A new downtown tea shop is bringing a taste of Britain to Augusta.
By the time Crown & Kettle British Tea Room had its grand opening on Wednesday, it already had two reservations booked for its afternoon tea, and bookings as far as August.
David Jones leased the building neighboring the Miller Theater that formerly housed Events On Broad and has refurbished the space to be a vivid tribute to home, with the ceiling festooned with Union Jacks, displays of art showing the streets of London, British television in the background and the walls decorated with posters and flyers emblematic of the U.K., such as the WWII-era Keep Calm and Carry On poster.
“What I wanted was people to come in and go, ‘we’re almost walking down the street in London,’ ” said Jones. “A little bit of a different sort of vision, but the same sort of experience when it comes to the food and everything else.”
The tea shop is a passion project for Jones, has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years, even having served nine years in the Army. He currently juggles between the tea shop and his dual careers as an allergy doctor and as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Seniors Soccer team.
While the décor is designed to give American patrons a visual sample of British culture, the establishment itself, Jones says, is partly means to show people stateside what real tea is like, particularly how it’s prepared: pour a little milk in the cup, wait a minute or two for the tea steep before pouring it in as well to burn the milk.
“I think that Americans need educating on what makes a good, perfect cup of tea, right?” he said. “And I think that what we’re trying to do is provide an educational experience as well as a food experience.”
Alongside a wide variety of teas, from Earl Grey to Assam, herbal teas and of course English breakfast, the menu has a hardy selection of traditional English sandwiches, like Coronation chicken, which includes apricot and curry; roast beef and horseradish, and Scottish cheddar with Branston pickle.
The eatery also offers desserts like Victoria sponge cake, spicy ginger cake, and traditional scones with clotted cream and jam. The scones, which Americans might find similar to biscuits, along with a pot of tea, are an integral part of the Afternoon Tea Experience, available by reservation only.
“It’s not a rushed experience,” said Jones. “This is a 30 to 60 minute experience, where you can sit down, you can relax.”
Crown & Kettle is located at 716 Broad St. For more information, visit the Crown and Kettle Tea Shop Facebook page.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
