Hospital-i-tea Blogathon Continues. Tea with Me.
April 28, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Beautiful Things, Challenges & Round-ups, Tea
Another week in the Gracious Hospitality Blogathon!
This week it is all about, what else? Tea!
Tell about your favorite tea. How do you prepare it and serve it? Milk and sugar? Plain? What are some of your best memories of serving or sipping on this tea? Share a picture if you can. Tell the health benefits of the tea(s) you prefer. Where do you purchase your tea? Is there someplace you enjoying purchasing tea from? Who from and where?
My very favorite tea is a blend that I had custom blended for our tea room. It is named after the tea room, Cameo Rose.
While it is a very nice hot tea, it makes an exceptional iced sweet tea. It was our signature tea, and people either loved it or hated it!
The blend starts with long leaf jasmine tea, and then white rose petals, blackberry, and lemon are all added. The scent when you open the bag is heavenly sort of like the smell of an old mercantile, lemon drops, florals, and fruit with the tea scent holding it all together. This tea seriously scents an entire room in its dry form.
I loved owning and running the tearoom, coming up with the menus, arranging the plates. My big fault and ultimately my down fall, probably, is that I am not necessarily a people person. I prefer to serve in the background rather than talk to people. A lot of that is that I am very shy. People tend to think I am very confident and snobby but the truth is that I tend to feel nauseous when I have to socialize and make small talk. I would rather cook!
We still have this tea made for us, along with the signature blend coffee that we had done. When I am making this tea, it is a bittersweet smell to me, happy memories coupled with the feeling of failure I have every time I think of not being successful at the tea room.
My very favorite way to drink the tea is out on the garden swing with Marc on a summer evening after the kids are in bed. The sound of the summer night, the faint snoring of one of our horses (yep, we have a mare that snores…LOUD) , the twinkling stars over head. It is a moment for us to talk quietly, blissfully uninterrupted, about our hopes, dreams and where we go from here. We are in transition now. We bought this house, an old Victorian, with plans to restore it and ultimately have a B&B. Life has somewhat gotten in the way in the past 3 years with business and financial losses, and Marc becoming disabled last July. It sort of put a halt on any restoration work!
But, God is faithful in all things. He is not slack on His promises. We may be slightly de-railed but we are not off track!
The dishes that I chose to use in the image are from my collection of Vaseline Glass.
Over the next dew days I thought I would also share a bit of a walk-through of our house..At least the parts that are half way decent and we have either finished or come close to finishing.
One of the nicest place to share tea with friends or family is the porch…I love the porch on rainy days, or when it is very hot in the house. We do not use air conditioning because for this size house the cost is enormous, so we utilize fans, and the porch. What a fabulous place to recline and read! The garden swing is in a nook just off the porch, more private, but the porch allows us to be sociable.
On rainy days you can watch the rain, read, or play a game of monopoly..we have done school out here, and napped out here. It is truly an outdoor room.
I think if we do move, I will hope for another porch!
For some of my favorite teas that you can actually find on the internet or in a store:
Celestial Seasonings Sweet Coconut Thai Chai
and if you are really interested in our coffees and teas, they are hugely expensive because they are in such small quantities but…
Images (c)Marye Audet
Your tea is such a beautiful color and looks devine on your plate. I can just imagine the smells in your tea house. As far as your shyness goes it’s something you should work on overcoming. Try a little each day to talk to people. Pick something easy like nice weather we are having and go from there. Little by little you woll come out of your shell and love it. You have so much to share with other people. Just talking about your tea room and how you got started is one. I wish you all the luck in the world
My favorite tea is a ginger spiced green tea, in my favorite mug with a plain biscotti. I’m the only one in my family who drinks it, so I have no fond memories to share about tea time. It’s me, the tea and the computer!
Hi Mary, just letting you know that I finally got “Mr. Linky” to work on Gracious Hospitality! Thanks for being patient!
LaTeaDah
I so enjoyed all your photos and your recommendations. Love the green depression glass and your outdoor room is fabulous…
Carol- I am much better than I used to be.
Cathy- I have to share EVERYTHING :/
La- thanks I will put this in the link right away
Ellen- thanks so much!
Ha! Marye, I’m so happy to find out something about that tea pot. I got it from two spinster sisters estate when my parents had to dispose of all their earthly goods for them. I’d love to see your whole set. So if you can come up with the url for the post please pass it along to me
Thank you for sharing about Cameo Rose — the joys and sorrows. I know you must miss your tea room very much and I a sorry that you had to close it. Your own special tea blend sounds very good!!! I also appreciate the tea recommendations you gave. I have never tried a Teavana brand tea. A MRS Earl Gray sounds interesting. I have had Earl Gray and Lady Gray — and will now look for a MRS EG tea. Thank you so much for your post. Your porch is lovely!!!!!
LaTeaDah
ok, so it’s totally not romantic or elegant in any way, but my favorite tea is plain old Lipton black, brewed so strong it’ll eat a spoon, served with sugar and milk, drank while curled up on the couch, alone, watching tv. No class here, but it’s yummy! I’ve had to swear it off, though, to try and get my kidney/adrenal system back on whack.
I miss my hot cup of tea…….
Thanks for stopping by, LaTe, and for doing this!
Monica- Lipton black goes great …with…..strawberry cheesecake crepes…MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Marye, your post today is just beautiful. It is so informative. I absolutely love your green vaseline glass. I love all vintage glass and collect Depression glass – and I just might have to look for some of that Vaseline Glass! You know, life just isn’t fair a lot of the time. Things happen sometimes in life that lovely people like you just don’t deserve. I know your tea room must have been just wonderful and it sounds like you miss it so. You must have another pretty wonderful adventure ahead of you to travel, because God always has a new plan! Thank you so much for sharing your story and your thoughts.
Kathy@ Mimi’s Garden
Thanks Kathy! I think so..My husband became disabled last July so I think it is all for the best. I am struggling to keep up with writing, which pays many of the bills, homeschooling, cleaning, and cooking. I don;t think a tearoom on top of it all would have been a good thing.
In some ways I miss it and in some ways not.
That porch looks heavenly!
It makes me sad that you feel you failed with the tea room. I’m sure that while it was open you brought joy to many people’s lives even if you preferred to stay behind the scenecs. Just having a beautiful tea room to visit is a source of joy. That’s not a failure.
What a lovely post! I am eager to try some of your special blend tea, it sounds delicious. I’m noting the page to make that possible.
Thank you Bonita..you are sweet.
Ruth- thanks for stopping by!:)
Somehow I could almost smell Cameo Rose when I looked at the picture. How wonderful! I loved your posting as while I read, it almost felt as if you were talking directly to me. The pictures of your home are wonderful! And the Sweet Coconut Thai tea sounds absolutely delicious!
Marye!!!
What a nice post – I enjoyed reading about the making of the special blend. It sounds very delicious!!
Please don’t feel bad about not being a people person and not liking to do small talk. Many, including myself, are that way too… I think people like that just prefer deep friendships, even though they might have few.
I ALREADY love your house. I love that wicker set on your porch! Can I come by?
Please do! I am in the midst of a training headache on another site and would love an excuse for tea!
What a lovely picture of your green glass and the tea. I felt sad for you when I read about your tea room, but as you say, perhaps it is for the best in the long run
Millie
Thanks, Millie, and thanks for stopping by
what a lovely post and gorgeous pictures, your special blended tea sounds heavenly to me!
That Vaseline Glass photo is exquisite! I have some yellow Vaseline Glass from my grandmother.
Have you looked at it under a black light steph?