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A Luxury Tea-Time at the Ritz Carlton Kyoto

2014/8/4

On February 7th, 2014, the world-famous hotel Ritz Carlton Kyoto opened its doors for business nestled close to the Kamo River. It has the best location from which you have a fabulous view of the Higashiyama Sanjuuroku mountain ridge. I enjoyed the best tea-time ever with my co-worker, Vicky, set in this luxurious Kyoto-style atmosphere!

Both Vicky and I are more tea drinkers than coffee drinkers, and we often have conversations about tea. But to be honest, I had never tried a British-style afternoon tea time before. So I decided “I must have my first afternoon tea at the Ritz!”, and the two of us went in celebration of our birthdays.

The exterior of the Ritz Carlton is a modern Japanese style and has a more Kyoto-esque Asian atmosphere rather than a western one. As soon as you step inside, a foreign man sharply dressed in a suit comes and greets you with a fluent “good afternoon”. A doorman wearing a silk hat ushers you into the lobby lounge. Each and every guide from the staff is very courteous, and I felt as if I was experiencing both overseas and Kyoto hospitality at the same time.

Once we arrived at our table, a surprise birthday card was awaiting us. The staff members at Ritz Carlton had written us their birthday wishes, and I thought “just how many tricks do they have to please their guests?!”

After we ordered our long-sought afternoon tea, we chose our tea flavors. Vicky chose Classic English Tea, and I chose Gold Assam. The tea was not brought to us already put into the tea pot, but rather the experience starts with them putting in the tea leaves in right in front of your eyes. They carry the leaves from a fancy can into the pot, pour in hot water, and place the pot on a fancy tea pot warmer. It was definitely an authentic afternoon tea in which you enjoy not only the aroma and taste but also the visual.

While the tea was steeping, I looked around at the lounge leisurely and noticed that the interior was truly fancily decorated. Works from Japanese artists were laid out in the four surrounding corner bookcases, and towards the back of the lounge was a fireplace. While it was an up-scale lounge, for some reason it had the atmosphere of a library, and I felt that this must be what it means to truly relax. It was that kind of lounge.

The Ritz Carlton afternoon tea set is made of 4 types of menu items: “Savories” (savory dishes that have the flavor of h'ordeuvres), “Scone”, “Macaron”, and “Cakes”. First came the Savories: a foie gras parfait, a smoked salmon sandwich, roast beef, a red cabbage cole slaw sandwich, and a zuwai crab tart. Each bite-size dish had wonderful coloring, and I couldn’t decide which to eat first. When I told them that I can’t eat crab, they brought out an avocado and shrimp tart for me.

Next came the real thing—a three-level silver colored tea tower fit for an afternoon tea was carried to our table. When I saw the plates, I was blown away. It was decorated with a birthday message and flowers. I just couldn’t stop being excited! There were two types of scones at top: a raisin scone and a raspberry and rose flavored scone. I ate these with clotted cream and jam. The jam looked like it was made from strawberries, but when I tasted it the aroma of roses filled my mouth. Quite a refined flavor.

The macaroons and cakes were all as beautiful as artwork, and on the rose macaroons were placed edible rose petals. Clear syrup was used to look like water droplets, and it looked like a rose moistened with morning dew. The macaroons pictured are original to the Ritz Carlton Kyoto. The top one is sesame and the bottom one is the Kyoto limited matcha macaroon. On the inside is black sesame paste, and even though they were very small macaroons, they were sparkling, detailed artisanal works of art.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the elegant atmosphere. I’m sure I won’t be able to enjoy such extravagance for a long time!

株式会社KINSHA