I love the tradition of participating of "afternoon tea". I've enjoyed it with my sisters and with good friends alike. It doesn't matter if the location of choice is a fancy hotel or a hole in the wall--we always have a splendid time together. Here are a few places worth trying:
* St. Regis Hotel (NYC)
* Wild Lily Tea Room (NYC-Chelsea)
* Protea Cottage, Gardner Village (West Jordan, UT)
* Grand America Hotel (SLC)
(still looking for a great tea room in San Francisco. I've struck out so far--any suggestions?)
Since going to afternoon tea doesn't happen as often as I'd like, I often find myself enjoying this lovely ritual with a few of my tea-loving-neighbors late in the evening. Here are a few caffeine-free favorites to try:
1. Stash--this label offers a generous selection of herbal teas. My favorites include Mango Passionfruit and Licorice Spice.
2. Aveda--they offer organic, caffeine-free "Comforting" tea in bags or loose tea. It is more cost-effective to buy the loose tea but you'll have to own a few extra supplies. A salon in Seattle my sister and I visited offered us a cup of this tea on a cold, rainy Seattle day. We were sold at the first sip. You can find this tea at any salon carrying the full Aveda line or online here.
Locally I've found excellent loose tea at Belle Maison--a little shop attached to Holladay's Boulevard restaurant. I've also noticed Tea Grotto in Sugar House and am interested in stopping by to see if they have a decent herbal tea selection.
If you are interested in making a homemade herbal tea, this one looks delicious. It looks so easy to make, which is always nice!
Combine 4 cups of water, 2 ounces of thinly sliced ginger, 5 whole cloves, and the juice of 1 lemon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Strain, and serve with honey or sugar.
Here are my favorite tea spots:
ReplyDeleteThe Palace Hotel- San Francisco
The Empress Hotel- Victoria, BC
The Orangerie at Kensington Palace- London, England
Come on over for a cuppa anytime love - your aussie mum will put the kettle on!
ReplyDeleteI SO miss and love this timeless aussie tradition brought over by the British, it is so civil when completed with scones with jam and cream (not the american scones I might add!)
The Licorice Spice sounds delicious. I have tea with my friends a lot during morning play dates - but it is usually ends up being the same old peppermint. Can you get this online?
ReplyDeleteTottenham Court in Ojai California is a fabulous little shop and tea room. They have THE BEST lemon tea cake ever. The do darling tea parties for little girls as well.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I think you can purchase it online. Check it out and get back to me if you can't and I'll mail you some :)
ReplyDeleteLove the tea post :-) The Beehive Tea Room in SLC is supposed to be superb, also I love red teas from The Republic of Tea. My favorite spot- The Orchard in Grantchester England, outside of Cambridge. Built around the poet Rupert Brooke's house, it was a frequent meditation spot for Virginia Wolf, and having tea there is like going back in time- I quite literally stayed all day.
ReplyDeleteI like the Ritz in SF. Glitzy and fun and over the top.
ReplyDeletewhat a fabulous blog you have! i'm a major tea connoisseur here in SF, and my favorite is the ritz, hands down. i've tried the palace (icky experience) and the rotunda at neiman marcus (good, but almost all sweets) as well, but the ritz is my absolute fave.
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