My Vintage Tea Party
Ramblings and Reviews From a Lover of Tea and All Things Vintage
For those of us in the United States, yesterday was quite an exciting day! Everyone in all 50 states were able to see at least at partial solar eclipse, but many, as I did, traveled to the "Path of Totality" in order to experience a total solar eclipse. The path ran from the Pacific Northwest downward to Charleston, South Carolina. My dad and I agreed that this event was something that we did not want to miss, so we made plans to drive up to Athens, Tennessee to catch the total eclipse. It was an experience I will never forget, and I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel to see it. We began our journey on Sunday, and stayed overnight in Chattanooga. Since we arrived around lunch time, I convinced my dad to take me a place I found online called the Wildflower Tea Shop and Apothecary-- as the name suggests, it is not quite a tea room in the sense that it does not offer a full afternoon service, but it offers a large selection of teas and a few pastries to enjoy the same way one might at a neighborhood coffee shop. The inside was spacious and uncluttered, with a quiet, calming atmosphere. There were wooden tables and chairs to sit at, and one sofa and two arm chairs around a coffee table one could also sit but unfortunately that area was taken. I think it would be nice to have a couple more seating arrangements like that because in my opinion, it is much more relaxing to take tea at a low table in the style of a true afternoon tea. The selection of teas was very impressive-- there were about 3 pages of black teas, white teas, green teas, and herbals and I had a difficult time choosing. I finally settled on a green Darjeeling, which I had never tried before. It was nice, but I still prefer the usual black Darjeeling. All orders are placed at the counter, and your tea is brought to your table when it is ready. I saw a few shelves behind the counter stocked with tea pots, so I assumed that the tea would be brought to me in one of them along with a tea cup. However, mine was brought in a mug. I was rather disappointed because there's just something about pouring my own tea from a pot that's therapeutic in a way-- I get to see the steam and smell and see the color of the tea. Of course, I would have been much more disappointed (displeased, even) if it had come in a paper cup like Starbuck's. It is true that the material your cup is made out of can affect the taste of the tea, and paper cups just will not do. Along with tea, I got one of their gluten free donuts with matcha icing. It was incredible. It's a good thing there were only two left (one for me and one for my dad), or I'm afraid I would have eaten another one...and then paid for it later when the sugar hit my system. Too much sugar makes me feel positively awful. I can definitely see myself being a regular customer of this tea shop if I lived in the area. It would be great to be able to pop in on a whim when I was in need of a pick me up, and there were so many kinds of tea to choose from I would try a different one each time. Their tea is also available to purchase in bulk, and I was very tempted to pick some out to buy but my tea cabinet is quite full at the moment. I do wish we had a place like this where I live. There just isn't anywhere other than a coffee shop to get a cup of tea and sit down and relax. Next time I am in Chattanooga, I will certainly be revisiting Wildflower and pick some of their teas to take home and try. I also highly recommend it for anyone wanting a very casual tea experience!
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About Me
Greetings, readers! My name is Jordie, and I am a tea obsessed, history loving young lady who just happened to be born about 60 years too late. Archives
February 2017
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