In Sophia Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette,” there is a scene in which the ill-fated queen is having tea with her brother, Emperor Joseph II. In it, she serves flowering or blooming tea, which is made by wrapping a bundle of dried tea leaves around dried flowers. While steeping, the bundle unfurls to reveal the flowers, mimicking a time-lapse of a blooming flower. The pair are struck with delight as they watch it bloom.
If you are in need of a pick-me-up or just a simple moment of beauty — and who isn’t these days — treat yourself to this tea. I’ve been wanting to try it since seeing it presented in the movie, but never got around to it. In July, Dr. Alisha Reed, a pharmacist and success coach, posted about it on Instagram and I finally gifted myself an order. No one can ever accuse me of instant gratification. OK, maybe when it comes to some things, but not in this case.
I purchased it in Reed’s Amazon store, since she was the one who prompted me to finally buy it and to support a local business owner, but if you don’t like shopping online my sources tell me you can find it at Hong Kong Market in Gretna or World Market in Harvey.
Another source recommended Mojo Coffee Roasters, which unfortunately does not have blooming tea, but via Facebook messenger a staff member told me, “We do carry a peaflower tea that magically changes color when you add lemon to it, as well our chamomile and also have an in-house made lavender syrup for all your flowery needs.” All of that sounds pretty fabulous to me. Meanwhile, the same source also mentioned Mammoth Tea, which does have a thoughtfully curated tea menu, but alas, no blooming tea.
In March, I wrote about my daily tea ritual. As you can see, it has blossomed. (Bad pun intended and presented with no regrets!) So, consider yourself warned: You may find yourself addicted to fancy tea, but there are worse vices, no? Though I do caution you against Marie Antoinette-level extravagances in general — we all know how that turned out — a petit cérémonie with fine tea is unlikely to cause too much trouble.
