Day #3 - Visiting Lexington, Kentucky

Knowing we had noon reservations for a tea luncheon in Lexington, we opted to walk a few doors down from the hotel to Berea Coffee and Tea for a light breakfast. 

The distinct aroma of coffee immediately told us it was a coffee shop, and the trendy decor revealed it was geared towards college students, but my blueberry bagel and chai latte were wonderful at this fun shop!

Tea selections were on the shelf at the right.

A "Show of Hands" statue between the hotel and coffee shop.

Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World, so Linda made a stop at Thoroughbred Park so we could take photos.

Life-size horse sculptures in racing position.

Destination - Greentree Antiques & Tearoom.  Their web site states, "Where tradition meets style."

~ Our fun group of tea friends ~

Front Row L-R:  Nancy [PA], Me [MI], and Lynn [KY]
Middle Row:  Linda [KY], Lori [MI], and Maureen [GA]
Back Row:  Mary [KY] and Angela [GA]

~ Interior of Greentree ~

~ Beautiful Porcelain China ~ 

The tables were beautifully set awaiting our arrival.

Greentree's Irish-themed menu was the same throughout the month of March . 

Our meal began with a bowl of Potato Leek Soup.

The tea was a full-bodied Irish blend.

The Irish Oat Scone was delicious!

It was served with Blackberry Jam and Fayette Cream.  Linda said Lexington is in Fayette County, hence the name Fayette Cream instead of Mock Devonshire Cream.  I apologize that the photo was taken after the bowls had been passed around the table, so the presentation isn't as pretty.

Next came Spanakopita - a savory Greek spinach pastry.

Sandwiches and desserts were served buffet style.

Corned Beef Sandwiches, Poppy Seed Egg Salad Sandwiches, and Benedictine Tea Sandwiches [a Kentucky specialty].

Pistachio Cupcakes; Greentree French Filled Wafers, and Bailey's Fudge.

~ One of each ~

From Greentree we went antiquing.  What trip would be complete without that?  ;-)

Linda found a beautiful Sadler teapot at Meadowthorpe, and with Angela's keen eye, I got a teapot at Feather Your Nest.  She remembered I had blogged about England's Rington Tea Company, so when she spotted a Rington's Centenary Commemorative Teapot [1907-2007] she showed it to me.   $8.99 was an amazing price for an English bone china teapot!

The adorable rabbit below went home with Lynn.  She was going to let her grandchildren name him.

Tomorrow's post will feature Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park, and our final morning in Berea.  I hope you've been enjoying traveling along with me vicariously.  It's been fun reliving the trip for my blog.

Day #2 Traveling Tea Friends in Kentucky

Our group gathered for breakfast at 9:00 a.m. in the Boone Tavern Hotel dining room. Linda's daughter, Melissa, of Stockpiling Moms blog was with us for two nights and one day, and three of Linda's friends who live locally, Lynn, Patty, and Mary also joined us.

[L-R from bottom: Angela, Nancy, Me, Lori, Lynn, Patty, Melissa, Mary, and Linda]

Below is the breakfast and Sunday Brunch Chef, Cliff Mullins - a long-time family friend of Linda's, and a godchild of Mary's.

[Mary, Cliff, and Linda]

Cliff got my vote for best breakfast.  I ordered "Poached Eggs of Autumn" - Poached Eggs on a Toasted English Muffin with Mushrooms, Shaved Ham, Pimento Cheese, and Lemon Hollandaise Sauce with Weisenberger Cheese Grits.  The tea I ordered was Cherry Rose Green Tea from Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.  It was a Japanese Sencha blended with rose petals and cherries - very light, and not overly floral.

After breakfast, we gathered in the hotel lobby for some photos before departing for a tea tasting in Danville, Kentucky at Bruce & Shelley Richardson's Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.

[Front row: Melissa, Me, Maureen, Lynn, Angela, and Linda]

[Back row:  Lori, Patty, Cliff, Mary, and Nancy]

Bruce is well-known in the United States as a tea authority, author, publisher, tea blender, and tea master for the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.  Our tea tasting was scheduled for 10:00 a.m., and we were so happy Bruce was in town.

The shop is a tea lover's delight!  Lots of loose-leaf teas, tea books, and practically every kind of tea equipage imaginable.  I could have spent lots of money in there very easily!

Bruce & Shelley's son, Ben, at the check-out counter in the left photo below.

I first heard Bruce speak in 2002 at the American Tea Society gathering in Denver, Colorado. Then I had the privilege of hearing him again in 2005 at Nancy R.'s Sweet Remembrances tea room, when he was the guest speaker for the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association's first annual seminar.  He is so knowledgeable and interesting.  As Bruce spoke, his assistant, Lois, prepared three different teas for us to taste. [Left photo below.]

Bruce showed us an antique Twinings tea chest from England [left photo below], and a 2007 pu-erh tea cake from a 1,000 year old tea tree in China's Yunnan Province [right photo]. Pu-erh tea gets better with age.

Bruce definitely had the undivided attention from our group in the photos below.

The first tea we tasted was a Hawaiian tea grown by tea master, Eva Lee, called Forest White. It was hand clipped, and sun dried naturally.

The second tea we sampled was Mayor's Cup, a blend of single estate black teas from Sri Lanka, Darjeeling, and Assam.  The last tea was Temple Garden - 20% Sencha green tea, and 70% Ayurvedic herbs.  The white tea was the most expensive, but my favorite was Mayor's Cup.

Below Bruce is signing my book.  Prior to 2005 I had the habit of adding sugar to my tea before tasting it.  Bruce pointed out that sugar can mask tea's true taste, and he challenged me to taste the tea first before adding sugar.  He said I'd find that many teas taste good without it. He was right, and I rarely use sugar anymore.

I met Shelley in the summer of 2004 when my hubby and I traveled to their Elmwood Inn Tea Room before it closed, and again in 2005 when she accompanied Bruce to Pennsylvania. It was so nice to see her again.

What did I purchase at the tea shop?  A Boston Tea Party Teapot, and a tin of Abigail's Blend black tea.  It will be a great visual for U.S. tea history presentations.

After shopping we headed back to Berea to get ready for Afternoon Tea at Boone Tavern Hotel which was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. - that'll be tomorrow's post.

Homeward Bound

May 4

Our last breakfast at Pinecrest B & B was "Raspberry Bliss"  [a baked, stuffed raspberry croissant], sausage patties, pumpkin bread, a strawberry yogurt parfait, orange juice and hot tea.

Even though I purchased their cookbook, it will be oatmeal for breakfast when I get back home!  ;-)

We departed for Kentucky right after breakfast and arrived at Linda's house by mid-afternoon. 

In 2003 the Berea Arts Council organized the "Show of Hands" - an exhibit of twelve 6-foot tall hand sculptures decorated by twelve artists, and positioned throughout the city.  One of the hands was near the restaurant where we had dinner, so Linda took a picture of Sandy and me standing beside it.  This hand was titled, "Gone Fishing."  

Once again, Linda graciously offered us her lovely tea-themed guest room for the night.   I'm forever grateful not only for her warm hospitality, but  for her expertise in coordinating the entire Asheville trip.   Everything was wonderful, without a single glitch.  Lasting memories were made.   Thank you, Linda!

May 5

We departed shortly after 9:00 a.m. destined for Basically British Tea Room in Dayton, Ohio.   It had been on my bucket list to visit after hearing so many good reviews about it, and I wasn't disappointed.  Our reservations were for 1:00 p.m., and we arrived a few minutes early.

Terry [co-owner], warmly greeted us with his wonderful British accent and seated us at our table inside their charming dining area.

[Photo Courtesy of Basically British Website] 

He went over their extensive Tea List and I chose Amaretto Cream. It was delightful.  Isn't that a beautiful blue English transferware plate?  It's so appropriate for the tea room.

The tea was decanted before being brought to our table and kept warm with tea cozies.

Look at this scrumptious tier tray of scones, savories and desserts.   It was one of the best I've ever had - and I've had many!   Their menu changes every month.

There was a traditional scone and a lavender scone served with jam and real clotted cream.  Both were delicious!  

The savories were a Greek lemon chicken sandwich with sesame seed edges; a Mediterranean orzo salad; a Raspberry/chipotle cheese-topped toast; and an Artichoke/chili-stuffed tomato.  I loved the unique variety.

Desserts were Coconut lemon squares; Baklava bites; and Black Forest minis.  The price of Afternoon Tea at Basically British is $24.95 per person plus tax and gratuity.

I missed my other tea friends gathered 'round the table with Sandy and me, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this tea room.   I highly recommend it if you are traveling anywhere near the Dayton area.



Below are the owners, Terry and Vickie.  Unfortunately this tearoom is closing the end of August, 2012.   I'm sure glad we were able to visit the tea room before it closes.

This concludes my May 2012 Tea Travels series.