Alabama/Destination Tea Reviews

Destination Tea: Annabella at Cedar Glen

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Where: Huntsville, AL
Style:  Southern manor
Tea Selection: 25+ loose leaf teas
Teatimes: Select Tea Dates
Reservations: Pre-paid reservations required
Contact: Reserve here or 256-852-5808
Cost: $50 Huntsville Tea Festival Afternoon Tea; $40 Afternoon Tea (vegetarian and gluten-free optional); $20 (ages 10 and under)
Destination Tea Tip: The Tea Room at Annabella opens selectively, around wedding and other party bookings, so try a variety of dates in the reservation calendar to find an upcoming opening. If you find a new tea here that you love, ask your server, it may be sold to take home.

Prices and teatimes are subject to change. Please see our Alabama Afternoon Tea Directory for the latest details.

exterior Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL

Destination Tea Notes: Our experience of The Tea Room at Annabella at Cedar Glen was not the usual affair because we attended afternoon tea there during the Huntsville Tea Festival. For example, afternoon tea is normally served in their banquet hall, which instead hosted guest speakers during the festival. We were happy for the change, however, because we rather prefer the character and intimacy of the home’s smaller rooms on the first and second floor, where tea tables were set. Other differences: the price was $10 more for this special event, and part of the menu was not made in house to lessen the demands on the kitchen serving this larger number of guests. We love their bottomless tea policy, and servers were excellent about offering fresh pots of tea throughout the meal. We recommend a visit here for a leisurely afternoon of tea and beautiful surroundings on the shady grounds of Annabella at Cedar Glen.

exterior Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
The back garden path leads to the tearoom.
exterior Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Only for the tea festival was afternoon tea served on this side of the house…
…instead of this two-level banquet room where afternoon tea is normally served.
inside Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
The cane chairs, chandeliers, French doors and sunroom windows give the space elegance.
inside Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
We were seated in one of three smaller dining rooms upstairs.
table set for tea at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Formal place settings

Tea Selection

loose leaf tea menu at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
We especially appreciated the unique blends available here, though we learned that not all ingredients are listed for each tea, which is how I unwittingly wound up with raspberry in my Blushing Peach Green Tea.
summer teas at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Hibiscus featured heavily in the blends (moreso than to our liking).
tea steeping at afternoon tea at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Tea comes to the table still steeping, and tea timers are provided. You may also request a catch plate to which to remove your infuser when steeping is done.
pouring tea at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Spiced Cocoa Inferno black tea blend was a stunner, which thankfully was among the tearooms stash for sale.
teacup at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
We very much appreciated the bottomless pots, so we could switch out a tea that didn’t appeal to the table.

Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets

afternoon tea at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Each guest received 3 savories, one large scone with spreads, one mini chocolate croissant, and four desserts.
savories at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
We would have liked one more savory offering in addition to the cucumber, pimiento and caprese savories. All were tasty.
breads course at afternoon tea at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
The blueberry scones tasted like a commercial mix, and the chocolate croissants were brought in. Butter and two jams were served with the scones.
desserts at at Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
Dessert was a homemade petit four, delicious locally made truffle by festival vendor Grain and Ganache, strawberry shortcake, and profiterole. All were yummy, but the profiterole was a bit messy for afternoon tea.

Destination Tea’s Afternoon Tea Scorecard

Destination Tea's afternoon tea scorecard for Annabella at Cedar Glen in Huntsville, AL
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DestinationTea
Tea Voyageuse, discovering the world of afternoon tea, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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