Afternoon Tea at Hotel Four Seasons Munich

There are many reasons beyond the world famous beer festival Oktoberfest to make Munich a stop on your travels.

Munich was first mentioned in written records in 1158 , when it was a monastery. Located at the Northern Edge of the Alps, between the rivers Isar and Würm, it grew quickly into a major city, and eventually became capitol of the Kingdom of Bavaria, ruled by emperors over many centuries. Today it is the capitol of the Free State of Bavaria.

Heavily bombed by allied forces during WW2, Munich has been rebuild since, and is home to many important national and international agencies, organizations and companies.

Historic churches, theaters, museums, castles, parks, and botanical gardens, all of which host special events, beckon for exploration. The list of must-sees is long, and the Munich city website can help you choose : http://www.muenchen.de

If you are tired of sightseeing and want to be seen in the scene instead, you are in the right spot. Munich is a favorite hang spot out for international socialites, who flock to the wealthy city to partake in festivals and events, to wine and dine at historic or trendy restaurants and breweries, party at night clubs, and seek relaxation afterwards at spas and luxury shops.

Mingling among the rich, famous and beautiful requires the right attire, which can be found at the designer boutiques lining the regal promenade Maximillian Street (Maximillian Straße, built by the King of Bavaria Maximillian II, where shoppers have to make tough choices between fabulous outfits offered by Chanel Boutique, Cartier, Hermes, Boss, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany& Co and Prada.

There's no better place to ponder over a possible purchase than the elegant lobby of the Four Season Kempinski Hotel.

The hotel, which was founded in 1858 as “Hotel zu den 4 Jahreszeiten”, became an immediate sensation in Munich, as it's closeness to the Royal Residence, the Bavarian State Opera, the Court Garden, the English Garden, the National Theater and the Hofbräuhaus brewery has made it an ideal stay for the Bavarian king's royal guests, and has remained a preferred stay of high society since.

Beneath the warm light of the 1905 Art Deco (Jugendstil) stained glass ceiling cupola, which depicts red field Poppies, Nasturtiums, Sycamore tree fall foliage and evergreen Holly leaves with red berries, to signify the four seasons, tea master Joel Belouet, and chef patissier Ian Baker host a British style Afternoon Tea, daily, from 15-18 o'clock.

Tea sommelieur Joel Belouet, of French origin, has been ensuring a refined stay for the guests of the Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel Munich, since 1974.

For three hours per day he steps aside from his current duties as lobby Grand Seigneur, to become the Tea Master of Ceremony, the TMC, so you will.

A 'Tea Master Gold' certificate holder, who studied the production of tea on site at Ronnefeldt Tea plantations in Sri Lanka in 2006, Monsieur Belouet is delighted to share his tea expertise with the discerning lobby guests, who hail from many different tea drinking cultures that span the globe, from Europe, Africa, the Middle East,  to Far East Asia.

He gladly assists his guests in choosing from the selection of black, green or white tea infusions of leaves from the Asian shrub Camellia sinensis, and a variety of herbal tea blends, which are naturally caffeine free. Samples of available teas are beautifully presented inside a handcrafted wooden display box.

Tea is served in china porcelain dishes, which have been heated in a special cupboard, before adding hot water from the silver tea Samovar.

Each tea has it's own recommended steeping time, which Monsieur Belouet watches with a keen eye for each of his guests, to stop by the table discreetly and remove the tea leaves on time.

The tea leaves are served loose in a cleverly designed ceramic tea pot, which is tilted  from resting to standing position in order to stop the steeping process.

To allow fine tea develop it's fullest aroma capacity, it needs room in the hot water to expand, so he advises against using tea eggs, tea bags, or constricting small tea strainer inserts. "Tea wants to be free", M. Belouet says.

The proper amount of tea leaves used is also important to achieve the best flavor, and are dispensed by Monsieur Belouet as required.

He recommends to enjoy tea pure, without lemon, sugar, milk or artificial sweeteners. There are no artificially flavored teas to be found in his tea selection.

A product subject to nature, tea crop results differ with every new harvest produced each year, in the same manner as wine.The type of water used in the tea preparation is important as well, which has to be chlorine free, and should be soft, not hard water; free of limestone, chalk, calcium and magnesium carbonates. Especially white teas suffer from the use of hard water.

Major tea producing countries are: China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Iran. Each tea growing region has it's own soil make-up and environmental conditions, which create a unique crop. Each of these producing countries also has it's own techniques of processing the leaves of Camellia sinensis after harvest. Different ways of cutting, drying and fermenting leaves, as well as twig parts, have been developed regionally, over thousands of years.

With your choice of tea during the Afternoon Tea at Hotel Four Seasons comes an array of classic English scones, tea sandwiches, and sweets, all lovingly prepared by Chef Patissier Ian Baker, a native Briton, who as a child enjoyed watching his aunt create wedding cakes professionally. His mother's position as a lunch lady in a school cafeteria convinced him that the chef profession was not an option, because "cooks smell of onions and fish".

Instead he graduated as patissier and confectioner  from Westminster Kingsway College London, and refined his skills during engagements in London at The Claridges , The Savoy, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and the Park Lane Hotel, Ritz Carlton in NYC, and Hotel Bayerischer Hof München.With your choice of tea during the Afternoon Tea at Hotel Four Seasons comes an array of classic English scones, tea sandwiches, and sweets, all lovingly prepared by Chef Patissier Ian Baker, a native Briton, who as a child enjoyed watching his aunt create wedding cakes professionally. His mother's position as a lunch lady in a school cafeteria convinced him that the chef profession was not an option, because "cooks smell of onions and fish".

Today he draws inspiration from visiting international food trade fairs, meeting with culinary peers,  170 cookbooks, and regional impressions from his new Bavarian home.

His delicious creations are utterly delightful pieces of art, which combine trendy with traditional, and have won him the Schlemmer Atlas “Patissier of the Year” award in 2015.

Mr. Baker produces all of the baked goods and desserts offered at Hotel Four Seasons from scratch, and every ingredient used has been chosen by Mr. Baker with great care from selected Bavarian, European and International suppliers. “Happy faces and empty plates are what drives me” he says.

The Classic Afternoon Tea at Hotel Four Seasons Kempinski Munich

daily from 3 pm until 6 pm

for EUR 39 per person

No reservations