Persian Teatime~

Ancient Persian art from Persepolis currently displayed in the British Museum. Some of the carvings look like they are carrying bowls of tea~

I stopped by the Chapman Coffee House in Orange, California on Tuesday. I've driven by it a number of times and was eager to visit and check out the tea offerings. It is located on Glassell just a block from the Old Towne Circle. This area is quaint with historic homes and charming antique shops, and a liveliness that only a college town has~ Chapman University is here too. I wrote a post about some of the Old Towne sights here in March 2011, if you'd like to see the central fountain and the Paris In A Cup shop.

Samovars

Parking is on the street, but there is a Public Parking Lot down the block if you don't mind walking.

Inside you place and pick up your order at the counter, then select from the upholstered and wooden chairs available to sit and drink your tea.(You may also get everything to go) There is a separate room in the rear that has a fireplace, and a small outdoor patio as well.

Chapman Coffee House offers a variety of hot and cold coffee drinks, hot chocolate, specialty drinks and teas. There is mint tea made with fresh mint sprigs and a variety of Harney & Sons teas. I went in because I wanted to try the Persian Tea!

The owner was gracious and friendly. He made my tea himself after I placed my order. I watched him pour hot water into the glass beaker to warm it while he prepared the tea. He scooped several spoonfuls of loose tea into a china pot, poured steaming water over the leaves and placed the teapot on top of a samovar to steep.

The samovar he used looked similiar to this but had a floral china teapot on top~ When the leaves had steeped long enough, he emptied the warmed glass of its water. He immediately poured piping hot tea (just the way I like it!) into the cup until it was half full, visually gauging its strength by the color of the tea. Next, he topped off the cup by adding hot water from the authentic samovar. Since the tea is brewed strong, filling the cup half full of tea allowed him to check its color and adjust the amount of tea and hot water accordingly. He placed the glass on a doily lined saucer next to two rectangular sugar pieces. 


Persian tea is always served in clear glass in order to see the color



The black tea is flavored with cardamom. The owner's daughter stepped up to the counter and explained that tradition calls for drinking the tea while holding sugar pieces in your mouth, which is also how Russians drink tea. I knew this to be the custom but had not tried it myself. I found a comfortable chair and sampled my first cup of Persian tea. The cardamom adds a bit of spice and a wonderful aroma. The tea tends to be on the strong side, which I enjoy, but you can always adjust the strength by adding more hot water. I placed the piece of sugar in my mouth and it slowly disolved with each sip.

  
The owner offered to make a second cup for me which I gladly accepted~

I was paging through a crafting mail order catalog that had lots of beading supplies, when a woman walked by, briefly leaned over my shoulder, and told me she loved beads. So, I finished looking through the catalog and walked over to offer it to this lady. She was so happy! She is a woman after my own heart...small things make me happy too. Like a warm, fragrant cup of tea poured from a samovar and served with lumps of sugar.




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