from human contact and communication, and closer to automation and isolation - I can't think of a better thing to collect.

If you want to know more about Patti and her work - here are a few links for you to check out!

Art Space Portsmouth - Patti Gaal-Holmes

Meridian Reigonal News interviews Patti!

Patti also spoke fondly of a friend of hers, a musician originally from Australia, who might be interested in meeting us for tea. That may be our first cup as a result a personal reference!

And now, we go in search of cup number 3. Where will tea take us next?

One down... Ninety-nine to go!

We are happy to report that we have had our first official cup of tea.

Thank you to Lee Allen, of Essex, for taking a chance and meeting us. We shared some good conversation, a few cups of tea, and even a fruit smoothie. Lee told us of the wonders of working in the radiology department of a hospital, shared his thoughts on the ways of our world today, and talked of his fondness for random meetings with strangers. I think too that I might have made a new friend out of it? I guess that is up to Lee to decide though!

(Left to Right) - Greg, Kiwi, Lee Allen, and Lou

It’s funny how many interesting and like-minded people we have the potential to meet in life, but often never do - which hopefully highlights the need to break out a little bit now and again. Say goodbye to routine, and yes to meeting two guys with funny accents for a cup of tea. If that wasn’t so awkward to say, I reckon it could be our slogan.

A bit of a news update I guess. While we have a few cups brewing, it would seem that some people have let hesitation and scepticism get the best of them. Lee almost did, but I assured him that I was probably as nervous about the whole thing as he was. Hell, I even tried to pretty myself up - put on my best cologne - it was like I was getting ready for a bloody date or something! Only, it was with a man, or well, two men if you count Kiwi…

Anyway, with the hope of providing a remedy for this - I plan to put together video to introduce you to Kiwi and I. To show you that we are, for the most part, just a couple a fun loving gentlemen looking for a little adventure. I will post this video soon!

We also have a few more leads which include a psychic in Glasgow, a member of the Irish Guard stationed in Windsor, a couple of actors from West London, and a lady who saw our ad at the local laundrette while drying her clothes!

So, with that, I’ll leave you all with the same question you were left with before…

Fancy a cup of tea?

Fancy a cup of tea?

Can something as simple as a cup of tea change your life?

This, if all goes according to plan, will be the story of two young gentlemen on a journey of immeasurable importance. A quest to sit down for 100 separate cups of tea, with 100 complete strangers - all with the hope that, well, we might learn a thing or two…

Perhaps it’s unfair to say that the importance of this ‘quest’ is immeasurable, but, it sounds a little more exciting that way doesn’t it?

Our motives are genuine however. This undertaking, if you can call it that, aims to recognize the importance of social contact.

We live in a world where a store worth visiting is one in which you can buy your groceries, purchase new clothes, do your banking, have pictures developed, renew your car insurance… the list goes on… We want a ‘one stop shop’. We strive for speed and convenience. Gone are the days when service and human contact meant something to us. We want to pump our own gas. We want to scan our own groceries. And, by gosh, we don’t want to talk to anyone while we do it.

This needs to change - even if the change is just in how we think…

We hope to encourage people to slow down. To talk. To share. To teach and learn. To tell stories. To laugh. To inspire. Not just when it seems appropriate, but all the time. With anyone. With everyone! Any time, and any place.

So, with tea as our vehicle, the quest begins. 100 strangers. 100 cups of tea. 100 stories to tell.

Care to join us for a cup?