Piccadilly Passion Fruit (Sir Aubrey's)

http://www.siraubrey.com/products.htm

This lovely iced tea provides interesting passion fruit flavor to overlay the black tea based. In no way a sweet tea, the fruit stands up particularly well to the iced tea presentation. I prefer to brew this with a bag of Luzianne to further bring out the black tea undertones. This is an excellent blend providing crystal clear results.

Tea Review: Silver Needle "Yinzhen" (Holy Mountain)

http://www.holymtn.com/tea/whitetea.htm

This mild and delicate white tea has a slightly nutty taste with very subtle smokey undertones. More flavorful than some of the other white teas I have tried, it should still be drunk on its own as it would be quickly overpowered by anything else consumed at the same time.

Tea Room Review: Lavendou's

URL: http://www.lavendou.com/tea.htm
Address: 19009 Preston R., Ste 200 Dallas, TX
Phone: 972-248-1911
Hours: M-F, 3-5:30pm
Price: $14.95
Reservations required.

Rating: 4 out of 5 tea cups
Ambiance: 4
Service: 4
Food: 4
Tea: 4

An upscale French eatery on Preston near George Bush, Lavendou's offers a nice selection of teas and delicious food for a more than reasonable price. The atmosphere bespeaks of a lovely French country kitchen, elegant, yet humble. Sprigs of lavender adorn the establishment adding to an overall feeling of relaxation.

The service was unobtrusive and prompt - perfect for conversation and relaxation. While not particularly knowledgeable about the the teas, our waiter was efficient in explaining the food and the tea menu provides an excellent overview of the selections.

The teas were interesting and prepared with skill in basic china. Each guest gets a single pot. The de Lavendou tea is especially nice for those who enjoy a bit of lavender, but all teas were of a high quality.

The food is presented all at once on a three tiered tray. The sandwiches, provided on a good quality white bread, included cucumber, proscuitto, and chicken salad - all nicely put together. The scones were a bit dry (clotted cream and a single type of jam were provided), but the tea bread was delicious and moist, served with a creamy spread already applied. The desserts were by far the best part of the meal, with the chocolate/coffee napoleon stealing the show.

Tea Review: Jasmine #12 (Adagio Teas)

http://www.adagio.com/oolong/dragon_pearl.html

Jasmine #12 is a lovely jasmine pearl tea with a well-balanced, traditional oolong flavor. Delightful to watch, the pearls unfold into long graceful leaves in the pot creating a beautiful golden tea. Be sure to brew in a clear pot so you may enjoy the show. This tea quickly becomes quite strong, so do not over steep.

Tea Review: Mandarin Green (Adagio Teas)

http://www.adagio.com/green/mandarin_green.html

This lightly caffeinated green tea provides an excellent introduction to green teas. The delicate flavoring of subtle orange overtones effectively masks the strong grassy taste generally associated with traditional green teas. Once brewed, the tea takes on a beautiful light green tint. Very forgiving on the steeping time and unaffected by repeated reheatings, this tea is perfect for the office or for a quiet afternoon at home. Matches surprisingly well with chocolate.

Tea Room Review: Maudee's

URL: http://www.maudees.com/frameset.html
Address: 4333 Lovers Lane Dallas, TX
Phone: (214) 526-9750
Hours: M-Sat, 3-5pm
Price: $17.95
Reservations required.

Rating: 4 out of 5 tea cups
Ambiance: 4
Service: 4
Food: 3
Tea: 5

Located in a strip mall in Dallas off of Lover's Lane, Maudee's provides a decent tea experience with the emphasis being on the tea rather than the food.

A selection of lovely teas are served in eclectic china shaped like elephants, mums, and more. A different tea may be selected with each course. Of the teas tried, the Green Strawberry Hibiscus (a seasonal choice) was the most remarkable, with a surprisingly pleasant tang. The unique shapes for the tea pots occasioned a comment and the server indicated that finding new and interesting tea pots is a bit of a passion for Maudee's - one that definitely sets an interesting and memorable table.

The sandwiches were extremely basic - pimento cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad - served on soft white bread. Scones and muffins were tasty with a lovely sugar topping and were, by far, the favorite course. The desserts - an iced chocolate brownie and lemon bar - were mundane when compared to City Cafe and Inessa Stewart (both on the same street), but were tender and delicious.

Service was attentive, polite, and knowledgeable. The server was able to provide excellent recommendations regarding the tea selection and preparation. The atmosphere was quiet and inviting - the decor offering a wonderful break from the hustle of the street outside. Overall, a lovely place for a tea lover who is looking for a quiet afternoon.

Tea Review: Blood Orange Tea (Adagio Teas)

http://www.adagio.com/herbal/blood_orange.html

A caffeine free herbal tea, this blend combines fruits and spices, such as cranberries, orange peels, and hibiscus flowers to create a cup with a lovely tart orange flavor and deep red color. With a cinnamon stick in the cup, it's like drinking Christmas! Even before brewing, the tea is so fragrant and attractive, it could easily be used as a potpourri. Very forgiving on the steeping time and unaffected by repeated reheatings, this tea is perfect for the office.

Tea Room Review : Lavender House Tea Room

URL: http://www.lavenderhousetearoom.com/ourtearoom.htm
Address: 2821 Craig Drive, Ste 101 McKinney, TX
Phone: 214-726-0777
Hours: M-Sat, 9-11am and 2-5pm
Price: $20
Reservations recommended.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 tea cups
Ambiance: 4
Service: 3
Food: 3
Tea: 4

Located in a strip mall in McKinney, Lavender's is an interesting mix of frou frou shopping, antiques, and tea.

Each place setting includes lovely china, reminiscent of your grandmother's tea service. The dining area is seperate from the shops, ensuring a lack of interruptions. Unfortunately, a family with very noisy children were seated next to us, causing the atmosphere to suffer.

The tea selection seemed limited to black teas and the server was unable to help illuminate the choices. The tea, once served, was decent but unremarkable. Of note is the royal tea that includes champagne as well as tea.

The sandwiches were extremely basic - pimento cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad (the lack of the ubiquitous cucumber sandwich was noted with some dismay). Scones were tasty, but appeared a bit lonely on the plate. The desserts seemed unimaginative, compared to some other places in the DFW area, but were gobbled up nonetheless.

Service was attentive and polite, but not particularly knowledgeable.