New York City Tea Tour and other New York City Tea Places

New York City is a great place for all different types of tea experiences.  I just returned home from the International Association of Culinary Professionals National Conference which was held there.  A colleague and tea friend of mine Judith Krall-Russo and I were chosen to lead a tea tour for the conference.  We had a great group of new tea enthusiasts that were eager to learn. 

We toured the "World of Tea" without ever leaving Manhattan!  Our first stop was Chinatown for a Gongfu Chinese Tea Ceremony.  It was wonderful to have the attendees experience tea in this way with the small Chinese teapots and many infusions of oolong.

Our next stop was to visit Soho for some more tea education.  Judith and I taught for about an hour about tea as the attendees tasted Chinese white tea, Japanese green tea, Taiwanese oolong, and Sri Lankan (Ceylon) black tea.  We of course needed to cleanse the palate in between tastings and what would be more befitting, but some yummy scones. 

As we left Soho, we waved goodbye to China, Taiwan, Japan, and Sri Lanka.  We then walked to our next stop which was France.  We organized a tea inspired lunch at Bosie Tea Parlor in Greenwich Village.  We had a three course lunch there along with a bit more education on caffeine and antioxidants.

Not only is their food amazing, but their pastries are just as good. Many of them are tea infused to add to the uniqueness.  The problem was which one to choose. 

Just down the street from Bosie is a new tea chain that has just opened up in the US.  Davids Tea is from Canada and has just opened two stores in New York City.  The vibe in the store is contemporary and the clientele was young.  It was great to see middle school kids still in their uniforms ordering tea at the counter!

Our last stop around the world was right here in the USA.  We stopped in at the oldest running tea and coffee shop.  They have been in the same location since 1895. 

We want to thank IACP for allowing us to share our love of tea with its members.  We had loads of fun planning, taste testing, and leading the tour.  I just thought I would share a few bonus tea places that we couldn't include on the tour.

Judith and I decided to do a private Japanese tea excursion the next day since we both had traveled to the tea fields of Japan together in 2010,  Our tour included Kinokuniya Books.  It is not just a bookstore, but has a lovely selection of Japanese gifts.  If you have time, go upstairs for a cup of tea. 

We also stopped off for a authentic Japanese breakfast.  Doesn't that look good?  It was....

Next on the our list was Cha An Tea House.  If you get the chance, you won't want to miss Cha An.  It only seats 12, so get there early.  We spent the afternoon with another tea friend eating, laughing, and drinking tea!  After all, isn't that what having tea is all about?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of New York City's tea places.  There are many more to share, but that is for another blog.  Follow me as I take you to Sri Lanka next-the land of Ceylon Tea which I toured in January! 

Happy Sipping from New York City, Lisa

Tea in London Day 4 The Borough Market and Buckingham Palace

My last full day in London, was a tasteful one indeed.  I hopped on the tube Saturday morning to the Borough Market which is said to be London's most renowned food market full of British and International delights.  It wasn't just any Saturday, it was New Year's Eve, so the market was full of people shopping for an evening of partying!  Again, I must warn you that you should not be hungry while viewing this blog!

My first stop was for a cup of tea to warm up. I love that in London, they ask you if you want your tea white or black.  I was first confused at this question thinking they were asking if I would like white tea or black tea.  However, I figured out that they mean, do you want your black tea served with or without milk-hence making the color white or black!  Then it was off to browse, sample, and choose lunch and dinner for the day!

Since I was at the market for the Holiday season, there were many holiday treats such as turkeys, goose, and rabbit!

The cheese selections were in no short supply.  This was just one of many vendors sampling and selling their cheese.  Just to let you know, I love cheese!  How about you?

This is just a sampling of the many pastries that were for sale in the market.  How nice it would have been to have bought some of these for New Year's Day.  However, I would be flying all day to Sri Lanka so I had to pass these by....

Olives anyone?

How about some pig in many forms?  The sausages from this booth were spectacular! 

Here is what I chose to take home for my dinner at the hotel while I was packing up for my Sri Lanka trip-Wild Boar Pie.

Now, back to the important choice for lunch.  For those of you that don't know, along with being a tea lover, I am also a confirmed chocoholic.  So, I could not resist this when I came upon it. 



I don't think it was my healthiest choice in food I have every made, but it was New Year's Eve after all.  I couldn't resist getting something from this "all about cacao" place sourcing from a single origin and single estate cacao grower in Saint Lucia!  Just look at the menu choices from The Robot Estate.

I chose the Marche de Quarier which is a chocolate wrap filled with duck confit, Rabot Estate dark chocolate, dried cherries, coriander, roasted cacao nibs, and creme fraiche!   The best part is they make it right in front of you! 

My chocolate-loving-self couldn't resist ordering the chocolate pot for dessert! 

I do many tea and chocolate pairings, but this time,I paired up my chocolate pot with a glass of Prosecco to ring in the new year early.  I love the warning sign about drinking Prosecco, how about you? 

One of the other delights at the Borough Market is the sound of the church bells ringing throughout the day.  These bells were ringing in the new year, but we can now have them ring in spring!  

On my way back to my hotel, I stopped by Buckingham Palace.  I could tell the Queen was in by the flag raised at the top of the palace, but she didn't come out for a wave!  The palace and the large monument in front of it are quite spectacular.  

I spent New Year's Eve, packing up for my exciting tea adventure to Sri Lanka-home of Ceylon Teas!  Follow along in my blog as I virtually take you to the British Colonial Island of tea! 

Happy Sipping and Saying Goodbye to London for Now, Lisa

For a scheduling note: I will be in New York City this week giving a tea tour for the International Association of Culinary Professional's National Conference. I hope to share some of the highlights with you in my blog in the near future.

Tea in London Day 3 Afternoon Tea at the Museum and the Lanesborough Hotel

Disclaimer: You should probably have a good cup of tea and a fabulous tea snack to read any further!

As promised, I am taking you on a culinary tour of tea and tea snacks first from the cafe inside the Victoria and Albert Museum.  I have to say I have never seen so many delicious items housed in a museum.  I had to walk around several times before deciding on what I would have. 

Would you like muffin or a croissant?

Or, perhaps scones are what you would prefer? If so, now you have to choose which kind!

You better not choose yet, because just across the walkway is another table full of more scones, quiches, and croissants!  Oh, which to choose....

Possibly an extremely LARGE meringue would suit your fancy?  As a side note, I have never seen so many large meringues as I did in London.

Hopefully, by now you have been able to make your food selection, but now comes time to choose which tea to pair with your fabulous choice!  The Victoria and Albert Museum gets a thumbs up for their nice selection. 

It is easy to handle your tea since everything is on a self serve tray to take to your table!



The last choice is which table should you sit at as no table has a bad view as you can see!  Even if your not hungry, it is well worth your the trip to the cafe to rest your feet and have a cup of tea.  When is the last time you sat and had tea with such beautiful architecture surrounding you?



I had to go light on my selection because I had an appointment at 4:00 PM for afternoon tea.  It is one of the best places for afternoon tea in London-The Lanesborough Hotel.  My full review of the hotel's tea may be seen in TeaTime Magazine's May/June issue!  They were gearing up for the London 2012 Summer Olympics and will have a special tea just in its honor!

Now, if you didn't get a cup of tea and a tea snack before  reading this, I know you want one now!

 

In my next blog, I will take you on another culinary journey you won't want to miss at one of London's best food markets.

Happy Sipping and Snacking, Lisa