We entered the front door of the hotel and discovered that (as we had been warned in several online tea reviews) the Swans Cafe is essentially located in the lobby of the hotel. It is up a step or two from lobby level and is enclosed by a railing. However, it can feel like you are sitting in the midst of the hustle and bustle of things. My seat had me facing the front door and with a constant view of check-in and the concierge. My husband's seat was facing away from the doors, but instead looking at enormous mirrors that reflected the exact same view. It was busy the day we were there, but I must say that we quickly forgot about all that was going on around us and were able to just enjoy our experience and time together.There was a lovely piano in the front of the cafe which played automatically during the vast majority of our time there. At 5 p.m. (as tea was ending) a piano player did come and we enjoyed the music quite a bit. I wonder if there is live music during tea on the weekends? (Since we were there on a Wednesday afternoon I expect our experience was slightly different than the more popular weekend teas.) For people looking for a more intimate, quiet experience, you might want to think about avoiding the table directly next to the piano. I think I would have felt like I was sitting on the piano bench with the pianist! Some people love that opportunity to socialize though.
Our waiter, Terrance, was extraordinary. He was efficient, receptive to our questions and requests, and he spoke confidently about the tea service. His friendly manner and style made the afternoon really wonderful.
In honor of the hotel's 80th anniversary they offered us a complimentary tea-infused white port. I ordered the black tea, ginger, and lychee version but it was not available that day. My husband and I both had the green tea and oolong with spring blossoms. Absolutely amazing. There was also a green tea and jasmine version as well as tea cocktails for sale.There are three options for afternoon tea - traditional, seafood, and vegetarian. My husband chose the seafood and I tried the traditional. The first course was a raisin scone with Devonshire cream and preserves. The scone was warm and flaky. The second course consisted of a tiered tray including our tea sandwiches and some confections/pastries including a petit four, a chocolate covered strawberry, and gingerbread. The third course was an Earl Grey (actually, their special blend Swans Grey) - infused creme brulee.
We were very pleased with the food all in all. The traditional tea sandwiches included egg salad, chicken salad, salmon, and a fabulous tea-rubbed pork. It was a nice variety and offered some unique twists on the usual tea sandwiches. The seafood options generally include lobster salad, shrimp, salmon, and tuna. They did not have tuna that day so my husband was given two lobster salad instead. I assure you there were no complaints on that.
As one would expect/hope, the real star of the afternoon was the tea. Many of the teas offered are specialty blends created for the Boston Park Plaza. The hotel has hired a Tea Sommelier - one of the only places in the world to do this (so far...I expect we'll see more of this in the future.) Their sommelier, Cynthia Gold, combines her extensive culinary education and experience and her knowledge from her time running a local tea establishment. She has created an outstanding tea menu and is responsible for "infusing" more tea into the food offerings as well. On most weekends (and some weekdays with arrangements far enough in advance) Ms. Gold offers tea tastings for those attending afternoon tea. We had difficulty arranging it for this visit, but Ms. Gold has invited me back for a tasting in the future. I will certainly take her up on this kind offer and will report back to all of you. Even if you are not able to meet her for a tasting, you are invited to try as many teas as you would like during your afternoon tea experience. We did our best to take advantage of this!
Over the course of our visit I ordered three teas, my husband two. He felt the menu could have had fewer "flowery" teas, but on the whole we were both really impressed with the incredible range. His favorite was the Roasted Mate. (Not actually a tea, I know, but it was really good.) It had notes that reminded us of tobacco/pipe smoke. It was rich and dark with a robust flavor. (The menu stated that it had no caffeine, which we know now isn't really true. Mate contains "mateine" which is essentially the same as caffeine.) His second choice was Visions of Sugar Plums. This is a Park Plaza blend of Ceylon teas, plum, pear, and cinnamon. We were less enthusiastic about this one. The scent was very nice with pear being the dominant note. M was a little disappointed that the flavor really didn't live up to the scent. With some sweetener though the plum flavor came through more strongly.
I started with the Rou Gui "Rock" Oolong. It was a very nice, classic oolong taste. Robust. My second tea was Wewelkandura FOPF/EX. (The letter combination was unfamiliar to me. I guessed the FOP was Flowery Orange Pekoe and wondered if the F/EX was to signify Extra Fancy? Maybe someone out there can clarify that for me?) This was a Ceylon tea that brewed to a reddish liquor. There were definitely notes of chocolate and berries, as described in the menu. Another nice offering. My last tea of the visit was China Keemun Mao Feng. Although it was a well developed tea, it wasn't my favorite. The others were far better for me. It was earthy and woodsy with flavors that reminded me of pine smoke and campfire.
On the whole I think the experience was excellent. I would absolutely recommend it if you are looking for a nice afternoon tea in Boston. While it is likely that other locales have more elegant physical locations, you will be hard pressed to find a better selection of teas anywhere.
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Tea Choices at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel
(The menu does change occasionally. There were two additional offerings the day we were there that haven't yet made it onto the menu.) This list is just to give you some ideas.
- Swan's 80th Anniversary Tea - Ceylon, Assam, Chinese green, jasmine, vanilla, and citrus
- Mother's Blend - Black, green, and oolong with rose, orange blossoms and mallow blossoms
- Swans Grey - Earl Grey blend including vanilla and lavender
- Autumn Leaves - Indian and China blacks, Ceylon, and oolong with fruit and spices
- Visions of Sugar Plums - Ceylon, plum, pear, and cinnamon
- Boston Breakfast Blend - China, Indian, and African blacks
- Bonfire Blend - Ceylon, China, and Nilgiri blacks with spices and fruit
- Boston 1st Night Blend
- Yin Zhen Silver Needle White Tea
- Lu'An Melon Seed - Organic green tea
- Rou Gui "Rock" Oolong
- Wewelkandura FOPF/EX
- Makaibari Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush Darjeeling
- China Keemun Mao Feng
Tisanes
- Spiced Fruit and Nut - Dried fruits, berries, spices, herbs, and nuts
- Wu Wei - Chinese herbs and fruit
- Roasted Mate
Taken from http://teapages.blogspot.com/
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