What do you need for a proper afternoon tea at home?
Great quality tea, for starters. Along with a few dainty sweets and savories to serve alongside.
The East India Company has got you covered.
Originally established in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I to explore the unknown East, it mapped trade routes, brought back exotic flavors, planted the first teas in Darjeeling, and saw its tea thrown overboard into the Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party.
Today, the company continues to develop and market fine teas and foods. In fact, it recently just started being carried in select Neiman Marcus stores, including the ones in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
I had a chance to try some samples. The Staunton Earl Grey Black Tea ($21) is a rich, deeply flavored brew. You can smell the distinctive bergamot fragrance the moment you open the tin. It’s the perfect sip to start the morning or to pep up the afternoon.
Dark Chocolate Enrobed Strawberries ($15) look almost like malt balls but with a freeze-dried, sweet-tart strawberry at its center. There’s a thick coating of glossy Belgian chocolate to get through, which makes it a substantial little nosh.
Milk Chocolate Enrobed Carameilised Pecans ($15) are much sweeter. Georgia pecans are coated in addicting Gianduja before being enrobed in Belgian milk chocolate, then cocoa powder. It’s quite chocolatey as a result, with a sweet crisp nut to enjoy at its center.
Even better still were the Cheddar Cheese Filled Biscuits ($8.70). They possess the color of Goldfish or Cheez-Its, but they taste loads better. That’s because these crisp, airy crackers have a smidgen of cheddar in their centers. Take a bite of these delicate morsels and you’ll discover a slightly creamy center. Sure, they’d be great with black tea. But just imagine a handful with a bowl of tomato soup. Now, we’re talking.