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It’s my birthday today. In a tradition of exploration and fun, a birthday trip has allowed me to spend a few hours in San Francisco yesterday doing only tea related expeditions. Usually our visits to the city don’t allow enough time for this kind of scavenger hunt. Everything is spread out and just finding parking at each stop in enough of a challenge to deter. But add determined and you will get there.
We started at Lupicia and the lovely girls there made every sample requested. So sweet. I came away with some of the golden honey dew rooibos. It was exactly what I hoped for. Really delicious.
Next stop was Tevana, just for comparison purposes, and just really to confirm what I already knew about them. Yup. no one there had any ‘real’ knowledge. Its a koolaid shop. But I bought some Earl Grey cream, just to, again, compare. Sure enough, the sales girl did the ‘over measure’ to see if I would be fine with more than I asked for.

After a non tea related visit to Anthropologie, just across the street, we headed to the Crown and Crumpet in Japan Town. A cute Tea salon/café. All the little tea sandwiches were good, but late in the day, the selection was limited. The Tea we had with the meal was a white and black combination with rose.

Finally, the treat I have wanted to try for so long was the last stop. Chantal Guillon for Mariage Frere Tea. and Marco Polo.

I could have bought this tea on line long ago. But it just didn’t seem right. With a name like Marco Polo and not being easy to get, why not have it be an adventure to obtain, as it is just as elusive to pin down as well as to decipher the flavors within the cup.

The flavor does live up to the wonderful aroma. It is a treat just breathing in the scent. It is the kind of tea to give you a different experience each time you brew a new cup. It truly relates to the quote I have on my site, “Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history, inhaling ancient times and lands, comfort of ages in our hands.”

that’s Marco Polo.

http://www.parisfornia.co/food/where-to-buy-mariage-freres-teas-and-french-macarons/

Sipping and nibbling a salted caramel macaron, I am writing this from a Bed and Breakfast in Napa. La Belle Epoch. One of the nicest B&B stays ever!!!

What a perfect Tea for a birthday adventure.