Our 52nd Spot:

The Post Room at Beacon Grand Hotel

450 Powell Street San Francisco, CA 94102

www.beacongrand.com

I love being proved wrong. I’m not one of those girls that always needs to be right! (stick out tongue emoji) I already explained in my last Spot Review that this one had to be rescheduled, which is why we did 53 first and this one is 52. I like to plan my Legs months before it starts. Beacon had been on my radar for a while, tho they were only offering a Christmas Tea. I wanted to see what a standard or general tea service from there was like and just about a year ago, they started serving year-round. Yes! I called in again while I was creating my plans for Leg 4 and was assured they’d be offering their tea service passed the Christmas season. However, when I tried to make reservations to visit in February, I was denied. Their afternoon tea service was paused and would resume in March. Ay-yay-yay! I had to rearrange my entire Tour. It wasn’t just a matter of switching my February Tea to my March Tea…my individual guests’ schedules and a lot more is involved. Anyhow, I worked my magic and fixed everything. But even when March arrived, reservations on their OpenTable page weren’t available yet… I had to call in several times and was given promises of returned phone calls or emails back for confirmation, but received nothing… It was mad annoying. So prior to my arrival, I was already perturbed. Didn’t even feel like bringing my professional camera, so everything is taken on my iPhone 16e. And then. I walk. Into. This:

My attitude immediately diminished. What beauty! My girls + I took a few selfies by the flowers and got excited for what lay ahead.

The 3 of us got sat at this quiet corner. Snug + comfy chairs, delicious views of the place. There was a pianist/singer whose amplified sound decorated the ambiance. She played the best covers and she did em justice!

Upon seating, they bring over a cart of their offered teas. Brilliant display and set up. I especially loved how she brought the samples to you, so not everyone is touching everything and breathing all over everything. An OCDer’s dream!

Black Vanilla Rose (rose petals, rich vanilla and full bodied black tea leaves are perfectly balanced by the subtle sweetness and delicate floral notes of rose petals) – There were so many good ones, from the modest number of teas they offer. But these flavors are all my jam, so of course this one caught my attention. I chose right! Blended perfectly.

The other teas chosen at the table were: Hibiscus Berry Herbal (blend of hibiscus & herbs for a soul searching, mouth watering cup of calorie free, sugar free, and caffeine free heaven), which my friend kept repeating “This tea is wonderful! Did I say that already?!”; and Bourbon Vanilla Rooibos (bourbon vanilla, African red herbal roasted with notes of malt & Madagascar vanilla bean) which our other friend described as ‘homey, nostalgic, and comforting’. Teas were great, to say the least! And always a plus for me during tea services.

Remember “The World’s Most Amazing Vacations Rentals” on Netflix!? I loved that show. While I enjoyed taking a trip with them all over the world, (covering mouth) hehe, my favorite part of each visit were the Arrival Appetizers!! I mean, who wouldn’t? Free food + alcoholic beverages just waiting to greet you?? (raises hand) Yes please!

So once we were settled with our teas and choice of Brut or Rosé Proseccos, they brought us WELCOME Chocolate Covered Strawberries!!?! I loved that!! Nice touch Beacon, well done.

[photo by my girl, we’ll call her “Wife of Filipino” (inside joke) for her blog nickname]

So many luscious colors on this tier!

No individual shots of each item this time, I (as my husband said) “Grove 45‘d it” and just took the fewest amount of pictures possible so I could be present with my friends. Of the couple angles I took, the overhead ones were my fave!

Ube Scone – This was so crunchy! More like a biscuit than a scone, to me. Either way, I slapped some honey butter on that joint and ate it all up! Light ube flavor.

Tomato Mozzarella Scone – I didn’t think I would like this one, cuz I just wasn’t in a tomato frame of mind… But it surprised me! Packed a punch of chewy goodness.

Mixed Berries Streusel Muffin – Give me anything with a streusel! Again, just light flavors here. Still ate it tho!

Egg Salad (lemon aioli, amarosa potato, spinach bread) – The bread was fun. Again, light flavors… Everything was “light” for me. This one wasn’t my favorite, but still a good sandwich. My girl W.o.F. loved this one.

Prosciutto & K&J Orchard Figs (fig jam, goat cheese, pistachio, brioche) – Now we’re talkin! Fig jam – loove! It was a nice + welcome sweetness. Arugula – loooove! Can never have enough of that leaf.

Black Angus New York Strip (horseradish aioli, arugula, white bread) – Thanks to Wife of Filipino for warning us of the strong horseradish with this one. She did not like that. Me, I adore that stuff. I like it when you can’t breathe for a quick second!! HAHA. Appreciated everything about this tea sandwich.

Maine Lobster Roll (brown butter, meyer lemon, house made sweet roll) – The bread on this one was too toasted. Like, I was scared I was gonna cut the roof of my mouth. But the lobster inside were nice big chunks of it, and the sweet relish was unexpected but good.

Coconut Pandan Rice Cake – Loved the bouncy texture, but this tasted like perfume to me.

Passion Fruit Cupcake with Mascarpone – Perfect pastry, didn’t like the cheese…but I will always love the pop of a lilikoi seed!

Coconut Lemon Cake – Nice spongey cake, light flavors.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself here. Once again, happy to be proven wrong! The setting was stunning, the food was very good, and the teas were top notch. But what made this the very best experience was our amazing server (I don’t usually write names here) Tessa!! She showed us a spectacular time and her zest for life was just infectious. The girls I was with, W.o.F. and [I’ll call her] my New York Sweetie, were so much fun too. The conversation never stopped! Thank you ladies, for making it an afternoon to remember. It was a whole 7 weeks since my last Tea, and while I was dragging my feet getting to this one- yall made me remember why I love doing this.

Thank you Readers/Followers/Subscribers/Donators for keeping me here! See you again soon! Visit us on our socials!

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Our 53rd Spot:

The Hidden Tea Room

310 N. California Lodi, CA 95240

www.hiddentearoomlodi.com

[Note: No, I didn’t misnumber. It is our 53rd. Our 52nd was rescheduled. Stay tuned for that…]

Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. It’s really cute in there! And they played really good tranquil music. I actually Shazam’d a few!

You guys already know, I don’t look at any website or socials or menu before I visit a new Spot so I can come with fresh eyes. Had no idea there was a Gift Shop in here too!? I LOVE gift shops!! And so do my 2 girlfriends I brought with me yay! Since we came a bit early, we were able to peruse…and they even walked away with quite a few goodies!

Our table was huge! I felt so far away from my husband (our chauffer hehe) (no but, my girls absolutely love him and he loves them back too)… But it was actually such a good idea, because sometimes at these tea spots there just isn’t enough room for all the tiers, and scone fixings, and teapots. So what a great idea for having all this room!

I could tell from the gift shop and from the names of the teas offered on their menu, that it was mostly (if not all) teas from Harney & Sons. That was okay with me, cuz at least I like that store brand. My girls and Huz got the Bangkok (coconut, ginger, vanilla), Salted Caramel (which we actually have at home…I boil before guests come over for a natural air freshener), and Thai Rooibos (one of my favorite blends from Harney). I ordered their tea of the month which was Cupid’s Cherry Chocolate. Both notes were present, but it was sweetened…and I didn’t like that.

They offer two levels of tea service and one for children. I always get the one with the most stuff, so I can try everything for you guys! Okay so- before I go in on this review, I have to say 2 things. (1) It makes it really really hard to do my job when the customer service is so good AND especially after meeting the owner. And (2) but you know I’m always gonna keep it a hunnid with yall, ALWAYS.

Vanilla Scones – Everyone gets 2 scones, yes! These were really good. Ultra crunchy outside with super chewy fluffy inside. I add all the fixings offered (as per ushe), and ate my whole first one before the tier even came. Never happens! Even my friend who said she’s not a scone person, liked these.

I could already tell when I saw those big-o quiches that this Tea was gonna be just aiight. Don’t forget: I have been doing this for 10+ years and have a seasoned palate. This is not my first rodeo; 52nd to be exact. (yeah I know what I said, labeled “Spot 53” but really our 52nd)

Sundried Tomato Quiche – The egg was so juicy (just how I like), light tomato flavor, seasoned well.

Cucumber Cream Cheese – Far too much cream, barely any cucumber (I mean, you can see from the picture). They were cut so thin, so when you did get a bite in there- it was soggy. (not crunchy, which is how they should be) And the cream cheese had like a tang in it. And not a good kind.

Deviled Ham – We all enjoyed the spice this one had. Buut, that was about it. It was fine.

Chicken Dill – DRY! Shredded breast meat. Too much dill. My girl + I were talking…maybe add some lemon zest in that joint or something!

Listen, I really tried to make it work with these! I even began to emulate my inner Remy (from Ratatouille) and started taking bites of sandwich with different things to make it taste better!! The Cucumber- great with grape. That Ham- amazing with apple. Chicken- take a bite of orange with it, yass. But didn’t finish either and didn’t take home the leftovers.

White Chocolate Chip Blondie, Butter Cookie, White Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon – I only took a bite of each and didn’t want any more of either. Blondies used to be my favorite. I know me a good blondie! That didn’t taste like a blondie. The white chocolate chip was nice. When she said “rose butter cookie”, I expected to have some rose water flavor or something. Nope. Just butter. And bland butter cookie at that. Again, the macaroon was just okay. The white chocolate on the bottom made it palatable.

Despite the below mediocre food (honestly, my kids could have presented a better tea service), I do have to say: the customer service was GREAT. The owner, oh she was lovely! They have been there since 2016 and she’s only owned it for 2 years. These are the times when I have my husband in my ear reminding me that people could use my Tea Consulting if I just started that business already! If the staff at Hidden Tea Room do happen to read this, I hope they take my notes as constructive criticisms and offer better food and tea. They have a good operation there. I didn’t add a picture of their store, cuz I wanted you to experience it for the first time like I did!

And it’s always a good time with those girls, it doesn’t matter what we do or what kind of food we have! They’re like family, so we know how to make it a party!! We enjoyed the almost 2-hour trip out there and almost 2-hour trip back. Even stopped by a coffee shop on the way home and had my very first Dutch Brothers! (shh, don’t tell anyone I had coffee…I know this is a TEA blog!)

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Our 51st Spot:

Grove 45

965 Silverado Trail North Calistoga, CA 94515

www.grove45.com

I took way more pictures of the building and signs and beautifully muraled office…but this entrance with the painted cow and view of the mountains was just so much better!

When I am curating my Tours, sometimes I am researching places to go to and sometimes places just fall into my lap. I always say I should take notes on how I find my Spots, just for personal records. Cuz I also have said I am not willing to give away those secrets! (wink) In any event, I couldn’t even tell you how I found myself booking in Calistoga…because, I forgot!! Hahah. But what are the chances, when scheduling this Leg, that there would be Afternoon Tea being offered in the same exact city that our dear friends just moved to!? Super. Duper. Cool. They had just moved last summer. And even tho the wife and I have been keeping in contact every few weeks or so through Phone Dates, we really haven’t seen them since. So what a treat for the Huz + I to meet them for Tea.

[Disclaimer: Since we were catching up with friends, I was more present with them than pouring myself into my work. I took a few shots/took minimal notes, because I wanted to fully enjoy their company.]

An intimate setting, my favorite. I think I counted maybe 7 or 8 tables. Also, this is an Olive Oil Tasting place! Something completely different, another favorite.

Comfortable seating. Tasteful decor. And something new I’ve never seen before… (honestly, I didn’t mean for that to rhyme!)

At this tea service, they allow you to make your own tea blend!! Whaaat!? An interactive Tea?? What a fun idea! I loved this. And as a Gourmet Tea Boutique Owner, I applauded this activity so much and was so excited for our party! I especially adored that one of the bases were Olive Leaves. It had been on my Tea To-Buy list from 2 different brands, but I just never got to it… I was so happy I finally got to try. I have heard there are so many good benefits too. The other base was Black Tea, another excellent choice. Then they had Orange Peel, Chamomile, Mint, and Cinnamon to create your own personal tea blends. There were fillable tea bags at the table (that they replenished if you wanted more), and they came around and refilled our teapot with fresh hot water often. It was so cute seeing our boys (the chefs) create their special tea recipes!

I went with a plain Olive Leaf only tea. It was very fragrant and had a bold flavor that was unexpected. Enjoyed it! I had every intention of making more blends, but I only had this one cup because I was preoccupied with my delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc! (Thanks again dear friend.) Another new experience I loved. I can’t remember ever having wine with my tea service…? Champagne sure, but wine elevates the entire experience.

Grandmother’s Scones – These are the recipe from one of the sweet girls that works there’s gramma! They came cold and already precut. Something I’m not used to, but devoured just the same! I don’t usually have space to finish my whole scone, but these were the perfect size.

Each of these items were made with one of their extra virgin olive oils and/or balsamic vinegars. I appreciated that it was lightly introduced and not in-your-face. It kept you guessing and wanting more!

Cucumber Sandwich – I love when they make their cucumber sandwich set apart from the rest. When there’s a little something in there that you’re not sure what, but you know it’s good. Nice execution on this one, Grove 45!

Egg Salad Sandwich – For my longtime Readers that knew me as a Green Onion Hater…well, I’ve changed! After having a friend’s incredible potato soup (that had green onions) and exploring the world of Caviar (with chips and [vegan] sour cream and chives/green onions), I have become an official Lover of it. Not just that, but like- can’t get enough!! I know, who am I right? Anyway, their Egg Salad had em and I was the happiest girl! Again, I felt like there may have been a splash of one of their vinegars…cuz the egg mixture was just exquisite. (no, not egguisite)

Curry Chicken Sandwich – I’ve had many curry chicken salad sandwiches touring Tea Spots for the last 10 years. There are ones you love, and ones you don’t love. This one was good! There were crunchy apples in there and juicy grapes, yum.

Winter Harvest Quiche – Don’t let the size of it fool you. This exploded with flavor, quite literally. Like it was so juicy with tender egg and veggies. I think this was a table favorite.

French Onion Crostini – Didn’t even write a note on this one, cuz I ate it so fast. Hehe. If you are a Textures Girl like me, you’ll enjoy this one! So much flavor in it too.

Burnt Orange Caramel Panna Cotta – Okay (whiny face emoji), yall know Panna Cotta is my jam. And how I love a thick one. (crying face emoji) This was the beginning of where I think Grove 45 shines. THIS WAS SO GOOD. A generous amount of caramel, just a hint of that burnt orange. My mouth is watering typing this and remembering it! I would make the drive back there again for this one shot glass of panna cotta, no question.

Chocolate Cherry Balsamic Cookie – They just do their sweets so right!! This little cookie packed such a punch! More please?!

We legit had the absolute best time. The customer service at Grove 45 is outstanding. They took really good care of us and made us feel at home. The food was scrumptious, desserts even better. The attention to detail was not just in appearance, but in flavor. And making your own teas?! So awesome, what a fun experience! My girlfriend and I laughed at the top of our lungs and just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (as per usual, huh sweets?!). Honestly, I think our husbands had an even better time!? Haha. Made me feel good that everyone was so happy to be there. Our friends said it had been about 30 years since they last went to Tea together, and they remembered how much it delighted them. He says (and I asked permission to quote), “My hopes were pretty high, but this is exceeding my hopes.” Nice job, Grove 45!! They already made plans to come back for olive oil tasting…and Tea again, of course! We spent the rest of the afternoon being shown stunning architecture around town and admiring our friends’ breathtaking property. Thank you Calistoga! We love you!

I hope you all try the tea service at Grove 45. It’s usually every 3rd Sunday of the month, so go and make your reservations!

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Our 50th Spot:

Mints & Honey

1524 El Camino Real San Carlos, CA 2024

www.mintsandhoney.com

So, this place was on my radar when I first started the Tour. But as I understood it, it was only an event space then. I tried to ask when they started serving afternoon tea exactly, but I couldn’t get a legit answer from anyone. I scheduled it early in the Leg, since this was on the list a long time ago… This place was also the first on the Tour where they didn’t do reservations. They could just make us some tiers on the fly like that!? I called to confirm, their answer was yes. I made sure our party was small, so we didn’t have to wait a long time to find seats. Originally supposed to be 6, but ended up being 4 of us. Perfect, cuz things were about to get hectic.

As you know, I don’t look at websites or social media accounts before visiting a place. I like to have a clean slate, so everything is fresh when I am reviewing. Needless to say, I was not familiar with how to order when we got there. I should’ve done some homework first tho! That was the MOST CHAOTIC ordering I’ve ever dealt with on this Tour!!

First, you find your own seat. Thankfully, there was a couple that just left an area that seated 4. Waited for that to be wiped up, then claimed our tables.

There are menus by the register. You pick out what you want, order + pay, then take a number to your seat. In terms of their Afternoon Tea Service offering, they have a tea tower for 2. If you want tea, you order that separate. Except, this spot didn’t have tea pots. Ohhkaay… We went up to order and at the register, we didn’t know we had to make quite a few decisions. We sat back down. (Attempt #1)

I guess for these towers, you have the option of either Toast or Waffle bases. She showed us the flavor options. Back at the register and I’m telling her all my choices. But then we find out we need to COMPROMISE (between the two of us) which 4 flavors we want. We sat back down. (Attempt #2)

At the register ooonce agaaain, and now we’re ready! We thought. We come prepared with our shared flavors, aaand- we did it wrong again! Apparently, we chose the TOAST flavors but needed to choose from the WAFFLE flavors if we wanted waffle bases. We quickly figured out what 4 waffle flavors we were going to share while in line (cuz we weren’t about to come up for a FOURTH time), and finally did it right! Then, you choose between a scone or quiche. And when you choose either of those, there are then flavors of THOSE to choose from. [SIGHHH]

When I got to my seat I says to my friends, “I wanna cry!” Man, that was so stressful!! There’s gotta be an easier way! Put specific steps on the menu or don’t have that many choices. It gets worse guys, just wait.

My only cup of tea was already waiting for me while I spent those 45-minutes at the register ordering. The bag was overfilled and it was steeped too long. I chose a Caramelized Pear Tea. There’s a sign up and it’s plastered on their menu that says they proudly serve Art of Tea teas. I know Art of Tea (they serve that at the Four Seasons), and this was not a good representation of how good that brand is.

We seriously didn’t know what to do with ourselves when the tiers (excuse me, Towers) came. I think we sat stunned for a few, before accepting what was in front of us. So, me + my Tower Partner chose waffle bases right. Already having to compromise our 4 flavors, we thought we were going to get TEA FOR TWO!!?! It was Tea for ONE yall. There were 4 waffles, with the 4 flavors, only. That meant: if we wanted to try each of the 4, we had to cut the pre-perforated waffle iron waffle QUARTERS in HALF!!?! This what I had to work with yall-

Go ahead, take your moment. I’ll wait.

I couldn’t even take individual photos of each item (not that I even felt like it), so I got quick pics of each level…

It took me several bites, before I could even take notes on what I was tasting. I chose the waffle base since that was a first for me for afternoon tea. It was a good waffle batter, fluffy + light, almost melts in your mouth.

Prosciutto + Ricotta – My eighth had whipped cream on it, so there’s that. My notes say: “a lot of cream, had lots of cream.” I guess there was a lot of cream… It was a nice start, promising.

Applewood Smoked Salmon – This was good! But again, a lot of the ricotta cream. I scraped most of mine off.

Churro – Lightly scented cinnamon flavor, mostly whipped cream.

Rose + Berry – No rose present. The girls said they could make these at home.

Cranberry Scone – ONE TO SHARE. I took one bite and left it alone after that. Way too crumbly, don’t taste any cranberry, so dry.

The “salad” was not dressed. My girl put some leaves on her plate, then put them right back on the tower haha!

I was excited to hear we were getting Beignets on the tower! Those wasn’t no beignets. Stale donut hole, at best. Barely any glaze. Again, the dryest of the dry.

We had talked about how most French macarons all taste the same…unless they’re really good quality ones. I took a bite of the Chocolate Macaron, and was so surprised. It was good!? It had a nice bite/chew to it, almost brownie like. Best thing on the tier.

The Yogurt Parfait was another pleasant surprise. It was Greek, and the tart was welcome. I did my own Remy Ratatouille situation and had a bite of macaron + bite of yogurt together to end my meal.

Before we were even done eating, the overpowering smell of disinfectant polluted our lungs and tastebuds. They started packing up and washing the floors in the front room, chairs were being stacked all around us. Excuse my language, but it was hella rude. We had to go out the back and figure out how to get to where we parked.

Here are my only positives- the cashier was patient with us when ordering and coming up there 3 times, there were some step-above-mediocre items on the tier, and I was so sterile after being surrounded by clouds of cleaning agent I didn’t feel like I needed to wash my hair when I got home. Will I come back? For tea? Absolutely not. To try more of their food items? Maybe.

THANK GOODNESS for good company!! I was with my husband’s honorary big sister (so my Big Sis), a longtime girlfriend that we have a blast any time we’re together, and then we had a Firstie with us too! The laughs and Girl Time made this tea visit so much better. But now I can’t wait to take them to someplace better next time!

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