Destination Tea Reviews/North Carolina

Destination Tea: A Southern Cup

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Where:  Hendersonville, NC
Style:  Romantic cottage
Tea Selection:  40 loose leaf teas
Teatimes:  Wednesday to Friday, 11-5; Saturday 11-4
Reservations:  24-hour notice for full afternoon tea; walk-ins welcome for cream tea
Contact:  844-596-7832
Cost:  $18.95 Miss Camelias Afternoon Tea; $15.95 Sugarbakers Southern Belle Tea; $12 Children’s Tea; $5 Cream Tea
Destination Tea Tip:  Housed in a former feed supply store, this inviting teahouse would be a great venue for an intimate celebration (think bridal/baby shower, birthday, retirement party).

exterior A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC

Destination Tea Notes: Hostess Kym Brown masterfully decorates her petite teahouse such that it feels cozy without feeling cluttered, sweet but not saccharine, and pretty without being too frilly for the gentlemen. I know because my partner at this review is my husband, for whom I someday need to dedicate a separate blog post: “When John Goes to Tea.” Let’s just say it’s a bit of a bull-in-a-china-shop situation, and, as it happens, this time the bull is on a no-carb diet. In other words, my husband loves me! And happily, he finds several things worth flexing his dietary rules for here. It’s easy to do, as Hostess Kym Brown serves a scrumptious afternoon tea with one of the best egg tea sandwiches ever, and delightful desserts from nearby bakery Gateaux. Kym — who has been in the tea business for many years, culminating in her opening A Southern Cup (now 3 years old) — has an authentic appreciation for the custom of afternoon tea, and a smile for all her guests with whom she happily shares tales of tearoom life. We learn that community members regularly donate inherited family heirloom teasets to A Southern Cup. As we get to know how connected she is to her community, we see that these gifts make sense: around here, Kym is the center of tea life.

front counter at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
A friend of Kym’s upcycled an old entertainment center, drawers and windows to build this awesome front counter.
front foyer in A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Love the vintage sofa in this front room.
teacup and saucer collection at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Playing a favorite game at this pretty curio shelf: which teacup and saucer would you choose?
teaset at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Donated teasets like this one abound throughout the teahouse.
back tearoom at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Walk through to the tearoom, appointed with chandeliers and white linen tables beneath a wood-planked ceiling.
Silver tea seat on antique radio at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
A fuchsia mirror mixes modern color with the staging of these silver pieces perched upon a vintage radio.
tea table at A Southern Cup
Our charming table with striped tablecloth and chairs nestles up to curtained inner window.

Tea Service

pretty teacup and silver creamer set at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Take time to peruse your many interesting and delicious quality tea choices, from which each guest selects one pot.
Pouring tea at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
I choose Creamy Toasted Oolong (yum!) and my husband goes with China Black (next time I’ll recommend something out of the ordinary for him to try).

Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets

tea tray at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Love these tiered trays with teacup or creamer toppers
Savories at A Southern Cup in Hendersonviile, NC
Delicious tea sandwiches include: chicken salad croissant, cucumber on white and one of the Top 3 egg tea sandwiches we’ve had. Kym uses a thinly sliced hard-boiled egg with a spicy bacon mayo. SO GOOD! John had to break with his diet for this. Understandable. Scones are tucked around back.
Desserts at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
Perfect desserts from Gateaux include macaron, chocolate cake and mousse with chocolate chips.
front porch at A Southern Cup in Hendersonville, NC
We’d happily take tea on this pretty porch in the cool mountain air.

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DestinationTea
Tea Voyageuse, discovering the world of afternoon tea, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: Destination Tea: Review of afternoon tea at Smith-McDowell House in NC

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