The Praise Ringers Spring Tea - May 2026

The Praise Ringers of the First United Methodist Church have been fundraising for their upcoming adventure to Scotland in August. They have been invited to participate in the International Bell Ringer's Symposium in Aberdeen. In an effort to make this happen, and to get all the bells and ringers to Scotland, they recently hosted a fund raiser Spring Tea in the church. They also have established a Go Fund Me account if you would like to contribute to their fundraising efforts. Much preparation went into planning and executing this special Afternoon Spring Tea. On the day of the tea, Susanna greeted attendees and helped them find their table.

Twinkling white lights helped to set the scene, while colorful green tablecloths and coordinating paper products graced the tables. A printed menu also included a listing of the hot tea selections. As guest were seated, the ringers came around and offered the different tea flavors.

 The tea options included Pine Needle Black Tea, a black tea so named because the leaves have been rolled into the shape of pine needles, Back Porch, a black tea with orange, strawberry and raspberry flavors, Eight Treasures, a green tea with pineapple and strawberry flavoring, Lazy Daze, a caffeine-free herbal blend and Decaf Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. In addition to the hot tea, a refreshing cup of Lavender Lemonade was on the table.

The bell ringers came around to each table pretty frequently, which made it possible to taste the different tea flavors offered. A sweet little favor was tucked at each place setting. A colorful gift bag held a miniature tea themed charm for each attendee.

The first course was a delicious, chilled Strawberry Soup served in a sweet petal shaped bowl and garnished with fresh, colorful pansies. The soup was so tasty it was tempting to abandon all manners and simply lick the bowl clean.

A floral paper plate laden with tea sandwiches was served next. It included a Pimiento Cheese sandwich on white bread, a Turkey, Havarti, and Apple Sandwich on Raisin Bread, Turkey Muenster Cheese Pinwheels, and an open-faced Cucumber Sandwich topped with dill.

Following the sandwich course, a plate of Scones, Tea Bread, and Fresh Fruit was served to be passed around the table. There was a Traditional English Cream Scone served with Sweet Cream, Bonne Maman Lemon Curd and Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves. In addition, a Triple Lemon Tea Bread was served with Fresh Orange Slices and Strawberries.

A three-tiered tray arrived shortly thereafter, and it held a lovely assortment of homemade desserts which included Lemon Creme Puff Cookies, Fudge Chocolate Squares, Lemon Ice Box Pie, and Frosted Teapot Shaped Sugar Cookies. It was a sweet ending to a delightful afternoon tea. Kudos to the Praise Ringers for hosting this relaxing and memorable teatime. They have a Facebook page, so if you are interested in any of their upcoming events, to include concerts at the church or about town, please follow them. They often share snippets of their concerts, and I'm sure there will be some photos of their journey to Scotland.

After tea, there was a craft where attendees planted a miniature garden of succulents in the teacup they used at tea. Our next post will share photos from that craft session.

Hydrangea Tea Cottage and Gifts - MATBA April Seminar

Members of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association traveled to Pottsville, PA to attend the April meeting held at Hydrangea Cottage Tea & Gifts. Owner and fellow MATBA member Erik Tice welcomed a group of entrepreneurs to his tearoom and gift shop. After some shopping, and before we sat down for tea, we were encouraged to select a teacup from the collection on display.

We enjoyed the intimacy of a smaller group at this gathering and thus we were seated around a large dining room table on the second floor. The gift shop occupies the first floor, and spills over onto the second floor where we were seated in the front parlor.

The menu was placed at each seat and announced a delicious assortment of goodies yet to come.

First up, we were served an Apricot and Almond Scone with clotted cream and apricot preserves.

Following the scone course, we enjoyed a warm cup of Spring Minestrone Soup topped with croutons.

Pedestaled cake plates filled with tea sandwiches and a fresh pansy garnish were brought to the table next. The sandwich selection included Truffled Egg Salad, Cucumber with Lime & Dill Aioli, and Ham with Green Tea Cream Cheese Spread. The sandwiches were petite, but each guest received two of each variety.

The colorful and tasty dessert medley included a frosted Pineapple Cookie, a Peanut Butter Snickers Bar, and Lemon Cake.

Erik made certain that our teacups were filled with the teas of the day which included Monks Meditation (a Ceylon black tea with catnip, grenadine flavor and calendula petals) and Beatrix Potter (a caffeine-free blend of green rooibos, rosehips, strawberry flavor, chamomile, spearmint and lemongrass).

Hydrangea Cottage Tea and Gifts is celebrating their fifth year in business. Their gift shop includes teas from Piper & Leaf Tea Company and Simpson & Vail Teas. They have soaps, marmalades, candles, dip mixes and more. In addition, they offer artwork from local artists. Tea is served on the third Saturday and Sunday of the month, by reservation only. 

Susanna Reppert Brill of The Rosemary House (PA) presented a program on The Ins and Outs of Selling Herbal or Functional Teas. Following the program, during the business meeting, outgoing president Karen Donnelly of Greenhalgh Tea, (PA) welcomed newly elected president Melissa Fitch-Ciccotelli of Tea You There (MD) to the helm. Karen has presided over the Association for the past four years. Melissa has accepted the role of president for the upcoming two year term.

Afternoon Tea at The Willows at Ashcombe Manor, Mechanicsburg

Last November, in our quest to visit at least one tearoom every month, Angelica and Nancy visited the Willows at Ashcombe Manor which is located in the rural area of Mechanicsburg, PA. This gorgeous Victorian Queen Anne style mansion was built in 1891. It has had several makeovers, served as a summer home, operated as a bed and breakfast for a number of years, and sat vacant for almost 8 years. Saved from destruction, and transformed into a destination wedding venue, the owners offer afternoon tea on most Sundays.

It is an elegant setting for tea and certainly a lovely experience when you want to treat yourself to something special. 

You could do an entire study of the chandeliers throughout the mansion. Your ticket for afternoon tea includes a self-guided tour of the three floors of the mansion, including the lady's boudoir, the glam room, the gent's suites and the honeymoon suite. The first floor holds the seating area for the afternoon tea with seating at elevated tables, or low tables. 

Tea choices include English Breakfast, Earl Gray, Country Mint, Cherry Berry Herbal, Chamomile, or Green Tea. Coke products and coffee are also available. A glass of prosecco or a nonalcoholic beverage is also included with the tea. Loose leaf tea is placed in the strainer, and you pour your hot water over the strainer which is then placed in a drip cup until you are ready to pour another cup of tea.

The waitstaff proudly carry the tiered tray to the table. The lad in the front had an individual tray of vegetarian sandwiches.

The variety of sandwiches included a Crab Salad (radish, celery seed, grilled brioche), Apple Butter & Brie (cinnamon raisin bread, red delicious apple), Cucumber & Dill (marble rye), Roasted Chicken Salad (pepitas, dried cherries, buttered croissant) and Smoked Salmon & Avocado (wheatberry).

The middle tier held Traditional English Scones and served with orange curd, clotted cream, and strawberry jam. Traditional Deviled Eggs seasoned with smoked paprika and dill were also placed on the middle tier. A touch of fringed lavender garnished the tiered tray.

The dessert medley featured the Chef's Selection of Miniature Desserts & Petit Fours. A petit chocolate cake, a yummy strawberry cake, and a sponge cake were offered. A touch of fresh fruit, alongside a Madelaine and a macaron completed the dessert assortment.

Several years ago, we attended their themed Wonderland Tea, and you can check out the menu and photos from that adventure in this blog post. Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts were in attendance.

A Year of Teas - June to December, 2025

Part 2 of our New Year's Resolution for 2025 where we resolved to visit tearooms and enjoy afternoon tea at least once a month. We achieved that goal in the first half of the year, January thru May, with a few extra tearoom visits. Here's how we finished out the year. In June, the girls traveled to Shippensburg to take tea at Honey Still for Tea. This is a pop-up style tearoom that sets up in Jane's Art of Pie bakery once a month to offer their tea service. (Follow the links for the tearoom to read more about each visit.)

In July, we headed south to Oxford, MD for the quarterly seminar of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association. Members gathered at the Doehrn Tea Company for the July gathering.

In August, our travels took us to Mimi's Tea Cottage in West Chester, PA. This relatively new tearoom offered an enjoyable experience with whimsical teapots and tasty treats.

At the end of August, we took a mini vacation to travel to Boston for the Northeast Tea Festival. Enroute, we stopped at The Snarky Teahouse in Doylestown, PA. This fun and clever tearoom features an Alice in Wonderland theme which brought smiles and joy to all of us. The decor was handcrafted by the owner.

Also in August, we visited the Silver Dove Tea Room in historic downtown Boston, MA where we enjoyed a gluten free afternoon tea. In addition to our hot tea, we ordered a Pimm's Cup as a special treat.

On our return journey home from Boston, we visited the Chez Alice Patisserie in Lambertville, NJ. This teatime experience was over-the-top and has to be one of our all-time favorites. The details in not only the sandwiches, but also the desserts were simply amazing. Admiration of each petite morsal was required before eating any of them.

It is a French styled tearoom and bakery and was the perfect ending for our weekend getaway coupled with the August birthday month celebration.

September is an exceedingly busy month for The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances. With the Fairy Festival at the beginning of the month and the Tea Festival at the end of the month, there is limited opportunity to visit a tearoom. Therefore, in September, we enjoyed our very own Tea Party in a Box which is what is served at the PA Tea Festival.

In October, a visit to the newly opened Green House Tea Room in Bethlehem, PA provided a nice opportunity to visit with a friend. We were seated in the Magnolia Room.

In October, members of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association gathered at the Trenton Farmer's Market in Trenton, NJ to enjoy a totally vegan tea hosted by MATBA members Debbie and Mike Raab of Tea-For-All. It's always an enjoyable time when tea business owners gather to relax, learn, share and visit over tea.

November took Angelica and Nancy to the Ashcombe Manor for their Sunday afternoon tea. This elegant mansion, located in Mechanicsburg, offers an opportunity to enjoy a special teatime and includes a self-guided tour of the mansion.

We were happy to be able to find a time to take tea in November!

 

A few days before Christmas the family took Afternoon Tea at the Chef de Crepe in Camp Hill, PA. This delightful Creperie offers afternoon tea typically in the spring around Mother's Day and again in winter leading up to Christmas. The wintertime theme was a Nutcracker Tea.

As I review our experiences, I'm surprised at how many locations began as a bakery and have introduced afternoon tea to their clients. They do seem to blend nicely together. Looking back over the second part of our resolution, we managed to attend three tearooms in August but missed in September. We did pick up two tea events in October, otherwise, we kept to one tearoom per month. It was a mission to attend afternoon tea at least once per month. It meant checking schedules, not only the tearoom schedule, but the guests that joined us for tea. Many reservations were easy to make online, others via phone. Many needed to be made well in advance to secure the specific date and time we needed, particularly when we were on vacation. All in all, it was a fun resolution to carry us through the year. Here's to 2026 and more tearoom adventures!