When I first came across Saara’s Instagram account @pieces_of_porcelain it instantly made me feel heiter. Her quirky yet clever ceramics each tell a story and make enjoying a hot drink a cheerful experience. I realised quickly that Saara was someone I wanted to get to know a little better and feature on my blog.

Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I'm Saara, a ceramist from Finland, living and working in Berlin, Kreuzberg.

When did you start making ceramics, and why?

I started ceramics in high school, where I attended my first two courses, and somehow got hooked. I liked how making ceramics made me feel at peace with myself.

So I applied to the University of Art and Design after my A-levels (Abitur equivalent) to study ceramics and glass art. That was in 2003.

After finishing my masters in 2010, I moved to Berlin and had a part-time job until the end of last year when I decided to change and be a fulltime ceramist.

What is your favorite piece of your collection, and why?

Oh, my favorite piece changes a lot. At the moment, I like the sprinkly cups because they always lift my mood but I also like building the big bottles, as I totally lose track of time when making them.

How many steps go into making your pieces? Can you briefly describe them to us?

This depends on the piece, of course. But for instance, a cup:

0. For each series I have to develop the concept and shape, once that is done I make a mold from plaster for producing the actual items

1. Mixing and meshing the slip, is a liquid mixture of porcelain and water

2. Pouring the slip into a cup mold and separate handle mold

3. After some minutes, the slip starts to dry on the plaster mold walls, which sucks out the water from the slip mixture. Then I pour out the slip and clean the rim.

4. After waiting until the slip walls in the mold are dry enough, I take out the rough cup from the mold and also remove and clean the handle.

5. Attaching the handle to the cup

6. Next day when everything is dry, cleaning the cup with a sponge

7. Bisque firing the cup at 900° Celsius

8. Sanding if needed to make everything smooth to the touch

9. Decorating, e.g., hand-painting the sprinkle pattern

10. Glazing the cup to make it waterproof and cleaning the bottom

11. Glaze firing (depending on the material used between 1170-1250° Celsius)

12. Sanding the bottom

How can people find you and your products?

I'm most active on Instagram @pieces_of_porcelain

I sell on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Piecesofporcelain

And in a few small shops:

RYOKO shop in Berlin, Friedelstrasse 11 12047 Berlin

LOKAL in Helsinki, Annankatu 9, 00120 Helsinki

What makes you feel heiter (cheerful)?

Besides going to my studio :)? Lavender lemonade and a good coffee

Words & image: Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter magazine

I don’t know about you but sitting down with a hot cup of tea and consciously enjoying it is one of the things that makes me feel most heiter. My hands on the cup and feeling its warmth. The delicious smell, most likely from a blend of herbs that pleasantly takes me back to my childhood, when my grandmother made tea for my siblings and I, and then there is of course the golden liquid itself. It feels like sunshine when I drink it and warms my whole body, just like a gentle hug from inside.

Not only was it my love for tea but also my passion for sustainability that made me feel especially excited when I got to know the recently founded, ethical tea brand NUDITEA. NUDITEA is the brainchild of Sophie and Josh. Sophie is a literature graduate turned lawyer turned health, wellness and psychology writer who is passionate about plant medicine and herbalism. A big part of that passion evolved in her home country of Georgia, where her grandfather taught her all about plants. Sophie loves the intersection between nature and humans, and how they can help one another. Before Cornwall-born Josh, Sophie’s partner, was in charge of the NUDITEA website, the logo, the photography and even the financial side of the brand, he trained as neuroscientist and worked as an account manager in sales and product management. Looking at their joined skills and talents, it is no surprise that the two had to start a business together.

The idea for NUDITEA came after Sophie and Josh returned from a few months of travelling. Both had quit their corporate jobs before their trip got underway. Once back in London, they were planning to open a café that purely focused on tea. Everything was sorted out and the couple was ready to sign a lease for a coffee shop in Notting Hill. However, everything changed when London went into lockdown the same week.

Having been passionate tea drinkers themselves, Sophie and Josh made the best out of the change of plans and the newly found time during lockdown. They began to experiment and create their own tea blends. Also, they knew that there was no brand that had all their favourite teas, so they made it their mission to become that brand. One thing led to the next and soon after that a website, photos and packaging were created.

One of my NUDITEA favourites: After Eight (Thirty)

What makes NUDITEA stand out amongst the crowd is not just their unique blends but their values. Part of the brand philosophy entails valuing life in all its forms. Both Sophie and Josh have experience in working for big businesses. They disagree with the way people are often exploited by big companies and would like to use their start-up to show that business can be done differently. Keeping in mind that they want to make decisions that positively affect our planet’s future and positively impact the lives of people on this planet, NUDITEA is one of the very few tea brands that offers compostable, plastic-free packaging (yes, you heard right, you can recycle the packaging by popping it into your compost bin!). Their goal is that their teas don’t just taste great but are also good for you. With sustainability being one of the NUDITEA core values, they only work with ethical businesses, mainly cooperatives, that share an exceedingly high standard when it comes to looking after the planet and their employees. Working with those kinds of businesses already starts when sourcing the NUDITEA ingredients. No matter if it’s camomile, mint, rooibos, rosemary, cacao and so on, they all come from suppliers who treat and pay their workers fairly (and can prove it). One day Sophie and Josh would like to grow their own tea, ideally in Georgia, home to Sophie and a country rich in tea-growing heritage.

I can already see the two of them achieving that dream of growing their own tea, just like they managed to create their business whilst the world was standing still earlier this year. Do they regret their decision to start their brand during COVID-19? Absolutely not. NUDITEA has added so much joy to Sophie and Josh’s lives. They enjoy being able to combine their work and interests, meeting tea lovers from different corners of the world as well as other lovely small business owners. The most rewarding part of running their business has been the positive feedback they’ve received for their blends. There is nothing more heiter than hearing back from happy customers and finding out that they’ve also recommended the teas to their friends. Knowing that makes me feel heiter too. I really like what Sophie, Josh and their brand stand for. I’ve only tried a few of the NUDITEA blends so far, but I can honestly say that I love them. My current favourites are the Happy Blend and After Eight (Thirty). Not only do they smell and taste lovely, drinking them adds a certain cheer to my day.

GETTING TO KNOW SOPHIE & JOSH A LITTLE BETTER

What teas are your personal favourites and why?

Josh: My go to is Masala Chai. We worked on this blend over so many iterations trying to get the balance of spice and sweetness just right, and it is just so delicious and drinkable now. I am very sensitive to caffeine so in the evenings I tend to switch to our After Eight (Thirty), a blend of cacao nibs and shells and peppermint mixed with rooibos, which is a great black tea alternative from South Africa that is naturally caffeine free. This, again, is so delicious. Everyone who has tried this blend has in turn recommended it to friends. It is a bit of a hidden gem in our portfolio as there really isn’t anything out there like it.

Sophie: My favourite is the Happy Blend. It’s a really beautiful balance between roses, cacao and cinnamon, plus damiana which in herbalism is used to combat low mood and increase positive energy. It’s a combination that was inspired by my time in India, where this wonderful woman who worked as a healer recommended cinnamon to me as a mood-lifting spice. She drank it every morning in hot water. I also drink the Clarity Blend a lot. It’s really good for those mornings when I struggle to feel awake or have work to do but my brain feels a bit groggy. I’m also not great with a lot of caffeine, so this is a really good alternative to coffee for me.

What makes you feel heiter?

Sophie: I love walking and spending time in nature. Recently we started camping, which is so nice too. I find a lot of joy in learning more about herbs and plants and going foraging. I also love reading, so sinking into a book for an afternoon with a cup of tea is perfect for me. Connecting with people and sharing stories makes me feel really appreciative and happy too.

Josh: I really enjoy getting out and exercising and can usually be found cycling in West London or running along the Thames Path. I also love spending time back home in Cornwall, on one hand because it is such a beautiful part of the world and very peaceful, but on the other because it is where my family still live and they have lots of little ones who love seeing their Uncle (sometimes the opposite of peaceful!).

Words and top two images: Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter magazine

Image below: Nuditea

Pieces of Porcelain: ceramics that bring joy

NUDITEA: the story behind the ethical tea brand