It was cute cuz I got a few tags + messages about this place…but I already had reservations! I’m a Detective, I’m tellin you! Doesn’t look like much outside, but when you go inside- (open mouth emoji) you really can’t tell a book by its cover. It was busy tho, so I took a few pics at the end of our visit when people started clearing out… You’ll see those at the end.
I’ve never had a “Persian” Tea before. I always get excited to try new themes of tea. We do have a Persian friend who used to love to cook for us, and his food was always good! So if it was anything like that, we were in for a really good meal!
Another treat to this Tea was that we had a visitor all the way from England able to come!! So we got to listen to that sweet accent the whole afternoon hehe. Also a first: a co-ed Tea! Here’s how that went… Since this was a squeezed in Spot (they just starting serving Afternoon Tea this past September) (and you know we do our best to get in as soon as possible), I hadn’t the faintest idea who to take with me and who would be interested in Persian Tea. I put a question sticker on my IG Stories, asking who liked Persian food. One of my friends responded, so I thought of taking her + her bestie (also a friend of mine). When I told the Huz I was going to try a Persian Tea, he said he was interested in going to that one! Ay-yay-yay! Fine, let’s all go!! The girls happen to have their friend from England visiting at the time, so it was an honor to have her join the Tour! Our original girlfriend ended up not being able to make it (missed you babe)…so it was just Mrs. Mamoa, England love, the Huz and me!
[Disclaimer: These photos coming up will not do this place and their food any justice. There was a beautiful ambiance and breathtaking environment. However, the yellowy spotlight directly over my head, created a terrible shadow of my growing baby hairs over each shot. So, I had to take my photos so far so as to not highlight my hair growth, lol. I also decided too late to just use my iPhone instead of fuss with my DSLR settings, so I’ll throw the few of those I took in there too.]
I’m usually not a fan of small amount of tea options. BUT- they have such amazing choices for the 6 that they offer, there was no complaint from me at all! Since there were 4 of us, we each chose a different one so we could try lots.
Persian Tea (An elegant rich blend of Earl Grey, Ceylon, and oil of Bergamot) – So glad my girl chose this one, cuz (well first, how do you go to a Persian Tea without ordering their Persian tea??) this one ended up being my favorite from the table. A really delicious earl grey.
Flora Green (Luxury flowering infusion of Premium Green Tea, Jasmine, and Rose) – My choice. If I can remember back (gosh, from over 40 Teas!), I wanna say this is the first we’ve been served a flowering tea!? So pretty! This one was faint in flavor, but still good.
Saffron Tea (Organically grown Saffron, Rose bud, Jasmin blossoms and Osmanthus) – The most intriguing of the batch for sure. My notes said “light, beautiful, so good.”
Holiday Basket (Black tea with Rose buds, Peppermint, Safflower, dried orange, and cranberries) – This one smelled so minty! It was minty but also creamy. I love me a creamy tea! Made me think of sweet mint gum…in a good way.
So, a tier came out… And I was so happy (a little confused, but mostly happy), that there was more than one each per person!!?! That was so fun to see!! Wasn’t quite 2 for each of us, but at least you can have more than 1 of an item. I loved that. We made sure we all had at least one each to try, then divvied up the rest. (Again, this is the best pic I got. So imagine what the others looked like!? I have better video of this tier…make sure you’re following us on Instagram!)
Smoked Salmon Bites – These weren’t like your traditional smoked salmon you get at usual afternoon tea spots. It was like a ‘moussed’ salmon! ”Very dilly”, says England love. The carrot was super crunchy (P.S. I love heirloom carrots.) and bread was chewy.
[iPhone shot]
Kalbas (Mortadella lavash rolls with petite Persian pickles and tomato aioli) – Didn’t realize why I loved this one so much til just now, typing the description from their menu. I love Mortadella!! (my Italian roots are clapping!) But this one was a bit different. I knew there was some sort of cold cut or sliced meat, but couldn’t put my finger on which exactly. But the picklessss (I’m whining) MADE this for me. There was also a little heat in the back, which I appreciated. The flavors + textures just all worked so well together in this one. I wasn’t shy about saying I wanted a 2nd piece!! Hehe.
2nd course!! (three clapping emojis)
[iPhone shot]
Spinach Filo (Filo pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese served with cucumber yogurt) – How cute is it that we got a 2nd course of Savories!? This pastry was soo comforting!! Warm + crispy. Who doesn’t love spinach filling? And that yogurt sauce, completed this so nicely.
Our 3rd course! This is so so fun.
Raspberry Scone (served with apricot and cherry jams) – My famous saying: “I could drink that stuff with a straw!!” Their cherry preserves mannn! You’ll see. You’ll see…in the background…I’ll have my own 2nd helping of it, while I’m taking pictures of other stuff haha! But wait- the scone was a GOOD scone too, tho. Sliced nicely, so all their gorgeous jams could sit on top no prob. Ugh, I LOVED this course!!
What happened next was something that doesn’t happen at ALL Afternoon Tea’s, but what I appreciate So. Much. . . . They gave us new plates yall. (about to cry emoji) I looooved that they did this!!! It’s an extra step, sure. But, it makes all the difference in the world! In my opinion anyway. I had a nice clean (and stunning too, might I add) plate for the next sweets. ESPECIALLY, for a (air quotes) Content Creator like myself. The next items had a beautiful background for their photo shoot, tada!
2nd tier/4th course.
[iPhone shot]
House Made Persian Love Cake (Cake Yazdi) – Never had a Love Cake before…but I’m so happy I did. Cardamom rose yall, car-da-mom ROSE! A classic combination. Soo soo good, I wish I had one in front of me right now!!
Noon Chai (Fluffy and lightly sweet roll with chocolate, and fresh strawberries) – This little sandwich was so refreshing! I could’ve eaten about 10 of those!
Mini Apple (not marzipan! Lol) – I’m still including my picture of the cutest, tiniest apple because it had its full dedicated photo shoot!! Haha. Kind of an inside joke, but at one point we thought it was a marzipan apple!! Hahah…
Here were the Huz’s remarks: “…desserts were not decadent, I liked that. It was a simply laid out Tea. Reflected the cuisine of the culture well. Not complicated at all. Simplicity and quality. Well done.”
And finally, here are some shots of the interior…
Absolutely attractive right!? I was already thinking of what kind of intimate party I can have back there and who I’m inviting!! I loved so much that there was a dedicated section of the restaurant for their Afternoon Tea. It made it so special! The interior is something out of a storybook, and I admired every little detail- down to the vases they served our water in! And every table got a different vessel.
This is a family owned business and Tea is the mastermind of their Aunt! She did an amazing job selecting every piece to this very special tea service. I will let her tell you all about it when you come in! The customer service here was unmatched. I think that’s a good part of why we can’t wait to come back so much. Food was extraordinary for sure. But the treatment we got was so good, it made it hard to leave. That’s another thing- IT WAS A FULL TEA EXPERIENCE. I can’t remember the last time I had a service that was 3 hours long!!?! And that used to be my favorite part!! It was a slow and steady process of enjoying each item presented to you. That’s the reason I got to know Mrs. Mamoa and England love better! We were given TIME!!! Some of these Afternoon Tea Spots (i.e. here) will start kicking you out after an hour and a half these days! I loved the leisure Chelokababi gifted us. It was a welcome time away from our day-to-day and we enjoyed every single minute. Thank you, Chelokababi, thank you!! (Btw- I already placed you on my raTEAng, and yall are pretty high up on that list already. Wink wink!)
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
Have you ever been driving around the East Bay and notice this big beautiful white building in the hills?! Being from Richmond, we would see it all the time. I would hear about it all the time too. My bio mom worked for this really generous boss and she would get sent on weekend retreats there for spa treatments. She would come back telling us all about the food and the glamour of being there. So, I always viewed it as this ‘untouchable’ place that I would never have any business stepping foot in.
Well, that place is the Claremont. And, I had business to tend to in there!
Check out this view, too!
Yes, this was a new Spot I squished in on the Tour again! Tho the Claremont has been serving afternoon tea for decades, this is the first since the Pandemic that they’ve opened their doors for their seasonal offering. I booked the soonest day we had available. Because we were so starstruck just being INSIDE, we wanted to make sure we looked like we knew what we were doing and were important enough to have a reason to be there!! LOL. We passed by an area we thought Tea would be at, but there was a sign on an easel in the front that said “PRIVATE EVENT”. Yeah, that’s not us! So we kept on walking…
Still walking…and nothing. I approached the Concierge to ask where Afternoon Tea was being held, and she directed us to where that sign was. I reiterated- where it says Private Event?? She responds, “You are the Private Event!” (about to cry emoji) THE SWEETEST!!
Just look-
So luxurious right?! Are you excited?? I’m excited to tell you!
Organic Bella Coola Punch (A warming sip for cold winter nights with notes of creamy orange & pineapple) – Very tart, with a slight cream undertone…a punch for sure!
Ontario Icewine (Smooth and silky with light Riesling and berry notes) – I’ve had an icewine before that I really liked. But what caught my attention was the Riesling part! I used to love me some Riesling. My favorites were Pacific Rim and Chateau Ste Michelle… Anyway, I chose good!
There were too many good shots of this tier, I couldn’t choose just one! So enjoy all three!
Our server beautifully explained each carefully prepared piece. Everything was made in-house. From the bread, to that amazing honey. From the looks alone, you could tell attention to detail was important to them. The bottom tier of sweets had desserts themed from all over the world! I loved that part.
Sweet Potato Cheddar Biscuit (Apple Spiced Butter, Claremont Gold Honey) – I’m not really a fan of cheddar, but I had an open mind when trying this one. I put it all together with its designated fixings. Man oh man!! That thing was incredible! The combination was so complex, I didn’t even know how to describe it!? It became my favorite, fast. And I think it was all because of that honey!!
Cranberry Orange Scone (Blood Orange Preserve, Devonshire Cream) – Ugh, the crispiest edges! Again with the complex. The texture was on point sure, but the flavors were so so good together.
Truffled Egg Salad (Chive, Pain au Lait) – Speechless. I’m learning I really like egg and truffle together!
Honeynut Squash Tartine (Whipped Burrata, Toasted Hazelnuts, Smoked Honey) – There was quite a bite to the squash that was unexpected…thought it was gonna be more mushy, but I welcomed it! The herby flavor gave it much depth.
Smoked Mary’s Chicken Salad (Blistered Grapes, Compressed Celery, Croissant) – That meat was so tender!! Love the grapes, and lots of celery yay! It’s kinda like the chicken salad I make for the kids at home, but a much elevated version of course haha. Just saying that I loved the simplicity of it…especially because it’s like the version I like! Didn’t realize til I was typing it out now, that that was croissant bread!? Um, yum! When I got to the crust part of it, I was so happy about the bread! It’s a good bread.
Lobster Roll (Fermented Chili, Shaved Fennel, Brioche) – Loooved the crunch of that fennel so much! There was a little tiny aftertaste of spice from the lobster, that was nice. It was a little too much bread for me. I would’ve liked more lobster filling for a better ratio.
Shaved Prime Rib (Horseradish Aioli, Mizuna, Chive Parker House Roll) – With all that green poking out, I already knew I was gonna like this one. Didn’t know it was mizuna, but it so closely resembled arugula and the arugula-lover that I am appreciated that so much! The rib was so thinly sliced, rare, and buttery. Made for an easy bite, score points.
There was so much to try in this tea service, and everything was so hearty! It was a nice + welcome change from some services that have the tiniest mouthfuls of things. I took another bite or two of my sandwiches before I moved on to the sweets.
Citrus Cheesecake – Subtle cheese flavor, nice crust, the rind was fun to chew.
Matcha Cake – Very moist cake. That jello center was an interesting surprise. The matcha flavor was really mild.
Chocolate Hazelnut Financier – Sooo chewy! For the bottom and corners of this, think of brownie texture. I loved that part of this sweet so much. And it wasn’t rich at all.
Vanilla Panna Cotta – Since panna cotta is my all-time favorite kind of dessert, I always get excited when I see it on a menu. I wish I would’ve gotten to this sooner, cuz it was melty by the time I had it. Still good flavor, and the raspberry made it better.
Macarons – Our server didn’t know what flavors these were… My best guess would be pistachio and birthday cake. Either way, they were very good! I said I coulda had the whole bottom tier just be these macarons and woulda been fine with that!
The service here was very noteworthy. Everyone treated us with so much kindness. Our server had been in the hospitality industry for some time and you could tell. He was informative about the building and history of the hotel and had a nice conversation with us at the end of our meal. That alone will change my whole tone of my review. If you serve me a step above mediocre food BUT THEN show me some genuine personal interest on top of that, you just raised my experience.
I’m so glad we got to have tea here. Being able to say I went inside the Claremont was worth it alone! The amount of food they present is definitely the value for what you’re paying. As high class of an establishment, no one makes you feel like you don’t belong there. At the end of our party, we were met with the most STUNNING Bay Area sunset. I kinda went crazy with my shots between the DSLR and iPhone! Here’s just a couple… Enjoy!
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
Did yall know there are FORTY-TWO places to have Afternoon Tea around the greater Bay area!!?! We did. Hahaha! Yes, it has been another 6 Spots yall! For our new Readers: After every 6 visited Tea Spots, I put together a rating from They have no business serving afternoon tea to Why haven’t I been going here all along!! You guys LOVE these posts and show us so much love when I do em. Hope this helps you save some time + money for your next Tea Party!
42. iChina Restaurant, Santa Clara – Unsanitary tea spouts…need I say more?
7. Dartealing Lounge, San Francisco – Best sandwiches and cutest ambiance.
6. 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).
5. Four Seasons, Palo Alto – Really good everything and you’ll want to come back already by the end of your meal.
4. Malaya Tea Room, Alameda – New go-to spot with exemplary finger sandwiches.
3. The English Rosa 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, 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.
So- how many have you tried from this list?? How many do you have yet to try?! We wanna know all the deats!! Share your stories in the comments! The good, the bad, the never again haha! We love putting this list together for you all. Over the years doing this Tour, I have made some pretty cool relationships with some of these tea house + tea room owners. I get so excited when I’m able to tell them you’re coming after reading this Blog!! Thank you for all your messages + DMs, I appreciate you. Thank you for keeping this Blog alive! Thank you for letting me write as my job. Love yall.
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
If this tea room’s name looks familiar, it’s cuz we’ve visited them before…but in the City! Crown & Crumpet has been around for a long time!! Their first location was in Ghirardelli, that’s when my love affair with them started. Who remembers the story about the facebook pictures and my bedridden pregnancy!? Ahh, huh, ah-ha! So, our very first Spot on the Tour in 2014 was their next location (btw the Ghirardelli one closed) in Japantown. That’s when I met their cheeky owner, love her. Read about that visit here. When I opened the Tour again and started our 3rd Leg, she invited us to visit their Ross location. Of course we would!
Now it’s got its own Spot Number and Review, because they’re different! Just like Lovey’s is different from Lovejoy’s…
I didn’t get too much of the interior (1) cuz there were people eating in there, and (2) cuz I was already busy talking with the owner when we got there! But here’s a pic or two…
We had a bit of a drive to get there…a little over an hour. And it was such a rainy day. But we were still thrilled to have this adventure scheduled! In April of this year, I was so honored to be invited to a friend’s first time to C&C’s place in San Francisco. She had always wanted to go, and I had the privilege of attending with her. Since C&C was her JAM, I invited her to this tea party too! We took another cutie friend, and the 2 coolest gramma’s you will ever meet!! (too young to be my gramma’s, but happy to have them as friends!) I felt so flattered that they agreed to spend the afternoon with me. Just the ride over was already fantastic! Nothing like passing San Quentin and being in Pac’s hometown of Marin hehe. So. Many. Inside jokes… Such a cute little town, Ross is. We woulda loved to spend more time perusing the boutique shops around their main street feel!
When she walked us to the back to our table and it was OUTSIDE- (the ‘I can’t handle this’ emoji) let’s all say it together: “I love eating outside!!!” Since I don’t look at social media or websites too much before visits, I either didn’t know or had forgotten that they had an outdoor option. Even their tents were so cute with window details! They helped us feel so comfy back there. We had cozy blankets, heaters on (that later we even turned off), and even (guys) purse holders were offered! This elevated the experience for me already.
After we got settled in, we all took turns selecting our teas. Here’s what we ordered at our table: Alice Drink Me Tea (raspberry, white peach, strawberry black), Pretty in Pink (strawberry vanilla herbal), Earl Grey (bergamot black), Swamp Water (tropical rooibos), and my pick Lychee Congou (special reserve black). Everyone absolutely loved their choices! Especially my friend who ordered their Alice blend, she even purchased some on our way out. My Lychee was soo good (yall know I love me a lychee tea), it was like lychee but also creamy!? Happy they were happy!!
We’re sitting there enjoying our teas and the rain really starts pouring. Ugh, it was BEAUTUFUL. Hearing the pitter-patter of each of those chunky raindrops hit the canopy we were under… While sipping our hot drinks… I could’ve stayed under there forever. I JUST LOVED IT!!
I’m always saying this but I never do it… I need to record them when they’re explaining what’s on the tiers, especially when each item isn’t listed in detail on their menus! I legit got quiet when they were sharing with the table next to us, and told all my friends to ear hustle so we could get the deats again! Haha! I have some official names aand some I made up…hehe.
I always go for my Crumpet first. And they bring it out warm, so come on! Theirs is perfect, lemme just say that right here. It might not look like much in the picture…but I can assure you, each of those crannies are filled with buttery goodness. The edges are crispy, the middle is chewy. And their fixings aren’t pictured here, but they lovingly gave us EACH our own to use and (ugh I wanna cry) their clotted cream and house-made lemon curd + jam = gold standard, period.
Cucumber Sandwich – Okay so, their cucumber is a bit soggy. Yes, I admit. However. I love me some chewy soggy bread thooo!! This one almost melts in your mouth AND they put something a little different in theirs!? Like, I kinda tasted dill…but…it could be something different, I don’t know. It’s one of those tastes that make you go hmm.
Egg Salad on Croissant – You can see it in there, I know you can. There’s a big chunck of GREEN ONION. Right there! There! (whiny emoji) If you’re a longtime reader of this blog (thanks for still being here, love ya for that), you’ll know I hate me some green onions. (green nauseated emoji) Can’t stand em, won’t eat em, can’t do em. When I’m watching a cooking show with the Huz and they add that scallion business on anything, I have to obnoxiously + verbally take my stand on my hatred. BUT. I don’t know if I was feeling brave or didn’t wanna bother with the removal project… (takes a deep breath) I just freely took my bites out that sandwich. And you know what. I loved it. There, I said it.
Coronation Chicken Sandwich (lightly curried chicken with apricots, almonds, green onions & mango chutney) – Their menu says “lightly” but that didn’t taste ‘lightly’ to me. That joint was FULL of curry flavor. I’ve had a number of curry chicken sandwiches on this Tour in the last almost 10 years, and my friends, that is one SLAMMIN chicken curry sandwich!! (three clapping emojis) I couldn’t get enough. I woulda eaten a whole loaf mmkay, of those things!
Sausage Savory – This may not look like much (I know I said that already about something else huh), but don’t let this tiny bite fool you. It packs a smoky punch boyy!
Brie Tart – That’s a sturdy pastry!! Made this savory so much more fun, that crumbly crunch. The brie and jelly were a match made for each other! So yum.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry – Always a happy-maker. I could eat these all day!
Cinnamon Cake – Dense bread, subtle spice.
Lavendar Rosemary Shortbread – Crispy cookie, light flavor, the sugar crystals gave exciting texture!
Apricot Bar – I wanted a whole 9 by 13 of this!! I savored every morsel. Not too sweet, great textures (with the crunchy bottom, gooey center + crumbly topping). Absolutely delicious!
Cranberry (I think) Scone – And last but not least! Just a really good standard scone. Fluffy, nice flavor. Couldn’t say anything bad about it if I tried!
Honestly, I breezed through my pictures + notes! Even forgot to post on Threads for my ‘Real Time Thoughts’ hahah. (I mean, I did post…but not as well as I could’ve) I was just thoroughly enjoying myself with my guests, I wanted to join in on all that laughter that was being had!! The owner of C&C (as I’m sure I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts + social media) is just such a riot, she always hosts us to such a good time. And as I told her verbatim, “I could never say anything bad about this place.” They know what they’re doing with tea and they do an exceptional job with it all. We browsed around their shop next door, met their sweet Shop Girl! Used the bathroom one last time before our long drive home, and took photos with their Queen cut-out on the wall hehe. Can’t wait to come back here! If yall find yourselves out that way, please stop by and have some Tea at the Crown & Crumpet. You won’t be sorry you did!
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
Since I decided to monetize this Blog and make it worth my while (even tho the pure satisfaction of writing is totally enough for me), it’s been fun feeling so official and putting a little more pep in my step with these Spot Visits + blog posts. And if you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know I was recently dubbed “Queen of Tea in the Bay Area” hehe. Thank you, thank you! (bowing)
This passed weekend was a FULL weekend of work. Sharing more of each event on our Instagram account, so follow us there if you’re not already! Friday afternoon, I took the Huz on a date to try the Four Seasons new tea service menu. Every bite was more stunning + satisfying than the next. And I am thoroughly convinced that I am the biggest fan of Vanilla Oil and Truffle Honey. Um, YUUUUM. My standout favorites were their Smoked Salmon Crostini, Matcha Green Tea Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Macaron. Service is always amazing there. We did a 4:45p reservation, and had the whole place to ourselves!! So it was nice + quiet. I think we did that last time…missed the crowd, on purpose. For a new hotel afternoon tea service, the Four Seasons sure does know what they’re doing over there.
The following morning, we got ready and headed into the City. The SF Tea Fest was in town yall! OF COURSE, parTEA with me was gonna be in the house!! It was so great learning about new brands and meeting the owners behind them. The best sips I had were from Sips Global Teas Butterscotch black tea, Justea‘s Cream Earl Grey, Saku Tea Superfood Latte Blends Vanilla Maple Jade and Ruby Cocoa, and Sporgy Mushrooms Mush Love Tea Cafe and Awaken. Check them out! We thought it was funny or interesting that the longest line there was for Harney & Sons. Don’t get me wrong, love the brand. I have their tea tins all over my room holding all my stationary supplies. (meaning I’ve had a ton of Harney in my day) But like- you could get that at Target yall. Jus sayin… The Huz goes, “That just shows you the extent of people’s knowledge in tea.” He’s not wrong.
While my weekend was packed, it felt so good to be in the Tea Community. We are in the thick of the Tour now (sweat bead emoji)! Tho I keep finding new places to visit and it keeps getting extended!! No complaints here, happy to do it. For myself, for all my guests, and for all yall! Grateful for views, grateful for Subscribers (have you entered your email yet??), grateful for Donators. Thank you for allowing me to do something that brings me so much joy and is good for my nervous system haha.
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
(clears throat) Okay, let me explain about the out of order numbers again… The Tea Spot that was scheduled to be visited in October was actually visited in August (Jade Chocolates) becauuuse I didn’t want to miss their Hawaiian-themed tea service (and they change themes often). Then, I was supposed to take a month off in October just to have a breather…which turned out to be timely, since my Mom passed away end of Sept. HOWeverr, this Spot just started offering Afternoon Tea AND I like to try it out as early as possible for you guys sooo- here we are! Squeezed this one in on the Tour before our 38th to-be-visited Spot scheduled for November, which is WHY it’s our 39th. (exhale)
If I can go back to my roots for a moment and be extremely Bay Area– it was HELLA loud in there. This was our first time in that bakery. It had been bookmarked in my Yelp to try, just never made it yet. So I was excited to kill two birds with one stone, and check this off while trying their tea service. But yeah, the sheer level of volume initially turned me off. Tho, I remained optimistic!
So- they offer loose AND bag. One pot to share, and they brought it to us not ready yet. (rolling eyes emoji) We chose their Jardin Bleu. No descriptions on the menu, they just told us “vanilla”. Ohhkaay… Thankfully, of the minimal choices on their menu, we both were interested in that one. We like a dark steep, so we let a good amount of time go before our first pours. But even then, it was still light. The vanilla was there, and maybe a berry aftertaste…? In the middle of our service, anticipating that it was gonna be better (having over-steeped by now), it was still just okay. And you are not allowed to change your tea blend.
Our tier came and as he was explaining everything, I already off the bat didn’t like that there’s not 2 of everything and you have to share some tiny items.
Plain Scones with jam and clotted cream – nice flavor but too crispy for me, more like a biscuit, you cut it and it crumbles; menu says “clotted cream” but I don’t know what that was
Egg Sandwich – it was good, could use salt, I like the soft boil, almost like a cold wet scramble
Prosciutto Sandwich – grill is nice, not every bite has prosciutto, I don’t know what else to say; the Huz said “it’s a decent grilled cheese”
Lemon Mint Pot de Creme – the mint made it taste dirty, “earthy”, very very faint lemon flavor, I do like the custard consistency a lot; thankfully my date was who I married, cuz we were forced to share this pot if we both wanted to try it
Chocolate Pot de Creme – this one taste worse, not creamy, almost eggy, curdled! I changed my mind! (when I saw there were one each of the pots, I said he could have the lemon cuz I’m not a lemon dessert person); he says “…and don’t serve it to me in plastic!” Hahah! Said it had a jell-o shot feel
Mini Madeleine dipped in Chocolate – honestly forgot to make a note… these were so cute + little, but nothing special, they are as big as your kid’s pinky finger and YES we cut each in half so we could both try
Matcha Tiramisu – tastes like shampoo
Matcha Truffle – I got a big dose of powder to tongue! I had made a sour face just as our server came to check on us!
Dark Chocolate Truffle – very nice, but nothing fantastic about it, reminded me of Trader Joe’s one (in that square red box)
Strawberry Pistachio Choux – here’s how our conversation went about this one…
Me: “What does that taste like, DIRT?”
Him: “Yeah.”
“Like they didn’t clean the pistachio.”
(3 crying laughing emjois)
It was way too much filling, tho I liked the pastry a lot
Rose Mousse – how do you eat it, you can’t pick it up, I had to bite down on the paper it was sitting on and scrape it off with my teeth, not cute, I thought that clear disc was hard candy but it was like chicken cartilage!!
Special Tart – I’m sure there was an official name for this one, but I didn’t hear him. I know for sure it was lilikoi. After setting down our tier and saying there was something else he was bringing out for us “to share”… After seeing all those sweets, I was hoping it was gonna be like a huge ham sandwich!! I usually like passion fruit stuff, but I didn’t like this. Didn’t like the coconut, and I don’t know why it reminded me of baby food.
Listen, the staff was very nice. Good service, sure. But this WASN’T IT for me guys!! I didn’t like that it was 500 sweet things to only TWO savories. The atmosphere wasn’t tea party vibes! The Huz goes: “I’m still trying to understand the aesthetic of how this fits into afternoon tea.” He was saying it would have been nice for a Bakery to put out more baked goods; “use your storefront to catapult this,” he says. And I agree! I think the focus was too much on the shock factor and what it looked like…as opposed to taste and flavor. We left there HUNGRY. Didn’t take the leftovers either. No joke- we stopped by McDonald’s on the way home and enjoyed some double-double’s!! And I wouldn’t normally nitpick on this, but there was just too much not to say something- if you want us to take you seriously as an Afternoon Tea Spot, REPRINT YOUR MENUS. I counted way too many typos. It’s not “darjeenling” for goodness sake!
You know how people say “Not everyone needs to have a podcast”? Well, not everyone needs to offer Afternoon Tea.
This was the first of 5 Tea things we have coming in the next 4 weeks!! EXCITING! So if you’re not already, please take a moment to enter your email below to subscribe so you can get all Blog Posts we share. Follow us on Threads too, cuz we post real time thoughts from all our Tea Adventures! We appreciate any donations that you are moved to contribute as well. See you here soon!
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
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Hi TEAcups! (when we were operating our old tea company, we used to call our Supporters “TEAcups” hehe)
It’s been a fun-filled + PACKED first half of the Tour already!! Lots of squeezing in last-minute visits and a good amount of off-tour tea visits as well! (sweat bead emoji) You know how I do- I will try to fit it in and be the first to review these places so you don’t have to. So in true parTEA with me form, I have managed to add TWO new Afternoon Tea Spots to visit on this Leg!!! Stay tuned for those!
And I know I sound like a broken record (but I don’t care)… Just wanted to thank all of you for continuing to come back and read about all these new Afternoon Tea Spots, and even reading about the old ones! I see each + every view, and I love looking at all the different countries you all are from! Introduce yourself, leave where you’re reading our Blog at in the comments!! I would love to know! And to those who have, who are, and who will donate– ugh, you guys. You guys help make this possible so so much!!! There is such an appreciation I have for you…there aren’t words invented yet to explain just how much. (100 emoji) Soo, follow us on all the things! I post differently on each one, so our content will keep you on your toes! I’m rambling now, so I better finish this post! Talk to yall soon!!
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
The 3rd Leg of our Tour was already fully booked: 8 new Spots and 6 Revisits. Would take us a little over a year to finish, if we visited one a month like usual. With the addition of iChina and the surprise of Four Seasons, we had/have a lot of Afternoon Tea!
Then.
What’s this?
What do we have here??
Tea…but ON A TRAIN!!?!
You better believe I was going. And you better believe I called my OG’s. And you better believe they were in. And you better believe we booked on that day!! Hehe. So for 3 long months, we waited patiently, until it was our turn to experience the:
The little over an hour drive it took us to get out there was not bad at all (especially if you’re spending it with your girls you haven’t hung out with in a while, lots of catching up). When you arrive, there’s this huge waiting room. Lots + lots of seating with cute patterned upholstery, some pub tables, a little bar (the girls had mimosas), a picture taking area, aaand (my favorite) a gift shop! We checked in, then only had to wait a little over half an hour before boarding. We perused the store, took some selfies, attempted a TikTok video for our girl (Mariposa’s hand!), and used the bathroom. Talked about how we felt overdressed cuz we weren’t seeing anyone else in dresses (oh yeah, I wore a DRESS you guys!!), then started seeing some dresses then felt better, then started seeing some SPECTACULAR ensembles then felt underdressed and like we weren’t representing our true-selves in these floral dresses (where are my Tims?!)…HAHAHA! We funny huh. Finally heard our letter being called and excitedly exited toward the train!
There’s a short wait where we stand amongst dozens of decorated locks. Just like they do in Paris, visitors bring love locks and attach them to the fence. An adorable sight! And right before you get to the train, there’s a professional photographer who will take your party’s photo like they do for you on cruises. Okay, now to the track!!
Before I left, my husband asked me what I was most looking forward to on this Day Trip. I took a moment to think before I answered, then replied “the decor!” Just like I answered when the girls from Talk Tea To Me Podcast asked why I fell in love with afternoon tea on the episode where they interviewed me. My love for art and interior design makes me anticipate + appreciate my surroundings when I’m at Tea. And really, I would do a disservice trying to explain with words what a stunning environment we got to be in!
At our setting, we are greeted with a Chandon Garden Spritz. After all, this tea service is in collaboration with Chandon!
[taken by Kika]
The tea comes on a little cart, like they do in airplanes! We had 4 choices: Yunnan Black, Earl Grey, Chamomile, and Rooibos. And they came around with their cart quite a few times during our trip to refresh our cups and try new flavors. I tried all but their cham (didn’t wanna get sleepy). They weren’t bad teas. I think they kept the bags in those thermoses cuz they were heavily steeped. But I wasn’t complaining cuz I like a dark brew anyhow.
I added another shot that I took on my phone. We were having so much fun taking pics of everything! And I love how you can see the vibration ring in my cup!! (like in Jurassic Park!) Oh about that- I was a bit concerned at how bumpy the ride was going to be. It had been over 20 years since I’ve been on a train. Last time was during my honeymoon, when we took a train to Reno, NV! But it was not bad at all!! Almost kind of therapeutic, I think. It was a slow enough pace where you can enjoy the outside scenery. And we all got a kick of how sweet passersby were waving at us! (feeling loved emoji)
After teas, they set us up with Chef’s Seasonally Inspired Soup. Today’s choice was a tomato. Had a nice tang, really fun texture, and I felt like it had a touch of nutmeg or cinnamon in the back there. Of the handful of shots I took, this was the best one that came out! I forgot to use the ‘sport’ setting on my camera, and the shake of the ride took away from some of my captures.
After that, an Heirloom Beet Salad (local goat cheese, frisée, pistachios, citrus vinaigrette) was presented. My mouth just watered, typing all that out. Oh the table loved this one! It was lightly dressed, the beets were PERFECTLY roasted (and I looove heirloom things, don’t you!?), and the goat cheese was gorgeous. P.S. I am a beet freak, so I was like making out with this salad!! I finished every leaf. And I don’t usually do that at tea services…jus sayin.
Here came the tier! Yay! (I’m cracking up cuz we were in kind of tight quarters AND I was in the inside part of the booth, so there wasn’t really much room for me to get up to get the right angle for the tower shot. I don’t like putting my friends’ faces in my posts, so my sweet girls turned their backs aaand this one was actually the best of it I got! Haha. They’re so cute huh?!)
I didn’t have time to think about a strategy on how to eat my savories (I usually go cucumber first) cuz I was just so in the moment (and a bit distracted), so I went from the top down. And it went well!
Lobster Vol-au-Vent – …aaand thenn I had thissss. I wish I would’ve saved it for last. That thing stayed in my hand the whole time. No putting it down on my plate to get a sip of tea… I had all 3 bites, consecutively. Ohmygosh it was so good!! Lemony, crispy fluffy pastry, good ratio of filling to bread, had a nice welcome peppery aftertaste. I can remember the spongey stringy lobster goodness as I write this!
Radish & Creme Fraiche – Bouncy pastry, light airy cream, nice radish crunch, pleasant tang, salty. That was a lot of cream. And even tho it sorta melted in your mouth, that was a lot of cream! I felt like we all at some point had cream mustaches, cuz (you guessed it) that was a lot of cream. I have to say tho, the salty taste afterwards- even tho you were like ‘what is this, why’, it made you go back for more to try + understand it again! Well played Wine Train, well played.
Cucumber & Dill – Oh there you are cucumber! I don’t know, the cream in this was frothy…!? Remember Monica and Mockolate? “Just waiting for it to stop bubbling!” That’s what that cream or cheese made me think of. I didn’t care for it. The cucumber was a little soggy, and the bread was like mushy. I still finished it, but like, begrudgingly.
Roast Beef, Horseradish, White Cheddar – I didn’t like this one that much either!? It had nice thick pieces of beef. But not a huge fan of the cheese.
Smoke Salmon & Fine Herb Cream Cheese – Nice amount of cheese to salmon. Didn’t like the caviar. I felt like there was something in their cheese other than dill…but I couldn’t make it out. Like a celery seed or fennel or something, I don’t know. I asked my girl (Rizitos who is a great cook) if she could figure it out, and she said she just tasted the dill…
I was so ready for dessert! (clapping hands) Five yummy sweet things, a nice variety + selection. There was also a fruit + cheese tier, but I didn’t get a picture of it.
Lemon Tart (there weren’t official names to the treats, so these are my generic labels for them) – Again, I didn’t know it then but I figured it out after, I ate the best thing first! MMM! WOW. Crunchiest pastry, resemblant of cheesecake crust. Light lemon, not overpowering, so smooth + delicate. And it had a fun aftertaste. I took bites of everything else after I tried this one…then went back to it, and demolished it. (and I never usually finish my sweets)
Pumpkin Scone – This was so light! It was soft inside, but the glaze was crunchy. As a pumpkin-lover, this was nice to see on the menu.
Almond Cake – Bland for me. Light cake. Only had a bite.
Chocolate Chip Cookie – This wasn’t just any chocolate chip cookie. This was like thee perfect chocolate chip cookie. Big chunks of chocolate, nice dense bite, chewiest chew, flakey salt. (drooling)
We had a spectacular time. The service was AMAZING. We fortunately were sat right by the service station, so it was convenient if we needed anything. Our Server was so kind and so efficient. She even made me a makeshift cover for the rest of my tomato soup I wanted to take home. The ride was lovely. Comfortable. Clean. Even the bathroom was really cute! Oh and the music was poppin! All those songs that are your jam, that you haven’t heard in forever…yeah, they played them. Happy I went. Happy my OG Girls were with me. The price was the most I’ve paid for Afternoon Tea (well you’re not just getting the tea, but a whole experience too), and it was well worth it. I would definitely do this again. I would take the Huz, I would take the kids. I would pay just to have those lobster things + lemons tarts only!! We made sure to pick up our cruise photo, so we had a souvenir for this beautiful day. I think they’re still offering this Afternoon Tea for the month of October…but I would def keep checking back in to see when they’re gonna do this again cuz you have to go!
Here are a few really cool shots from our friend Kika, who was hot on the phone pics! (a-ok emoji) I just love the one she did of the tower with our friend Mariposa in the background!
A DEDICATION
So like I mentioned, this trip was booked 3 months in advance. What I didn’t know when I booked it, was that my Mom was going to lose her 8+ year battle with cancer just 4 days before our scheduled departure. I was so broken, numb, confused, lost. But I felt like I had to keep it together until our Day Trip. Those 4 days following her death, I behaved as normal as possible. I went about my days of homeschooling and laundry. Even when I went to go spend time with my brothers, I didn’t cry. I stayed away from my phone. Didn’t reply to messages, didn’t get on social media. I had to work! Then after work, I could crumble. That was my mentality. Strange I know, but like they say: people deal with grief in different ways.
I met with my girls that day. Spent the ride over, the train ride, and the ride back just enjoying their company and my tea time. I didn’t say a word about Mom. No one knew that as soon as I took that last photo + typed out my last note and declared “Okay I’m finished with work!” that my shoulders suddenly felt so heavy. That the whole drive home I was continuing to swallow that hard lump in your throat that serves as a signal from your body that you need to cry. And the Academy Award goes to… I hate liars. But I had to put my best face on, otherwise I would lose it and never come out of it. And I didn’t want the day to be about that. So I kept my cool.
The following day some good friends of ours took the kids, and my husband took me out. I requested Barnes & Noble. I could peruse those aisles + shelves all day long. I love reading Memoirs (I just started “Spare”), so I browsed for more to add to my TBR pile. I used to collect magazines, so I love looking at those too. After that, we got some comfort food at the Hofbrau. Turkey dinner, of course. I love their sticky stuffing, with lots + LOTS of their brown gravy. Cranberry, a must. For something sweet, he took me to Happy Donuts. A 24-hour donut shop we’ve never tried before. We were moaning, it was so good. Then he said he knew exactly where to take me. My 2nd favorite store: HomeGoods!! (my 1st is World Market) We had fun shopping for miscellaneous items, like a pasta container and new salt + pepper pots cuz one of the lids broke on ours. It was nice to forget for a little bit…
To forget the aching pain that the closest person to me was now gone. We talked every day. She was the only mother I knew.
When I was born, I was abused by my biological mother. Unfortunately, I even have home videos to prove it. I became a rape victim by the time I was 5. This continued for 8 more years. When I got up the courage to tell my bio mom, she didn’t listen. I was sexually assaulted 2 more times by 2 other different people, one when I was 19 and one in the spring of 2019. So this is my trauma, this is the baggage I carry. I didn’t find out that I was being abused by a narcissistic mother until I was 37-years-old. I subsequently entered trauma recovery in September 2018. That was also the last time I had contact with her.
Sometime in 2007 – I met Veronica. She moved from Oakland to our area, with her husband and two boys (my brothers). I was always fond of her, she just intrigued me. We both worked for school districts, and she would often ask me for advice on some things.
November 2011 – My first hosted Tea Party, she was invited.
April 2015 – She was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.
October 2017 – She wrote me a card. I decided to write her back, since I wasn’t seeing her much anymore (because she was having chemo treatments). We became pen pals. We would write back + forth, snail mail. Sometimes her boys or the Huz would be our messengers. We continued writing each other and I filled a 2-inch 3-ring binder full of letters from her. We eventually went to email, during Pandemic I think.
August 2018 – She joined the Tea House Tour and attended Sip Tea Room with us.
Sometime later – She adopted me and became Mommie. To my kids, she became GrandMommie.
She was there for everything. I could ask her for advice. She mothered me when I needed mothering. She had so much wisdom and carried herself with such integrity to God. She was my biggest supporter. NO MATTER WHAT I was doing, she would be the first in line, the front row seat. When I made + sold art- she didn’t just buy one, she bought many. When I published my book- even tho she already had a pre-released copy, she still bought an official hard copy. When I made + sold tea- she didn’t just buy a box, she’d spend $200 at a time. And then make little packages and send them out to friends + relatives.
She loved my kids. The best Grandmother any child could ever ask for. The only one they’d really ever known. When she did Grandmother things for them, they were confused. I had to explain that that’s what a grandmother did or that that’s how a grandmother loved. Like when she would give them money every time they saw her. They didn’t get that that’s the kinda thing grandparents just do. They never had positive experiences with their biological grandmothers…
She called my husband for every need around the house. He was always there. Happily helping out with odd jobs, building furniture, doing handyman things. He has a small handyman company, and she was his biggest client! Soon, our son would join and they were building stuff for her together. She claimed the nickname Chatty Cathy, and would call me when my husband left her house to apologize that she’d kept him there for some time. He loved listening to her stories. It never bothered either of us, the time he spent there with her. He appreciated her Momma-lovin too!
I feel like I had to describe my childhood real quick first, so you could understand the depth of what this woman did for me. For our kids. For our family. She filled a void I never even knew I was looking for. I was so happy just having someone to ask me about my day, to listen about hers. The simplest + silliest thing- when I was over and she was opening something, I was THEE HAPPIEST girl taking the trash from her and throwing it out for her. Like, I felt so good to have a mom to do that for. Trash, yall. TRASH!! I would talk about her at every opportunity. People who know me, know this well.
One of her absolute favorite things to do was buy us things. Now, I was always shy and at first didn’t accept. But I soon realized what a joy this was for her, then started allowing it. She loved to buy my daughter + I dresses. So every time I would wear one she got, I always ALWAYS had to share that it was from her. “Oh thank you, Mommie got it for me!” She’s bought us cute flats + blazers/cardigans to wear for the complete outfit too. One time, she bought her + I matching dresses. We were so happy to wear them together. She’s bought all 4 of us winter coats. For our anniversary, she bought my husband + I each our own preferred-style comforters. She has even bought me underwear, she’s so cute.
Another thing she absolutely loved to do was keep photos. She had like over a thousand stored in her phone! I included her in every aspect of my life. So when a photo was taken, you better believe I sent it to her. Then she would send random ones back to me, at random times. Like- photos of my kids, then tell me what a good mother I was. Photos of my grandmother, to remind me that we had a solid relationship. She also sent me baby photos of her boys and other loved ones. When you went to her house, photos I sent her were printed out and framed!! (oh she was just the cutest for this!)
What I appreciated most about her was how loyal she was and how down for me she was. I had to fight on my own all my life. It felt good to have someone on my side, protecting me. I have never known how not to grieve alone. I never even knew I was like this until she passed. I had a theme with all the people I have lost. I guess since I was never allowed to feel when I was younger, I felt like big feelings had to be done alone. I am learning how to lean on others in her absence. My husband + kids are taking good care of me. These new friends that I have made in the past year have prayed for me, called, sent messages, sent flowers, sent cards, offered support, took the kids. And these are not just what I call “Hallmark responses” like just Aww or I’m sorry for your loss… But actual genuine sentiments!! I am in awe and am overwhelmed by the love + support shown to me and my family. THANK YOU.
In the meantime, I will continue to work on grieving. I haven’t let it out yet. And I don’t know when it will come. My body is certainly feeling it. But my heart hasn’t caught up yet.
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
If you watch The Office, you’ll know exactly where those lines are from! This About The Author blog post is going to be about my qualifications for reviewing Tea Houses + Tea Rooms. One of my pinned posts on Instagram states, “I am not a tea expert or tea connoisseur, I just know what I like and know what I don’t like.” Here’s some history as to how I got there…
WORK HISTORY AND SKILLS
Detective
The first thing you need to know about me and how I got here is about my detective skills. I love the history of things and how they came to be. I’m a logical thinker and I need equations in order to understand something. If it’s not self-explanatory on how it computes, I’m gonna figure it out. I was this way as a teenager, and my skill set just got stronger when I entered trauma recovery. I love to understand people too, I think that’s my favorite. I can smell a red flag from a mile away. People think I don’t know how they’re being or how they’re behaving. I know, I’m just not commenting on it. I’m a silent observer. I also get this from my INFJ-ness, hehe. I will watch reality tv sometimes, just to study the people. Anyway, this is a longwinded explanation for me to say: I dig deep to find our Tea House + Tea Room locations to visit on the Tour. There are A LOT of places in the Bay Area (and just outside) that offer Afternoon Tea that are not highlighted or “viral” or that popular. But you better believe Detective Rose is gonna find them and give them the love and/or attention they deserve! This is why I am always hearing, ‘I never knew there were that many places!?’
Former Tea Company Owner
If you are a longtime follower/subscriber of this Blog, you’ll know that parTEA with me used to be a full-fledged tea company. We were a Tea Line, Direct To Consumer (DTC), Wholesaler, Vendor, and Caterer. There are many qualifications to those roles. One does not just wake up from a nap and decide to become a whole tea company! …or do they? (wink)
If you have noticed, I don’t talk much about this company. I might refer to it briefly, but there are things about it I can’t use or talk about legally. So I don’t, out of respect to my integrity and respect to my old business partner. That’s why this blog and all my socials, have “blog” at the end of them. In case any of you were ever wondering…
What I can say, and for the sake of this post and understanding my qualifications- I made/make tea. I created/create tea blends. For our Catering side of the company, those were MY ideas for tea sandwich recipes that were highly requested by our clientele. So one who comments or reviews or critiques Tea House + Tea Room menus, should have a sense of what is good and what is not. Correct? My old tea company is where I got my sense.
Amateur Photographer
When I was a little girl, my narcissistic bio mom used to dress me to the nines and make me be in photo shoots. Then get massive prints of them and display them everywhere. In school, Art was always my favorite subject. (I could go on a whole tangent about this, but let me try to make the long story short) In the 4th grade, my art piece was selected to be put on display somewhere important. A bit before the pandemic, I accidentally started selling my art. Today, I am a fine art collector. In essence, I have an eye.
Before the Tour started, my husband had gotten into photography. He was learning all about lighting and apertures…shutter speeds, exposures, and focal points oh my! (haha, I’m a nerd I know) So we bought a DSLR. He taught me the very basics, and that’s what I bring with me on the Tour. Now I know I could stand to be more “artsy” in my shots, but most times during Tea- I’m trying to take the quickest photo possible so I could get back to my friends. I take quite a few tho, so I have some to choose from for later. But I also appreciate real life visuals, so that’s what you get on the Blog! I adore the realness of the silverware shoved to the side…or maybe just a corner of the teapot and not in full view. I mean, I won’t be including used napkins or anything like that! But, I love showing real life.
I remember meeting the Calligraphists at our Maison Danel visit. One of them read my card and says, “You’re a Tea House Tourist!? How cool is that!” I replied, “You can make a job out of anything these days huh?!”
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Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a one-time donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a monthly donation! Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much for reading about our Tea House Tour! If you are moved to contribute to our visiting more Tea Spots for you, here’s where you can make a yearly donation! Thank you in advance!
I’m gonna say it right now: “The Patisserie’s are where it’s at!” (100 emoji) I believe this is the 3rd one we’ve visited on the Tour… I haven’t even started with the review, and I’m already thinking about when I can go back!
Cute little spot in a cute little area. Stunning table setting. Welcomed with warmth!
I went with a girlfriend I wanted to get to know and a new friend who’s been with me to Tea before. We were so cute, the 3 of us! One 20’s, one 40’s, and one full of wisdom. We bonded over afternoon tea! They had an EXCELLENT selection of teas, if I do say so myself. It was hard for me to choose one, which is saying a lot! Thankfully, the 3 of us were on the same wavelength so it wasn’t complicated to select our choices.
Paris For Her (floral Parisian green tea blended with rose, raspberry & lychee) – I’ve been to quite a few tea spots that offer a “Paris” tea. It always reminds me of my favorite Harney & Sons Paris tea, and I make the mistake of ordering it only for it to taste so similar. So even tho I saw my beloved ‘lychee’ flavor profile, I tried looking elsewhere on the menu. I saw so many good ones! Thankfully my girls wanted this one too, so I got to have some! So glad I did, cuz this was my favorite of the 3!! Very florally fragrant AND it translated in taste as well! (three clapping emojis) Also, NOT like all the other Parises…
French Garden (a delicate organic tea blend of pear, apple and blackberry leaves) – My OG’s on here know I am all about a pear tea. So glad the ladies were into trying this one too yay! You could smell the pear AND taste the pear! We are 2 for 3 yall.
Tea of Dreams (a delicious oolong tea with flowers and exotic fruits) – So fruity! If you love a fruity tea, this one is for you. So proud + impressed with Miss 20’s cuz there was a point where we mixed up our teapots (there weren’t any labels to distinguish which one was which), but she could tell apart the blends by the color of the pour!? Woah! And she always takes the best pics and was even guiding me on my angles!! LOVE HER. I’m about to hire her as my apprentice! Hehe.
I love how the 3 of us actively got up and moved so we could get our shots of this tier!! Haha! Mrs. Wisdom even moved the sugar packets to another table so they weren’t in the way! (I’m laughing with you Talk Tea To Me Pod!) Everything was neatly arranged so that we each took a column of treats. I hurriedly took my photos and notes cuz these 2 were just so much fun, and I wanted to visit and enjoy!
Quiche – Don’t ask me what kind. They said but I didn’t write it down and it wasn’t written anywhere. My friend suggested I ask, but I was too preoccupied with having the best time that I forgot. I do know that it was good and the pastry was crunchy.
Turkey – So smokey! This one caught me off guard, cuz I wasn’t expecting how good it would be. It was a grilled sandwich, but didn’t scratch your mouth. Bonus points from me.
Crab – That was a dense bread! Not my favorite one. But it tasted so expensive!! Haha.
Egg + Truffle – I wanna cry just looking at this again, cuz I want one right now!! When the tier came, all you could smell was the cloud trail of truffle that followed it. I was afraid my mouth would only be truffle-flavored (you know how it could overpower), so that’s why I saved this one to try at the end of my savories. I learned soon that what I was really doing was saving the best for last!! After my first bite, like- I don’t even know what happened to me!? Could I be so bold as to say this is THEE BEST TEA SANDWICH I have had from the entire Tour!!?! (open mouth shocked emojis) The truffle wasn’t overpowering at all. There was dill or dijon in there or something, that just pulled it all together. But…BUT- that toasted mini lobster roll sandwich bread. UGH. (I can’t emoji) The crunch on it and subsequent melt in your mouth, was just (sigh)…I don’t know, fill-in-blank, cuz I can’t even think of a good enough word to describe it.
Scones – There was a plain aaand (?) another with a kind of fruit…!? (LOL, I know I’m so bad…what kind of Reviewer am I?) I don’t know what my deal is, but I’ve not really been into trying the scones! (cheese smile emoji) I took a bite of each. For YOU GUYS okayyy! Yes, I’m doing my job!! Flakey, not dry.
Panna Cotta with Blood Orange – (happy, I remembered this one!) Of course I was thrilled to try this one. (raises hand) “Hi, I’m Olyve Rose and I am a Panna Cotta-Lover.” A bit more coconutty for me than I like, but still a good one. And that blood orange was a nice touch. Oh but that grape (Well, my friend + I couldn’t decide… She thought it was a cherry, cuz it does look like a cherry. Tho I tasted grape, and thought maybe it was an infused grape… I don’t know!) made it special.
Yellow Sweet (LOL!) – First of all, this photo doesn’t do it justice cuz it was almost like a neon yellow!! Another welcome surprise. The lemon was mild (good cuz I’m not that big of a lemon dessert fan), and it was so light! But, that custard inside. Boyyy!? AMAZING.
Dark Chocolate Sweet – Not too rich. Delicate pastry bottom. Always nice to have some sort of chocolate on the tier!
Cake – We asked them twice what this was called. Couldn’t repeat it, it was in French! I already heard this one was just okay, so by the time I got to it I wasn’t really excited to try it. Wasn’t bad, nice vanilla (I think haha) cake. Moist. (thumbs up)
Macarons – These were Rose Lychee, Lemon, and Passion Fruit. Who can guess which one was my favorite?! Leave your guess in the comments!
Service was very good here. Everyone was so sweet and took care of us well. Even the to-go box that was made for me was beautiful. Like I mentioned on the onset, I already can’t wait to go back. The Huz definitely is interested, so maybe we’ll be back soon! Thank you to the 2 Beauties I had the privilege of hanging out with this afternoon. And our After Party at World Market!! Until our trip to New York! (wink wink)
Yall- I’ve been to FOUR Teas, in the past 3 weeks!! We did our scheduled August Tea on the 19th, fit in our October Tea on the 25th, came here on the 1st, then had a leisure Off-Tour Tea with my brothers on the 2nd. [For anyone checking me on dates… These blog posts are dated on the day I went (so I can remember for future reference). However, it takes me a couple of days after to finish these reviews. So yes, this will be dated on ‘Sept 1’…tho I’m probably gonna publish on the 3rd. Just in case you were confused about me talking about Tea with my brothers on the 2nd… Ay-yay-yay!] There are so many of my friends + fam interested in trying these new places, and I am doing my best to make myself available to take them! Tho it gets pricey, if you can imagine. So I thank my Donators so so so soooo much for helping out!! You make this so much easier on me, and I have so much fun writing for you all! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!! (The donating form is below for those moved to contribute.)
Took the Boys to Malaya btw. Accompanied with the Huz (I love that he loves to go to Tea with me). Of the 30+ places we’ve been, they handpicked Malaya Tea Room in Alameda. They love trying out new foods, and wanted to come see what Afternoon Tea was about with their sister! I was also able to finally meet the owner there. My Brothers thoroughly enjoyed themselves, trying all the sandwiches and teas!! Before I could finish asking them if they’d ever come back, they both agreed! So cute. Even took a box of scones home. The owner took real good care of us. We even got to try 2 other sandwiches that didn’t come with our tea service. Their Sardine and Marmalade sandwiches quickly became favorites for the Huz! I’m tellin yall- visit Malaya if you haven’t already!!
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parTEA with me 