Fourth Tea Tasting at The Rendezvous With Tea

Yesterday my girlfriend and I drove to Grosse Pointe Woods, MI to attend the fourth and final tea tasting of 2014 at The Rendezvous With Tea.  There were 10 ladies in attendance, and because this tasting was with high end teas, the cost was $25.00. The tasting was scheduled for 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. but we didn't leave the shop until after 5:30 p.m.  

The retail area of the tea shoppe, including the front window, was nicely decorated for Christmas. It's hard to believe Christmas is only 49 days away!

~ Exterior front window photos ~

~ Interior retail area ~

The tea tasting area of the shop was set-up and waiting for us.

We tasted eight teas.  In the photo below Naszreen, the Sri Lanka born owner, is pouring the tea.  

We began the tasting with Ruhuna - a luxury black tea from the Lumbini Estate in Sri Lanka.

The next two teas were Black Darjeelings from India - a 1st flush from the Gopaldhara Estate, and an Autumn flush from the Makaibari Estate.

The fourth tea was a prestigious Wuyi Oolong from China - Da Hong Pao [Big Red Robe] known as the 'King of Teas.'  It is considered a Chinese national treasure.

The fifth and sixth teas were Green - Bi Lo Chun [Spring Green Snail] from China, and Gyokuro [Jade Dew], one of the most expensive types of sencha available in Japan.  

The seventh tea was a Yellow Tea - Huang Shan Mountain Huang Ya.  I don't recall ever tasting a yellow tea before, so I was very intrigued by this tea.  Naszreen said it undergoes a special process similar to green tea, but with a slower drying phase where the damp tea leaves are allowed to yellow.  It was very good, and I bought some to bring home.

The last tea we sampled was White Silver Tips from Sri Lanka.  The buds are plucked by hand, hand rolled, sun dried, and packed in air-tight containers.  The leaves were white, long and slender.  There was almost no color to the liquor, but it produced a delicate, delicious taste.

Naszreen always serves a savory and a sweet at the conclusion of the tastings, and this month she out-did herself!  We had a slice of Artichoke Quiche and a German-Austrian spice cookie.  I chose a cup of the Yellow Tea to accompany my food.

And... a fabulous slice of orange cake [eggless and made with ground almonds instead of flour]. The recipes will be on her website in a week or so.

This tea tasting was a grand finale!  Naszreen will soon be celebrating her first anniversary at The Rendezvous With Tea, and I wish her continued success.  

Below are the teas I purchased yesterday.  This is the third time I've purchased a bag of the Bohemian Raspberry Green Tea.  It's SO good!  And I couldn't resist the Christmas Merry Berry - Ceylon Black Tea with a blend of wild mixed berries.  It smelled wonderful.  I got more Magical Motown sachets too.  What a fun way to spend an afternoon!  Thank you for a wonderful tea experience, Naszreen!