When you think of a tea room, you might think of well-to-do women in pearls and large floppy hats sipping from antique china. But, there is much more to them than that.
Tea rooms became popular in the 1900s when middle class women opened up a room in their home or garden for patrons to enjoy light meals and tea. Why? Well, for starters, it was one of the few ways women were able to make some extra money. Serving as a hostess was an acceptable way for women to enter the workforce – since it was the same type of work they would do at home for free.
But furthermore, it was not socially acceptable for women to dine in public alone without her husband. Tea rooms offered a reprieve from that; women were able to work or dine in a comfortable environment with light food, which led to nearly all of the tea rooms in the United States being owned by women.
Charleston’s own Appalachian Tea is not unlike those of yore – brought to life by a woman who saw a need that needed to be filled. Sasha Strader is a Charleston, West Virginia, native who has spent the past several years watching the boom of coffee shops, breweries and unique restaurants pop up in the capital city.
“Which is great, but we had yet to get anywhere that focused on tea,” Strader said. “I loved the Ferguson Tea Room in Hurricane and I’ve been mourning it since it closed.”
The Root Cellar & Ferguson Tea Room served the area for about 15 years with teas, sandwiches and soups. It shuttered a few years ago, leaving a void in the Kanawha Valley for tea lovers like Strader.
“After years of moping and thinking about how I could do it, maybe even better, I’ve decided to take the leap,” Strader said.
Appalachian Tea opened in Charleston in 2019 in an effort to bring something new to the area and also serve as an outlet for Strader’s love for food and drink. It has now been running strong for more than two years and continues to develop new offerings, events and opportunities for those with a passion for tea.
“I just love to eat and try new things and there’s a really deep satisfaction in having other people enjoy the food you’ve made. I guess I’m just a grandma at heart,” Strader said. “I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember! My grandmother and dad were great cooks and I was always curious about what was going on in the kitchen.”
Serving more than 25 varieties of tea either prepared or loose leaf, Appalachian Tea has the widest selection available in the region. From pink chai to ice wine tea, Appalachian Tea offers all of that and a little bit of everything in between all inside the elegant house filled with books and mismatched china.
Plus, they also have available coffees, tea accessories and unique treats that pair well with tea: scones, crispy Persian almond cookies, fruit studded loaf barmbrack, apple cider cakes and much more.
The tea room, though, is most well-known for its orange cardamom cake.
“The orange cardamom cake was based on a recipe that a friend sent me, tweaked until I was satisfied, and it was supposed to be a monthly special,” Strader said. “When we told people it was going away at the end of the month we practically had a riot.”
If you have trouble choosing just one of these delicacies to enjoy while sipping on tea, Strader even makes tea trays so you can sample a little bit of everything. A recent tea tray option included deviled eggs, cucumber sandwiches, radish sandwiches, lavender scones, lemon poppy seed scones, fresh herb scones, birds nest cookies, orange chantilly in tangerines and coconut chocolate bites.
“I’m willing to try anything once and I incorporate other styles, traditions, and flavors,” she said. “My food isn’t always pretty, but it’s the taste and the feeling you get from eating it that counts – in my opinion.”
Appalachian Tea is located at 613 Ohio Avenue, Charleston, West Virginia 25302. It is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information or to order your own tea and treats, visit www.appalachiantea.com.