Monday, November 21, 2005

Tea in Bloomington?

Hi, All - Sorry it's been a few days since I've made a post. I had to be out of town for work last week. I had a question recently about places to have tea in Bloomington, IN. Here's what I recommend:

  • I have not discovered a tearoom in Bloomington that serves a full afternoon tea. >-( There's an opportunity here! I've thought about starting this business myself, and it could be great fun! At the same time, the reality is that a tearoom is a restaurant. I don't want to run a restaurant.
  • The Greenbriar Room (basement of the red Bloomington Antique Mall on 7th) is a lovely setting. Here, you can order a pot of tea and it's served in a real pot! I think the tea may be of the bagged variety. (Also, I should note that the Greenbriar Room has changed ownership since I last visited.)
  • The DH and I had lunch once at a "tearoom" on West Kirkwood. I can't remember the exact name, and I suspect the place may be closed. The restaurant was in an lovely restored home (along with a hair salon and spa). The menu was lunch fare (sandwiches, quiche, etc., no afternoon tea menu). Tea was served in a tea pot. It was bagged tea.
  • There's a new cafe and gift shop in the IU Art Museum, called Angles. I haven't been, but they advertise "whole-leaf teas."
  • In Elletsville, a nearby community, there is a bona fide tearoom called the Nutmeg House. See my earlier review of this tearoom.
  • The Winterberry Cafe (2100 S. Liberty) advertises a "traditional English High Tea." I haven't been here yet, but I look forward to testing it out. Remember, "high tea" means a full evening meal - not the "fancy" tea that most folks believe. I wonder if this is a misuse of the term by the Winterberry Cafe? I'll let you know.

A bit of shameless promotion here - under Serendipity Teas, I offer tea tastings and tea parties. If you're interested, let me know. (My site is down today - www.serendipityteas.com -
I am switching service providers.) I recommend a tea tasting! This is where you sample 5-6 different styles of tea (white, green, oolong, black, pu-erh) and note the distinctions between each. Very similar to a wine tasting. Gift certificates are available.

Happy tea outings! If you have tea locations or reviews to add, please post a comment and let me know! I will share! Thank you!

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:09 PM

    Just let me know when the open and amsterdam style 'tea' room in Bloomingtong and I'll come and visit. lol.

    I have tried in the last week: Creme de la Earl Grey, Lover's Leap, and Irish Breakfast. I've also got one called Lapsang souchong, but have yet to try it.

    hey, on your st. james link you may want to replace it with this: http://www.stjamestearoom.com/index.html as without the index.html I couldn't pull up their website.

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  2. Anonymous9:48 AM

    The Herald Times reported today that The Nutmeg House is CLOSING! AAAaaaahhh! I just read your review a couple days ago and planned to go, but the last day is Wed, Nov 30. There will be an open house on Tuesday, Nov 29, 2-4pm.

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  3. Anonymous10:11 AM

    Is the Runcible Spoon still around? I remember sipping many cups of tea there as I worked through my undergrad degree.

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