Tea Party Etiquette
Did you know there was a difference between ‘taking tea’ and ‘drinking tea’? While they both refer to the same act- that of picking up a tea cup and putting it to your lips; it is the setting that decides whether you take your tea or drink it. During the Victorian Era, the aristocratic classes preferred to ‘drink tea’ and considered it too vulgar to ‘take tea’. They kept that for the lower classes.
Whether you are attending an elegant tea-party or hosting one yourself; knowing your tea party etiquette will help you not look like Alice at the March Hare’s Tea Party.
• Teapots are designed differently from coffee pots. They lower portion of a tea pot is rounded to give the tea leaves enough room to expand during the infusion process. Even the spout is designed differently and placed lower down on the body so that the tea can be poured without disturbing the leaves too much.
• Even tea cups are designed differently from coffee cups. Tea cups are wider and shallower than either coffee or chocolate cups. This is to allow the beverage to temper before drinking it. A tea cup traditionally equals 4 ounces and measures 3 ? to 3 ? inches in diameter and 2 to 2 ? inches in height. The accompanying saucer ranges from 5 ? to 5 5/8 inches in diameter.
• In Europe and England, tea plates are traditionally used for tea parties. These plates are embedded with a shallow well, which is meant for holding the tea cup so the guests could enjoy their tea as well as their snacks at the same time.
• The way you lift your cup to drink your tea depends on whether it is a buffet tea party or a sit-down tea party. When seated at a table, the correct way to drink tea is to lift only the tea cup off the saucer and put it to your lips. Place the tea cup back on the saucer between sips. At a buffet tea, the saucer can be held in your left hand. Lift the tea cup is held in the right hand and drink, placing it on the saucer between drinks. No matter where you may be, remember to never hold your tea cup and wave it around in the air while talking or otherwise.
• Tea should be sipped; not slurped. Perish the thought of taking huge gulps of tea in an attempt to wash your food down. If you do, you can kiss tea parties good bye forever as everyone makes a mental note to strike you off their invitee list.
• Long gloves are an elegant accessory if you are invited to a high society tea party. Knowing the etiquette of wearing gloves when attending any party, can give you an air of sophistication and class. When you enter the venue there’s likely to be a lot of hand shaking as you greet the hostess as well as the other guests. Remove the glove from your right hand and place it in your left hand before you shake hands. Not many people like to shake hands with a pair of gloves, whether there is a hand in it or not. You may put your gloves on after you’re done with the introductory formalities, however you’ll need to take them off again before you sit down to eat.
When serving a tea party it is also important to remember the food. Cucumber sandwiches are traditional fare. But also think about some delicious cupcakes and fairy cakes. There are heaps of cupcake recipes that will work superbly with tea including this chocolate cupcake recipe.
