Wonderful Living History Teas.

  American's Living History Teas
The June Tea article will introduce you to two historical tea venues in America.

The Molly Brown House Museum

  1340 Pennsylvania Street
Denver, CO 80203-2417
(303) 832-4092 mollybrown.org

 Its grand facade represents the Victorian Era- when people dressed like every day was a ball. This grand house was built to never go out of style, with lavish details carved out of rhyolite, sandstone and ornamental wood panels.

The home was decadently decorated and fit for a queen. Even the windows are ornately detailed stained glass and the walls are paved in gold. Let me say that again: Walls. Paved. With. Gold.

As it turns out, it wasn't just Molly Brown herself that was Unsinkable. Her 1889 home was set for demolition in 1970, until it was saved by Historic Denver and turned into a museum. Since then, it has taught more than two million visitors about Molly Brown's extraordinary life, including her commitment to activism and philanthropy.

Margaret "Molly" Brown (1867-1932)

 Molly Brown’s life represents the changes of the early 20th century, as manifested in the life of a woman who demonstrated the power of the individual spirit. 

  Special Programs at the House are costumed guided tours of the home, a theatre program focused on Victorian literature, and etiquette teas that educate on Victorian cultural customs.

 At this lovely House, you can go for a $10 Titanic tour, or a $25 Victorian Tea and Tour

  The Hearthside House Museum

 Great Road Historic District (Route 123)
 Lincoln, R.I.,
 http://hearthsidehouse.org/events/

 Hearthside is considered to be one of the finest examples of early nineteenth century Federal-style house in Rhode Island.
Popular folklore surrounding the construction of Hearthside states that in the early 1800’s, Stephen Hopkins Smith, a fellow in his 20’s, began to court a young lady from a “prominent Providence family”. He schemed to build a breathtaking home to sweep “Miss Prominent” off her feet. Construction on Hearthside got underway in 1810 and was completed in 1814. Meanwhile the courtship continued. When the house was done, Smith took a horse and buggy and went to Providence and asked the girl to come with him for a ride. As they approached the bend of Great Road, the girl clapped her hands and said, “What a beautiful house, but who would ever want to live way out in the wilderness.” Smith was heartbroken. He drove her back to Providence and never called on her again. In fact, he never married.

Hearthside is beautifully preserved and had been a private residence until 1996, when the Town of Lincoln purchased the property. In 2001, a group of citizens formed "Friends of Hearthside", a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to serve as stewards of the house and help preserve the property, while promoting its historical significance and accessibility to the public. Now an award-winning museum, Hearthside House is open frequently for guided tours, special events and exhibits, as well as by appointment for group tours


Afternoon Teas
It's a return to the gentle splendor of a bygone era at Hearthside, with spring flowers, elegant hats, delicate lace, dainty teacups and fancy finger foods as Friends of Hearthside hosts its annual Afternoon Tea in May. This event has become our most popular one, and always sells out so early ticket purchase is recommended. A different theme is featured each year, such as "the history of hats, the language of the fan, the language of flowers, the history of the parasol, etc. Prizes are awarded for most beautiful hats and raffle baskets are always a feature.

 

 
Admission for special exhibits and events varies according to event.

14th Victorian Unmentionables Cream Tea will be held at the Molly Brown House and Enjoy tea and scones while watching a unique presentation as Miss Tabitha (Sharon Guli) demonstrates how a Victorian lady such as Mrs. Brown would have dressed from the “inside out.” From a Denver opera to the Titanic crossing. - See more at: http://nightlifedenver.com/articles/011412_mollybrownhouse#sthash.w5AkXgqn.dpuf

Victorian Unmentionables Cream Tea will be held at the Molly Brown House and Enjoy tea and scones while watching a unique presentation as Miss Tabitha (Sharon Guli) demonstrates how a Victorian lady such as Mrs. Brown would have dressed from the “inside out.” From a Denver opera to the Titanic crossing. - See more at: http://nightlifedenver.com/articles/011412_mollybrownhouse#sthash.rVlthGJS.dpuf

14th Victorian Unmentionables Cream Tea will be held at the Molly Brown House and Enjoy tea and scones while watching a unique presentation as Miss Tabitha (Sharon Guli) demonstrates how a Victorian lady such as Mrs. Brown would have dressed from the “inside out.” From a Denver opera to the Titanic crossing. - See more at: http://nightlifedenver.com/articles/011412_mollybrownhouse#sthash.w5AkXgqn.dpuf

14th Victorian Unmentionables Cream Tea will be held at the Molly Brown House and Enjoy tea and scones while watching a unique presentation as Miss Tabitha (Sharon Guli) demonstrates how a Victorian lady such as Mrs. Brown would have dressed from the “inside out.” From a Denver opera to the Titanic crossing. - See more at: http://nightlifedenver.com/articles/011412_mollybrownhouse#sthash.w5AkXgqn.dpuf

May Tea Corner!

May Tea Corner

Birth flowers - May Flowers are a popular birthday gift, and choosing the recipient’s birth month flower makes it more personal. Take a look at the birth flowers for May.
 If I were to ask you what your birthstone – the gemstone assigned to the month you were born in – is, there’s a good chance you’d know it, or at least understand that there is such a thing. But did you know that every month also has birth flowers?
It is thought that birth month flowers originated in Roman times, when birthday celebrations first began. These early celebrations included decorating the altars of Roman Gods with flowers, and giving flowers as birthday gifts.
 During the Victorian era the ‘language of flowers’ evolved, as a way of conveying a hidden message to a lover without breaking the strict rules of etiquette surrounding displays of love or affection. Fast forward to the present day and we now have a choice of birth flowers with specific meanings for each month of the year.

http://growingfamily.co.uk/birth-flowers/birth-flowers-march-daffodils-jonquils/

My Up coming Event:

Spring Tea!

Tea can easily be transformed into a celebration with friends and family, but before enjoying yourself together, there is always a little planning to do. Tea parties, like any other parties require shopping spree before sending away the invitations. Now that the spring is here it seems quite natural to want to enjoy nature to the fullest, so maybe a nature tea party in the garden, park or backyard is the best choice, as tea and nature are in a perfect harmony.

 April Showers Bring May Flowers!

The first step when preparing a tea party is to start designing your tea party invitations or simply decide which model, color and theme to buy and who are the guests, of course. The second step is to plan your menu. A tea party menu isn’t an elaborate one;  tea sandwiches, biscuits and cookies are usually served.  Of course this isn’t necessarily a simple menu as you can plan putting together and cooking more varieties of tea sandwiches and cookies to appeal to all of your guests’ tastes.


A Victorian tea party

 What better way to enjoy spring to the fullest than when combining it with nature’s rebirth and a little bit of history? A Victorian tea party is exactly what you need to get together with a bunch of friends and enjoy tea in a very elegant manner. An outdoor Victorian party would be better as I am sure everyone will enjoy the sun’s gentle touch and will love to dress up a little and to use old style hats.
The tea party planning follows the general guidelines I gave above with a few more additions. For instance, scones are a must for a Victorian tea party with Devonshire cream, lemon curd or jelly or jams. You can find many interesting and simple recipes in cookbooks or the Internet, so it is rather simple to get your Victorian menu started.

The decoration part seems rather complicated when we think about the Victorian age, but it is actually quite simple. You just have to select floral china for your party and crystal serving pieces. To make it feel like spring is here, I suggest you place fresh flowers everywhere and use as support crystal vases and/or teapots without lids. If you’re doing the party indoors, lots of candles are recommended to remind everyone of the time when electricity wasn’t yet a commodity  If you’re doing an outdoor party I suggest replacing the candles with some antique looking lanterns. You should also have pretty napkins on the table as part of the decor and serving.

 Either indoors or outdoors, the tea party should not be stripped of music.

Don’t destroy your Victorian theme by choosing some modern tunes. Keep the atmosphere of spring and history going with some classical music set very low in order not to interrupt conversation. As a final touch to the atmosphere, suggest your guests in the invitations you will send them, to respect the Victorian dress code. I have a feeling that your female friends will be enchanted to do so.

A Cute Little Tea Story

I just love Tea stories. I found this and I hope you will like it too.

Memories of a Childhood Friend

 

It's been many years now that I've lived in Canada, but I still subscribe to the newspaper from the small town in England where I grew up. The news is often weeks old, yet I maintain that link to my youth and often wax nostalgic.

But, on a cold evening last winter, as I sat and read my paper, I was saddened to learn that old Mr Maxey had passed away after a long illness, at the age of 87. For a while, I just stared into my living room, replaying those memories from so long ago.

In those days Mr Maxey ran a shop, one of those small everything-in-one shops that you'll find in a country village. Often my mother would give me a few coins and send me down the street words such as, "We'll be needing some greens for tonight, best you'd go to Mr Maxey and get them for us."

But whether it was greens, or flour, or potatoes or milk, mum never knew how much I enjoyed visiting Mr Maxey. He and I were friends, you see, of the special variety that bridges the generations. How I loved his tales of the Great War and of India! Mum would wonder why it took me so long to run a simple errand, and all I'd say was, "Mr Maxey wanted to talk." Little did she know how much I wanted to listen.

There was one really special thing, though, that I seldom mentioned, because mum didn't think little ones should be drinking strong tea. With a wink and a smile, Mr Maxey, when starting out one of his stories, would pass me a small cup of tea, with a little milk and sugar, and I would enjoy this tea while the tale unfolded. What wonderful, colorful and flavorful tea this was! I would savor every drop of it, even as I savored every word of the stories. It was like no other tea I had ever tasted. Mr Maxey once told me that his was a special blend, developed by his father years ago, Mr Maxey Senior. Every now and then I would ask Mr Maxey how the tea was made, but he just smiled and said, "That's our little secret, you know."

Those were wonderful days for me, filled with delights... but all things end. World War II was on the horizon, and as I grew into my teens, the world was changing around me. Military service quickly came, I moved to London after the war, and nothing would ever be quite the same again. Eventually I married and moved to Canada with my new family.

Still, from time to time, I thought about Mr Maxey and that wonderful blend of tea... not too weak, not too strong, just right in every respect. The passage of the years didn't dim the memory of that special brew, though I thought I would never taste it again. Then, one day, I got a catalog in my mail from a new tea-shop called "Tea Trader". And, what did I see in the catalog but a listing for "Mr Maxey's Own"!

This couldn't be possible, I thought, and yet I lost no time getting to the car and driving to Bow Valley Square. The owner, Ted Jones, greeted me there. I told him my story quickly, feeling that surely he would think I was, at best, foolish....but Ted smiled and said, "Here, let's try a sample." Ted quickly brewed up a little pot of tea and handed me a cup, with milk and sugar, of course..... I took a sip and knew right away that I had rediscovered an old pleasure.

We talked for a while, and it turned out that Ted's father knew Mr Maxey Senior, and learned the composition of this special blend. Why Mr Maxey Senior entrusted Mr Jones Senior with this secret is unknown even to Ted, but now Ted blends the Ceylon, China, and other select teas that make up this wonderful brew. I left the store with a goodly supply of Mr Maxey's Own, and have returned often to augment my supply.

So, last winter, saddened as I was to hear of Mr Maxey's passing, I soon rose from my chair and my bittersweet reverie, and paid him the best tribute I could think of: I brewed a pot of Mr Maxey's Own and drank it in his memory.

A Tea Story by BOB NEWELL

 

Lady Estelle T. Barada

Febuary Tea Corner

 February is the Month of love!

Colder weather outside encourages people to cuddle up
and enjoy a warm drinks on the inside.

You may like something spicy when it comes in to tea.
You can make a cup of spicy Chai to warm you up.

 To make that perfect cup of Spice tea!
 Items you’ll need on hand include:
* 24 ounces water
* Tea (loose Darjeeling is a favorite, but you may use any type of tea bag)
* Tea pot and a tea strainer
* Milk
* Sugar or honey
* Spices such as cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, cloves, anise or nutmeg. cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla bean, cloves, black peppercorns, anise, all spice, bay leaves, almond or nutmeg
Bring 24 ounces of water to a boil in a pot. Turn down the heat and place the tea into the water to steep for five minutes. Add the solid spices, but be sure to test the tea to ensure the tea isn’t too strong. Stir the tea and put a lid on the pot.
 Leave the tea on low heat for about 15 minutes.
Strain the tea and then add sugar or honey, and milk to taste.

Here's a recipe from Queen Victoria's kitchen at Balmoral:

Queen Victoria Balmoral Shortbread

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 & 1/2 cups flour
Place the softened butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together with a mixer. Sieve in the flour and using the fingertips gently work the flour into the butter mixture, adding flour a little at a time to make a soft dough.
Take small pieces of the dough and roll out thinly. Take a glass, or cookie cutter about 3-3 & 1/2" in diameter, and cut out the dough until all is used. Prick the surface of each shortbread cookie with a fork so they bake evenly.
Put the cookies on a greased baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Do not let edges get brown. Oven times may vary, so it's best to do a test cookie first.

A nice Winter treat

This is a delightful treat that is fast,inexpensive,and can be served at your next tea party.
Baked Apple and Mincemeat


Cut the top off an apple, scoop out the middle and full with mincemeat. Cover with the apple top, sprinkle with brown sugar and bake in oven.
Serve with whipped cream,or my favorite,ice cream!
Enjoy!