The St. James Tearoom
I just had a lovely, relaxing afternoon tea at The St. James Tearoom in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had been meaning to go ever since I heard of it several years ago and finally was able to. Every month there is a new theme of tea and a three tier tray of indulgent food. My mom came with me to enjoy the delights. She has not had a lot of experience with tea and wasn’t sure she would be drinking a lot but ended up really liking most of it and drinking her fair share!
The tearoom is actually made up of beautiful private spaces that your party can have tea in without being out in the openness that a restaurant would offer. Each room is done up differently with antique and Victorian looking couches, chairs, furniture, and decorations. Our names were on a hanging ornament placed on our coffee table which added a personalized touch. There was beautiful china and lace on the table for our tea and food. After we were seated our server, who was dressed up in an old Victorian looking servants outfit, came to explain to us what we would experience. We would be served 3 different teas along with savory finger foods, tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts on a three tier tray.
Our first tea was an Indian Assam that took sugar and milk wonderfully. The taste was still able to come through without being bitter or overpowering. This was actually my mom’s favorite tea that we had and we ended up drinking the whole pot while we ate the 1st tier of savories and sandwiches. Our second tea was a rooibos, which of course is not an actual tea but tasty none the less. It had lots of fruit flavors and was wonderful with just a little bit of sugar added. This tea was served with the scones which were made with lemon and had a fruity curd to go with them. Our last tier of food was the desserts accompanied by a tropical green tea. I ended up drinking most of the pot by myself because this was not preferred by my mom. The theme of the tea was ‘Clue’ and all the food had names that centered around ‘Clue’ characters and murder. A cute touch was one of us was going to be ‘murdered’ during dessert! Whoever had a drop of blood (not real of course) underneath one of their desserts was the victim and would get a prize. My mom was the victim but gave the prize to me which was a take home sample of one of the teas we had.
The experience was very fun and we had a great time. The tearoom gives you two hours to enjoy your tea and treats so we never felt rushed. Everyone there was kind and courteous. The food was delicious and very filling. The teas complimented each portion of the meal perfectly and they were all prepared appropriately. I am already making a list of people to go with and times when I could go back! Besides afternoon tea, the tearoom does lots of special themed event, like the Cigar Tea that is coming up, as well as a nice gift shop featuring all sorts of tea items.
If you ever happen to be spending time in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I highly recommend you take some time to have an afternoon tea at The St. James Tearoom. You will not be let down!
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