TEA  IN  AIKEN

SOUTH  CAROLINA

 

 

The  Dickens

Cafe & Tea Bar

Tea Should Not Be Complicated

It Should Be Enjoyed

 

The CURIOSITY Shop introduced the Dickens Cafe & Tea Bar in 2011.  This was a natural extension of our continuing interest in providing a source for Teas and Tisanes.  We are one of the oldest purveyors of leaf teas in the United States. 

Our first venture into the tea business was in 1998 when we initally opened (146 Laurens), we kept having customers come in and ask for teas.

In our location on the corner of Laurens Street and Park Avenue we opened a Tea Room in 1999.  Amazingly, within six weeks of our Tea Room opening there we several other tea rooms opened in the greater Aiken area.  Alas, they are no more.  This is where we really began our venture into loose leaf teas.

When we moved to Richland Avenue we were forced to downsize and the Tea Room went by the wayside - but, our selection of leaf teas continued to expand.

Today we have one of the finest selections of leaf teas, tisanes, and speciality trade teas in the Southeast.

It has always been one of our missions that:

Tea should not be complicated, it should be enjoyed.

To that end we have always strived to provide an atmosphere that is conductive to the enjoyment of the consumption of our teas and tisanes.  Now, with the addition of the Dickens Cafe & Tea Bar, we are able to fullfill our mission!

We now provide not only the finest selection of teas, but, a full service area where we can  provide tea drinkers with the opportunity to sample our teas, purchase our teas, and simply enjoy a cup of tea with a scone or dessert.

Monthly we host an Afternoon Tea by reservation (our next will ba a Champaign Tea on the 25th of October).  We can also host private tea parties, birthday teas, and tea tastings for small groups.

We are in the tea business and have a knowledgeable staff that can provide for your tea requirements.

 

 

 

In our selection of teas and tisanes that we sell and serve we particularly try to find ones that are organically grown (for they have not been genetically modified), fair-trade, and not comercially harvested.

 

 

 

The  CURIOSITY  Shop                           Serving Tea Since 1998

PIRATE  WEEK

17 SEP  THROUGH  22 SEP

The  CURIOSITY  Shop

will be celebrating Pirate Week and in particular

Speak Like A Pirate Day on Wednesday the 19th.

 

As this is our first Pirate Week we're letting out all the stops.

There will be scavanger hunts, hard tack, and 'buried treasure' for the sea-legged and land-lubber amonst ye!

 

So come and join us early and stay late Matey!

 

And the Dickens Cafe will be serving

Clam Chowder all week!

 

 

THE  THIRD  DOCTOR

The third Doctor made his debut in the January 1970 story Spearhead from Space. This was the first story to be shot in color. The third Doctor had the arrogance of Hartnell, experience equal to, or greater than Troughton, and an infusion of Jon Pertwee's own personality.

 

 

The third Doctor spent all of season seven trapped in Earth's present, where he was assisted, and sometimes hindered by UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, lead by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. In the next two seasons, he occasionally left 20th-century Earth, but without control of the TARDIS, which was being operated remotely by a faction group of Timelords called the Celestial Intervention Agency. After the tenth anniversary story, The Three Doctors (1972-1973), his freedom was restored and he traveled again in time and space, returning frequently to twentieth-century Earth to help the Brigadier.

 

The Third Doctor and Jo at the TARDIS consol.

 

The Third Doctor was a more dashing figure than his predecessors. He was described by his first incarnation as a "dandy". ( The Three Doctors ) He had a penchant for inventing gadgets and was skilled at martial arts, particularly Venusian aikido. His difficult relationship with the Brigadier softened into a friendship during his exile on Earth, lasting through his future regenerations. He also displayed great affection for his female companions, particularly Jo Grant and later Sara Jane Smith. He was a gallant action hero who was very protective of his companions.

 

 

Jon Pertwee introduced us to The Master in his first incarnation.

 

The Master, also known as Koschei and also known by various temporary aliases and pseudonyms, was a renegade Time Lord who had grown up on Gallifrey and opposed the Doctor many times. He threatened the existence of the universe itself on several occasions. His diabolical madness was (in some part) the result of a never-ending drumming sound inside his head that was a link retroactively installed by the Time Lords on the last day of the Time War to further their own goals.

 

 

 

AND  NOW  FOR  OUR  TRIVIA  QUESTION:

 

 



 

WHO  IS  THIS ?

 

. 

The  Dickens  Cafe

BEER  &  WINE  SALES

Yes, we finally got our Beer & Wine service permit!

The Dickens Cafe is now serving beer (and we will shortly be serving wine - any suggestions?) with meals.

 

We have the following:

HARP

STELLA  ARTOIS

HOEGAARDEN

BOHEMIA

YUINGLING PORTER

BASS

HEINEKIN

CORONA LIGHT

SHINER HEFEWEIZEN

BLUE MOON

GUINNESS BLACK LAGER

NEW CASTLE

BUD

BUD LIGHT

MILLER

 

These are all severd by the bottle with a pint glass!

 

This is in addition to our unparalleled selection of cooler beverages and teas!

 

As usual we are always looking for suggestions.

So, please, let us know if you have any.

 

 

WHO  ARE  THE  SILURIANs ?

 

 

The Silurians, also known as Earth Reptiles, Eocenes, Homo reptilia and Psionosauropodomorpha, were a species of Earth reptile. Technologically advanced, they lived during the Silurian (circa - 450 million years) alongside their aquatic cousins, the Sea Devils.  Unlike other species, Silurians showed an important intraspecific variation (vast differentiation between breeds), such as the number of eyes, the formation of their pupils or the colour of their skin.
The Silurians were generally a peaceful race. Their highest laws forbade outright warfare except for defence.  There was also great importance placed on the species' pure eugenics, which was believed to be their most important principle and most sacrosanct belief. Breeding between a Silurian and a Sea Devil was considered a crime punishable by death. The eggs of such a union were usually crushed and the parents executed.
The Silurians were generally led by a Triad, three Silurians who ruled jointly.  These Silurians came from different backgrounds and controlled different professions, such as the military and the scientists. Silurians were also split into different tribes. The majority of Silurian warriors appeared to be female, just as the females were the more aggressive in some species of lower reptile (Cold Blood, A Good Man Goes to War)
Silurians communicated by telepathically linking through their third eyes, as well as by body language. Though they could use words, they generally only used speech for effect, when talking to children or to species without telepathic linking abilities. Silurians had little in the way of literature, since their mind linking abilities were a more effective method of transferring ideas.
A Silurian of advanced age would festoon the third eye with pearls as a form of decoration.  Some Silurians kept early hominids as pets. Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters) Whilst in the future, some used the term Earth Reptiles, others called themselves Silurians, insisting those that accepted the name of Earth Reptiles were pathetic assimilationists.
They worshipped a Lizard God.  Their myths included Urmungstandra, a devil god and the Great Old Ones, including in their ranks Azathoth, a deity revered by the Silurians long before the rise of humanity.

The Silurians are next seen in the Eleventh Doctor two-parter, The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood (Series 5 : Episode 8 & 9) when another colony were awoken from hibernation by the drilling operation being carried out underground. These Silurians lacked the third eye that the previous Silurians had and wear masks. The Silurians misinterpret the drilling operation as a deliberate attack on them and take hostages, including the Doctor’s companion, Amy. The Doctor tries, again, to negotiate a peaceful co-existence between the two races, but is foiled again when a war hungry Silurian provokes a panicking mother to kill her. However the Silurian Leader recognises that in the future, it may be possible for Humans and Silurians to co-exist peacefully and allows the Doctor to return to the surface of Earth.

In the 2011 Series 6 mid-season finale, A Good Man Goes to War (Series 6 : Episode 7), the Silurian Madame Vastra lived peacefully in London, after being found by the Doctor some time previously. Vastra had been bent on revenge after her Silurian sisters were killed during the drilling of the London Underground network, but the Doctor found her and calmed her down and allowed her to live above ground in London. In 1888, after killing and eating Jack the Ripper, Vastra was called upon to repay that debt to the Doctor when he went to war at the Battle of Demon’s Run to save Amy. Vastra, along with her maid, Jenny, went to battle with the Doctor and assisted him in taking over Demon’s Run, along with many other Silurian warriors, presumably recruited by Vastra. Vastra refers to the Doctor as her friend, indicating that although the Silurians have previously been seen as mainly villains, that some members are capable to being friends with other species.
 
"Amy Pond, there's something you better understand about me, 'cause it's important and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box." - Eleventh Doctor - Eleventh Hour

GREEN  TEA

GUNPOWDER  TEA

All teas have antioxidants called Polyphenols (potent plant antioxidents) that are believed to give tea (particularly green tea) its immune-boosting effects.  One laboratory study has suggested that a particular type of polyphenols called catechins may kill influenza viruses.  So to maximize the benefits and minimize the bitterness (a complaint many have about green tea), use just-below-boiling water and steep the green tea no more than a minute or two.  I think this is one of the problems that many have with green tea and it is all in the preparation.  Do not boil the water and do not let it steep fro very long (this applies to white and yellow teas as well).  One can also add a little lemon and honey to blunt the bitterness.  First try one and then the other - but, do not add milk!  The milk proteins will bind themselves to the polyphenols making them ineffective.

At The CURIOSITY Shop we carry many varieties of loose leaf and trade teas.  So if you are seeking a tea source drop by and check us out.  We will be happy to discuss your tea concerns.  We are open Monday through Friday from 9:30a until 7p, and on Saturdays from 10a until 5p.  Our Tea Bar and Dickens Cafe is open whenever the flags are out.

A  SECOND  DOCTOR ?

Patrick Troughton 1966-1969
Cosmic hobo. Baggy trousers. When I say run. Recorder. Stovepipe hat. Twinkling eyes. Butterfingers. Jamie, Jamie, hold on!

 

"It is hard for those of us who are a bit younger, and who grew up with much more action and colour, to watch older shows like the original Doctor Who. But I think it’s necessary to get a full understanding of where The Doctor came from."  -  The Dr. Who Files

 

Well, as I have said, my first Doctor was Tom Baker in the early 70s.  Today I find some of those episodes hard to take, although, I know there are purests who will only watch the older ones and don't care for the action and bright colours of the Second Coming.  I personally find researching and reading about the early Doctors story lines much more interesting.  Having a clear knowledge of where the Doctor(s) are coming from can be very helpful.

 

Now, my son, Andrew has watched most of the total series.  Including the movies.  And I will say that he is more knowledgeable than myself.

 

 

 

Patrick Troughton portrayed The Doctor from 1966 through 1969.  He introduced us to THE DALEKS!  His predecessor was brought down by the Cybermen, and for the first time a new incarnation of the Doctor appeared - The Second Doctor.

 

"The Doctor,magically transformed, was younger with a new personality which in some ways set the stage for all later Doctors.

This Doctor displayed considerable knowledge and expertise gained through extensive travels, and had even gained some small measure of control over the TARDIS, although not much more than his predecessor.

Troughton's Doctor also had a sense of wonder, coupled with a child-like playfulness. But while he often played the fool, capering with a disarming smile and playing his recorder, he hid the mind of a brilliant scientist.

The second Doctor's first story, which no longer exists in the BBC archives, was The Power of the Daleks. The six-part story was broadcast between November and December of 1966.
His last regular story was The War Games, broadcast in 1969. It was this ten-part story that revealed the Doctor's origins, which heretofore had only been hinted at: he was one of a race called the Timelords, who had mastery over time and space, but who were content to watch without interfering. The Doctor was taken back to his at the time unnamed home world, and put on trial for the crime of stealing a TARDIS and interfering in the universe outside. His sentence was a forced regeneration, and exile on Earth in the twentieth century, with the knowledge of how to operate the TARDIS blocked from his mind."  -  from  kasterborus.com

 

 

 

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