As I sip on my late-afternoon cup of tea, I am relishing this mail that reveals details about the world’s most expensive afternoon tea. Offered by Cliveden hotel in Berkshire, it is presented by Executive Head Chef Carlos Martinez. Though it’s not yet official, this tea package is heading to Guinness Books of Records to be recognized as the world’s most expensive afternoon tea. And with that tag, you can expect a lavish spread that includes world’s most expensive ingredients and side dishes. Priced at £550 ($900) per couple, it includes ‘white truffles at a £2,500 per kilogram, Beluga Caviar at a staggering £4,000 per kilogram, and Da Hong Pao Tea, which is harvested from one thousand-year-old plants and is so rare that it costs over £2,000 per kilogram. The afternoon tea is washed down by a glass of Dom Perignon Rose, dubbed the King of Champagnes’. It also comes with ‘Cliveden House Chocolate Cake with Gold Leaf’ paired with Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee. Another most expensive snack on the menu is the hotel’s legendary Platinum Club Sandwich, priced at £100, which will appear in a mini canapé version.
And this extravagant afternoon tea menu is bestowed with a noble honor too. Cliveden intends to donate 50% of any profit to Marie Curie Cancer Care from each of the ‘World’s Most Expensive’ afternoon teas sold between June 12th and July 12th, 2011, part of the charity’s Blooming Great Tea Party campaign. James Parkinson, Executive Head Chef at von Essen hotels group, quotes, “We wanted to create the best afternoon tea experience in the world, and I think with this selection, we have achieved our goal.”
PLATINUM AFTERNOON TEA TASTING MENU
Homemade Scones, baked to order
Wild Strawberry and Cognac Preserve with Jersey Clotted Cream
Da Hong Pao Tea
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Black Smoked Salmon, Beluga Caviar and Pickled Cucumber
Assam Smoked Oolong
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Platinum Canapé Canapes (including mini £100 sandwich)
Two Glasses of Vintage Dom Perignon Rose
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Selection of Cliveden Cakes and Pastries
Jinjunmei China Black Tea
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Cliveden House Chocolate Opera Cake with Gold Leaf
Kopi Luwak Coffee
Thanks Lucy
