At all times, Tea is associated as a khaki-colored concoction, brewed from leaves, leaf buds, and other plant parts served before or after meals, which can be either hot or cold. But for some it’s not just a mere drink; it’s a way of life, a cultural legacy, a comfort, and an art.

In the past if you took “afternoon tea” or “high tea” it was a glance of your social standing.  Afternoon Tea was a light elegant meal served between a light lunch and late dinner, usually between 3 o’clock and 5 o’clock, and was mainly confined to the aristocracy with their leisurely lifestyle.  High Tea was a more substantial meal, including meat and/or fish, and was really an early dinner which well suited the middle and lower classes after a long day at work.

As times and lifestyles changed, the popularity of the formal afternoon tea waned, but has seen a revival in recent years as people once again enjoy its elegance. This formal pause quickly developed into a fashionable social event and spread where afternoon dances were called “tea dances.” During the 1880’s, well-to do, society women had wardrobes including long gowns, gloves and hats especially for afternoon tea. Service was highly stylized, with very specific rituals for serving the tea, usually in the drawing room between four and five o’clock. The occasion called for pleasant conversation among the prettiest table settings, providing the hostess an opportunity to show off her best china and linens and to serve her most delicate cookies and cakes.

As practice, tea party was and is rather concise, lasting 1 to 1 1/2 hours, providing just enough time for a delicious snack and plenty of conversation usually scheduled from mid to late afternoon. An afternoon tea theme may also  be used for a wedding reception, shower, or large afternoon party, as long as the starting time is between 2:00 PM and around 4:30. At a large party, coffee or even punch or iced tea may be added to the menu. Evening teas beginning after dinner are also occasionally scheduled.

At the party, everything is placed on the table .The food is prepared before the guests arrive, and is either presented into a buffet style, or by just passing plates of goodies at the table. This often includes savory, bite size sandwiches, scones or biscuits, and sweets. The only thing that needs to be served is the tea itself, allowing the hostess to have plenty of time with her guests and be relaxed and enjoy the event itself instead of running back and forth to the kitchen.

Napkins and small plates are stacked, but cups are placed on their saucers, not stacked. Each person needs a small spoon for stirring the tea, and a spreader, or butter knife for spreading a scone with clotted cream, but knives and forks for eating interfere with the ease and sociability of the event. The party is kept relatively small so that everyone can be seated around the table or in armchairs with an end table nearby for them to place their cup and saucer and other table appointments. No guests serve their own tea, instead the hostess serves everyone, adding sugar and lemon or cream as requested. At one time it was customary to first pour a little milk into the teacup.  It was thought that the fine porcelain cup may crack if the hot tea was poured directly into the empty cup.  At larger parties, friends of the hostess are asked to serve. It is still considered an honor to be asked to “pour” or serve tea at someone’s tea party.

Tea Party Preparation

If you want to make your tea party to be memorable, here are some suggestions and preparations that will help:

1. Prepare and begin with creative invitations.

2. Purchase or borrow the necessary items for your tea gatherings.

- 1 or more china teapots
- Cups and saucers may with a variety of patterns.
- Cutlery this includes teaspoons, small fork for lemon slices in a dish, serving utensils for cake, forks, and – knives for jam.
- Sugar bowl with tongs for serving sugar. Always use sugar cubes
- Milk Containers. Serve milk, not cream.

3. Choose for classical or vintage type of music.

4. Use candles to create ambiance.

5. Plan and prepare a colorful variety of petit fours, scones, sugar cookies, and of course, chocolate.

6. Set out bouquets of pink and white flowers.

7. Take Polaroid snapshots of guests to add to the fun and chatter.

8. Ask guests to dress up complete with heels, hats, and gloves

Tea for the Party

Tea are sold either in tea bags or loose tea leaves.  At one time, loose tea with its large leaves had a superior flavor as tea bags were made with broken tea leaves and siftings that produced a stronger, darker tea.  The introduction of fine quality tea bags has changed that and now the choice between loose tea leaves or tea bags is based more on personal preference.

There are wonderful assortment fine teas available today.  The three main types are: Black, Oolong or Red, and Green Tea. Assam, Ceylon, China Caravan, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Keemun, Kenya, Lapsang Souchong, Nilgiri, Orange Pekoe, Rose Pouchong, Russian, and Yunnan are Black Teas.  Formosa/China Oolong and Formosa/China Pouchong are Oolong or Red Teas, and Gunpowder and Jasmine are Green TeasTea.

Caddies can be used to store both tea leaves and bags.  A small container, once lockable to prevent servants from stealing the expensive tea leaves, it keeps tea leaves fresh for up to 2 years and tea bags for approximately 6 months.

Tea Preparation:

1. Allow at least a pint of tea for each person; this is enough for three ordinary tea cups-full.

2. Fill a tea kettle with purified water and set on stove to boil.

3. Warm up your china teapot by running hot water thru it from the faucet. This will keep your tea warmer for a bit longer.

4. Add your teabags or tea-filled infuser to the teapot using 2-3 tea bags for 4 guests.

5. Pour the boiling water carefully into your teapot and wait 5 minutes, then remove teabags

6. Remember that China Teapots are best at keeping tea warm. Surround teapot with a stylish tea cozy for extra insulation.

I hope you have learned a little history of tea parties and how to throw a tea party like a champ. Enjoy your party and save a cup for me.

Image Credit Flickr.com

Ah, summer! It’s a great time for swimming and drinking icy beverages. You can either go to the beach or visit a public swimming pool for a refreshing dip. However, it is not necessary to go anywhere if you you want to drink awesome, icy, beverages. All you need is coffee and ice.

According to the National Coffee Association, the percentage of Americans drinking iced coffee beverages started 20 percent in 2003 and increased to 30 percent in 2004. Because of the high popularity of cappuccino and mocha latte, people found out that coffee is just as good and refreshing when served cold.

Iced coffee is just as easy to prepare as iced tea, in fact it can even be easier. There are a lot of options to choose from –  you can use flavoring syrups, chocolate, cold milk and spices. These variations will give you the power to personalize coffee concoctions that are very much as delicious as those served in your favorite coffee shop.

Beverages such as iced vanilla mocha, iced rum coffee and iced latte are easy to make at home.

Allow me to give you some tips on how you can make a refreshing iced coffee drink.

1. Never let your beverage become watered down. make your coffee cool using your favorite coffee beverage with ice cubes made from fresh-brewed coffee instead of water.

Using fresh brewed coffee as ice cubes will help make the flavor of coffee stay the same even if the ice cubes melt.

2. Make use of a machine that produces a high quality coffee or espresso. Choose a machine that will grind coffee beans right before brewing and allows you to control the strength of your coffee. Remember, that the machine is your friend when it comes to coffee making.

3. Be inventive and personalize your iced coffee beverages with a touch of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, nutmeg or cinnamon. Your creativity will help you achieve different tastes and textures for your iced coffee beverage.

Keep in mind this following points when making an iced tea beverage. Be creative to get different tastes and textures for your drink. Do not let your coffee beverage be watered down. Lastly, make use of a high quality coffee making machine to help you brew and control the strength of your coffee.

Image Credit Flickr.com

Japanese tea ceremony has been around since the 9th century. It has been introduced by a Buddhist monk from China. This tradition is due in part, if not mostly, to Zen Buddhism. It was learned that the first use for drinking tea in China thousands of years ago was for medicinal purposes. However, tea has been also consumed for the purpose of leisure.

The tea ceremony is one kind of leisurely consumption of tea backed heavily by tradition and religion.

Image via Wikipedia

Here is the most important equipment or tea tools used in tea ceremonies.

1. Tea Bowl

The tea bowl is one of the most important tea tools in the ceremony. It can vary in size and style depending if it will be used for thick or thin tea. Shallow bowls are also used in the summer to let the hot tea cool down faster, while deep bowls are used during the winter season.

Old tea bowls are highly regarded even if they have imperfections. In fact the imperfections are displayed prominently.

2. Tea Whisk

The tea whisk is used to mix powdered tea with hot water. Tea whisks are made from a single piece of bamboo wood. This implement is also highly regarded. In fact, worn out tea whisks are brought to the altar every May for ritual burning.

3. Tea Scoop

Tea scoops are used to scoop tea from the tea caddy into the tea bowl. It is carved from a single piece of bamboo.

4. Chakin

The chakin is a small piece of rectangular cloth made from hemp or linen. It is used to wipe the tea bowl clean.

5. Tea Caddy

The tea caddy is where the powdered tea is placed. It is just a small container that houses the powdered tea, wherein the tea scoop would get tea from and to the tea bowl.

Remember, the list above is just the essential tools used in a tea ceremony. If you really want to get an extensive listing, there are books that you can look up regarding the subject. You will literally need a book if you want to learn all about the tea ceremony tools and equipment.

Looking at the tea tools, one can conclude how tea has really affected the culture of countries like China and Japan. The importance of tea to the history of these nations is unparalleled by any beverage or food anywhere in the world.

Tea is like the lifeblood of most cultured society. It is true more so now than then. We can’t deny it. People love to eat and drink. Not just for survival, but also for self-satisfaction. Tea is the primary refreshment for a lot of people who want to avoid the heavy caffeine of coffee. Tea is also preferred by a lot of people due to its medicinal properties.

The fun with tea pairings is the variety of teas out there. A lot of tea tastes different enough to warrant experimentation and the spirit of adventure on the consumer’s part.

So what food do you think goes well with tea?

Black Tea

This variety goes well with Asian cuisines like Thai or Chinese. However, black tea is also good with desserts like coffee cakes, muffins, custards, and cinnamon rolls.

Oolong Tea

This tea variant is almost as good as black tea when paired with Asian cuisines like Indian, Thai and Chinese dishes. Oolong also compliments the flavor and texture of red meat.

Herbal Tea

This healing, medicinal variety goes well with light crackers and cereals. Sweet herbal tea will also go well with salty snacks to balance the flavor of the food.

Green Tea

This kind of tea goes well with food that is also paired with white wine. So it goes great with shrimps, smoked fish, salad, chicken, and rice recipes. Meat sandwiches also go well with green tea.

White Tea

This tea is not heavy flavored enough to compliment strong tasting food. Waffles and tea biscuits are good to go with this kind of tea. You would also want to sip a few white teas as it is more medicinally potent than green tea.

Pu-erh Tea

This kind of tea goes well with an abundance of animal fat and oily type of cooking. It goes well with stir fry, chicken, and meat.

The End of the Line

As with the coffee article, tea goes well with the food that you like. There is no secret tea-food pairings that will really make your palate sing. It is up to you to experiment with your own tea experience. Because tea is not just for tasting, it is also about living the moment.

At the end of the day, your taste alone matters in the grand scheme of your own gastronomic satisfaction. You alone will know what pairings and combination you will love. So go ahead, get your favorite tea and indulge.