TEA LOVERS!! It’s been a minute right!? What, a good 5 years…? (almost)

I recently shared about this blog to some friends, and decided to check on the status/views. YALL ARE STILL WITH US!!?! (insert crying emoji here) I love you guys!! There are still hundreds of hits on this blog, on a daily/weekly/monthly since I’ve posted last. Thank you. Thank you for being interested in where high tea is at. I know with the pandemic + Lockdown, you’ve missed your crumpets and earl grey huh? With the exception of a few, I see some places are operating like normal now (whatever that is). And sadly, some have closed their doors altogether. If you’re like me, you miss it like crazy!! We as a family have only been inside 5 whole restaurants since March 2020 (haha!), but I intend to do more tea fo sho!

Anyhow, I realized- I don’t have these blog posts in any of my personal records!? So I decided to start the long project of transferring all my work to my own word doc. I’m funny. Haha! As I’m rereading my words (and spotting some typos)…I’m pretty funny!? I had no idea! I had some really bold things to say. I’m still the same ‘I say what I mean and I mean what I say’ girl, but milder. At least, you know you are always getting the honest real deal Holyfield TRUTH from me.

Ooobviously, I’m older + more mature from the last time you heard from me. I’m 42 now, been through trauma recovery…I even have some white hair! Updates on where I’m at with tea tho? If you’re reading in old posts about our tea line and company, oh man that was a blast!! We are no longer operating, however. Simplest explanation: we got too big, too fast. Am I still working with tea? Short answer: yes!

So, another thing I realized. I never did a ‘raTEAng’ that included the remainder of the Spots we have visited!? I know I did one, cuz I have a note in my phone dated on November 17, 2018 at 9:00 PM with the complete list. (and for anyone trying to check me on saying “We visited 30 tea houses!” all the time… I was off one number on my list haha AND we had one more we were supposed to visit that we never got to that was probably kept in my count) Anyway. And now for the reason you all clicked on this blog post in the first place- my raTEAng of ALL the Spots!! (with smaller pictures, I don’t know why I made them so big before!?)

From ‘No they di-in’t” to “Get in the car now.”:

29. Tal-Y-Tara Tea & Polo Shoppe, San Francisco – Outright rude and has no business being a tea house.

28. Tudor Rose English Tea Room, Santa Rosa – Eleven levels of tea service and you don’t even want one.

27. Secret Garden Tea House, San Francisco – Filthy place with yummy scones.

26. The Tearoom, Oakland – They don’t know how to make tea, don’t go.

25. Tea Time, Palo Alto – Awkward dirty cafe that left us thirsty.

24. The Golden Tea Garden, Hayward – Bad-mannered + arrogant owner with dollar store decor + tea.

23. Leland Tea Company, Burlingame – A cafe that serves food you can make yourself at home + buy yourself from shelves, on 3 tiers.

22. Sip Tea Room, San Francisco – Take 2 of boring tea.

21. Linde Lane Tea Room, Dixon – Snooty but pretty with fun sorbet intro.

20. Lovejoy’s Tea Room, San Francisco – Pretentious area with spectacular Black Vanilla tea.

19. Quail & Thistle Tea Room, Capitola – Adorable building with overwhelming all-in-one plate.

18. The Rotunda at Nieman Marcus, San Francisco – Matter-of-fact service and expensive teeny tasteless food.

17. Eddison & Melrose Tea Room, Monterey – Okay tea, but recognition of who we were made my year.

16. Satori Tea Company, San Jose – Interesting + eclectic, rum butter crumpets, and purple tea.

15. Filoli Gardens, Woodside – Stunning garden views with overpriced subpar cuisine.

14. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco – A definite must-experience with exceptional service.

13. Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco – Complex + unique flavors that just work, and a have-to-have pear compote.

12. Palace Hotel, San Francisco – Breathtaking surroundings and flawless food.

11. Lovey’s Tea Shoppe, Pacifica – Black Vanilla with Lavender tea, asparagus sandwich, and sweet staff.

10. Camellia Tea Room, Benecia – Impeccable service and an all-around wonderful time.

9. Lisa’s Tea Treasures, Los Altos – Like going your sister’s house and having delicious tea.

8. Crown & Crumpet Tea Stop Cafe, San Francsico – Unforgettable crumpets and scrumptious tea sandwiches.

7. Tal’s Patisserie, Danville – Best rustic tea meal for a bread-lover, with best store-bought tea.

6. Pardee Home, Oakland – A tour in a tour that will feed you until satisfaction and the definition of ‘cuteness overload’.

5. Dartealing Lounge, San Francisco – Best sandwiches and cutest ambiance.

4. The White Hart Tea Room, Pacific Grove – Really like going to someone’s house for tea (cuz you are), and having true homemade food (cuz you are).

3. The English Rose Tea Room, Pleasanton – A hundred delectable teas and textbook shabby chic decor.

2. Tyme for Tea & Co., Fremont – The perfect tea house, with perfect food, perfect tea, and perfect service.

1. Muir’s Tea Room, Sebastopol – There are no words invented yet that describe how GOOD this Tea Spot is, it excels in all aspects of Afternoon Tea.

Thanks for coming and hanging out again like old times!! It was fun chatting with you and reviewing for you again. Now I’m not saying I will see you here again in the near future…but I’m also not saying that I won’t! (wink wink, insert suspense) #BloggingNotBlogging Did I confuse you enough?! Just stay with us, I promise I will deliver as I always have. Peace!

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