The Elmwood Inn Tea Room  (1990-2004)

Shelley and Bruce Richardson began serving afternoon tea at Elmwood Inn in 1990 at a time when few Americans were drinking hot tea, and before the American tea renaissance began.  People from across the country made their way to the Civil War village of Perryville, Kentucky as word spread through magazine stories and the three Elmwood Inn tea cookbooks.  In 2000, the National Historic Landmark became the first North American tea room included in the British Tea Council’s Best Tea Places, a guide to a select 100 tea rooms throughout the world that “pass an exacting and incognito inspection by acknowledged tea tasters.” TeaTime magazine photographed their charter issue at Elmwood Inn in 2003.

After 14 years, the tea room closed to the public on July 31, 2004 to make way for the offices of the expanding tea importing business of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.  Benjamin Press, the publishing division of Elmwood Inn, is also housed in the historic building.  All the Elmwood Inn tea books and magazine articles are photographed and edited there.

Once the news of the closing was released, people from all over the country made one final pilgrimmage to Elmwood during the last month.  Many of the regular customers felt as of they had lost an old friend. Nearly 500 people tried to get reservations but all available seats were sold out weeks in advance.  The tea room had become a sanctuary to countless guests.

Although we are no longer open to the public, the mission of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas continues to be to bring a cup of serenity to people's lives through importing and blending outstanding teas, publishing inspiring books, and holding educational seminars.

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Bruce and Shelley Richardson, owners of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, have authored several books through Benjamin Press: A Year of Teas at the Elmwood Inn; A Tea for All Seasons; The Great Tea Rooms of Britain; The Great Tea Rooms of America, The Tea Table. The New Tea Companion , Looking Deeply into Tea, Tea in the City: New York, Tea in the City: London, and Tea in the City: Paris.

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas host TEA 101, an annual seminar for tea entrepreneurs.