Starting in the month of May, The Hotel Loutrel in Charleston is beginning to offer high tea (Thursdays through Sunday) and will be serving Oliver Pluff Teas.   You can find more about the experience by visiting The Loutrel’s Experience page (click here).  If you get to visit Charleston over the coming weeks I hope you get the chance to attend!   With tea rooms on my mind,  my dear friend and I had a wonderful discussion about the Fine Tea Rooms she has had the opportunity to visit.  Please enjoy.   Dear Oliver,   One of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon is enjoying a lovely Afternoon or High Tea. I have found that having “Tea” can vary...

  Estimated to be formed around 350 A.D., tea bricks have become a part of Chinese and European culture throughout the ages. Before tea bricks where introduced to Europe, tea bricks were used in China as a form of currency, food, and medicine. From the 9th century on through the 20th century, tea bricks were classified into five different quality categories of value. All the bricks, even to this day, are scored on the back with indentions to allow for easy breakage off the larger block.  When the bricks were assessed for quality, the highest quality bricks were given to the Emperor. There are multiple steps in the process of producing a tea brick. During the Sung dynasty, tea gathering...