The Lanesborough Wins Prestigious Afternoon Tea Award (United Kingdom)
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The Lanesborough Wins Prestigious Afternoon Tea Award (United Kingdom)
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Category: Europe - United Kingdom - Exclusive experiences
- Rewards
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2008-04-23
The Perfect Touch of Service and Setting
The Lanesborough is delighted to announce that it has, for the second time, achieved the highest accolade of the tea world by winning The Tea Guild’s Top London Afternoon Tea 2008 Award. This was achieved due to The Lanesborough’s renowned tea selection and their ascribed tea sommelier Karl Kessab. This prestigious recognition is considered an honor by the world-famous hotels that compete for the title.
Guests enjoying the award-winning afternoon tea have an opportunity to meet with Kessab and discuss the many characteristics of tea, the various preparation techniques and the benefits of tea. This wonderful tea education all takes place in the luxurious surroundings of the new restaurant Apleys, which opened this month. Kassab’s passion began as a child growing up in France where tea had an important cultural significance. He continues his zeal by working closely with tea estates and attending master classes with the UK tea council.
Additionally, the Lanesborough and Kessab have revived the time-honoured use of Samovars (a traditional Russian water heating device) to serve their carefully selected teas. In tribute to this award, The Lanesborough has created a new green tea blend, named Rose of the Orient – this rich in anti-oxidant tea is a blend of some of the world's finest green teas including Sencha, China Wu and Pai Mu Tan, flavored with jasmine, cornflower blossoms and rose buds. The tea can be drunk hot or iced.
Other tea selections include:
* Lanesborough Afternoon Tea Blend - Our signature blend, created exclusively for the Lanesborough, Darjeeling blended with Assam and a Slight hint of Rose Congou
* Darjeeling 1st Flush - Darjeeling is known as the champagne of tea. This tea is picked in April in the first plucking or 'flush'. It is light in flavor and aroma with a slight astringency and undertones of muscatel, the sweet white grape taste, which identifies a quality Darjeeling.
* White Tea - Very rare unprocessed tea produced from very young leaves, which have a covering of white downy hairs on them giving the tea its name.
“The buzz of this popular tearoom, coupled with its stylish chic setting and soft music, creates a warm and elegant ambience, thus providing the perfect setting for afternoon tea. The Lanesborough offers all this and more,” said Irene Gorman, head of The Tea Guild.
The UK Tea Council’s team of Tea Guild inspectors have been searching the country to seek out the annual winners of the two “Top Tea” awards for the 23rd year. The expert inspectors have secretly taken tea in tearooms and hotels in London and across Britain in order to find the finest tea experience. The anonymous judges award points for the variety and excellence in teas that are offered, together with excellent service, décor, ambience and presentation.
Afternoon tea is served from 3:30 p.m. until 6.00 p.m. in Apsleys. There is a selection of more than 30 of the finest teas from around the world personally recommended by Kessab.
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