Sutherland's Foodservice

Salted Caramel Brownie:

Sutherland's salted caramel brownie is a dessert with balanced flavors. The brownie itself is very light and has a cream cheese flavor that is intermixed with the chocolate. The bottom of the brownie balances the sweet cake by presenting a salted pretzel crust. The crust crumbles similar to a graham cracker crust. To top the decadent treat, caramel is drizzled on top. I would pair this treat with any black tea. Drinking a black tea will cut some of the sweetness from the dessert and clean the palate for the next tasting. 

Aoi Tea

Matcha Supreme:

Matcha Supreme is a Japanese matcha green tea made by Aoi Tea. The dry tea powder has a herbal and grassy aroma. The powder is a bright green color. The liquor has a dark evergreen color. The body of the tea is thick in consistency and slightly bitter. The flavor of the liquor is buttery and slightly grassy. This buttery flavor lingers on the tongue for quite some time after the tea tasting. 

Four Seasons Hotel

Park 75

Today I had afternoon tea at the Four Seasons Hotel. The menu is composed of a savory selection that includes egg salad and truffle mayonnaise, cucumber and watercress, coronation chicken salad, and creamy crab in profiterole. The sweet selection includes a tea cake, fruit tart, jam filled tea cookies, meringue cookie, coconut and almond macaroon, and chocolate dipped strawberries. For my tea selection I had vanilla oolong. The color of the tea was a golden brown. It had a sweet floral aroma with a hint of vanilla.This liqueur has a smooth texture that floats on the tongue. The vanilla flavoring mellows out the earthy tones from the oolong base. The honey used for the tea comes from one of the five bee hives kept on the roof top level of the hotel.      

The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton

Today I had afternoon tea at The Ritz-Carlton. For my level of tea service I had the Buckhead Classic Afternoon Tea. This tea service featured luxurious teas, tea sandwiches, and tea pastries. For the savory selection there were assorted sandwiches. The pastry selection was composed of tea cakes, tarts, assorted miniature tea cookies, housemade candies, and warm scones with devonshire cream and strawberry preserves. For my tea I had a wild blackberry tea. The wild blackberry tea was a scented black tea. This tea has a dark orange almost reddish color. The aroma of the tea is of mixed berries. The flavor is a light black tea with an array of mild fruit flavors. I had a wonderful time at my afternoon tea session at The Ritz-Carlton and I encourage everyone to try them for your next tea tasting venture.  

The St. Regis

The St. Regis

I recently had the pleasure of visiting The St. Regis for afternoon tea. The afternoon tea session began with a sweet and savory selection. The savory selection included a handcrafted tea sandwich assortment. The sweet selection was composed of a seasonal pastry assortment. In addition to the sweet and savory selection there were freshly baked strawberry vanilla and pistachio orange flavored scones. The tea served was a black tea called the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. This tea had a amber color and fruity aroma. The aroma was drawn from the passion fruit and pomegranate infused into the tea. The tea also had a vanilla flavor. The flavor of the tea was light and smooth. The fruit flavor was not overpowering and the tasting ended in a clean and crisp finish.  

Empress' Secret

Empress' Secret is an herbal beverage made to boost the immune system. The key ingredients in this beverage are goji berries, ginseng, lotus seeds, dragon eye fruit, and jujube dates. The drink has a dark orange color and a fruity aroma. It has a fruity flavor with a spicy finish from the ginseng. From a personal experience, I drank Empress' Secret before going to bed. I had a good night's rest and felt energetic in the morning. The link to the product page is below.  

www.theempresssecret.com

American Tea Masters Association

I recently became certified as a Tea Professional by the American Tea Masters Association. To receive this certification one must read the book, Tea Mastery: Pursuing Your Odyssey Into Tea, and sample 38 different teas. After reading the book and sampling the teas, the student must take a two part exam to become certified. The link to the association's website is below. 

http://teamasters.org/tea-mastery-book/