[Archangel Epherielle]

Hey fellow soompiers... When u turn 18, u usually celebrate a debut... well, i want to be unique and will be holding a tea soiree instead... I've never done it before and I'm really inspired of victorian tea parties... My theme will be modern victorian though...

anyway the teas I've selected so far are:

Du Hammam tea ( from the Tea Palace store " smells very sweet ")

Geisha tea ( also from Tea Palace... very nice scen t )

Formosa Oolong tea

Teas in consideration and recommendations so far:

Tea with some hint of mint ( haven't checked the store yet)

a variety of Earl grey tea (haven't checked the store yet)

Also considering blooming tea like this one:

it's a tea that opens and blooms when u put hot water on it... seems very and interesting pricey though







this is an evening event so i was wondering if there are teas u recommend???

also do u know any games/ activities u can do at a tea party? ( i was thinking charades, but need more ideas

Any recommendation or ideas are welcome...

[ITS VIVIAN! =D]

That sounds like a cute idea...like a tea party. I would recommend having sweets & pastries for the guests, such as little bite size cookies (butter cookies, sugar cookies, macarons), mini fruit tarts, mini cupcakes, and such to accompany the tea.

[Trine29]

I had a tea party once, and I made "fake" petit fours. It was super easy. I just made a box cake mix, and instead of cooking it in a cake pan, I put the mix right on a cookie sheet (the kind with 1" sides). After it was baked I used little cookie cutters (circles, squares, hearts, etc.) to get the tiny cakes. I used a really runny frosting so that I could spoon it over the top, and it would run down the sides to cover the whole thing, and then I just added sprinkles and cute sugar candies.

Maybe it would also be a good idea to have some "boring" teas just because not everyone is used to drinking it. Mint is always popular, lol.

[Raindeer]

make sure u have scones and triangle sandwiches
a proper tea party has those

sandwiches - top
scones - middle
sweets and cakes - bottom

also serve the more traditional teas and maybe fruit infused ones.
if you are over 21, you can serve up a glass of champagne for starters

[Archangel Epherielle]

@Vivian -thats such a pretty pic... are those icecreams on the top rack or cakes??? looks good.. i'm really considering french macaroons.. tried to make homemade ones.. turned out ok.. but have to improve it...
@ Trine29 - that's a good idea "fake petit fours" thanks... yay... hmmm maybe i should have mint in my tea selections too... i need 7 types anyway... anymore recommendations?

@ Raindeer - i'm just 18 though and i want to be alcoholfree... yay ... yeah, i really wnat to have some traditional teas too... tried to brew matcha once, but didn't have the bamboo whisk thing... so it didn't really work... but i don't really ahve any more ideas of traditional teas... recommend any??? is darjeeling a traditional tea?
and when it comes to the sandwiches, i was thinking more of bruschettas... I'm actually making an asian-european inspired tea party though... so i'm gonna be serving sushi too as appetizers...

[jaejoong<3]

^ i recommend some teas like "Cream Earl Grey" or "Irish Breakfast Tea"

They're really nice for tea parties, and they have an easy flavor so that even tea-haters will like it. Haha I noticed they aren't exactly like yours, but yeah. I'd recommend fruit teas just because I like them, but I don't think they'd be very good for tea parties, especially since you can't put cream in it.

[MyLovelyBlondie]

I would say biscuits, cause that is the most natural for tea. You shouldn`t take something too unusual.

[Archangel Epherielle]

hmm... i guess i should put some normal/traditional teas like Earl Grey... I've got to go to visit the tea store and check which varieties of tea they have...

for biscuits, i was thinking more of parisian macarons... cause my guests are not very "traditional-interested" so i was hoping to make the soiree more modish... hehe XD

is there any other biscuits that looks cute and yummy?

[momoxai]

I don't have much to add really, but if this thread gets bigger I'll definitely be popping in every once in a while I LOVE tea and am thinking about having a tea party for my sweet sixteen~

[combatrock76]

I heart Adagio teas. I love loose leaf teas. I like their Peach Tea, Mango Tea, Irish Breakfast, Hibiscus Tea, Peppermint Tea, and Jasmine #12 Oolong.
http://www.adagio.com/?SID=bdce251514a97b1fec6f581a5d338aff

[HaplessChild]

Green tea shortbread cookies.


Ingredients

Makes 3 dozen

* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
* 2 tablespoons Chinese green-tea powder
* 1/2 teaspoon table salt
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or granulated sugar

Directions

1. Sift flour, tea powder, and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar; continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture; combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
2. Place a piece of parchment on a clean surface; dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; chill in refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Cut chilled dough with 2-inch leaf cutters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to baking sheets. Chill until firm. Gather scraps together, re-roll, chill, and cut shapes. Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack; store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 weeks.


I think I would do a jasmine as well.

[justwildbeat]

^Ooooh the cookies look interesting. I already have a good recipe for a green tea cake which people enjoy. So I definitely have to try this

[Archangel Epherielle]

here's another version of the green tea sweets<3 i've tried/made this already and it's very easy to make. It tastes good too, but not anything out of the ordinary good though, for me....hehe... but really is suitable for tea , i do agree with that...
i'll put this one under consideration <3
the green tea cake sounds interesting too... i'll check that out..yay

this recipe has supposedly won an award...
here's the link : Green tea sweets from Amai bakery



Green Tea Sweets

Ingredients
Yield (2” leaf shape): Approx 25

3/4 cup (2.25 oz) Confectioners sugar
5 oz Unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 3/4 cup (8.5 oz) All-purpose flour
3 Large egg yolks
1.5 TBS Matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup Granulated sugar (for coating)

Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
* Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and green tea together in a bowl.
* Add the butter and green tea/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and light in color.
* Add the flour and mix until well combined.
* Add the egg yolks and mix just until the eggs are fully incorporated and a mass forms.
* Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator until firm (about 30 minutes).
* Roll the dough out to ½” thickness.
* Cut the dough with a leaf cookie cutter.
* Toss each cut cookie in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat.
* Place the sugar-coated cookie on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.

[ichigo_no_powder]

ooo thank you dreamingsaturn for the recipe! i'm going to try to make those sometime