First Look: Every Course on the New Blue Box Café Menu at South Coast Plaza
A premier afternoon tea program demands rigorous hot beverage sourcing. The Blue Box Café partners with boutique tea masters to curate an exclusive fine loose leaf tea selection spanning white, green, oolong, black, and herbal infusions. Each pot arrives brewed to precise water temperature and steeping duration, poured through fine mesh strainers into custom porcelain teacups.
The café’s bespoke private blend, Tiffany Afternoon Tea, anchors the menu. It unites high-grown Ceylon black teas with Chinese black tea leaves, lightly perfumed with Bergamot oil and scattered with dried cornflower petals. It yields an amber liquor with brisk floral notes that slice cleanly through rich pastries.
Other notable teas include:
- Single-Estate Darjeeling: A second-flush harvest from the Himalayan foothills, delivering pronounced muscatel grape notes and an earthy, woodsy finish.
- Imperial Jasmine Green: Spring-harvested green tea scented over multiple nights with fresh jasmine blossoms, delivering sweet floral aroma without vegetal bitterness.
- Rooibos Bourbon Vanilla: An organic South African herbal infusion blended with pure Madagascar vanilla pods, offering a caffeine-free dessert pairing.
For guests seeking an effervescent touch, champagne pairings dominate. Sommelier selections feature pours from storied French houses including Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame, and Dom Pérignon Vintage, poured into hand-blown crystal flutes.
