Afternoon Tea
- Afternoon Tea, Ella Adventures, Harlow, Lifestyle, Making Tea at Home, Pawfectella, Pawfectella Everything!, Tea, Tea Reviews, Uncategorized
Paragon Tea Room | My favourite place to get tea, in the city | BUT AKA: how tea makes dreams come true.
Left: WALL-E added an addition smile to my first visit…and every visit afterwards.
Right: We walked into the tea room, which shares space with a local coffee shop. I looked up at the logo…and instantly felt I had found some where special!
On April 10th, 2019…I did not realize I would be stepping into my favourite place for tea. One of my best friends, Tiara had been talking about this new tea salon that opened up beside her gym…and how I just HAD to go.
April 10th, 2019…it was a really hard and emotional day. I was waiting to hear back about Harlow’s (my late guinea pig) test results, going through an extremely “burnt out” period of life, frustrated with health issues and needing to make some big life decisions. Tiara was so sweet and spent that entire day with me. As a doctor, she knew the best medicine for me: she took me to, Paragon Tea Salon for my first cup of tea misto.Tiara and I waited in line and I gazed up at the menu. I wanted to try EVERYTHING!!!
When we got to the front of the line, we were greeted by Michelle, the owner of Paragon. She was a breath of fresh air and so welcoming. I was so impressed that she knew Tiara, by name…and you could just tell she genuinely loves her customers and takes time to get to know them and build a relationship.
She was equally excited that I was about to try, the paragon way for the first time. After some helpful recommendations from, Michelle…I decided to settle on the, High Mountain Roasted Oolong Tea Misto. Although…I was very close to ordering a matcha misto, haha!
When we were in line…I had to take a photo of the menu options! I wanted to be able to look back on it, to show my husband and talk him into coming back with me, haha. 
A smaller version of Paragon’s tea menu.
Michelle started to make our tea mistos and I couldn’t get over how she was making them!!! TEA-like espresso! It was the coolest thing EVER. I actually ended up take a short video of the experience of making a cup of tea misto. It was so fascinating for me! 100ml of strong and delicious tea…Michelle making my first cup from Paragon! My husband’s first cup of Paragon!
After our teas were ready, Tiara and I sat beside the window and chatted the afternoon away, as we sipped our delicious teas. She gave me sound advice.
But how was the tea?!!! THE TEA WAS SOOOO AMAZING! Perfect temperature, perfectly steeped. Perfect frothed almond milk (although…I ended up switching to oat milk afterwards, thanks to Michelle’s advice on my second visit). And to top the drink to perfection: the perfect cup to truly taste the aroma and essence of the tea!
I couldn’t wait to bring, Snowman (my husband) to try these teas!!! And I also couldn’t wait to go back myself.
My first cup of tea from Paragon.
During my conversations with, Tiara…I received a phone call from Harlow’s vet…that she needed to be brought in for more testing. The rest of this story, breaks my heart…as I didn’t know that only a few days later, my little Harlow would be passing away in my arms. Many of you know this story, so I won’t go into details here.Harlow truly loved her tea and loved to #HarlowApprove my tea of the day.
I had hoped to do this blog post, shortly after my first visit, but with Harlow’s passing and that crazy “burnt out” period…I just didn’t have the time or energy.
However, I continued to go to Paragon and fell more and more in-love with the atmosphere, teas and people! I also made sure to bring Snowman (my husband) and he instantly became a huge fan. He often joined my on these visits.My Husband’s First Visit. e
Harlow’s passing was a big wake up call to me, to start taking care of myself and my health more. Whenever I needed to take a break…I went to Paragon. It became the place where I started focusing on new goals and dreams; a place I could escape to and just “be”. I made some of my biggest dreams and goals there, while sipping tea and taking in the peaceful, creative atmosphere. I typed these goals and dreams into my phone, laptop or note paper. And the crazy thing is…every single one has come true, in less than a year. I still cannot believe that! It proves how magical tea can be…when you add it to your dream planning ingredients, haha. Oooh..and put those dreams and goals into action, of course 😉Some of the delicious teas I have tried since my first visit!
One of my dreams, popped into my head about 2 months after Harlow’s passing. I was sitting with my husband (at Paragon, of course) and I just had this thought and major gut feeling that I needed a dog. My husband stopped sipping his tea and just looked at me…”really? Are you sure the timing is right? Shouldn’t you just focus on your health, etc?” I explained to him why this was the BEST idea, BEST medicine (besides tea) and BEST dream ever.
In that exact moment, I was convinced and when I want something, I will not give up, (poor husband). I wanted to adopt my very own puppy! I have always been a huge dog lover, since I was a little girl. But I never had the time or lifestyle to be able to take proper care for a puppy. After some big “life decision making”, the timing was perfect…and I just had a feeling that Harlow would approve of this decision. My husband soon (willingly, promise!) agreed and trusted my planner instincts, haha.
Ella came into our life and I’ll never forget bringing her to Paragon for her first visit. It was like that goal/dream had literally come full circle. It was truly incredible and felt like the biggest, “God Wink”.Ella’s first visit to Paragon. Ella being the cutest Paragon model, besides WALL-E, of course!
And just before picking up Ella…another dream came true…and then another one and another one…it was incredible. And they just kept on blossoming, even after adopting Ella.
That’s the thing with dreams and goals…you need to make time to work for them. And having a wonderful place to escape to…and focus on them, plan for them and to achieve them…makes all the difference. I am truly grateful for discovering Paragon, through a very transitional and difficult point, in my life. It gave me that space I needed to focus and I will forever be grateful for that! AND…for the delicious cups of tea!!!
I now live in a new home (one of my goals)…where I have my own office/creative space to continue making my dreams and goals come true. I still love to go to Paragon, but I now have the opportunity to make their delicious teas, at home too!! Such a treat!!!
My personal favourites are: Hojicha powder, Genmaicha powder, Mango Hojicha, Genmaicha (matcha coated) and the High Mountain Oolong (but I still have more to try)!
Paragon also has an online store, if you would like to try some of their teas. They ship or you can pickup in-store, if you live nearby!My first time making Hojicha at home!
They also have a wonderful mini gift shop…and I was able to get a beautiful new matcha bowl, right before Christmas! I love it soo much!
Well, there you have it! Quite a long and personal blog post…that was suppose to be JUST a tea review…that turned into a much more personal story. But I feel right sharing it because that is one thing I get asked all the time:
How do you stay so positive? Well, that’s for another blog post topic, if you’d like to hear it. But as you can tell, through this blog post…that period was extremely challenging, but when life gives you heartache and gloom…you make tea and focus on the true and good things in life. -
Holiday Afternoon Tea | Langdon Hall Country House at Christmas Time
My Grandma and I waiting to be seated for afternoon tea On December 20th, 2019 my Grandma, Husband, Mother and I went to Langdon Hall Country House for a Christmas Afternoon tea together. This was my husband and I’s second time going to Langdon Hall and we really wanted to take my Grandma and Mother, ever since our first visit! It is such a special place and I knew my Grandma had always wanted to go.
When you walk up the steps and through the front entrance, you walk into an elegant atmosphere, surrounded by history and seasonal Christmas florals and greens, picked from the gardens and woodland outside the hall.
After taking our coats, we headed into the waiting area that had a beautiful Christmas tree decorated with old fashioned charm and wrapped presents below it!
Langdon Hall Christmas Tree Soon, they called our name and we were seated at a round table with their afternoon tea menus and beautiful seasonal decor. Afternoon tea is a seasonal, set menu, but if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, it is recommended to call ahead, when you book your reservation. Langdon Hall is fantastic at accommodating dietary restrictions and allergies, and we had called ahead about both my husband and I’s. The server let us know that my meal (and my husbands) were being served as gluten and dairy free and I loved that I didn’t even need to double check!
Langdon Hall Tea Menu The server also explained their tea menu and also asked if we would like any champagne, mimosas, etc! My Grandma and I decided to go for mimosas. I rarely drink (just on special occasions) and this felt like a perfect occasion and a mimosa sounded so good! My Grandma agreed!
There were so many delicious tea options on the menu. I had quite a few I was debating between. I settled on the, Blood Orange Oolong. Oolong tea is one of my favourites and I was intrigued by the hibiscus and citrus peel notes.
A look at the Langdon Hall Tea Selection The server took our tea orders and brought our mimosas. As we were waiting for our tea and treats, we laughed and chatted away and enjoyed the understated music and outdoor views through the large windows.
My Grandma also admired her tea cup and inquired about the little infuser inside her cup! I let her know it catches the fallen tea leaves from the tea pot! I hardly ever see this method being used and I absolutely love it!!!!!
Langdon Hall Teacup and Saucer Our pots of tea arrived and they looked so charming! Every one enjoyed their tea selections! My mother actually got the same tea, as me! My Grandmother ordered a delicious ginger blend and my Husband got a peach tea.
Such a beautiful table setting! And can you spot the blueberry jam, butter and clotted cream? 
My Grandmother enjoying the atmosphere and beautiful view outside! After all our first pours of tea were nearly finished, our delicious sandwiches, scones and treats arrived! Langdon Hall recommends eating their scones first, as they are fresh from the oven!
Gingerbread and traditional scones. Mine were both gluten and dairy free!
Such a treat.The sandwiches and treats were so delicious! Below is a photo of my husband’s selection of goodies.
Overall, we had such a wonderful time together and Langdon Hall exceeded all our expectations for a lovely Christmas treat together. After leaving Langdon Hall, we drove to see some beautiful Christmas lights…such a lovely way to end the day!
Which one would you try first? -
Valentines High Tea | Vegan Gluten Free
For Valentine’s Day, my husband and I went for high tea, after work! We had made a reservation to one of our favourite high tea spots and had been looking forward to it, for quite a few weeks.
This particular high tea spot is soo wonderful if you have gluten, dairy allergies or are vegan. They have a wonderful set menu for each or both of the concerns, so you never feel you have to make special requests. I cannot have gluten or dairy, so I always get the vegan option. It is amazing and their Valentine’s Day high tea was so beautiful done.
Vegan, Gluten Free High Tea 
Delicious dark chocolate, rose and coconut chocolate 
Valentine’s Day Cupcakes Another lovely thing about this tea spot, is that you can have unlimited tea. This means, you can try a variety of tea and are not limited to one pot. If fact, you can even take a cup of tea to go, when you are done. And this is all included in both of their set high tea menus ($38 and $48 for the bubbly high tea).
They also steep and prepare the tea to the perfect temperature and time before bringing it to your table, so you are not obligated to time the steeping yourself. I love this because your tea is delicious and perfect upon serving!
They have a mix match of the cutest tea cups! And I also decided to go for a glass of rose! They also have a large tea menu with the cutest names! Many of them are named after the fairytale, Peter Pan.
I love the tea, “Take Me To Neverland”. It is a mint and chocolate flavoured black tea. 
So many delicious options to choose from…and you can try a variety! The tea salon is decorated beautifully, with nods to Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and beautiful balloon and tea inspired details.
Spot the cute vintage balloon picture! 
Tea is always a good idea. 
Before heading out, you can take some treats to go too! We had such a lovely time and my husband surprised me with some beautiful Valentine’s Day gifts, including two new Pandora charms! Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on these items.
What could be inside? We had such a wonderful time! Always amazing service and a romantic, yet fun dining experience. After we were done, we got some teas to go, packed up some treats we were too full to finish and headed to go see the new movie, Alita!
How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?
Treats and Teas to go! -
Tea with Tiara ?☕?
What could be better, mid-week then spending an entire day with your close friend? Especially, when she lives in another province!
My friend Tiara and I had a lovely girl’s day, this past Wednesday. We had “at home” facials and enjoyed some healthy treats before heading out for some afternoon tea at a local favourite. ? We ended up chatting the whole day away… Everything from our faith to fashion to health and fitness. Pray
Here are some pictures from our afternoon tea:
