RITUALS : A Sip of Afternoon Civility

THE TEA WAS Twining’s Prince of Wales--a dark, well-brewed beverage that, we were told, “you don’t get tired of drinking.” And tea at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is such a nice afternoon outing that it should last longer than one cup.

Gilded griffins stand guard over the hearth of the Rose Garden Room on the San Marino estate. Diners enjoy finger sandwiches (salmon, cucumber, watercress and herbed cheese), fresh-fruit tarts, and strawberries with creme fraiche (supplied by Rococo caterers) from silver trays on a flower-bedecked serving table. Baskets of orange and chocolate-chip scones and pots of lingonberry and ginger jams are delivered. Cups are kept filled with the dark tea, while soft music plays in the background. (Tea at the Huntington is $9 for adults; $4.25 for kids.)

With the Herb Garden on view outside in one direction and the Rose Garden in the other, the tearoom is the perfect spot in which to discuss the rise of the Renaissance, the fall of the Empire, or what “Pinkie” is thinking about Gainsborough’s “Blue Boy” over in the big house, the Huntington Art Gallery.

Tea at the Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino; (818) 405-2141.