BTS' Monthly Divine Tea Finds!

We hope you are having a brew-tea-ful day! 

At BTS, we are introducing a new monthly feature: Divine Tea Finds.  Along with our "BTS Featured Artist" and "Tuesday Tea and Tomes", we are adding a new spotlight on tea finds we uncover every month. July was a particularly spectacular month for amazing tea products. We have four that we'd like to share!

 

So many treasures are uncovered serendipitously. On a recent trip to our local Pier 1 to purchase patio chair cushions, I took a quick turn about the tableware displays and found this delightful tea canister. It's cheery greeting, with it's play on words and glass knob top, had me at "it's a brew-tea . . ."  It's cute, practical and will be a classy addition to any kitchen countertop. 

We purchased it for $24.95. See Pier 1, Coffee or Tea Holder.

This month, we not only spruced up our patio seating, but took a few road trips to distant lands: Petoskey, Michigan and Louisville, Kentucky and both locales had some divine tea finds!

Last week, we did a quick tour of the southern upper peninsula and the northern lower peninsula, ending up in Petoskey, where we visited Grandpa Shorter's gift store. It is here that we found not one, but two awesome tea finds.

 My sister-in-law gets credit for uncovering Tea forte Single Steeps at the Petoskey gift store. I was an immediate fan and couldn't wait to uncover all the teas in this treasure chest. Five teas are packaged in a tantalizing hinged box, and each tea has three single-serving packages ready to go. Easy to brew up with the aid of your favorite steeper, these single steeps provide the luxury of loose tea in convenient packaging and little waste.

You just brew and go right to the patio.

If you can't make it up to Grandpa Shorter's, the single steeps are available for $16.00 at the Republic of Tea's website, single steeps.

 

Another fabulous find at Grandpa Shorter's was Booklover's Cup of Tea, complete with a tiny tome steeper and accompanying tea book guide. The steeper cover title is, "A Tale of Two Ci-Teas". But, wait, there's more!

 

The informative companion book comes with instructions on brewing the "perfect cup",  hosting a tea party, and, lastly,  suggestions for novel tea pairing. The latter offers up tasty tea fare, complete with recipes, and tea pairings with three classics novels. How about, "The Picture of Dorian Earl Grey"?  Brilliant! Of course, our favorite is "Sencha Sensibility" for those of us who are Jane Austen enthusiasts.

Running Press has their Book Lover's Cup of Tea available on their website for $9.95.

And, speaking of Jane Austen, earlier this month we were in Louisville for the Jane Austen Festival at Locust Grove. We met up with Julia Matson of Bingley's Teas.  A wonderful new product from this amazing tea company are tasty syrups made from their extraordinary tea. They can be added to a variety of drinks from lemonade to prosecco, equally at home on the bar or tea tray. I have to admit, the packaging is so beautiful, I have yet to disrupt the wax top. I will report back once we have uncorked the laveder syrup, but for now, it's on display in my new kitchen.

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Four divine tea finds for July.

We hope you will partake in these fun and pretty tea products and have a brew-ti-ful August where more tea treasures await!

Football, cheese and. . . tea! With Q-Tea tea room, Green Bay has it all!

Trying the Royal Milk Tea at Q-Tea in Green Bay

When in Green Bay, do as the Wisconsiners do: see the Packers play football at Lambeau Field, snack on the state's signature food, cheese (eventually putting it on your head) and, with Q-Tea in town,  sit down in a lovely tea room and enjoy a delicious cup of tea.

This week, we took the ferry ride on Lake Michigan from Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and headed north to visit the sites in Green Bay. We stopped at the legendary football stadium, put cheese on our heads and made sure we stopped for tea at Q-Tea. We were delighted with them all!

Husband, Chris with my brother, Ed, in front of Lambeau Field

Cheeseheads:  Barb and Sandy

Q-Tea is just a short distance from Lambeau Field - about a 3 minute drive - but you have to look for it as it is set back a bit in an unassuming strip mall. But, once inside, you enter a tea room with a sleek, modern decor, where students, tourists and Packer fans can all feel comfortable.

Q-Tea has a sleek, modern decor where all will feel comfortable

With only a little time to make the most of our Q-Tea visit, I opted to try the monthly drink special, "Royal Milk Tea". This special brew is made of Earl Grey tea, milk and honey boba and can be served hot or cold. I chose the former and thoroughly enjoyed it. The first sampling tells you its creamy and sweet, but not cloying or saccharin-y.  I actually liked it better with each subsequent sip. It was the perfect afternoon treat after a day of Midwest traveling.

Q-Tea offers a large selection of boba (bubble) and loose teas

We had excellent customer service from Maddie. She was quick to answer our questions and brew us up a few monthly specials. My only regret is that we didn't have more time to sample the variety of teas on the menu and sit a spell in the welcoming environs of the Q-Tea tea room.

Next time you're in Green Bay for a football game or cheese tasting/donning, take a short trip down Oneida Street for a delicious cup of tea - hot or cold - at Q-Tea. Green Bay has something for every taste!

(As a die-hard Detroit Lions fan, I may have had to check my cheese-hat before entering Escanaba, but the teas can stay with me all through football season, where I often need a calming cuppa on a Sunday afternoon.)

Excellent customer service from Maddie, answering our questions & brewing tea!

Q-Tea is located at 2321 Oneida, Street in Green Bay. For more information, see visit them on Facebook at Q-Tea.

Q-Tea of Green Bay, less than a three minute drive from Lambeau Field

La Bohème, from Paris to Detroit, tea, breakfast and lunch: C'est magnifique!

La Bohème's menu: from Paris to Detroit

On the corner of Kercheval and Parker in the West Village, a delicious taste of Paris comes to Detroit at La Bohème. Along with quiches, croques, pain au chocolate and macarons, there's also an added bonus to tea enthusiasts: a large selection of wonderful Paris-brand loose tea.

 

We stopped in this weekend for lunch and for a party of five, I found it wasn't a bad idea to call ahead for reservations. It was quite busy this Saturday afternoon. And, although the dining area is not large, we had plenty of space and found the ambiance casual and comfortable. Our tables were waiting for us when we arrived a little early and the staff was warm, friendly and accommodating.

My husband, Chris, and I got there before the rest of the family, so decided to have a little "appetizer" of pain au chocolate, a light and flaky croissant filled with chocolate.  It was simply scrumptious!

When the rest of our gang arrived, we ordered lunch.  I had a maurice sandwich - layers of ham and cheese housed in a baguette slice - served up with a light mix of greens and a garnish of grapes.

Others in our party ordered different croques, a type of grilled sandwich. All gave two thumb's up to their selection. These are generous-sized sandwiches, so some of us reserved a little to take home in order to save room for the pastries.

We ordered a few of the many tempting delights that are displayed in a glass case in easy view of all dining tables.  The pastries are as beautiful to look at as they are tasty to eat. We loved the Marie Antoinette, a pistachio macaron with raspberries and creamy filling.

We also ordered the chocolate lava cake. Truly decadent and delightful, it's a sweet, dense cake with a lush chocolate center.

              

But the figurative icing on the cake is the tea! All tea is from  Palais des Thes, a Paris brand tea. All the tea is loose and brewed in individual pots. Perfectly brewed and steeped, the tiny pots are brought to your table and all you need to do is pour.

We sampled some blacks and herbals and I found the Earl Grey to be particularly delicious. It was a smooth blend with a well-balanced citrus-y note, not overbearing as some can be.

Sugar and milk are served in an eclectic mix of china and silver pieces as are the tea and variety of comestibles.  (There's also a fine selection of coffee for those who wish to partake in the "other" hot beverage).

The decor is simple, yet artful and distinctively French. It reminded of us of the informal elegance of many of the Paris cafes we visited when in France a few years' back.

We met with co-owner and Paris native,  Jean-Yves Jeannot, who opened La Bohème this past February. There are more exciting plans for this lovely cafe in the very near future. Crepes will be on the menu and hours of service may be extended a few nights a week for dinner. We'll keep a close watch on that.

In that spirit, there are two clocks that hang on one of the cafe walls which are set to Paris time and Detroit time. We say, anytime is a great time to visit La Bohème.  C'est magnifique!!

Ninth Annual Jane Austen Festival at Locust Grove: Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, can't wait to go back!

Regency ladies gather for a cuppa at Bingley's Tea tent

Last weekend, my daughter, Rachel, and I entreated our carriage to transport us across state lines and a few centuries past, to once again attend the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Hosted by the Jane Austen Society of North America's (JASNA) Lousville chapter and held at Locust Grove, the historic site once again became transformed into Meryton, the country village where the Bennet sisters would be at home. Retailers of tea, fashion and curios dotted the well-manicured grounds amid Navy men and ladies attired in long gowns, bonnets and parasols.

Regency military men in attendance at Locust Grove/Meryton

The Jane Austen Festival in Louisville celebrated its ninth year this past weekend. We've attend six of the nine and find each year there's more to experience. And, even thought it's grown in numbers and vendors, it's so well organized, it runs seamlessly - with the help of a  wonderful group of volunteers and Festival Chairman, Bonny Wise.

This year, the Festival honored the author's life and death, with emphasis on the latter, as this month - and today specifically -  marks the 200th anniversary of  Jane Austen's passing.

Dr. Kinney gives the eulogy Jane Austen should have had

Guest speaker, Dr. Cheryl Kinney, a medical doctor and JASNA board member, presented "The Eulogy Jane Austen Should Have Had".  An interesting talk on the theories of what caused Jane's death along with how her image was quickly reshaped by family members to make her more in sync with Victorian virtues. (How glad we are to know from subsequent research, she was as spirited and irreverent as Miss Elizabeth Bennet!)

The highlight of the Festival, however, is attending all our favorites:  Dressing Mr. Darcy, Afternoon Tea, strolling the grounds of Meryton and stopping for tea at Bingley's Tea.



Brian Cushing, once again, delighted us all with his "Dressing Mr. Darcy", better known to all serious Regency Period fashion enthusiasts as "UN-Dressing Mr. Darcy". A Festival crowd-pleaser, Mr. Cushing keeps the event fresh every year by adding new elements and commentary. This year, he came dressed as "casual" Mr. Darcy. wearing longer pants and shoes, rather than the evening attire of breaches and boots. He has our utmost approbation any time of the day.

Watching the UN-dressing of Mr. Darcy

We visited Bingley's Tea's distinctive white tent and met up once again with owner and operator, Julia Matson. As pretty and inviting as her artful tea packages, we stocked up on a few "books" of tea. Among our favorites:  "Mr. Knightly's Reserve", a superb Earl Grey blend and "Compassion for Mrs. Bennet's Nerves", an herbal tea that is sure to help ail any malady, real or imagined!

With Julia Matson, owner of Bingley's Teas

New this year at Bingley's Tea were a line of syrups made from their tea. We purchased a few of those, too! I purchased the "French Lavender" and Rachel selected the "Naughty Nun". I am so looking forward to adding these to a fresh batch of lemonade or a chilled glass of Prosecco.



Bingley's Teas were also served at Afternoon Tea and we enjoyed our elegant repast in the Visitor's Center tea room.

Afternoon Tea at the Visitor's Center tea room

Another exceedingly good time at the Jane Austen Festival. We really did buy the T-shirt and we certainly plan to be back next year for more Festival felicity!

Got the tea and the T-shirt. We'll be back for more!

Royal Treat Tea Room is Just Delicious

The Royal Treat Tea Room in Roseville,  elegant and comfortable

A tea room and bakery that are most suitably named:  you will get the royal treatment at The Royal Treat Tea Room while partaking in just delicious sweets from Just Delicious Scones. 

The Roseville tea room and bakery are housed under one roof on a stretch of Utica Road between Gratiot and Twelve Mile. The burgundy and white awning that spans the length of The Royal Treat Tea Room sets it apart from neighboring buildings and announces to patrons that there are great things inside.

My friend, Christine and I visited The Royal Treat Tea Room last week and found it to be a lovely venue to catch up while enjoying tea time fare.

A variety of scones are served and, yes!, the are delicious

The tea room and Just Delicious Scones are the creation of owner, Jennifer Stockwell-Colombo, who has been in the catering business for over twenty years. Inspired by the high-end pastries of Europe she enjoyed when she set out to travel the world at nineteen, she learned to recreate those specialty treats back home. By her mid-twenties, she had her own coffee shop and continued to grow her catering business.

Sharing a cup with owner, Jennifer, as warm & welcoming as her tea

Jennifer switched to wholesale baking a few years back, supplying retailers with her tasty desserts. Working from a small shop in Roseville, people would stop in to pick up their scones and chat. That lead to serving guests tea with their goodies and soon afterwards, searching for bigger digs to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

Chicken salad, scones and a pot of tea for $15.00

The Royal Treat Tea Room is furnished with Jennifer's antiques and collectibles in addition to furniture and china donated from guests. It's a charming, eclectic mix of tea cups and dining tables that make it an elegant, but comfortable, tea room. 

Tea cups and other furnishings come from Jennifer's collection and guests

And, that's just the decor.

The scones come in a variety of flavors, many with a light icing on top, and are, well, just delicious! The lunch menu offers chicken salad and a selection of quiches. Your choice of either salad or quiche, a plate of scones and a pot of tea, costs only $15.00.

Mini scones purchased at the bakery to enjoy at home

The service is as warm and welcoming as the freshly brewed pots of tea. After the meal, take-home bags with pretty ribbons are supplied to wrap up any leftovers. There's also the bakery to stop at on the way out which provides the opportunity to stock up on more scrumptious treats. We purchased a half-dozen mini scones to take home.

Tablecloths not only don dining tables, but hang as wall decor

Reservations are highly recommended. This tea room fills up fast! To find out how you can get the royal treatment and indulge is delicious scones, visit Just Delicious Scones and The Royal Treat Tea Room on Facebook.