Afternoon Tea: Kings' Carriage House

Last week I joined Jee of Oh, How Civilized for afternoon tea at 3 p.m. at Kings' Carriage House.  On viewing the website and seeing the building I had great expectations for this tea service. My expectations were not met but there were several things I enjoyed. One was the greeting at the door and our server's warm personality. Another was my tea pot. I like that each person was presented with a different pot.

Also, the tea cup did not match the pot. I selected the English Breakfast (from Harney & Sons) from a handful of teas.  The server asked if we wanted more hot water which is a positive sign, but with only one tea bag in the pot, the second steeping was weak.

I liked that the scones were served warm but the best thing about the scone plate was the cream and jam.  Seven sweets were served and I don't have a photo of my favorite: the chocolate-dipped strawberries.

My favorite savory was the goat cheese tartlette with mango salsa and a tomato wheel. The complete afternoon tea menu is available here.

P.S. Please excuse the blurry photos. Second, I wish I had photos of the carriage house exterior and interior. It is a charming building.

Review: Tea Drunk

There is so much to like about New York's newest tea room, Tea Drunk! The shape of its windows, the interior layout including the hanging garden on the rear wall, and its logo.

I very much enjoyed the gaiwan service at Tea Drunk.  Jee of Oh, How Civilized accompanied me and we shared the Early Spring 2013 Dian Hong, a red tea.  Shunan, the owner, also joined us at the table. She is incredibly knowledgeable about Chinese teas which is what one would expect given the focus of the tea room.

Two other things I liked about Tea Drunk were the tea ware and the tea pets. I had not known about tea pets before this experience. Shunan gave us the back story. I chose a rabbit and Jee selected a turtle.

Tea pets are bathed or seasoned at the start of and throughout the tea service.

The Dian Hong was long lasting; it was steeped at least 10 times. The flavor profile ranged from smoked cinnamon in early steeps, astringent at the peak, to a mild sweetness towards the end. Shunan has created an extensive tea menu but her descriptions make it easy to choose a tea.

How To Make Maille Mustard Sandwich

My intention was to prepare a mustard sandwich on pretzel bread (I really like the ones sold by Murray's Cheese) but I decided to use ingredients I already had at home. So, the bread is a sprouted wheat loaf from Trader Joe's. The other ingredients are cucumber, tomato, and cheddar.

I used Maille mustard. If you recall, I visited the company's booth at the Taste of France 2013.

This was a lunch-time sandwich. I did not pair it with tea but think an Assam or other malty black tea with milk would be a good complement. Masala chai is another option; mustard seeds are a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine. The napkin in the background is a gift from Rotea's French godparents.

Tea Review: Tea Setter Iron Goddess oolongs

I bought Stilton for the explicit purpose of pairing the cheese with puerhs from Tea Setter but I had purchased enough that I decided to pair the blue cheese with two oolongs, both from Tea Setter.  One was a medium grade Iron Goddess and the other was a high grade Iron Goddess.  Instead of using recommended portion of 4g, I prepared each oolong on two different days using 2g each time.  The photos in this post were taking on day 1. I did not take photographs on day 2. 

The high grade oolong had a darker color on both days.  In terms of aroma and taste, the high grade oolong was extremely buttery on the first day but more floral on the second day.  The dry leaves were beautifully rolled and the steeped leaves had a deep seaweed green color.

Both oolongs paired well with the Stilton.  Why did the two complement each other? I am not sure they should!  According to my notes from a tea and cheese pairing hosted by In Pursuit of Tea, oolongs pair well with cheddars and puerhs with blue cheeses.  I think the saltiness of the Stilton enhanced the butter notes of the oolongs.  

Are you pairing teas with cheeses?

Thanks again to Tea Setter and Nicole of Tea for Me Please for the oolongs.

P.S. Here is my review of Wild Arbor Oriental Beauty from Tea Setter.

Highlights from the Taste of France Show & No.1: Les Ruchers de Bourgogne honey

Last Saturday I attended the Taste of France Show at Bryant Park with Jee of Oh, How Civilized (and two of her friends).

We completed the entire circuit of booths - seeing, tasting, and drinking a lot. In the next several posts I will share highlights of the day. The products are not listed in order of preference but rather in the order in which I experienced them.

The photograph above depicts Highlight No. 1: Les Ruchers de Bourgogne honey. I sampled three of the company's honeys: lavender, chestnut, and acacia. The latter was very mild in stark contrast to the strong, "mushroomy" chestnut. The lavender was sweet enough with herb-flower notes.

The other six highlights are:

No. 2: Flavigny candies
No. 3: President butter
No. 4: La Cheesecakerie
No. 5: Maille mustards
No. 6: Le Palais des Thes
No. 7: Nina's Paris teas.

Taste of France, No. 2: Flavigny candies

Don't you just love the tins?! I do. I only tried the lemon. It was more sweet than sour.

Taste of France, No. 3: President butter

I know of the President brand for its cheese so when I saw this sculpture I thought it was being made from cheese. No. It is made of butter. Slices of baguette spread with President butter were served. A creamy butter.

Taste of France, No. 4: La Cheesecakerie

I will have to travel to Williamsburg (Brooklyn) for my next La Cheesecakerie cheesecake. I purchased the La Mere Poulard made with La Mere Poulard caramel galettes. Perfect!

Taste of France, No. 5: Maille mustards

My first time tasting Maille mustards and I'm hooked. I am grateful to Fraiche PR for a crock. It's a collectible in my book.

Taste of France, No. 6: Le Palais des Thés

It was no surprise to see Le Palais des Thés represented at the Taste of France! Thé du Hammam was being poured. Refreshing even served hot.

Taste of France, No. 7: Nina's Paris

Nina's Paris, a French tea company, has a US outlet in Miami. The company's most popular tea is Marie Antoinette made with apples and roses grown at Versailles.