Tea, In Three Courses (Course 1)

There is a lovely evergreen plant known as Camellia Sinensis that grows prolifically in a number of places, including China and India. The story is that in China a certain ruler named Shennong was sent into exile sometime about 2737 BC, where he stayed in his house and garden. One day he was heating water in a large open kettle when a leaf of the Camellia Sinensis fell in and the ruler left it there, let it color the water slightly and, as he drank the resulting beverage, he enjoyed the taste so much that he repeated the process each day. Therein lies the story of the humble beginnings of tea as a beverage.

Whether that story is true or not, tea is one of the most consumed beverages today, coming second only to water itself. It is estimated that the quantity of tea drunk worldwide equals all others, including coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol – combined!  That is a LOT of tea.

Now, in the US, we don’t drink tea hot very much, unlike most of the rest of the world. We drink it cold, in fact, iced, and in some regions very, very sweet. But hot tea is a very nice drink, and the British tend to drink a lot of it. So, when you visit the UK and go for breakfast, you can expect to hear “Coffee or tea?” from the server when shown to your table. Consider giving tea a try; it will come just about as dark as coffee, quite strong and bold.

What is the story behind “going to tea?” Well, in the 19^th century, Anna, Duchess of Bedford was said to complain about having a “sinking feeling” in the afternoon. At the time it was custom to have only two meals a day, breakfast and then dinner at about 8 pm. Anna felt the need for something between the two and asked to have a pot of tea and something to eat brought to her in her boudoir. Soon, she was inviting other ladies to join her in her rooms for tea and some sort of snack in the afternoon. It was so popular, when she moved from Woburn Abbey back to London, she continued the practice. Soon, all of upper-class London was enjoying what was called “low” tea in the afternoon, around 4 pm and just before the fashionable promenade in Hyde Park.  The middle and lower classes would have a more substantial “high” tea later in the day, five or six o’clock, in the place of a late dinner. The names “low” and “high” tea were taken from the height of the tables on which the meal was served, with “high” tea being a much more robust, but modest meal for the middle and lower classes.

In today’s British culture, at about 3:30 pm most folks will just stop for a few minutes at work or at home to have a cup of tea and maybe a small sweet, then resume work. The ritual of afternoon tea is not a commonplace event for the average British person unless they are celebrating a special occasion or holiday. There are a lot of tearooms and places that do serve afternoon tea, more opening up each time we visit.

Next time we will examine the Afternoon Tea experience. What can we expect, how is it presented and what do we do at Afternoon Tea? (And we will address the issue of what to do with the pinky finger. Hint: it should NOT be extended.)