Afternoon Tea

I am fascinated by the English tradition of Afternoon Tea.  Nothing says opulence and elegance than the ceremony of Afternoon Tea.  From the dainty finger sandwiches to the fruit scones, sometimes served with dollaps of Jam and Devon clotted cream,  to  the beverage itself, Afternoon Tea is something out of the pages of history.  It was Anna Maria Russell, the Duchess of Bedford who started the custom of Afternoon Tea.  Often left ravenous between breakfast and supper, which was customarily served between seven O'clock and nine O'clock,  she asked her Butler to bring her a tray full of sandwiches,cakes and a pot of tea to her room at 4PM each day.   Little did she know that she would start a long-standing tradition in England.  

The first tea houses in London appeared in 1706 when Thomas Twining opened its first Tearoom.  Afternoon tea is often a light meal between the hours of four to six O'clock.  A proper English Tea is served in a china Teapot and follows a very orderly ritual with its own ettiquette. Afternoon tea is not to be confused with High Tea, which is an evening meal served between six and seven O'clock, often accompanied with a wide selection of hot meals, cold meat, salads and cakes.  It is, in theory, a form of supper.

How to brew a proper Tea

1. A proper tea starts with proper water.  Always use filtered water when brewing.  The water from the tap contains flouride and minerals that can result in a flat taste.
2. Pour the water into the kettle and let the kettle come to a full boil.
3. Once the water boils, place a bit of the boiled water into a tea pot.  Swirl it around to warm the teapot and empty it in the sink.
4. Fill the teapot with tea.  Place one heaped teaspoon of loose tea per every six ounce of water.  Don't forget to add 1 extra heaped teaspoon for the teapot. You can also use one teabag per person and one for the pot, if preferred.
5. Pour the boiled water from the kettle into the teapot.  Let it steep according to the proper brewing time of a particular tea.  For example, black Tea needs to be steeped for a period of four to five minutes.  Darjeerling tea needs only to be steeped for three minutes. Jasmin tea should be brewed no longer than one to three minutes (See below for guide).
6.  As soon as the correct amount of brewing time is reached, a clever hostess removes the tea strainer or bags. The tannins in the tea, if the bags are left for long, makes the tea bitter.
7. You should already have arranged a tray with teacups, sugar bowls, milk pitcher, lemon wedges (if serving fruit tea), napkins, teaspoons, etc.  Place a Tea cozy over the teapot so the tea doesn't get cold.  Take the tray to the table and place the teapot with the spout pointing to the host.  Each guest should be served first.  Sugar or Milk first?  It doesn't matter.  The tradition of putting the milk in first and sugar last started when households had only china teacups which were very fragile and broke with the coldness of the milk hitting the hot beverage. Today teacups are much more sturdy and can withstand the temperature change.  Always serve tea with milk and never cream.
 

Tea Brewing Guide

Type of Tea                   Steeping Time

Black Tea:              4 to 5 minutes (Depending how light or dark you want it)

Green Tea:              2 to 3 minutes

Oolong Tea:            3 to 5 mintues

Jasmin Tea:            3 minutes

Darjeeling Tea:       3 to 5 minutes

Grey Earl Tea:        3 to 5 minutes

 

What to serve at Afternoon Tea?

Sandwiches

• Watercress
• Cucumber
• Ham and Cheese
• Liver pate

Cut the crust off the bread and cut into small finger sized triangles

Cakes

 

• Fruit Scones
• Tea Cakes
• Victoria Sponge
• Petite Fours

Biscuits

Serve a selection of sweet biscuits including:

 

• • Gingersnaps
  • Almond cookies
  • Shortbread