Celebrating The Royal Wedding With Tea
Tea and the British go hand in hand. One can hardly think of tea without thinking of England. So, when the Prince William-Kate Middleton event took place a few weeks ago, I knew we had to blend a commemorative tea for our shop.
I knew it had to be traditional and truly British in every aspect. Our thinking was to go for full flavor with hints of Earl Grey and a maltiness necessary to make a perfect cuppa.
I love tea, and I love traditional English favorites. They incorporate qualities developed over the last several centuries, and continue to evolve. The maltiness, oakiness, and coppery color all play a role in setting the stage for a truly memorable tea blend.
Sipping and sampling, brewing and tasting, adjusting and titrating we fiddled with teas from nineteenth century tea plantations around the world to produce the blend. This is not an exact science, with enough intricacies to make the art of tea blending one with infinite possibilities.
We started with loose leaf tea, of course. The leaves of the camellia sinensis bush (yes, it is related to the camellias that grow in our neutral grounds) are dried and oxidized and heated or fire roasted to produce the characteristic tea flavors. We experimented with Ceylon tea's crisp, citrus notes. Assam, which is full bodied and malty. And several China black varieties.
Then we added a hint of floral: Jasmine tea, but as a background note. We steeped the blend and took a sip. Smiles all around. During the days after the royal wedding (which we showed continuously on a big screen), we suggested our special tea to our customers. It was a big hit. Not only did they drink lots of it at breakfast and high tea, but we sold many pounds of the blend for people who wanted it at home.
A smashing success, in other words. The Royal Wedding Blend is now a permanent selection on our tea menu. It's our nod to William and Catharine.
This begins a regular blog on the subject of tea by Jan Lantrip, co-owner of the English Tea Room. Covington: 734 E Rutland. 985-898-3988.
