A Bachelorette Surprise at Epcot

Earlier this month my very sweet bridesmaids surprised me with a trip to Orlando, Florida. I’ve been pretty stressed out with work and life in general lately. A weekend away was exactly what I needed. My sister (and Maid of Honor) lives nearby and is Disney obsessed so I had a feeling we would be visiting the park at some point. Having already been to the Magic Kingdom a few times before, I was happy to see our Uber pull up to Epcot.

We had a bit of trouble getting everyone in our group into the park. My sister ran ahead because we were missing the start of a tour that they had booked. Once we finally made it through the gates we ran to Rose & Crown Pub in the United Kingdom.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that my crew had booked us for a tea tour! The cast members let us jump in and sweetly offered to circle back afterward to the parts that we missed.

The Tour

Outside of The Tea Caddy, a shop in the park operated by Twinings Tea, is a beautiful English style garden. Spring hasn’t arrived in New Jersey so it was a nice change to be surrounded by flowers and lush greenery. There are teacup shaped planters located throughout the garden, each themed around different blends in Twinings’s arsenal.

I was overjoyed to see small tea plants growing in each one of them. None of them were flowering yet but I spotted a few buds that looked ready to burst. There was also a stand of more mature plants along the edge. Signs educated visitors all about the tea plant and how it is processed.

Our tour guides, Owen and Brogan, were both knowledgeable and entertaining. I’m always hesitant to reveal myself as a tea blogger in these kinds of situations. You’re more likely to find me sitting back as a casual observer instead. I loved hearing the name Camellia Sinensis so many times!

I was impressed with how much information they provided, all in a very approachable way. Every guest on our tour seemed genuinely interested and surprised by some of the things that they learned.

Scones and Tea

At the conclusion, our guides served sweet and savory scones alongside an array of Twinings Tea. The Rose & Crown Pub is located right on the water. The view was very beautiful on such a bright, sunny morning.

I opted for the green tea as I needed some caffeine. It helped with recovering from the bit of partying we had done the night before. I won’t be writing about it here but if you are looking for a local dive, I recommend Kitty O’Sheas.

The earl grey-infused butter was delicious and went really well with the sweeter scone. It did not pair as well with the Irish cheddar. Clotted cream and jam were also provided. My friends and family definitely enjoy tea but are not as hardcore as yours truly. It was interesting to see all of their reactions and the tasting notes that came up as they sipped.

This tour is part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. I spotted several tea plants scattered throughout the park, particularly in Japan and China. That’s probably not something I would have noticed if we hadn’t gone on the tour first.

It was hard to resist purchasing a new cup or mug while we were there. I really didn’t need any more than I already have and there wasn’t much free room in my luggage. However, I couldn’t stop myself from picking up a bag of green tea Kit Kats in Japan.

Have you ever had a Disney tea experience? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!