Tea Victoria

by Marilyn
(Portland, Oregon)

Anyone who has visited Victoria, British Columbia, Canada has been tempted to have afternoon high tea at the Empress Hotel.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, I had several trips to that lovely city. Each time, we declined having tea at the Empress because of the cost.

It seemed that when tea or coffee cost 10 cents, their afternoon tea cost $3.50. Or when coffee and tea reached $1 or more, their tea was $20.

Finally, after about 40 years of saying no, I decided to just say yes! And boy was it worth it!

We selected Murchie's Empress Hotel Blend.

I am used to tea without sugar, so when we prepared "a proper cup of tea," with milk and a little sugar, I think I almost got drunk (at least very happy).

The delectable tidbits of scones, tarts, dessert cakes were all excellent. The servings seemed small for the price (spoken by a tightwad), but they were delicious and very filling. When we had polished them off, I was definitely full.

The ambiance and appointments were worth the price. Imagine sitting and having tea where hundreds of thousands of people gather over the years. So many memories soaked into the Empress.

All in all, an excellent experience, not to be missed.

Will I go again? Probably, but how much does it cost now?