Castle Impossible: A Chateau show with familiar faces and a tearoom!

 

Castle Impossible reach out to Escape to the Chateau

What could be better than a French chateau renovation television series? How about deux French chateau renovations shows with an overlap avec cher amis and a salon du the? 

That is possible, with Castle Impossible, a new series (HGTV/HBO), in its second season, featuring Daphne and Ian Figueira, who share similar trials and tribulations of the stars -  and dear acquaintances of ours -  of their show's predecessor, Escape to the Chateau, Dick and Angel Strawbridge.  The Figueiras recently invited Dick and Angel to assist them in their latest manor update - a first floor tearoom!

Chris and Barb Gulley with Dick and Angel Strawbridge in NYC, 2024.

Escape to the Chateau - the OG

We first fell in love with the Strawbridge's chateau saga, when it premiered in the US in 2020. We were glued to Escape to the Chateau where we not only saw a charming couple with two young children tackle design and structural challenges to their historic home, but were invited to meet extended family, attend weddings and join in on tea parties. 

After nine seasons, Dick and Angel decided to take a break from filming, turning their efforts to global tours. In 2024, the Strawbridge family came to the US and I had the good fortune to interview Angel for TeaTime Magazine in January of that year. We were invited to their show in New York City and brought along, daughter, Rachel, and Brooklyn residents, son, Matt and daughter-in-law, Jenna.

We loved the live show and were introduced, in person, to their children and parents. After the fast-paced show wrapped up, which included Dick and Angel's meet up story, their chateau rehab journey and a hilarious vintage bingo game, our children (who had work in the morning) left for home, while Chris and I joined Dick and Angel for a little catch up.  It was here, Chris introduced himself as my "arm candy" and no one laughed harder than Dick Strawbridge.

We felt like we were meeting old friends - they truly are as engaging and likeable in person as they are on TV.  

For that story, see our March, 2024 blog, Escape to the Chateau:  Our escape to NYC for the 'Dare to Do it Tour'.

Angel Strawbridge knows tea parties, the go-to for tearoom advice.

Castle Impossible

Like Dick and Angel, Daphne and Ian are taking on a French mansion renovation, but they were spared the shopping - they inherited their 500 year old chateau, which once hosted King Louis XIII from Daphne's grandfather.  He bought the estate in the 1980's, quickly assessed it would be too much to restore it all, so he, instead, had it earn its keep as a filming site for movies and an event venue.

Daphne and Ian, originally from California, met in high school before heading out for college. They reconnected, married and were planning, in an ironic twist, to reside in a tiny home. That changed in 2020, when Daphne's grandfather willed the chateau to her.

Chateaus and NY connections connect

Jenna texted me last week:  Castle Impossible, Season 2, Episode 5. HBO. Thank me later. 

I queued it up, and, oh, yes, I did, indeed, thank my awesome daughter-in-law immediately after watching.

Beautiful tearoom at Castle Impossible - could it be open to the pubic someday?

This episode sees chateau owners meet up and connect over the challenges of, and passion for, historic home restoration. But what ups the ante on Episode 5 is Daphne's desire to turn a first-floor room into a tearoom for another revenue-generating opportunity. She enlists the tea catering expertise of Angel and they create a beautiful tea venue.

The purpose of the tearoom is to enhance the chateau's event-space rental business, so currently, it is not open to the public for general use and what we know would be an incredible afternoon tea experience. 

We'll keep watching - for more designs, expensive repairs, decor inspiration and a new little "Fig" coming soon. We'll also keep our fingers crossed that the tearoom will one day open its gilded doors for visitors. 

We like to think anything's possible for this castle!

The Eagle Cup has landed at Dunkin' bringing sweet, celebratory treats for America’s 250th

Dunkin' is celebrating  America's 250th with festive beverages, doughnuts and merch.

 
 

The Eagle Cup has landed at Dunkin' - and we got ours today!

Dunkin' has the holiday spirit, or more precisely, the Spirit of 76, which has inspired the doughnut shop's star-spangled menu and limited-time collectibles, including the Eagle Cup - available starting June 29 while the supply lasts. 

Along with holiday merch, per its website's press release, Dunkin' is celebrating America's 250th birthday with a lineup of refreshers, lemonades, Zero-beverages and coffee creations ready for the Fourth.  These festive drinks feature "nostalgic flavors, colorful toppings and indulgent twists" also available starting June 29.

We were drawn to the Peachberry Tea Dunkin' Zero, a zero-sugar beverage featuring peach and blackberry flavors mixed with black tea. Not bad, especially if you are really thirsty, and despite no sugar, it tastes very sweet. 

At Dunkin' - no long lines yet!

The Peachberry tea is among eleven new beverages - a few built on familiar flavors like lemonade and fruit punch to full-on exotic such as the Peanut Butter Dunkalatte. The latter confection combines espresso and coffee milk with smooth peanut butter flavor.  Hmmmm. . . 

But, of course, the menu wouldn't be complete without some patriotic doughnuts from the house of Dunkin'. Although not a lot of new flavors, most of the fun comes from their shape and decoration. The rocket pop donut is a star-shaped yeast shell with rocket pop-flavored filling (cherry, lime, and raspberry flavors mixed in buttercreme). The stars and stripes donuts are dipped in blue icing and topped with red, white and blue sprinkles. Lastly, the holiday munchkins are mini chocolate glazed dough balls, also  donning the red, white and blue sprinkles.

Nothing says "Happy Birthday USA" like a Dunkin' Eagle Cup!

According to Anthony Epter, vice president of menu innovation at Dunkin', "this summer, Dunkin' is bringing the energy of America's 250th birthday to every part of the menu. . . [to make] every Dunkin' run a little more festive and every sip a celebration."

Well, I think we can all take a page from Dunkin's enthusiasm for America's Semiquincentennial. We're ready for a grand party to salute our country's milestone complete with fireworks, parades and barbeques featuring iced tea in Eagle Cups and red-white-and-blue decorated doughnuts. 

But, we may pass on the peanut butter dunkalattes. . . 

Available while supplies last, the Eagle Cup retails for $10.99 and includes a free medium beverage with purchase. Each cup also features a unique promotional code inside, unlocking $3 medium Refresher or Dunkin' Zero beverage for 30 days.

Iced Tea Month is almost over, but we're just getting started: A refresh on this refresher!

Iced Tea Month is almost over, but at BTS, we're just getting started. 

 

Though Iced Tea Month is coming to end this week, we're just getting started on this delightfully delicious drink. With temps soaring into the 90's in the upcoming days, it's time to serve up our favorite brew on the rocks.

In June 10 of 2023 - actual Iced Tea Day - we featured a brand of teas made for just that purpose: iced tea - although almost any tea can go from hot to cold, and we found one that is exceptional.

But first a little libation lore:

As noted in our blog Happy National Iced Tea Day, iced tea is said to have been inspired by the quick thinking of tea merchant Richard Blechynden on very warm day in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. Hot tea was not too appealing to fair attendees, so Blechynden added ice to make it more refreshing.  The cold version took off and over one hundred years later, it continues to be a summer favorite.

However, some sources, including Bruce Richardson, tea guru and featured TeaTime Magazine writer, note that, though this story may be true, there's evidence of cold-brew tea recipes dating back to pre-Civil War America. (see TeaTime's article "June is National Iced Tea Month")

Once water is added to the tea bags, refrigerate overnight

How to prepare:

Though we typically brew up a concentrated loose leaf tea in the kettle, for more options, we turn to a recent article from Martha Stewart, How to Brew the Best Iced Tea, where it lists four ways to prepare iced tea.

    1. Hot brew tea bags

    2. Hot brew with loose tea

    3. Cold Brew

    4. Sun tea 

1. and 2. Tea bags and loose tea pretty straightforward. Essentially use twice as much tea, steep, then add ice. 

3. Cold brew, which we made back awhile ago (see picture of pitcher), and added tea bags to a pitcher of cold water and let it steep in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.

4. Same as 3. but place the pitcher outside (or on a window ledge) in direct sun light for approximately 6 hours. 

Roses of Silverbell's Green Rooibos Blueberry & Wildflower Honey, a new favorite!

Our latest favorite iced tea for Roses of Silverbell:

Earlier this month, Kevin West, who, with wife, Bonnie, own Roses of Silverbell in Lake Orion, joined us on Barb's Tea Service podcast and brought Green Rooibos Blueberry tea for us to sample. He served it up hot and sweetened it with their Wildflower Honey. It was fabulous! But, Kevin also shared that it's great as an iced tea.

This weekend, we prepared Green Rooibos Blueberry as a cold brew and also added the Wildflower Honey. It was amazing and we'll be turning to it a lot this summer.

Another truly refreshing refresher. 

Gilded Age Season 4 coming this fall! Walk with Barb's Tea Service's for - not so exciting but exclusive - scene previews!

The set up for first scene outside the St. Denis Hotel

 The Times Union, a newspaper that serves New York's capital region, reported that on-location filming of the Gilded Age wrapped up on Friday, coinciding with HBO's release of the trailer for Season 4, teasing a premier of the period saga for this fall. And, per, Cynthia Nixon, one of the actors featured on the promo reel, "there are really startingly plot developments".  We can't wait!

We were in Troy, New York, earlier this month and were lucky enough to witness some of the filming. One scene involved a group of well-dressed men approaching a gathering of working-class folks outside the "St. Denis Hotel".  

Here's our first of two exclusive clips that we categorize as "important walking scenes". This takes place near the hotel and we were told the "suits" were Pinkerton men. 

 

Our next clip features another well-attired gentleman following a casually dressed young man. This scene is set in an alley between two townhouses. As short as this clip is, it took almost two hours to set up. 

For more excitement, check out The Gilded Age Season 4 Trailor on YouTube. The actors' comments are as entertaining as the glamorous sets and dresses.  Ashlie Atkinson, the actress who plays socialite Mamie Fish, describes this season as "high octane bustle-breaking", foreshadowing some wild and bumpy rides in store. Of course, we take special delight in the words from aspiring author and journalist, Peggy Scott, played by Denee Benton, who shares she "can't wait to spill the tea".

Neither can we!

Although no specific date for The Gilded Age, Season 4,  has been announced, do know that BTS will be monitoring for it closely. Watch this space!

This premium black tea may raise an eyebrow - a Golden Eyebrow!

Golden Eyebrow, relatively new on the tea scene, comes from China's Fujian Province. 

Raise your teacup, but not necessarily an eyebrow, to a relatively new black tea from China:  Golden Eyebrow. 

Jin Jun Mei - translates to "noble or high quality golden eyebrow" - comes from the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian Province, located in southeast China. This region is known for producing great oolongs and black tea, including the hearty, smoky lapsang souchong. Although sharing the same locale as lapsang souchong, Golden Eyebrow has neither the heavy campfire taste nor it's centuries-old history. In fact, it hasn't yet met its quarter-century mark of existence.

Golden Eyebrow was created in 2005 after a group of tea enthusiasts from Beijing suggested to a local lapsang souchong tea producer to use only buds for a new tea, a departure from the standard one bud and two leaves. The idea behind this change-up was to produce a brew with a smoother taste and greater overall appeal to the tea-drinking market than lapsang souchong.

Golden Eyebrow's name derives from it color and shape.

The name derives from the shape and color of the tea leaves after they are oxidized. 

Not surprisingly harvesting and production is more labor intensive and comes with a higher price as well - though there's a range. The lower cost varieties are often comprised of older, larger buds, which yield a mostly gold color with a flatter, more earthy taste. Higher end Golden Eyebrow is made with younger, smaller buds, with a mix of gold and black, giving the tea a more vibrant, sweeter and delicate taste. 

Golden Eyebrow, curled shape in a blend of black and gold.

We purchased our Golden Eyebrow at, perhaps, an unlikely source of fine teas, Zingerman's Delicatessen (BTS blog story coming soon!) in Ann Arbor. This is one of their own private label blends. (Maybe not a perfect pairing with a loaded pastrami sandwich, but a delightful accompaniment to another Zingerman's specialty, chocolate rugelach.)

Zingerman's tea pairs nicely with its chocolate rugelach.

The label describes Golden Eyebrow's taste notes as "starting with honeysuckle, then burnt sugar, then malted grain". We found it smooth, mellow, and delicious.  

Brewing guide, also on the label, recommends bringing water up to 185 degrees F and steeping for 1.5 seconds. Since we made a full pot, we upped the steeping time another 30 seconds for wonderful results. 

Current cost of  Zingerman's tea,  $15.00 for a 2 ounce package. 

Two thumb's up - as well as two approving eyebrows raised - to Golden Eyebrow tea.

Sources: Red Blossom Tea, Wu Feng Tea

The Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women: Pairs nicely with a cup of civili-tea!

Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women - civilized responses in place of eyerolls & ordinary digs.

Although Jane Austen wrote only six novels in her lifetime, there have been volumes of volumes written about her. From biographies to literary analysis to, most certainly, Austen at tea, the books related to the author of Pride and Prejudice could fill libraries. Humble as it is, such books fill mine. But one genre that's gained traction in recent years is humor:  mining the novelty from the celebrated Regency novelist. The latest in that category is "The Jane Austen Insult Guide for Well-Bred Women".  It goes where others have gone before, but with the twist of applying Austen quips and observations to modern-day situations and annoyances.

Written/compiled by Emily Reed and just published in 2025, this guidebook offers Jane's biting wit and sarcasm in place of the oh-so-common eyeroll or kneejerk admonition "are you crazy?".  For example, under the title, "When she auditions for reality TV", a quote from Pride and Prejudice that fits nicely:  Let us hope therefore, that her being there may teach her her own insignificance.  

In the Insults for Grating Houseguests chapter, when guests consider extending their stay, the guide pulls from Emma for hosts ready to see them gone:  It was a delightful visit; - perfect, in being much too short.

Two books, published prior to "Insult Guide" share much of the same content.

While this is an amusing collection culled from Jane's novels and letters, it isn't the first of its kind. At least two more that came before - and in my possession - are "The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen" from Dominique Enright, 2002, and "What Would Jane Do?", Potter Style/Random House, 2014. The latter is similarly-sized and meters out singular quotes per page, but the former is much more robust with multiple excerpts displayed on all its 160 pages. All books subdivide Jane's words into chapters and - not surprisingly - there's a great deal of overlap. The "delightful visit" quote is just one of the many that appears in all three tiny tomes -  the middle of that intersecting Venn diagram bulging in shared references.

The Jane Austen Insult Guide, like its predecessors, isn't a scholarly text nor does it intend to be. It serves as a user-friendly introduction to Austen's prose or an amusing and comforting refresh for those of us who have long been Jane devotees. 

The Jane Austen Insult Guide, as well as most things in life, pairs nicely with a cup of civili-tea. 

I found the book a mix of sharp wit wrapped in frivolity - like Masterpiece Theater meets reality TV.

Disagree? Let's turn to Sense and Sensibility for wisdom:  "We must allow for difference of taste". 

To all this, may we suggest, a generous cup of civili-tea. 

Return to Whistling Kettle: A big win for Team Earl Grey in Troy, NY

Team Earl Grey loves Whistling Kettles Earl Grey Matcha Latte

 Our recent visit to Troy, New York, was not only to take in on-location filming of HBO's The Gilded Age, but to make a stop at our favorite tea room in the Capital Region:  The Whistling Kettle. Two years ago, we found so much to love at this charming tea venue:  a scone-which that defies traditional tea etiquette (you CAN eat it like a Big Mac!) and a delightful afternoon tea, served on the customary three-tiered tray, that you don't have to reserve 24-hours in advance. This year, we've found even more to love:  Earl Grey Matcha Latte. Another win for Team Earl Grey!

Becoming Team Earl Grey:

For those who know me well, have joined me for afternoon tea and/or hang in for at least the first few minutes of my describing my latest tea outing, know I am a big fan of Earl Grey - the black tea blend with bergamot (or similarly tasting citrusy fruit). To me, it's light, but with body, and a great accompaniment to both savories and sweets. 

Although it's a pretty standard blend, a lot of tea makers offer variations, and I've sampled many. For example, Creamy Earl Grey adds vanilla and Russian Earl Grey mixes in orange and lemongrass. I have several in my tea pantry with fun names like Earl Grey-er and Triple Earl Grey and even BTS' own blend (soon to be relaunched!) labeled "Earl Grey Delight", but, bottom line, it's my go-to drink.  

Whistling Kettle with family, 2024

And, while always being "Team Earl Grey", it became official last month when I received a pink baseball cap in the mail  - a Mother's Day gift from son, Matt, and daughter-in-law Jenna (the same folks who joined us at The Whistling Kettle in 2024). In bold navy script, "Earl Grey" is embroidered on top. I am now a cap-wearing member of the classic tea blend.

More to love at The Whistling Kettle:

This week, I walked into The Whistling Kettle with my new chapeau. Our server quickly remarked, with an understanding smile, "I believe I know what you would like to drink. . . "

True - I wanted Earl Grey, but on a hot June evening in New York, The Whistling Kettle's "Season Sips" called to me. The Earl Grey Matcha Latte picture featured on their outdoor promotional sign lured me in with its cold brew claims and creamy flavored top and matcha center image. 

Earl Grey Matcha Latte sign lures Team Earl Grey 

I learned the ingredients are Matcha, Earl Grey, Earl Grey syrup, cream, milk and sugar. Our server said they tested various ratios and components over numerous tasting sessions and this recipe won. After the first sip, I understood why.

The Whistling Kettle lists the recipe on their website and you can also purchase some of the ingredients from them as well. I'm currently hovering over my Whistling Kettle on-line shopping cart. I plan to make this at home, although it does take a bit more time than I typically like to stay in the kitchen for prep. (If only my Breville could put this all together. . . ).

I do believe, however, it's worth the effort and this is the perfect time of year, back in Michigan, to enjoy this kind of Earl Grey on the patio.

Whistling Kettle had us at scone-wich. Now, with Earl Grey Matcha Latte, it's given us even more reasons to sing its praises.

May we add, hat's off to The Whistling Kettle. With or without our pink cap, you know what we like.