The Rendezvous With Tea Christmas Tasting

Last Monday afternoon, Dec. 5th, I attended a Christmas tea tasting at The Rendezvous With Tea in Grosse Pointe, MI.  

The tea shop is beautifully decorated for Christmas, and Naszreen [the owner], graciously allowed me to take photos.

The Rendezvous with Tea is celebrating its 4th anniversary.  The shop, located at 20792 Mack Avenue, carries 235 teas.

The tasting began at 2:30 p.m. and we sampled eight teas - three whites, three greens, and two oolongs.

We began with Tea Urchins, a white blooming tea ball, followed by three green teas, Ebony Springs Classic, Tea Petals, and Cloud and Mist.  [As a Christmas gift Naszreen gave each of us a blooming tea ball - Lovers 3 Flower, green tea with Jasmine and Lavender.]

 [Naszreen preparing  tea]

Next were two oolongs, Tung Ting Orchid Oolong, and Da Hong Pau.  The 7th tea was my favorite, a White and Black Darjeeling from India, and the last tea was Golden Tips, a Ceylon white tea.

[Darjeeling Tea]

Following the tea tasting, Naszreen prepared some delicious food for us.  While tea is center stage at the tasting, Naszreen's culinary skills are a wonderful accompaniment, and some of her recipes are tea infused.  

We began with a caramel dessert with a shortbread crust garnished with Japanese Gyokuro tea leaves.

~ Brie and Caramelized Onion Quiche ~

~ Tomato and Mushroom Tart in Phyllo Cup ~

Almond Cake infused with Deck the Halls Green Tea with a dollop of Mincemeat, Butterscotch Ganache, and Peppermint Matcha Ganache on the side.  

~ Eggnog infused with Deck the Halls Green Tea ~

Naszreen has recently begun carrying compressed Pu-erh tea cakes, and she showed them to us. My palate hasn't yet acquired a taste for Pu-erh tea.  

While at the tea shop I stocked up on sachets of Magical Motown Tea [Naszreen's best seller], and Michigana.  I also bought 50g of 2016 Holiday Tea Blend - Deck the Halls, and two sachets of one of Naszreen's newest teas - Pearl of the Indian Ocean - Ceylon Silver tips White Tea with Coconut Flakes Essence, and Jasmine Petals.

For the first time ever, I purchased Matcha Tea [Peppermint], and a Matcha spoon [I already have a bamboo whisk.]  Since I've never prepared Matcha, this will be a learning experience, but I'm looking forward it.

For local readers who want to give tea for Christmas presents, stop by The Rendezvous With Tea. There's something there for every tea lover!