Articles
It’s in the leaves: More hotels brewing up tea menus
8/30/2000
What’s a hotel operator supposed to do with a defunct cigar bar? Many are turning them into spots for tea.
By Judy Colbert
Fans of odor-free air will be delighted to hear that the cigar craze, which led many hotels to outfit their lobbies with special bars for stogie fans, is already nearly extinguished. “Cigars (and cigar bars) went out about a year ago," says Al Ferrone, Hilton's senior corporate director of food and beverage. He cites several reasons, including the tobacco settlements that limit advertising and laws prohibiting smoking in restaurants.
So patrons are flocking instead to establishments paying homage to water (the Peninsula in New York City), wine (Southpark Seafood Grill & Wine Bar in Portland, Oregon), tequila (Tommy's Bar and Restaurant in San Francisco; Maya, Inc., in New York, Westin Riverwalk’s Rincon de Mario lobby bar in San Antonio) and tea.
With a 5,000-year-old history, and more than 3,000 varieties, tea has been around longer than everything but water. It could be the 1773 incident in Boston soured Americans’ taste for tea, but its popularity has been zooming recently. The specialty tea segment has exploded from sales of $200,000,000 in 1990 to nearly $1 billion last year.
From smokers’ den to tea lounge Tea bars are sprouting up everywhere: the three Teaism establishments in Washington, DC; Coffee, Tea, and Spice, in San Francisco; T Salon in New York City; Chado Tea Room in Beverly Hills; The TeaZone of Portland, Oregon; Cahoots for Tea, a tea room in Great Falls, Montana; Tealuxe in the Boston and New York.
Maize in Newark, New Jersey, converted its walk-in humidor into wine storage; the restaurant now offers a tea lounge. Just about every major hotel and resort has offered an afternoon tea service, at least on Sunday, if not daily.
Today’s tea has transcended scones and savories, with a wider selection of teas, interesting presentations and unusual food selections. At Echo, an Asian restaurant in Palm Springs, California, assistant GM David Thall notes that serious tea drinkers are sophisticated and appreciate high-quality teas with distinctive flavor and aroma characteristics.
“Dragon Pearl Jasmine is one of our most popular teas, and its unique characteristics take the experience to a higher level. This tea is composed of individually handpicked leaves that are rolled into ‘pearls.’ The ‘pearls’ (and dried jasmine flowers) unroll to produce a rich color, a heady and refreshingly floral fragrance, with a mild flavor that is sensual, visually stimulating and satisfying on many levels. And our high-tech glass and stainless steel teapot definitely makes a statement when it is brought to the table.”
During February, the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix celebrates its annual Chocolate Fest with the return of “Chocolate Tea/Chocolate Bar” in the grand lobby. Replacing the traditional afternoon tea service, executive pastry chef Jeff Elliott brings back the ancient Dutch tradition of a great cup of hot chocolate with such tea flavors as caramel, chocolate-jalapeno, chocolate-gingerbread, chocolate eggnog, chocolate-mint, chocolate port wine, chocolate-coconut, chocolate-vanilla bean and two dozen more.
Need advice? Ask the tea sommelier At Heartbeat restaurant in the W New York, James Labe has become America’s first known Tea Sommelier. Labe personally brews hundreds of pots of tea every week. Starting with a tableside visit, he talks with guests about tea, educating their palates to recognize complex flavor notes. For example, "HaoYa Keemun is a subtle black tea, with hints of honey and sherry. Sencha," he explains, "is a Japanese green tea with a bittersweet edge-a wonderful counterpoint to chocolate.
Teas have vintage years, just like wine," Labe explains. "Like grapes, the flavor of tea leaves varies with soil, climate and seasonal fluctuations of weather. Some years are better than others, but you can't cellar tealeaves because they lose flavor. Vintages must be drunk fresh. Last year's is just a pleasant memory."
Dennis Doucette, resident manager at the Biltmore Coral Gables, notes "Tea time has a tremendous impact in South Florida because of our international clientele. And tea provides a great venue for getting together with friends or business associates. Afternoon tea at The Biltmore is a traditional English-style event, accompanied by a selection of hot teas, champagnes and premium liquors. It’s served on lace linen tablecloths and fine bone china under the careful guidance of an English hostess, Lesley Ady-Freundt.” The Biltmore also prepares an afternoon tea menu for such catered events as bridal showers, baptisms and corporate functions.
Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec created a mix of old-fashioned tea, high tea and full tea, combined with local products. From mid-July through late October, executive chef Jean Soulard showcases fresh seasonal fruit, sandwiches with smoked salmon, proscuitto and asparagus, cucumber and tomatoes, and the traditional scones and white wine cake served with Devonshire cream and fresh-made jams.
Nancy De la Houssave, tea expert and instructor, teaches a tea and etiquette session every Tuesday afternoon at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. It includes the social graces, an important factor, she says, because she believes that “proper tea manners develop poise and confidence and ultimately promote success in life.”
At the Aquae Sulis spa at the Resort in Summerlin, Las Vegas, the locker rooms have self-service "tea and tonic bars." Guests spoon a choice of loose teas into a mesh bag and steep the brew themselves. A tea amenity package--featuring fruit-flavored and organic teas, a pair of cups, honey, cookies and a music CD--is available from room service. Travel-sized tins of bagged tea are also left for guests as part of the hotel's turndown service.