Ninth Tea Tasting at the Rendezvous With Tea

Yesterday I attended my 9th tea tasting at The Rendezvous With Tea in Grosse Pointe.  The tastings began in May 2014, and during that time period I've tasted over 60 great teas.

The shop was decorated for Christmas, and Naszreen [the owner] was disappointed with Michigan's unseasonably high 70 degree temperatures, which doesn't lend to a Christmas shopping atmosphere as well as cold temperatures and snow.  As for me, I'll take all the warm weather Mother Nature will give us, without any complaints whatsoever! ;-)

The first two pictures were taken outside the store through the front window.

~ Indoor displays. Tea and tea wares are perfect gifts for tea lovers. ~

The tasting began at 2:00 p.m. and as always, eight teas were tasted.  It's rare that Naszreen repeats a tea, but she did with silver tips.  In the photo below she's explaining the teas we would taste.   She has never done a tea pairing with cheese or chocolate, and hopefully one day that will be an offering.

We began the tasting with two Chinese high grade black teas, Golden Monkey and Zhen Qu Golden Buds.  I purchased 25 grams of  Zhen Qu Golden Buds for $7.99,  the equivalent of 12 teabags.  

The tightly coiled, wiry black and gold leaves produce notes of cocoa and fruit.  Brewing perimeters are just under boiling [200 degrees] for only 1-2 minutes, and can withstand a second steeping, which is unusual for a black tea.

We sampled two oolongs from Taiwan, Milk Oolong and Jade Oolong, both closer to green teas; one Chinese green tea - Dragonwell Qing Ming; and three high end white teas - Soft White Pearls [from China], Silver Tips, and Golden Tips [from Sri Lanka].

As always, a savory and sweets followed the tasting with a full-size cup of one of the tasting teas of our choice.  

The Pear and Brie Quiche was delicious.  The tea tastings are always a wonderful culinary experience since Naszreen is a "foodie" as well as a tea connoisseur.

Sweets were a delicious Clementine Cake [recipe by Nigella Lawson], and a German Ginger Spice Cookie.

Gluten-free caterer, Kelly Guarano, was also an attendee at the tasting, and she provided a gluten-free cupcake.  Since I'm trying to restrict calories I brought the cookie and cupcake home to my hubby.

My grandson called right before I left to ask if I'd get some teas for his girlfriend who likes tea.   At this stage she only uses tea bags - not loose tea - so I bought ten of Naszreen's private blended black tea sachets and a tin of Christmas tea.   

Thanks for another wonderful tasting, Naszreen.  It was an enjoyable afternoon!

Gift Shop Purchases at Crocker House Museum

In the basement of the museum [where the tea was held] is a small gift shop. 

Even though I've been repeatedly saying the shelves in my living room are filled to capacity, I continue to see things I can't resist.  Last Sunday I saw a blue transferware demitasse cup by Copeland.  There are no demitasse cups on the shelves, so I had to get it!  It's identical to some red transferware demitasse cups I already have.

It was only $10, and I figured the money would help the  Macomb County Historical Society.

It fit perfectly on the shelf as though the space was meant for it!

The tea served last Sunday - Three Wives - was blended exclusively for Crocker House Museum, by Harney & Sons, so I purchased a tin.  It's a black tea with crystallized ginger. 

When I inquired about the name, Three Wives Tea,  I was told Mayor Crocker had three wives!   They must have needed a caffeine boost to keep up with him! ;-)

Um, Um Good!

 *  *  *

Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for No Place Like Home
Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Bernideen's Tea Time Blog for Cottage and Garden Party

Crocker House Museum

Just a little background on the city of Mount Clemens where Crocker House Museum is located.   It became the seat of Macomb County in 1818, and was incorporated as a city in 1879.

The city's largest industry was the mineral baths scattered around the city from 1873 until 1974 dubbing it "Bath City of America."  At its peak, there were 11 bathhouses, with several hotels to accommodate people who came to the baths.  By bathing in the salty mineral waters, people were cured of eczema, rheumatism, and other ailments. Noted visitors such as the Vanderbilt family, William Hearst, Clark Gable, Mae West, Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey vacationed in the city for the mineral baths.  When the public lost interest in mineral baths, the bathhouses and hotels were demolished.

~ Crocker House Museum ~

To the left of the front door is the informal parlor where children were allowed to sit and play quiet games, read, or play musical instruments.

To the right of the front door is the formal parlor.  Because Halloween was just celebrated, the formal parlor was set up for an 1880's wake.  The museum hosted a Funeral Tea, where Victorian mourning practices were explained, followed by a nearby cemetery walk.

~ There was one bedroom on the first floor. ~

Notice all the mirrors in the house were covered with black cloths. Victorians had a lot of superstitions associated with death, especially when the corpse was in the house.  They covered the mirrors because they believed mirrors reflected one's soul, and with the deceased's soul being near, they feared bad things might happen to the other occupants of the house.

~ Behind the formal parlor was the dining room.  ~

~ And the kitchen ~

Upstairs was a servant's bedroom, a nursery, and two other bedrooms containing historic display cases.

~ Nursery Wallpaper ~

~ Servant's bedroom with private stairwell leading down to the kitchen. ~

In one of the display rooms was a human hair mourning wreath.  They are creepy to me, but they're a part of history and were considered art work.

Wouldn't it have been a shame to demolish this house?  Yet it happens all the time in city's around the country.

An Apron Tea at Crocker House Museum

After church yesterday, I met a friend at the Crocker House Museum [home of the Macomb County Historical Society] for an Apron Tea.  The museum, located in Mount Clements, MI, is only about eight miles from my house.  I've heard about it for a long time, but this was my first visit.

The first mayor of Mt. Clemens, Joshua Dickinson, built the Italianate home in 1869 for his daughter, Katherine, and son-in-law, George M. Crocker.  When Mr. Dickinson died, George became mayor.  The Crockers lived in the house until 1921, and two other owners followed them. The Michigan State Highway Department purchased the house for a road project, and scheduled it for demolition in 1975 until the Macomb County Historical Society rescued it, and had it moved to its current location for a museum.

[This photo courtesy of Crocker House website]

~ The house has been designated a Michigan Historic Site ~

~ The tea and apron presentation was held in the basement of the museum. ~

~ Each attendee received a pin-cushion button jar as a favor. ~

~ And an apron sugar cookie. ~

The sell-out tea began at 1:00 p.m.  A married couple sat at our table, and were very pleasant to visit with.  The German husband was the only man at the tea, but the room full of women didn't intimidate him in the least.

The tea began with Cranberry-Apricot Scones with Three Wives Tea - a black tea blended exclusively for Crocker House.

~ Tiered server with tea sandwiches and desserts. ~

The sandwiches were Ham Salad on Wheat Bread, Cucumber on White Bread, and Feta-Spinach on Swirl Bread. 

Desserts were a Chocolate Brownie Bite, Pumpkin Tart... 

... and Chocolate Tiramisu Cupcake.

After the meal, Kim Parr, Director of the Museum, brought greetings and introduced the speaker. 

[Kim]

Carol Brodbeck was the speaker, and she brought several unique aprons to show.  I've heard her speak before about parasols and fans, so I looked forward to hearing her apron presentation. Since I do apron presentations too, I was interested in hearing what she would say.  It was quite different from mine, and very interesting. There's always something new to learn.

[Carol]

After the tea, there were door prize drawings, and I won one.  Yay!  Docents were at their assigned posts upstairs for tours of Crocker House after the presentation, so my friend and I took the tour - tomorrow's post.

Sunday Reflection...

A while ago I did an apron presentation entitled, Aprons - A Mother's Shield of Honor.

Today I have reservations to attend a museum tea where another presenter will be talking about aprons as a shield and protection.  It occurred to me God is referenced numerous times in the Bible as our shield and protector.

A few verses are:
Psalm 3:3a "But you are a shield around me, O Lord."

Psalm 7:10a "My shield is God Most High."

Psalm 28:7a "The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped."

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."

I'm so grateful God is my ultimate shield and protection.

May God bless your week!