High Tea in London

Enjoying the best cup of tea in my life!



Outside with the Doorman

Outside of Brown's Hotel, where High Tea happened

The tower of wonderous delights

High Tea-ing

High Tea is a once in a lifetime experience that everyone should partake in if they plan to be in the London area. High Tea is different from regular tea in several respects; you can only do "high tea" at some of the most expensive, posh places in the city, such as Brown's Hotel, the Marriot, and other fancy, British hotels. High Tea is not just a tea bag with some biscuits. Instead, it is a pot or two of finely steeped, loose tea that is placed through a strainer, and served with a tier of fancy, edible items, such as sandwiches, scones, and mini pastries.

My group of friends and I had been planning our high tea trip since about two weeks ago. After much planning, we secured a reservation at Brown's Hotel for 3pm on Saturday, the day when our group would have a free day in London with our program.

After spending some time at London tower and London bridge, we headed over to Brown's hotel, located not too far from Picadilly Circus, a NY Times like attraction with neon billboards and large signs.

Once we arrived at Brown's and we saw a doorman in a top hat standing outside, I immediately became nervous (Is this too high society/too uppity, I thought to myself...would we even be allowed through the door?!). We were told the dress code in advance (which was "smart casual"), so we made certain everyone in our group was appropriately dressed in khakis or black pants with no "sport shoes" (we all assumed that meant sneakers). Once the door was ceremoniously opened for us and we walked inside, I became very excited. The team room was to the left, and featured soft, pastel padded sofas and chairs. I was engulfed by the aroma of fresh hot tea and my eyes were delighted at the colorful trays of pastries and sandwiches. Near the side of room was a piano player, playing pretty much everything from Elton John to Whitney Houston.

Since we had a reservation, we were immediately seated at a long, rectangular table, with couches and padded chairs on the outside. Looking around the room, I suddenly felt underdressed. Men were in jackets and ties, while women wore beautiful, tailored suitjackets and pants, or short dresses and skirts. "We're tourists," I thought to myself, "and we're dressed nicely considering we've been trekking around London all day." Looking around, no one seemed to mind that we were there. If anything, the British people were assumed that we were taking photographs of every edible item and every piece of silverware in front of us.

When we sat down, we browsed the tea selection and I decided on the safe British breakfast tea. Included in the price of afternoon tea was unlimited homemade scones, homemade jam and clotted cream, finger sandwiches that were cucumber, tomato and cheese, smoked salmon, or ham and eggs, and a mini dessert tray. Sounds delicious, right?

The silverware and the teapots were all genuine silver and once my tea arrived and I took a sip, I was in shock. It was not overwhelming, bitter, or strong; it was exactly how I imagined real tea to be: slightly sweet and refreshing. I wondered if it was the leaves themselves, because I never add sugar or honey to my hot beverages. I only added a little milk. The tea was hot and it was unlimited as well, and I ended up drinking a pot and a half!! The scones were amazing, and they were miniature so it didn't feel as bad eating several of them at once. The finger sandwiches were also amazing, and I especially enjoyed the cucumber and cream cheese as well as the smoked salmon. Our high tea experience was not rushed, or very or very American (no drive thru high tea available), but for about 2 hours, we sat to savour every last drop of tea and the delicious, mini sandwiches and desserts. My friend Sarah even requested the Elton John "Your Song" to the piano player and he was very happy to play that for us.

However, reality struck when the bill arrived. At about £32.50 pp (around $60), for our high tea afternoon, my wallet took a hit. But it was technically our lunch and dinner in London (we last ate around 8:30am and our waiter refilled our sandwich tray about 4 times), and it was worth it to have the best cup of tea I've ever had in my life. No lie. My only wish for you all is that you may one day experience the delight and wonder of high tea in London.