Beyond the Bubble
London High Tea with a Boston Twist
By Brian Shen
April 2009
(Published in association with Savory Magazine)
The first time, I was eight. I remember the fighter jets screaming through the clear blue sky, weaving through the tall glass buildings, and the waves of sound echoing through, making the glass windows shudder. But this epic moment—something I only dreamt about, like action movies in which battles against unstoppable evil unfolded in the middle of cities like San Francisco—was suddenly interrupted by something sweet and serene.
It was a gleaming silver three-tiered platter of finger sandwiches and along with it another teetering tower of pastries, golden and flaky. My stomach grumbled and I could almost taste the buttery goodness. As a little tyke back then, I wasn't too excited about those finger sandwiches, cut so perfectly that the filling didn't run into the bread, that the crusts were all gone—just how I liked all my sandwiches—and that they were all miraculously the same size. It was like some little machine had made them instead of many hardworking people (my mom had told me about those people when she tried to guilt me into eating a cucumber sandwich).
I peered at it.
I didn't even want to touch the little porcelain plate it laid on.
I glanced out the window again. The fighter jets and their commotion had gone, and I remembered that I was at high tea at Neiman Marcus, the classy and relaxing thing for rich people to do in San Francisco. Luckily my best friend, a bookish girl obsessed with antics and being proper (her life goal was to be a nun), had introduced me to the joys of tea before this occasion: otherwise, high tea would have been a disastrous high-tension tea. So I poured myself a big cup of an aromatic floral tea—with tiny and fluffy pink and yellow flowers—in the pot and topped it off with milk and lemon, just like Caitrin had taught me. As the warm, sweet ingestible perfume trickled down my throat, I knew my hands wanted chocolate, but my stomach wanted scones. My eyes were drawn to the golden pastries then back to the sole sandwich on my plate.
My little hands carefully put my teacup down and darted to the sandwich. I quickly shoved half of it into my mouth and to my surprise was refreshed by the sweet clean flavor. I happily munched on the sandwich and immediately after finishing my hands had found another one and claimed a smoked salmon morsel as well. My aunt suddenly turned to me, eyes wide with an incredulous smile across her face, and blurted out, 'Oh, Brian, look at you! You're such a connoisseur—you chose a great tea, knew how to mix it with the milk and sugar, and you're even a pro at these sandwiches.” That's when I noticed her plate. There was half a cranberry scone and the sticky brown traces of a devoured chocolate cookie.
Eleven years later, that memory still sticks with me. I have yet to dine in another luxurious setting with so many delicate teas to choose from. I've traveled to London, where the concept of High Tea began, and neglected to have high tea at The Ritz, The Savoy, or even a grand-looking hotel restaurant when I made a side trip to Oxford. I had the chance to have the ultimate British experience—and I blew it. It was so hard to choose amongst the three because prices in London are so outrageous, especially with the two-to-one exchange rate to sterling pounds. I could only afford to treat myself to high tea once, and they all looked so divine! When I returned, though, immediate regret set in.
But as I was riding the Tube—erm T—the other day, I noticed England is thriving here underneath the surface. We've got 'Cambridge' and 'Brighton,' we've got our own 'Theatreland' and we've got our version of 'Soho' in the South End. Then I thought to myself: if pieces of London and England are already here, why not make London's high tea yourself? A smile spread across my face and my eyes widened at the signs of London right before me—and that's when the T stopped and I noticed people were looking at me strangely. A single man sitting on the T, smiling absentmindedly off into the distance is a peculiar thing. But it didn't matter because in my mind, I'd already begun the fanciful London High Tea with a Boston Twist, finger sandwiches and all.
How to make your own London High Tea with a Boston Twist
Call up a few of your closest friends and invite them to a smart but casual social. Find a suitably classy venue that reminds you of England or that spells luxury and designate that as the meeting place. Alternatively, invite your friends over to help prepare the food with you at the venue, whether it is indoors in your own home or in a beautiful courtyard garden—just remember to bring the utensils. Finding suitable food and tea is easy. There are many patisseries or rustic bakeries all over Boston where you can find delicious, flaky, and buttery croissants and dense, moist scones or muffins. And finding good quality tea is even easier because you can order these online well in advance and have them shipped directly to your door. Making tea is as easy as putting the leaves in a pot fitted with a strainer and adding boiling water. Mix things up by trying Chai teas, Rooibos, or Japanese green tea. Take a look at how fun and glamorous your tea party could be.
For our party, we decided to use quality teas by Tealuxe. We loved the tangy fruitiness and the brilliant wine-like color of the Rote Grütze, while the citrusy Earl Grey provided a crisp clean finish in the warm sun. We made an iced peppermint tea, topped off with a squeeze of Meyer lemon to cool us off as we sat in the shade and enjoyed pastries courtesy of Hi-Rise Bread Company. The light and fluffy brioche was sweet and eggy, while the denser and heartier grain-filled loaf was crusty and perfect for a smoked salmon or chilled cucumber sandwich. The berry tartlettes studded with bright pink and blue flavor bombs were moist and crumbly, exploding sweet and tangy, offsetting the undertone of the almond pastry crust. And the chocolate flourless cake was crumbly and moist—a nice finale to the whole party. To finish off the tea, we made brews of the dark and bittersweet Assam organic and a complex and intense gyokuro green tea. But a London-style tea party wouldn't be complete without the soothing chamomile classic, which helped us unwind into the lull of the afternoon heat in our gorgeous garden.
Both Tealuxe and Hi-Rise Bread Company are in Cambridge and provide great service.
Tea by Tealuxe. Pots by Tealuxe.
Teacups by Dado.
Pastries by Hi-Rise Bakery.
Picnic rug by Urban Outfitters.
Lemons, flowers, and smoked salmon from Whole Foods.
