I certainly consider myself fortunate to have had many opportunities in my life for a variety of cultural experiences. My family would say I have "expensive tastes," but I'm really not sure how I could be any other way. Even as young children, my parents took my sister and I to top-rated fine dining restaurants and insisted we know how to behave and dine properly in such an environment. Our family traveled a lot, and I learned to experience things firsthand. This is a practice I have continued throughout my adult life. I developed my taste for Italian Varietal Wines among the vineyards of the Viansa Winery in Sonoma Valley. I saw Rent in the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco and Phantom of the Opera in the Pantages Theater in Toronto, which was renovated from floor to ceiling before its grand reopening in 1989 specifically for that production. The first cigar I ever tried was a Partagas Série P No. 2 that had been on a flight from Havana just an hour before, which started a longtime appreciation for fine cigars. (For the record, this experience was at a friend’s villa in Mexico, so there was nothing illegal about having a Cuban Cigar.) I learned about diamonds from one of the very few people in the world who is allowed to buy raw uncut diamonds directly from the De Beers Organization.
I do not say all this to make myself sound impressive. In truth, I cannot take credit for any of these experiences. I have simply had the good fortune to either be in the right place at the right time or to have professional responsibilities, especially when working on luxury cruise liners, that made personal knowledge of things like fine diamonds and Cuban Cigars a necessity. I say all this to reinforce one specific point: I am not an easy person to impress. Although I’m working on the problem, I seem to have often lost the ability to appreciate more economical alternatives to many things. I’ve begged friends not to ask me to help pick out an engagement ring at a local department store. I have difficulty appreciating “complimentary champagne” for toasts at events. I cannot drink wine from a box or order coffee in many local restaurants. I am often envious of the pleasure I see on my friends’ faces when they can simply appreciate tha t they enjoy something without feeling the need to dissect all its nuances.
This brings us to tea. As a native Texan, I was raised on iced tea as the standard cold beverage of choice, and I have somehow managed to continue through the years to put iced tea in a category with water more so than with actual tea, which has allowed to me continue drinking it. However, when it comes down to actual tea, prepared and served hot, and the entire ritual surrounding its service, I once again become incredibly particular. I’ve had the opportunity to host many afternoon tea services through the years, often for individuals who would have been very clear about their disappointment if it was not done properly. I’ve also developed an appreciation for well grown and processed tea leaves that has lead to yet another grocery item that now costs me more than most of my friends.
I had the opportunity earlier this month to attend Afternoon Tea at the Adolphus Hotel. My love for the Adolphus is no secret to anybody. I have a well publicized appreciation for The French Room, and I’ve often said, when asked, that if I were to ever work as a concierge in Dallas, it would almost have to be at the Adolphus, because no other hotel would appreciate my sending their guests there. Even with such an appreciation, I must admit to wondering if they could truly manage a traditional afternoon tea service in the middle of Dallas, Texas. I have, after all, been to many very nice places for “traditional tea service” where I was welcome to “high tea” and presented with a mug, a tea bag, and a little silver pot of hot water.
Before I move on, I should say two things. First, tea leaves should actually look like leaves, not like sawdust. Second, afternoon tea and high tea are not the same thing.
Unlike wines, cigars, and many other things, it does not take much specialized knowledge to be able to tell the difference between good tea and not-so-good tea. Good tea leaves should look like just what they are, dried leaves, often mixed with other herbs, spices, and fruits. You should be able to recognize them, just like you could recognize a raisin as a dried grape. Now grab a tea bag out of your cabinet, tear it open and pour the contents out on a napkin. Does it look like small dried leaves that were carefully picked and packed, or does it look like bits of brown dust swept up off the floor?
I mention the use of the term “high tea” mostly because it is a term incredibly misused in the United States. Although the word “high” can mean several things in English, we, as Americans, tend to think of things described as “high” to be greater in status or “higher class.” This is not at all what is meant by the British term, “high tea.” Simply put, the adjective refers to the height of the table, not anything else. Afternoon Tea is a mid-day meal or snack served normally between 3:00 and 5:00 PM. It is often served in the parlor or living room on the tea table, or what we would refer to as the coffee table or cocktail table. This is a low table normally situated among upholstered furniture. High Tea is served later in the day and often combines afternoon tea with the evening meal. It is therefore served at the higher dining table, where the evening meal would normally be eaten. It is often c onsidered a lower class tea service, not a higher class, as assumed by many of us in this country.
Afternoon Tea at the Adolphus was truly everything an afternoon tea service should be. It includes four courses of food and three pots of tea, all served on traditional bone china. The server is knowledgeable and helpful, so if you do not know how to select a tea or which order to serve those you have selected, just ask for assistance. Food will start with a variety of small tea sandwiches. The second course is a scone with cream and jam. They serve a buttermilk drop scone, as opposed to the drier and denser scones you would find in most coffee shops in the area. Next comes the sweet course with an incredible variety of small desserts, followed by a final serving of a chocolate truffle. Each of the first two courses gets its own pot of tea, with a third pot for the sweets and truffle.
Although I could not possibly describe the entire tea selection, I will comment on two I found of particular interest. The first is Rain Forest Matè, which is described as “spice and fruit unite in this herbal mélange composed of energizing matè tea, mint, rose petals, apple, pineapple chunks, star anise, lemongrass and cloves that refresh and revitalize.” This is certainly not what you would expect from a matè. (I choose to include the accent mark to distinguish from the English word “mate”, although I realize this causes a conflict with the Spanish word for “I kill”. I mean the word only to refer to a type of plant used in tea.) Traditional South American Matè has a very distinctive deep, woody, and almost smoky flavor. This tea, however, is very bright and lively. Always ask to smell the tea if you can’t get a good feel from the description. The second tea of particular interest is the Pear Caramel, which could almost be considered the signature tea of the Adolphus. The listed description for it is, ”Washington state pears blended with Ceylon and China black tea and sweet caramel. The perfect after dinner dessert tea or afternoon treat.” This tea has the taste of pears and a very strong scent of caramel that combine for a truly exceptional experience. All teas are prepared immediately before service from whole leaf tea. Although they do choose to use a bag to separate the tea from the water for easy disposal, the bags are filled by hand with excellent quality tea leaves just prior to preparation.
Music is provided by a classical pianist on the hotel’s beautiful grand piano (shown above). This Steinway was actually once owned by the Guggenheim Family, and it is a treat to hear it played. The cost of tea service is fully inclusive of all food, tea, service, gratuity, and valet parking. It is a wonderfully relaxing experience, and there are very few cities in the United States where such a service could be found, so I suggest everyone get a reservation for Afternoon Tea very soon. The services tend to sell out, as they are kept very small to guarantee quality of service and are only offered seasonally, Thursdays through Sundays.
