The Tea Song

Thought you might enjoy this fun Tea Song from Yorkshire Tea.  This is a brand that I sometimes purchase at Marshalls or TJ Maxx to enjoy as a morning cuppa.  It is a robust black tea, which is my preference first thing in the morning.

Have you tried Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea or Yorkshire Gold yet?  Also, check out their cute “Let’s Have a Proper Brew” video on their website.

You can also find this tea at online merchants like Amazon, The English Tea Store, The British Food Depot and lots of others.

Ocean of Tea – Ti Kuan Yin

This Chinese Ti Kuan Yin (also spelled Tieguanyin) oolong tea from Ocean of Tea is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin.

I decided to try the sample of oolong first, since it’s less familiar to me than Earl Grey.

This is a lighter oolong – very smooth with a hint of floral.  I decided that this is my favorite oolong of those I’ve tasted thus far.  I wondered about the method used to fire this tea, perhaps electric ovens account for the less smoky taste.

The second infusion also made a delicious cup of tea.  The package states that you can get 3-4 good infusions from the same leaves.

I’m also looking forward to tasting my sample of Ocean of Tea Earl Grey Premium.

I thought the legend of how this tea came to be is quite entertaining:

Wei legend (from Wikipedia)

“Deep in the heart of Fujian's Anxi County, there was a rundown temple which held an iron statue of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Every day on the walk to his tea fields, a poor farmer named Mr. Wei would pass by and reflect on the temple's worsening condition. “Something has to be done,” thought Mr. Wei.

Being poor, he did not have the means to repair the temple. Instead, the farmer brought a broom and some incense from his home. He swept the temple clean and lit the incense as an offering to Guanyin. "It's the least I can do," he thought to himself. Twice a month for many months, he repeated the same tasks.

One night, Guanyin appeared to him in a dream. Guanyin told him of a cave behind the temple where treasure awaited. He was to take the treasure and share it with others. In the cave, the farmer found a single tea shoot. He planted it in his field and nurtured it into a large bush, from which the finest tea was produced. He gave cuttings of this rare plant to all his neighbors and began selling the tea under the name Tieguanyin, Iron Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Over time, Mr. Wei and all his neighbors prospered; the rundown temple of Guanyin was repaired and became a beacon for the region. Mr. Wei took joy in the daily trip to his tea fields, never failing to stop in appreciation of the beautiful temple.”

Family Celebrations

I know, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on my blog and I’ve missed visiting your blogs, but there has been a lot going on. My younger daughter’s graduation at Valdosta State, my granddaughter’s first birthday celebration and a vacation at Panama City Beach to celebrate those events.

I’m so very proud of her for obtaining her Master of Business Administration Degree while working full time and caring for a baby.

We decided that, since Valdosta, GA was well on the way to Florida, that Panama City Beach would be a nice place to celebrate.

We stayed at Shores of Panama Resort right on the beach.  It was a couple of years ago that I blogged about her wedding at this same resort.

My little sweet pea was hesitant at first, but soon she was enjoying tasting a cupcake for the first time.

I thought her small beach theme cake from Publix was very cute. 

We ended our trip by driving back to GA in time for another birthday celebration for her on Saturday.  Things are not slowing down yet, what with some medical tests and a 4th birthday party for my other granddaughter coming up on Sunday.  Whew!

I hope to be reviewing some new tea samples from Ocean of Tea soon.  

Hall Plume Teapot

I bought this Hall “Plume” teapot while on my trip to Berea Kentucky with the Traveling Tea Friends.  It is a six sided pot, with pale pink glaze, designed by Disraeli.

During the 1940’s the Hall China Company decided to issue a series of six Victorian style teapots. The series was not well received and was discontinued a few years later.

This is quite a heavy little four cup pot.  I think the six sided shape and plumes are unusual and pretty.  This is the first pale pink teapot to be added to my collection. 

There is another pot in my collection from a trip to Kentucky for the Paducah Quilt Show in 2000.  It is a Homer Laughlin teapot in the Skytone pattern.

Now I’ll be on the lookout for the other Hall teapots from the Victorian series – the Murphy, Benjamin, Bowknot, Birch and Connie (all in lovely pastel colors).  ☺

Greentree Tea Room

The Traveling Tea Friends left Boone Tavern Hotel around noon to travel to Lexington, KY for our afternoon tea/lunch at Greentree Tea Room.

This tea room is located at 521 Short Street (downtown). 

A quick glance at the March menu confirmed that this would be a delicious afternoon tea.

The Potato Leek Soup was delectable and was followed by a yummy (and quite large) Irish Oat Scone with Blackberry Jam & Fayette Cream.

Next was a dish that I found unusual for afternoon tea, a wonderful serving of Spanakopita (baked in a square pan, instead of little pastry triangles with spinach & feta cheese filling).

Something else I liked about this tea was the fact that the sweets and sandwiches were served on a buffet table.  For someone like me who prefers sandwiches over sweets, this was perfect.

There were Corned Beef, Poppy Seed Egg Salad & Benedictine sandwiches.  The desserts included Bailey’s Fudge, Pistachio Cupcakes & Greentree French Filled Wafers.  I took a photo of Angela’s plate to include the sweets.

There is no tea menu, but our server kept our teacups constantly filled with Irish Blend Tea (l-r Angela, our pleasant server and Lynn).  I thought that this blend suited the food very well. 

Another fun feature of this tea room is the opportunity to shop for fine antiques before or after your meal.

If you will be visiting Lexington, KY, I would highly recommend enjoying an afternoon tea at the tasteful Greentree Tea Room.

Thoroughbred Park, Lexington, KY

On day three of my trip to Berea, KY we drove to Lexington to have afternoon tea at the Greentree Tea Room.  Lexington, KY is known as the horse capital of the world.

We stopped at Thoroughbred Park to admire and photograph the amazing life sized equine sculpture of artist Gwen Reardon.

It’s not hard to see why many consider Ms. Reardon to be the best equine sculptor in the world.

It was thrilling to see these seven thoroughbred horses and jockeys captured in such detail, as if in the middle of a race.

You can get an idea of the scale of these works in this photo of Angela (Tea With Friends blog) on the left and myself.

We couldn’t stay long at the park, since our reservation for tea was at noon and that was another great experience I’ll share later.

 

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
Friendship without envy,
Or beauty without vanity?
Here, where grace is served with muscle
And strength by gentleness confined
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.
There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.

- from The Horse by Ronald Duncan

Derby Tea–Boone Tavern Hotel

The Traveling Tea Ladies returned from our trip to Danville, KY and we met at 1:30 in the Skylight Room of the hotel for our special Derby (inspired) Tea.

We started with a taste of Spoonbread served in a little spoon on a bed of greens.  I really like this dish and look forward to making some at home, with the recipe provided by the hotel.

Next, we were served a bowl of Kentucky Burgoo, a tasty mix of pork, beef and chicken, with lots of veggies.  Yummy! 

Our tiered tea tray consisted of Mini Hot Browns, Tea Biscuits with Country Ham, Apricot Jam and Arugula, a fancy Deviled Egg and Liz’s Spicy Pimento Cheese Sandwich.  The edible flowers were a pretty touch.

Next there were two kinds of delicious scones – Cranberry Orange and Plain – served with real Devonshire Cream and Blackberry Jam.

The scones were followed by a great selection of sweets including Chocolate Bourbon Tartlets, Mini Race Day Bites, Mini Cupcakes with Mint Julep Icing, and White Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Raspberries. 

I’ve tasted chocolate covered strawberries before, but not chocolate covered raspberries – they were luscious. 

A separate plate held pretty Horseshoe Sugar Cookies (held by our hostess Linda, at Friendship Tea blog.

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with old and new tea friends.