Long before Downton Abbey and Sherlock made tea time all suave and fashionable, sipping on a cup of afternoon tea was quite the pop culture back in the day. From royalty to the average guy on the street, everyone indulged in the quaint clemency of a cup of tea one that would help them forget the din of the day with each sip artfully taken in at the break of dusk.
Fast forward to 21st century and we have tea baristas extending an offer of such clemency, in a much more urban fashion, of course.
Its art nouveau this trend – if you ask me, upholding a certain way of life that once was. But this so-called revival simply underscores the fact that the world is finally recognizing tea as a better choice of leisurely indulgence, far more pertinent than coffee. Its not a cursory beverage like coffee. Teas got its own pace and breaks your day in the nicest way possible. Isnt it just the indulgence to chase after?
So, as I write this post sipping on my 4 oclock Jungpana Oolong, Ill take you through the story and the conventions of afternoon tea then and now. Its an ode to the custom that has marked an important time in the lives of everyone who has ever loved and lived to love tea and everything it upholds.
The History
No one is quite sure how the ceremony of afternoon tea came about, but if anthropologists are to be believed, the ritual can be traced back to early 1800s and accredited to Duchess of Bedford, a certain Ms Anna. It is said that back in the day, the convention was to indulge in only 2 meals daily one in the morning and the other in the evening. However, the Duchess found her gastronomical clock twitching somewhere in between this resolute convention. Because of the long stretch of time between lunch and the evening meal, she suffered from afternoon hunger spells. Her solution? A tray of tea, some bread, butter and cake. And once the trend caught wind, everyone got hooked to the fad overnight.
But it wasn’t until 1920s did the trend take on a more outlandish garb. Silver tea ware, delicious h’orderves, linens and some jazz a whole fanfare developed around afternoon tea time. It became less about tea and more about the pageantry.
Not that anyone was complaining.
The Etiquettes
The EtiquettesNow, if one is following strict customs here, there are 3 essentials to hosting a classic 4 oclock afternoon tea session the right tea, the right food, and the right ambient settings.
The right tea: A Classic English Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey or any black tea of your liking. Be sure to only use loose-leaf tea. Its the only authentic way to go about this.
The right food: The essentials here include warm scone with a pot of clotted cream and jam, cucumber and egg sandwiches and small cakes (not cupcakes, because thats just blasphemy).
The right table setting: Silverware is optional, but thats no excuse for choosing a poor porcelain cup with hello kitty images imprinted all over it. Choose a good quality China (tea cup and saucer) and I promise you the experience is far, far more enjoyable than you would hope to expect at the bottom of a microwave-proof cup. Using linen napkins, table linen, china platters and a small flower arrangement (of roses) for the table is sure to get the anticipation of the ceremony rising. And if the table is set out on the porch or the lawn, well then thats just as good as it can get.
The Ceremony
I think afternoon tea is the last good relic of an Edwardian England. Its so detailed and elaborate but at the heart of it the ceremony is about the art of making and sharing a cup of tea. And the mainstay of the whole ritual is that tea be served with kindness and grace.
I remember reading about afternoon tea in the novels of Emily Bronte and Jane Austen. And across their literary works, I have always noticed tea playing the role of a subtle force that catalyzes the rate of conversation and inversely impact the rate of passage of time.
But talking about the ceremony itself, preparing tea is the first important bit. Use of elegant infusers and leaf strainer is a classy choice. Taking a bite as you sip on tea is highly frowned upon and tapping the spoon along the rim of your cup is just poor etiquette. But dont worry; it isnt quite set in stone, these rules.
Indulging in a sip over a conversation and horderves is part two. And just so you know speaking with a mouthful is considered uncouth. The finale closes in not with the last little drop of tea ending on your palate, but when the cumulative experience of tea, cakes and conversations expires like a breath of air slowly let out.
Afternoon Tea: Present Day
As the years went by, the ritual of afternoon tea has retired to a restricted existence. It graces, now, the hallways of swanky hotels, few contemporary restaurants and homes of few tea purists. But thankfully its not all that grim.For, there remain those who continue to believe in the art of tea and cherish the idea of tea rituals. To them, the domesticity of life is best felt in the clink of tea cups and a moment of shared laughter at afternoon tea.
In fact, an evolution of the age-old ceremony is now taking place. Its no more a formal affair, and there are many different kinds of afternoon tea ceremonies out there, including the at-home tea and the more popular teahouse tea. These modern institutions are the onesupholding the venerable tea culturein their own unique, creative ways.
Step into a tea house in Manhattan, NY and you would know what I am talking about here. These aren’t conventional set ups, these cafes. Most are groomed withinnovative themes, have remarkably casual atmosphere and airy communal space arrangements. And perhaps these are the only placeswhere you can expect to be served artisan teas from 20 different nationalities, offered with 2% soy milk, gluten-free poutines and farm-fresh honey.
Anavant garde set up, no doubt, but these institutions are still very much vested in the idea of spreading the joys of good tea. I tip my hat to them!
One unpretentious afternoon tea
Conventional thought holds afternoon tea as a class fare; sometimes pretentious too. But it needn’t be all about the fanfare always.
I remember looking at my own mother preparing her 4 oclock tea with so much zeal; she looked forward to it every day. A small aluminum kettle would be put on, and a teaspoonful of good strong tea would be thrown into the boiling water. I remember her taking a whiff just as she put the leaves into the kettle something about the aroma always managed to put a smile on her face. 5 minutes later, she’d take her cup of freshly brewed tea, some crackers on the side, and sit down for her 15 minutes of solitude. I have seen her do this day in and day out. She’d sip on the tea slowly and reverently as if taking on the din of world with every slurpy sip and then carefully heaving out a breath as if the solutions of life just manifested. Its a ritual her ritual – and one she enjoys much to the glory of tea.
Just like her, there remain devout believers of the art and religion of afternoon tea some sticklers and others more humble. For some, it exists in the ballyhoo laid out for them in Michelin star restaurants while for some the pleasure exists even in a quaint little personal ceremony at home. Either way, its perfect.
