Afternoon Tea: Tea & Sympathy

Tea & Sympathy, Greenwich Ave, NYC, photo courtesy Jee of Oh, How Civilized

Several things made this afternoon tea at Tea & Sympathy special.  One, I was accompanied by Jee.  Two, I enjoyed afternoon tea service in the morning.  Three, I saw the cutest dog sitting in an equally cute car.  And four, I tried a new tea blend - more on this below.

I happily accepted Jee's invitation to Tea & Sympathy last week.  (You can read her review of the experience at Oh, How Civilized.)  I had been wanting to try the service here.

We sat in the right window seat, a cozy but bright spot.  We planned to share the Afternoon Tea for One but both wanted different sandwiches (I wanted non-meat sandwiches) so ordered separately.  In retrospect we should have shared.  The meal was generous.  We were full about half-way through the service.

Of the three sandwiches I ordered, the cheddar and Bronson pickles on white bread was my favorite. Lots of sharp saltiness and tang.  My second favorite was the egg salad sandwich.  It was deliciously creamy and the brown bread was inspired.  My least favorite was the cucumber cream cheese sandwich; the classic tea sandwich, but I did not like the nutty bread.

On the second tier of the tray from the bottom were the scones.  Perfectly sized and served with a strawberry jelly and very thick cream.  I wish I could have eaten more but I wanted to save room for the cakes.

I liked the pineapple paste on the pineapple upside down cake.  The banana chocolate walnut cake was moist and the soft chunks of chocolate were delicious.  I wanted the sticky toffee pudding cupcake to be more sticky and to have more toffee flavor. My favorite was the Victorian sponge.  A moist two layer cake with cream and jam filling.

And finally, the tea.  We both chose the Rosie Lee so were served one large pot of tea.  Rosie Lee is a house blend of Earl Grey and English Breakfast.   The Earl Grey flavor was subtle.  The early pours were mild but mid-way through the pot, the flavor deepened. It's a really good blend.  It complemented the savories and sweets and handled milk well.

The Rs loved the leftovers and I must go back for a jar of the Bronson pickles.

Tea with Carrie at Teahaus in Ann Arbor

Carrie is one of my dearest friends. I visited her in January to meet her baby daughter. We went for walks and ate good food and she took me to the TeaHaus tearoom in downtown Ann Arbor.  We took the baby and the staff and patrons did not bat an eye.  We sat at a table near one of the large windows. You can sense the day light that filled the room from the photo below.

Carrie asked me to choose the tea.  I wanted something that wasn't heavy and would typically have selected a green tea but thought I should also look at the white options.  One stood out -- the South Indian Oothu.  Here's the description from the tea menu:

This White Tea offering is partially oxidized, showing splendid colors of green, russet and pale brown. In the cup, a delightful and pungent earthiness awaits with nutty undertones. A smooth affair, with an intensity rarely seen in a White Tea.

The color of the tea was darker than other whites I have drunk and the flavors were more complex, too.  I was so impressed I came home with a bag.

I think we ate a pastry each but I did not keep notes.  Next time I am in Ann Arbor I'd like to return to this tearoom -- to drink more from their extensive menu and to try the afternoon tea, too.

Tea in Books III

Welcome to the third installation in this series of tea scenes from children's books.  Last time, the little old lady in Julia Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze, Madlenka in Peter Sis's Madlenka, James Marshall's George, Philip C. Stead's Amos McGee and friends, and Russell Hoban's Frances enjoyed tea.  Find out who the characters were in the first post here.

Lola in Slightly Invisible, by Lauren Child

Lola, Charlie, a strange and tricky creature, and Marv in Slightly Invisible, by Lauren Child

Lilly at a tea party to which Julius is not invited in Julius, the Baby of the World, by Kevin Henkes

A tea merchant and a scholar drinking tea in Stone Soup, retold and illustrated by Jon J Muth

If your favorite children's book has a tea scene and is not listed here or in Tea in Books II or Tea in Books I, please let me know in a comment.  

How to Make: Tea Bags

Around Valentine's Day this year, DAVIDsTEA tweeted Snapguide's tea sachet tutorial.  I made a mental note to try the craft and finally did so yesterday.  My tea bag celebrates spring: a Dragonwell filled tulip.

I used a Melitta coffee filter #1 which is too thick.  Next time I will use a traditional coffee filter.  The heaping teaspoon of Teavana Dragonwell shown in the photograph did not fit into my tea bag.  The tulip bag accommodated exactly 1 teaspoon of the losse leaf with room left for expansion.

Here is a brief set of instructions: (1) draw your pattern on the filter (if you use a traditional filter you should fold it in half); (2) cut our the pattern; (3) stitch near the edge leaving an opening to add the tea; (4) add the tea and finish sewing the bag; (5) add a tag if desired - I used construction paper and the thread I used to sew the bag; (6) steep and enjoy!

The Snapguide tutorial is one of many DIY tea bag guides. I also like the guides by cupcakes and cashmere and a Beautiful Mess.

Let me know if you craft your own tea bag(s)!

Collection: Tea towels

Image: Personal French tea towels: Le Jacquard Francais (l), tissutoselli (r)

I have a stack of everyday tea towels for drying dishes.  I also have a collection of tea towels for tea serving purposes -- to line the table or tray, to cover pastries or savories.  Here is an excerpted quote from the wiseGeek entry for "tea towel":

A tea towel is a cloth which is intended for the specific use of drying dishes and cutlery after they have been washed. In addition, clean tea towels may be spread over a tea tray before tea things are put onto it, or used to cover warm scones or a tea pot to prevent heat loss. Many kitchen supply stores sell tea towels. They are also readily obtainable in England and Ireland, two nations well known for their tea. For people outside of these nations, numerous mail order company are happy to supply genuine Irish and English tea towels.

Linen is the traditional fiber for tea towels, since it can be used to dry delicate plates and silverware without the risk of scratching. In general, tea towels are made with a simple weave, rather than a looped terry, and they are made in a hand towel size. Tea towels made from cotton are not uncommon, and a cotton tea towel tends to be much less costly, making it suitable for daily use. In some cases, a tea towel is woven in a pattern, while in other instances, it may be decorated with paint or embroidery.

Image: Personal tea towel by Atelier LZC

One of my sisters-in-law gave me an Atelier LZC towel with a matching apron.

Image: Personal tea towel by Cath Kidston

My mother-in-law gave me a Will & Kate Royal Wedding tea towel.

Image: Marimekko Kattila tea towel set (source)

I would like to expand my collection and found a few lovely pieces made by Marimekko -- the Katilla towel above and the two types of Puutarhurin here and here -- and Anthropologie's Loyal tea towel, which is no longer in stock.

Image: Ikea AGOT tea towel (source)

Of course Ikea has cool designs, the AGOT show above and the rosy EVALILL.

Tell me about your tea towels!

Tea in Children's Books II

The first installation in this series of tea scenes from children's books featured Shoe Baby by Joyce Dunbar with illustrations by Polly Dunbar, Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Jane Chapman, and Curious George Learns the Alphabet by H.A. Rey.

The little old lady in A Squash and a Squeeze, by Julia Donaldson with illustrations by Axel Scheffler

 

From Madlenka, by Peter Sis

 

George in a George and Martha book, by James Marshall

Amos McGee and friends from A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead with illustrations by Erin Stead

Frances in A Bargain for Frances, by Russell Hoban with illustrations by Lillian Hoban

If your favorite children's book has a tea scene and is not listed here or in Tea in Children's Books I, please let me know in a comment. 

Tea Review: Rishi Bergamot & Sage at Everyman

 

I have a confession to make.  I went to the Everyman Espresso on West Broadway near Canal Street today because I thought I was going to an outpost of Hugh Jackman's coffee and tea shop based in Tribeca, aka Laughing Man.  Now that this bit of information it out of the way, on to the review.

Everyman offers four Rishi teas: black, green (Sencha), chamomile, and bergamot & sage.  I ordered the most unusual of the bunch, the bergamot & sage herbal.  It's like Early Grey without the black tea, at first, and then I tasted the grassy-oily-spicy notes of the sage, some lemongrass, and even lavender.  It smelled most strongly of lemongrass and lavender.

This coffee shop seems devoted to brewing devices -- I guess most boutique coffee houses are.  Anyway, the wall art features "contraptions" like the Chemex, Vacuum, and Atomic. My herbal was steeped with the Teavana Perfect Tea Maker.  I would love to try this at home!

I really liked the shop's vintage milk glass mugs.

Don't these doughnuts look amazing?  They are made by and delivered daily by Dough in Bed-Stuy.

I'll be going to one of the Laughing Man cafes at some point so stay tuned.

Collection: Tea infusers and strainers (updated)

I own five several tea infusers and strainers.  What is the difference between the two?  I think of an infuser as a tool that is filled with tea, placed into a cup of hot water, and removed when the tea has steeped.  A strainer also holds tea for steeping but the device is usually fitted into a teapot such that it does not have to be removed when the tea is ready to be poured (drunk).  If a teapot is not accompanied by a strainer, one usually uses a separate shallow device to strain the leaves as one pours the tea from the pot to the cup.  Another distinction is that an infuser tends to completely encase the tea, like with the tea ball design, while a strainer is topless, like with the tea basket design.  Are the two words describing the same function or do the words distinguish between two styles?

What do you think?

Now on to my collection.  The metal tea tongs are too small; they cannot hold the typical teaspoon of leaves and do not allow the leaves to expand properly.  The metal bowl strainer, part of a small tea pot,is a better option than the spoons.  I purchased the bamboo infuser in an anti-plastic, anti-metal moment but it does not sit well in cups.  I have to hold the handle until the tea leaves are steeped.  Also, it imparts a slightly herbal note to the teas steeped in it.  My favorite of the bunch is the plastic, fine mesh basket, pictured above left.  Since the time this post was originally published, I have acquired a tea stick infuser from Asiatica in Montreal.

Yesterday, I spotted this (above) very cool metal strainer by Alan Chan at the Alessi store in Soho.  It's melodic, too.  (The tea canister has a surprise under the lid.  Stay tuned for a round-up of tea canisters.)

Image: Tea leaf and teabag strainer, James Hurlock, May 3, 2003 patent

Williams Sonoma sells a tea straining spoon for teabags here.  James Hurlock of Portland, Oregon filed a patent for a dual-purpose tea leaf and teabag strainer in May 2003.  It looks like a citrus press to me.

What is your favorite infuser or strainer?

Note: this post was originally posted on 11/30/11 and edited for clarity and updated with new content on 3/1/13.