Glad Tea Party by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Glad Tea Party:  Carmel’s Cypress Inn Continues an Elegant Tradition by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

I still smile when thinking about taking my elementary-age daughter Florence out for tea at the lovely Cypress Inn in Carmel, California.

I talked to the editor at the editor at The Monterey County (CA) Weekly (Circulation: 200,000) and asked for an assignment to encourage the afternoon tea tradition around Monterey County.  She agreed and sent me off to the Cypress Inn with my elementary-age daughter Florence.

Florence and I dressed in black-and-white dresses and shoes and away we went to the Cypress Inn in Carmel, California.

The following article has been modified, but the content is still the same:

I loved to play tea party with my daughter Florence when she was a toddler.  Now that she is a young teen, we can really dress up and visit one of Carmel’s coziest places for tea – the Cypress Inn.

Built in 1929, the Cypress Inn is built in a Mediterranean style with white-washed walls, orange roof tiles, and a glorious, sun-lit patio with tropical plants; the Cypress Inn is reminiscent of Andalusia.

On a recent visit, my daughter Florence and I had afternoon tea and sandwiches out on the small patio garden that holds just four tables.  Florence looked pretty in her black-and-white dress with her hair pulled back.  We just needed black hats to fit in perfectly with the Palladian windows I thought.

We chose teas from a tea box with compartments from the Mighty Tea Company.  Florence chose African rose nectar tea, and I tried rainforest mint.

While the hotel manager prepared our tea, we admired the red, pink, and purple flowers in the garden around us.  Lush, green foliage climbed the outdoor chimney and the posts upholding the porch eaves.

Hummingbirds flitted from blossom to blossom and blue jays hopped around looking for crumbs.  A red flowering potted plant decorated our table.

Flowers also decorated the Cuthbertson bone china that arrived on each of our individual tea trays that held a teapot, sugar cube holder, creamer, tray of whipped cream and jam, a tea-shaped strainer for tea leaves, and a plate of tea goodies (sandwiches and cookies).

Florence agreed that I had taken her out on a fancy outing for tea when she saw the tray of tea china and tea treats.

The teas all had a lovely, copper color and pronounced flavors.  Florence’s tea was made up of African rooibos leaves flavored with tropical fruit and blossoms.  The mint in my rainforest tea had a subtle flavor yet present flavor. 

We used the tea tongs to pick up rough-edged, brown sugar cubes and place it in our tea.  We used the flower-patterned creamer to pour in cream.  The result was a highly perfumed, sweet tea like chai.

Our diamond-shaped tea sandwiches made with spongy, white bread gave me ideas for picnics at the various “granges” – Rustic Community Centers - around Monterey County.  My favorite sandwich was made with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and lemony mayonnaise.

The sandwiches came in star-, diamond-, circular-, and half-moon shapes.

We each ate a large scone that filled us up.  Tea scones are made with evaporated milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and flour; they are moist and taste wonderful with dollops of whipped cream and strawberry jam.  Florence suggested mixing jam and whipped cream as a scone topping.

I ate pecan rich Mexican wedding cake cookies.  They are also called Russian teacakes.  (Trotsky allusion?)

According to Andrea Israel’s Taking Tea, the American tea-drinking habit has its origins in the British tradition.

The afternoon tea tradition began in the 18^th century when Duchess Anna of Bedford presented tea and sandwiches to her guests while her husband was out hunting.  English colonists brought their tea ritual with them to the New World.

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In addition to Andrea Israel’s Taking Tea, the following book about afternoon tea has many baking ideas and recipes:

The Perfect Afternoon Tea Recipe Book:  More than 160 Recipes… by Anthony Wild and Carol Pastor

You can buy small tea sandwich cutters in the form of stars, diamonds, circles, and half moons at Amazon.com or restaurant supply stores.

Pinkies up!!!!  (Not necessary, but teaches balance without spills)

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France


Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

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