Grand tea time at the Grand Hotel

Memorial Day weekend traditionally launches the summer season and gets us thinking of upcoming, relaxing vacations by the lake. In Michigan, add a touch of elegance, and the Grand Hotel epitomizes the warm season getway destination. Throw in an upscale tea time and we here at Barb's TEA Shop, can't think of a better way to spend some time off.

Our family did just that last weekend and we had the great fortune to meet up with historian and hotel concierge, Bob Tagatz. He joined us for tea time and we received a Grand History 101 over English Breakfast tea, scones and champagne.

Tea is served daily in the parlor, from 3:30 to 5:00, and the views, both inside and out, are stunningly beautiful. The hotel's interior décor is courtesy designer Carleton Varney. The inside is filled with period furnishings in rich colors of green and coral, against dark green and bright white walls. Looking outside, you see the Grand Hotel's famous, seemingly unending porch, and the calming blue waters of the Straits of Mackinac.

While we were sampling our sweets and savories, with a harpist playing soothing sounds in the background, Tagatz told us some of the Grand Hotel's exciting past. Currently celebrating its 125th year in operation, it has experienced some highs and lows, but with a lot of care and persistence has outlasted most of its kind. Five presidents have stayed along with many celebrities'. Asked which celebrities' had afternoon tea, Tagatz said two came quickly to mind, Eartha Kitt and Rosemary Clooney. (For the younger generation, that would be the original "Catwoman" and aunt of George, respectively.)

And, as many know, the movie, "Somewhere in Time" was filmed there in 1980 and brought an entirely new group of fans to the majestic hotel. There's an annual Somewhere in Time weekend at the Grand Hotel every October.

A dress code is imposed for dinner, but for afternoon tea guests can be a little more casual. It's elegant, but comfortable and men will enjoy it as much as the ladies. My husband, two sons, and good friend, Jon, expressed what a great time they had (they'd partake in it again in a heartbeat). Of course, the staff of Barb's TEA Shop, Barb and Rachel, ranked the Grand Hotel's afternoon teas as one of their favorites.

For more information on the Grand Hotel, see The Detroit Tea Examiner's latest article, or go to the Grand Hotel website.

Don't wait too long to go back in time!

Jane Austen Tea for Michigan JASNA

Jane Austen and tea - a pairing as perfect as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy - and Barb's TEA Shop had the opportunity to celebrate the well-suited match this past weekend with the Michigan chapter of the Jane Austen Society North America (JASNA). Last Sunday, BTS presented an "Austentacious Tea" to Austen enthusiasts at the Earhart Manor House on the campus of Concordia University in Ann Arbor.

An Austentacious Tea at the Earhart Manor House

Built in the 1930's and filled with period furnishings, the manor house was the ideal venue to get us started on our journey to the past. Drinking Twinings tea, just like Jane did, we traveled back to the Regency period. After discussing tea sources, fashions and Marie Antoinette's fine china (yes, there is an Austen connection!), we finished our presentation with a raffle of two packages of Jane Austen tea (a delicious green tea flavored with garden rose petals and chamomile available at Barb's TEA Shop's on-line store).

Twinings tea, a favorite of Jane Austen, was served.

We concluded the event in the dining room with more pots of Twinings finest and delicious afternoon tea fare, including savories, sweets and scones. Although much has changed since Jane Austen penned her novels,  one constant is the great time to be had when friends gather for tea.

Michigan JASNA members in the dining room for tea

For more information on an Austentacious Tea and other Barb's TEA Shop seminars, contact us at barb@barbsteashop.com or 248-840-4356.

Celestial Seasonings: Tea Tour, Tastings and Tea Shop in Boulder

In February, my husband and I had the good fortune to combine business with pleasure with a quick trip to Boulder, Colorado. While there, we met up with family and I got to check a few more tea spots off my tea visit wish list. We had afternoon tea at The Brown Palace in nearby Denver (see blog entry from February, 2012) and scheduled the other must-see visit back in Boulder at Celestial Seasonings.

Entry to Celestial Seasonings Tea and Gift Shop

With a scenic mountain backdrop, the Celestial Seasonings headquarters is a bright, cheery series of buildings located on Sleepytime Drive, a nod to the company's best selling tea, Sleepytime. We came for the tea tour, but there's a cafeteria and tea shop, both of which we took advantage during our visit.

The tour takes approximately 45 minutes and it's a good idea to get there a little bit ahead of the time you'd like to start, since they tend to fill up fast. The tour begins in a small theater where a short film is played that tells the incredible story of a small cottage industry that grew into a large corporation that now serves customers all over the world.

My husband Chris, and my sister-in-law Cara shopping for tea.

Once inside the production facility, we were asked to turn off cameras and follow our energetic guide. We were shown the immense storage bins for the ingredients that are part of the special blends of many of Celestial Seasonings unique teas. Because tea easily soaks in flavors of what's nearby, the mix of herbs and seasonings are kept stored tight and separate from the tea.

Standing in front of the Tour Center.

The most fascinating place on the tour, for me, anyway, was The Peppermint Room. Locked in a storage room with a garage-style door, our guide lead us in and shut said door behind us. Immediately, the peppermint oil hits you hard, as our guide explained, it attacks the soft tissues. Our eyes welled up and breathing became refreshingly intense. While there, we learned some new uses for peppermint tea (like placing the tea bags in your shower when you are suffering from a cold and stuffy nose) and then we were released back into the production facility to conclude our trip at the packaging area. Watching the conveyor belts move the tea packages along to their final destination was like standing in the middle of a "How It's Made" episode.Amazing!

After the tour, we sampled tea from large silver urns before heading to the tea shop to stock up on Celestial Seasonings famous tea and charming branded merchandise. I came back with a few gift baskets to share and an adorable teapot for myself.

For more information on what's in store for you at Celestial Seasonings, see The Detroit Tea Examiner's recent article, Celestial Seasonings Tea: experience 40 years of tea making in Boulder or visit Celestial Seasonings website.

Fortnum and Mason: visited by the Queen, Camilla, Catherine and Barb and Rachel

Less than a fortnight ago, Fortnum and Mason was the chosen venue for Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge as one of their first joint public outings and a place for intimate tea party of 150 special guests, as noted by The Detroit Tea Examiner's recent column. Similarly, within 9 months of that same event, it was also the choice of Barb and Rachel Gulley, a party of two, for a joint (ad)venture and a spot of tea, although, admittedly, the latter occasion was not as high profile as the first.

In any event, the latest Royal Trio visit to Fortnum and Mason brought back a lot of great memories of our mom/daughter trip to London last July. Thought this would be a fun time to bring out the Fortnum and Mason pictures to share.


Front of Fortnum in Mason in the Piccadilly section of London.




Rachel and Barb enjoying a pot of Fortnum and Mason's Earl Grey tea.




Fortnum and Mason's tea blends are displayed in glass teapots where patrons can see and small the loose tea.







Tea Merchandise beautifully displayed and stored.




Silver teapots and strainers,add the Royal touch, for all who come to visit.




For more detailed account of tea time at Fortnum and Mason, see The Detroit Tea Examiner's London Tea Rooms: Fortnum and Mason, the Royal treatment in Piccadilly.

Valentine's Day at the White Castle: tea, tablecloths, and sliders by candlelight

After spending the first week of February visiting Denver, highlighted by a trip to the Brown Palace, we continued on our royal theme by spending the next week, Valentine's Day, at a castle - the White Castle, home of the Slider.

According to its website, White Castle is America's first hamburger fast food chain. It came onto the scene almost twenty years after the Brown Palace, opening its first diner in 1921. But, it too is rich in history and, although not typically singled out for it's lavish decor, that all changes on February 14th.

For the last 21 years, White Castle has gone all out for the night of romance with reserved seating, wait staff, candlelight, flowers and tablecloths.

I told my husband I had made reservations for Tuesday's 6:00 seating. He accepted, and with barely any trepidation.

I will readily admit, we had a great time, and I plan to go back next year. The staff was courteous and attentive and I was truly impressed with how shiny clean the dining room was. Tablecloths were on every table with Valentine's Day decorations throughout the room. We were quickly seated and given a "goodie bag" filled with candy, pink fortune cookies and a souvenir clear plastic heart inscribed with "White Castle, February 14, 2012" as commemorative of this special evening.

Reverse sticker shock came when our menus, specially printed for the day, were presented. Nothing listed on the left side of the menu was over $3.00 and on the left, even the snack meals were barely double that. The only two high ticket items were the exclusive Valentine's offers: the "Sweetheart Special" for $14.98 and the "Group Hug" for $23.88, which are meant to feed up to three to four people, respectively. So, even at those prices, they are a heartwarming bargain.

A complimentary dessert was served after our sliders, fries and iced-tea. Already packaged and clearly labeled, we finished our meal with a fudge dipped cheesecake . . . on a stick! It was short, sweet and tasty - like our romantic evening at the self-proclaimed "Love Castle".

Just before we left, the hostess took our picture which will be posted in a few weeks on the "Hot and Steamy" Valentine's Day promotion page of White Castle's website. It will provide yet another opportunity to relive the magic of the majestic fortress just minutes from home.

I think a new Valentine's Day tradition has begun!

Royal tea time: from the Brown Palace to the White Castle in less than a week

In less than a week's time, I had tea in two regally named establishments: The Brown Palace in Denver and a White Castle in Detroit. Although the menu, ambiance and, final bill were on extreme ends of the dining experience, we were treated royally and had a lot of fun at both establishments.

Last week, my husband, Chris, and I were able to combine business and pleasure with a quick trip to Colorado. Chris had work that brought him to Boulder and it gave us the opportunity to visit with my sister-in-law and her family who live in nearby Denver. Aside from spending time with our nephews, top on my list was a visit to Celestial Seasonings tea tour (future blog) and a stop at The Brown Palace for afternoon tea. After reading about the latter a few year's back in Bruce Richardson's, The Great Tea Rooms of America, it became a fantasy destination for me.

Last week, my sister-in-law made those dreams a reality. On Thursday afternoon, we sat across from each other at an intimately-sized round table in The Brown Palace's impressive eight story atrium lobby while background music played from the grand piano in a corner of the room. Built in 1892, the hotel's rich interior drips with elegance and grandeur. It takes little prodding to relax and assimilate to the environs.

Silver tea pots and a three-tiered tray were soon placed on our table and we were enjoying the ambiance while nibbling on delicious scones and egg-salad sandwiches. We sampled the hotel's signature brew, "Brown Palace Crown Jewel", a rich black tea blend of Assam and Ceylon. I liked it so much, I bought two tins of it from the gift shop to take home to keep the memories steeping a little while longer.

Good times, good tea, good day!

And, although one would find it hard to top such an elegant affair, especially within only a few days, we found a majestic venue in our own backyard upon our return home - and for Valentine's Day, to boot! We paid a visit to a White Castle restaurant complete with wait staff, tablecloths, candlelight and flowers. But, I'll save that story for the next blog.

For more information on the history and location of the Brown Palace, see The Detroit Examiner's recent article featuring this delightful tea room.

Barb's TEA Shop's In Out List for 2012: Don't risk falling victim to antediluvian fashions

It's that time again: the new year when we all get a chance to start anew. Every January, we're given the opportunity to set new goals and purge the negativity. It's also a time to get up-to-date on current trends and avoid falling into the rut of following old fashions.

Barb's TEA Shop, presents our second annual In/Out list of (mostly) tea-related trends. In 2011, we traveled to England (London, Winchester and Chawton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Massillon, Ohio and all over our home state of Michigan to uncover only the latest in fashions, events and happenings for 2012.

We owe much of our inspiration to Wayne State Honor's College, featured in this week's Detroit Free Press, which has a list of their own. In response to "Lake Superior State College's List of Banished Words" (this year's list included "man cave" and "ginormous"), my alma matter came up with a group of words they would like to reintroduce to our everyday lexicon.

(We've provide links to past articles, primarily from Barb's TEA Shop blog and The Detroit Tea Examiner, but there are a few other sources included.)

Barb's TEA Shop's What's In/What's Out List in the World of Tea for 2012

In ..................................................................................Out

Afternoon tea at Kensington Palace................................Valentine's dinner at White Castle, unless you can handle the supercilious looks you'll get from the one percent.

Downton Abbey, Edwardian serial drama on PBS......The execrable Kardashian family drama on E!

The wedding of Kate Middleton & Prince William...........The divorce of Kim Kardashian & erstwhile husband of 72 days, Chris Humphries

Wide brimmed hats and tiaras.......................................Fascinators, unless you are from Whoville, although we applaud fashionistas' Sisyphean efforts to try and bring them back to favor again this year with the ill-fated assistance of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Jane Austen novels.......................................................Stephenie Meyers and all vampires who dare transmogrify classic lit again.

Jane Austen tea..................................................... ...... sensational assertions of parlous additives to medicine, by one crime writer, which may have caused of Jane Austen's death.

Irish tea, Irish tearooms and Irish shops.......................waiting for St. Patrick's Day to enjoy. Prolong the Emerald Isle frisson you experience on March 17th and partake in Irish delights throughout the year.

Aprons and pearls (Mrs. Cleaver) .........................Animal prints and fake tans (Snooki) Aprons and pearls don't need to be combined, nor do they necessitate truckling to domesticity, they're just classic accessories that beat out ginormous hoop earrings and orange bronzer.

Penultimate on our list is only "in": Jane Pettigrew's tea talks and books.

Tablescapes...................................................................White Castle outside the castle. A dining experience without a proper setting is downright antediluvian. If one's table doesn't have a theme, a centerpiece, fanciful dishes and an assortment of creatively garnished food, you might as well cook your dinner over an open fire and have your guests eat their turkey legs with their hands.

And, with that, we're off! The new year has started and we wish everyone all good wishes in future tea endeavors.

One last affirmation, just to validate what all you tea enthusiasts already know, in The Detroit News In Out List, published December 30, 2011, tea was "in".

Happy New Year to All!