Let Them Eat Cake!

The birthday celebration has come and gone - but what a grand celebration it has been! Thank you for all the birthday wishes, cards, and FB greetings. Just by looking at the cake you can see it was a perfect party!  A young friend of Angelica was commissioned to create this tasty centerpiece and she did a fantastic job!

The cake was three layers of chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache and raspberry filling. Yum!

I simply adore the  delicate handle on the teacup! Thank you, Angelica and Susanna for coordinating the cake with Riley. She did a great job!

Nancy's Day

August 9th is Nancy's Birthday. Nancy takes some grief for wanting to visit too many tea rooms while we are on vacation. (She claims there is no such thing as too many tea parties.)  After tea, she's on board for any other activity we come up with.

Nancy is the one who makes sure we all get fed.  She knows everyone's favorite foods and has the after school snacks ready and the vast majority of our family evening meals.  When the family comes home for a visit or the holidays - she gets all the meals organized and pulled together as well as coordinates the activities planned. She is the go-to girl if you want to check the calendar. She knows who is coming and going on any particular day or week and she keeps us all on track and does it with a wicked sense of humor. 



 She is sentimental about our family traditions and memories of loved ones but that doesn't mean she isn't tough. She is often our backbone of strength in difficult moments.

Nancy makes the birthday cake for everyone else in the family and many try to propose a challenge for her: a tank, no problem, a castle, no sweat, a unicorn,  ha! What's that expression? "Piece of cake!"

 
Happy Birthday, Nancy!!!

Baccarat, NYC

Our final destination for the progressive NYC tea tour culminated with the ultimate experience of Afternoon Tea at the Baccarat in Midtown at 28 West 53rd Street. Sheer crystal elegance, infamous perfectly spherical fresh rose orbs, and a destination dripping in beauty.

 We were escorted to the Veranda where our group enjoyed a leisurely tea while the hustle and bustle of the City hummed in the background. Modern, black and white, crisp, and clean. This was the first time the Baccarat has served tea on the Veranda. The menu on the table announced the pleasures that were to follow.

Crystallized Sugar Stirrers

Mariage Freres Tea were the featured teas, and there was a selection of four hot teas, and one iced tea to choose. Assam, Earl Grey, Baccarat Blend, Interdit (green oolong blend), or Yuzu Temple (Iced, a citrus green tea).

The gourmet savories included Honey Crisp Apple Tartelette with Jambon and Fromage Blanc, Foie Gras Mousseline with Blackberry and Pistachio Financier, Filet Mignon with Horseradish Creme and Onion Fennel Roll, Maine Lobster Salad with Parsnip on Black Sesame Pizelle, and Savory Pain Perdu with Spinach, Mushroom and Mimolette.

The vegetarian savories were equally as impressive and included:
Pistacio Financier, Cashew Mousse, Blackberries
Eggplant Ravioli Smoked tofu, Basil
Pan Perdu, Espelette Custard, Mushrooms
WontonCrisp, Honeycrisp Apple, Beets
Mille-Feuille of Hummus, Avocado, Truffle

 Scones and Sweets were served together. The Warm Homemade Scones were coconut flavored and served with a very generous portion of Devonshire Cream and Seasonal Gelee.

The sweets included:
Black Orchid Mousse au Chocolate
Tartlette aux Fruits
Jasmine Pistachio Genoise
Charlotte Framboise

With edible gold leaf garnish

Afternoon Tea at the Baccarat was the perfect culmination to a day of tea filled adventure in The City.

Kudos to Susanna for navigating the ins and outs of NYC traffic! She got us safely to our destination and back home again.

The Tea Process

Everything tea! Located on a door in the T2 shop is this full length black and white graphic that explains the tea process. All tea comes from a single variety of plant, Camellia sinensis. It's the way the harvested leaves are processed that determines the final variety of tea.

It's a good basic primer and a simple understanding of the tea process for an explanation on the back of a door.

T2tea

Destination number two on the NYC tea tour included a stop at T2tea in Rockefeller Center. This colorful tea shop is located at 620 Fifth Avenue with the entrance on 50th Street. The huge storefront catches your attention with the wide variety of colorful products.

The shop is crammed full from floor to ceiling with towering displays of teas to purchase. This central display table held multiple rows of loose leaf tea so you could see the unique qualities of each tea.

Another area of the store had four different iced teas brewed to sample. All very yummy and full of flavor.

 The store manager, Marcus, captured our attention as he demonstrated the brewing technique to create several iced matcha lattes. We sampled cinnamon matcha, genmaicha matcha, and chocolate matcha. Using the bamboo whisk, he blended the powdered flavored matcha with hot water, added some soy milk and a touch of honey, whisked a bit more, and then poured that over ice. We all taste tested the creations, and enjoyed each one.

 The long line at the register confirmed that tea enthusiasts never have enough tea! There's always something new and different to add to the tea shelves at home! Angelica stood in line with the cinnamon matcha. She was hooked!

Radiance Tea House, NYC

An adventure into NYC with fellow members of the Mid Atlantic Tea Business Association took us to three distinct tea destinations. Our first stop, and meeting point to connect with everyone, was at Radiance Tea Room in midtown Manhattan. This traditional Taiwanese tea shop features a large selection of books, a beautiful variety of tea ware, and the opportunity to enjoy some delicious foods and flavorful tea.

This was the summer quarterly meeting for MATBA, and about 20 members from New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania journeyed into the Big Apple via car or train to experience this adventure that was coordinated by Darlene Meyers Perry (R) of  The Tea Lovers Archives and her blog, The Tea Enthusiasts Scrapbook and Jo Johnson (L) of A Gift of Tea.

Tea Canisters

While at Radiance, we enjoyed a tea tasting of Eastern Journey. This lovely blend is a combination of green and black tea flavored with rose, jasmine and sun flowers. Take your taste buds on a journey!

Merchandise of all types was on display in this brightly lit location. The tea room, located at 158 West 55th street is between 6th and 7th Avenue. The culture of the East has been brought to this tea room both in the food and teas that they serve and in the merchandise that fills the shelves.