Buckingham Palace Garden Party

"My latest business trip to London from New York was, for the first time, notable only for the lack of business done, and the joy involved therein. At a small tearoom in central London, I was discussing with a business partner my love of fine teas and how I had yearned to get my hands on a certain tea I had tasted once at an embassy dinner but was unable to find again. I was discussing the taste and essence of the tea when suddenly a distinguished white haired gentleman sitting in the armchair behind me turned and said matter-of-factly, 'I do say, pardon the interruption, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I actually know precisely the tea which you describe, and I believe it must be fate which has drawn you to me, because I am the only person in the world who could recognize and obtain this tea for you. You see, the tea of which you speak is none other than the Queen's own blend, used specifically for her garden parties and, occasionally, in various official functions like the embassy ball you have described. And I, good sir, am Her Majesty's tea taster.... "

"One week later, while preparing my passage home, I was surprised to receive a telegram from none other than Her Majesty, the Queen of England herself, expressing not only her delight in giving me her favorite tea, but her desire that I might accompany her for tea...."

A traditional British favorite, milder than Earl Grey, and fantastic with milk and sugar. Glorious particularly for its scent of warm, buttered scones....

Ceylon Orange Pekoe

Sail-On! A glorious tea which reminds one of exotic lands, the west trade winds, and the time of merchants, who, hungry for treasure, brought this tea back from Ceylon (Sri Lanka.) "Orange Pekoe" itself is not orange in taste, but denotes the size of leaf used, in this case long, thin, wiry leaves. 'Pekoe' is pronounced "pek-oh" not "peek-oh."

Sail on, with Ceylon Orange Pekoe's lovely fragrance, mellow, fine flavor, and rich, golden color in the cup.

China Keemun

The Earl of St. James

This is The St. James's own Earl Grey blend. An exquisite tea! Not only redolent of the oil of Bergamot, as is all Earl Grey tea, it also contains notes of lavender, roses and rosemary. An exciting Traditional. Imagine the exhilaration of studying Renaissance History in the Bodlian at Oxford University, or taking your pint at The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis and the Inklings met. Very traditional! Very exciting! This is a warm, inviting tea, both invigorating and prone to bring up pleasant memories and welcome nostalgia. Excellent with cakes and sweets, it takes milk and sugar well.

If you are a fan of The Earl, you will be passionate about the Earl of St. James!

Earl à la Crème

English Breakfast

It is said that traditional tea was first made by a Scotsman who wanted nothing more than a blend of teas which would make a good eye-opener in the morning. His tea was simply called "Breakfast," and became the first of many such teas to brighten the soul and the eyes after a good night's sleep. A mixture of Keemun, Indian, and Ceylon black teas, with more caffeine (naturally!) than the normal tea.

Indian Assam

Charles Bruce was an adventurer, explorer, businessman and guide to the East India Company in northern India. Bruce discovered tea growing wild in the state of Assam in the 1830's. According to THE most knowledgeable, and OUR personal favorite connoisseur of teas, James Norwood Pratt, "Bruce ... was ingenious as Robinson Crusoe and hearty as a hog, and spent his entire adult life in a malarious wilderness where few white men survived their first year....He explored as far as the borders of Burma and China, mapping a chain of one hundred twenty tracts of wild tea.. ..Bruce was positive that this was the tea to propagate in Assam and he patiently did so, creating gardens with young plants brought from the jungle....Charles Bruce was the first to prove you didn't have to be Chinese to grow and manufacture tea. Because of him, in 1839, the world had its first small sip of tea that had NOT come from China."

A black, pungent, malty tasting tea, full bodied with an unusually dark red color (beautiful with milk!), grown in northeastern India along the Indian-Burmese border. This is the tea the Irish add to their blends. It is dark and weighty, but not 'puckery' at all. A rich, beautiful tea.

Lady Londonderry

It is commonly known that, if one had a grand enough standing in society, one could, for a price, taste and design one's own tea blend, which forever after would carry one's name, thus ensuring a legacy of taste with connoisseurs and commoners alike. When Lady Londonderry first aspired to greatness, her attention turned first to the teaching of fashion and etiquette (of which she considered herself an expert) and then to the creation of the perfect tea. It is said she spent weeks in the tea houses, tasting this and that tea, mixing and matching teas to come up with the elusive delicate perfection which she sought. And finally, after two months of intensive research, it was finished. The result was a mixture of Ceylon, India, and Formosa teas, more delicate than English Breakfast and Earl Gray, but with, in her estimation, an essence that would inspire the mind toward things of higher and more noble substance. Lady Londonderry's personal blend.

Margaret's Hope Darjeeling

The tea of scandal. Grown in the Indian province near the Himalayas, 6500 feet above sea level, the headquarters of the Bengal government under the British raj. Kipling said that region was the favorite spot for vacationing British officers and their beautiful but bored wives and daughters during warm weather. Well known but clandestine Victorian affairs were carried on here at the foot of the Himalayas, higher and cooler in altitude, but the Victorians brought their own brand of heat.

Noticeably puckery, with light and lovely cup, and wonderful, flowery bouquet. Milk gives Darjeeling a grayish cast.

Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney was a true Renaissance Man. He was a writer and poet, leaving us 108 sonnets and many songs, the well-known Defense of Poesy and Arcadia, as well as numerous other works. He was a military general and hero, ambassador and scholar, a man of words, a man of action, gentle lover, and fierce fighter, a master of diplomacy as well as strategy. His death occasioned much grief for the man who had come to exemplify the ideal courtier. Londoners hailed at his funeral procession, "Farewell, the worthiest knight that lived."

This tea is in honor of that English gentleman of long ago. It is very rich and complex, full bodied and molasses-like. Sir Philip Sidney is classic, robust, energetic and beautiful. It is delicious alone or with milk and sugar. Put your feet up, take out a volume of poetry, and have a dish.


Scented Black Teas

Afternoon in Mansfield Park

Atlantic City Jubilee, 1923

"I was strolling along the summer pier, watching through various windows the spirit of the 20's in high form. Couples doing the Charleston in the local Dance Hall, raucous jazz played at high speed by an enthusiastic band, a young woman along the wall sneaking an occasional nip from the flask hidden in her silk catchpurse. Strangely enough, there was a quiet tearoom next-door, filled with elegant couples sitting in high backed chairs, talking in low, cultured tones. I was puzzled at first to see two seemingly contradictory businesses of the time adjacent to each other. Puzzled, that is, until I went in and tasted their 'world famous' tea. It was a tea which surely possessed the same energy and spirit as the jazz and Charleston going on next door, ensuring that no matter what one was doing, energy and enthusiasm could still be part of the equation. The second I tasted it, I knew I had to have it'.'

A delicious blend of fine imported black teas, infused with a creamy touch of cherry. This tea has a fantastic fragrance, with a delicate cherry taste. Perfect for those times, which, though at ease, still affect you with their enthusiasm, energy, and excitement for life.

Black Pearl

A tiny village on a Pacific atoll. Pearl divers searching the deeps for treasure. Black Pearl is a rare black jasmine tea - mellow and polished. Its glow is subtle. Floral, but not entirely; deeper notes add a satisfying smoothness, with a delightful finish. Delicious with honey or sugar.

Wonderful black tea filled with the essence of both peach and apricot. Gloriously fragrant of fruit.

Invented 800 years ago in the Sung Dynasty, this Jasmine Green tea is made in late summer when the jasmine flowers open. The flowers only open at night, and actually make a popping sound at that moment. These petals are then mixed carefully with the finest green teas to create the sweetest, most aromatic and delicate tasting green tea. Brings to mind geishas in fine silk kimonos exquisitely pouring this tea into tiny porcelain cups for resting samurai as they compose haiku under the cherry blossom trees.
 

"The Champagne of Teas" - Formosa Oolong

A partially fermented tea from Taiwan notable particularly for its gloriously delicate taste and its scent of ripe peaches ... Formosa, or Taiwan, as it is known today, has the perfect soil and climate to produce this delicate tea. Oolong is a subtle and rare tea that receives the minimum of manipulation, thus keeping its innate delicacy. It has no astringency at all and no bitterness. "No peaks, no bites" is the way professional tea tasters put it. It is more deliciously fruity and of a sparkling character that makes lemon and sugar unnecessary and makes milk unthinkable. A rare find...

Van Gogh....smiling (Fairy Tea)

"Ah, the glory of painting... A dab here, a touch there. Must have yellows, lots and lots of yellows to add warmth and vigor. A line there to add structure. And. ...perfect. Finis. I do hope Amsterdam will appreciate this! Time for a break, time to reflect on what has been done. Time to enjoy what has been created. A time for tea...."