I understand why the English love their tea. I found these fabulous teas at World Market a few years ago and love these teas. World Market has all kinds of wonderful items and they have several locations in the Raleigh, NC area. I love hot Mint tea with sweetened with Brown Sugar. I love the Rose tea to calm and sooth and curve my sweet tooth. I also love English Breakfast tea. I went for afternoon Tea at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia many years ago. That is a beautiful grand hotel. It was a wonderful treat! They have a beautiful Gingerbread house display for the holidays.
Be sure to brush up on your tea etiquette posted at the bottom of this article.
Take a tour by clicking this link:
A five star diamond hotel that has been a Richmond Landmark since 1895.
Brewing a "good" cup of tea
It's essential that tea is never allowed to over infuse. You'll end up with bitter, ruined tea. For stronger tea, add more leaves rather than infusing longer than recommended. At the end of a timed infusion, decant all of the tea or remove the tea leaves to avoid ruining your beverage.
Use loose leaf tea whenever possible. The tea used in teabags is usually broken, dusty bits of lesser quality leaves.
It is best to use fresh tap or bottled water (not distilled water) and avoid reusing water that has already been heated or boiled. This is 'flat' water and the oxygen has been depleted making it less than ideal for brewing a good cup of tea.
A tea strainer or infuser basket is preferable for infusing loose leaf teas (rather than a tea ball or clamping spoon) in order to give the leaves plenty of room to expand and fully infuse. I use a tea ball or tea in bags most of the time and I think they are pretty good!
Buy a beverage thermometer to be sure you are infusing your teas at the appropriate temperature. Using water that is too cool, or too hot, can ruin a good cup of tea. Always remember that black teas infuse best with water at the boiling point and greens should use water at 160-180F (at most). Oolongs vary so follow the directions provided by the supplier.
Tea Etiquette
(shared from a teamuse newsletter)
In order for one not to spill the hot liquid onto oneself, the proper way to hold the vessel of a cup with no handle is to place one’s thumb at the six o'clock position and one’s index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position, while gently raising one’s pinkie up for balance.
Tea cups with a handle should be held by placing one’s fingers to the front and back of the handle with one’s pinkie up again allows balance. Pinkie up does mean straight up in the air, but slightly tilted. It is not an affectation, but a graceful way to avoid spills. Never loop your fingers through the handle, nor grasp the vessel bowl with the palm of your hand.
Do not stir your tea, with your tea spoon, in sweeping circular motions. Place your tea spoon at the six o'clock position and softly fold the liquid towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times. Never leave your tea spoon in your tea cup. When not in use, place your tea spoon on the right side of the tea saucer. Never wave or hold your tea cup in the air. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer. If you are at a buffet tea hold the tea saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the tea cup in your right hand. When not in use, place the tea cup back in the tea saucer and hold in your lap. The only time a saucer is raised together with the teacup is when one is at a standing reception.
Milk is served with tea, not cream. Cream is too heavy and masks the taste of the tea. Although some pour their milk in the cup first, it is probably better to pour the milk in the tea after it is in the cup in order to get the correct amount.
When serving lemon with tea, lemon slices are preferable, not wedges. Either provide a small fork or lemon fork for your guests, or have the tea server can neatly place a slice in the tea cup after the tea has been poured. Be sure never to add lemon with milk since the lemon's citric acid will cause the proteins in the milk to curdle.
The Art of Reading Tea Leaves (Just for fun!)
** I don't believe in all of this stuff but think it would be fun as a game for afternoon tea with the girls!
Step 1: Preparation
Reading tea leaves does not take much preparation, but there are a few items you will need to have:
Tea cup and saucer. The tea cup should be solid white for best results.
Loose tea leaves
Hot water
Napkin
A strong desire to have fun and let go, trusting your intuitions and hunches
Step 2: Getting Started
Now you are all set to begin the tea reading process. If you are reading someone's tea leaves, and even if you are reading your own, you should:
Place a teaspoon of loose tea leaves into the cup and pour the hot water over the leaves, filling the cup
While the tea is seeping, have the person whose leaves you are reading hold the cup with both hands, concentrating on a specific question. The question does not have to be spoken out loud, but that option can be left up to the individual. The important part is making sure the person concentrates on the question and holds the cup as the tea seeps.
When the tea has cooled down, preferably warm or lukewarm, it is ready to drink, being careful not to swallow the tea leaves. A small amount of water should be left in the cup with the tea leaves.
Step 3: Examine the Tea Leaves
Now it is time to isolate the tea leaves and examine them. The reader should take the cup and gently swirl the remaining liquid around, allowing the tea leaves to stick to the insides of the cup. Next, place the napkin inside the saucer and turn the cup upside down onto the napkin, waiting a couple of minutes before turning it upright. Finally, look into the cup and begin to interpret what you see.
Step 4: Seek Out Meaning
Finally, you should seek out meaning in the tea leaves. When you first glance at the remaining tea leaves, remember to trust your hunches and intuition. Look for images, patterns or symbols in the leaves. These images may be certain animals or objects that the leaves appear to form on the sides of the cup. However, it is often difficult to find concise patterns or images in the leaves, in which case it is especially important that you respond based off your initial response when you look at the leaves.
Once you decide what images or patterns the leaves have formed, you can begin to interpret the meaning and apply it to the person's question. You may want to perform some research beforehand about the meanings of recurring patterns, images and symbols. Some general symbols and their meanings include:
Books - this means you are open to ideas and recent news or newfound knowledge
Chair - this represents the idea that a person is merely a 'guest' somewhere
House - security
Cross - this represents sacrifice or suffering
Snake - an enemy
Eye - this indicates the need to be cautious
Face - this indicates change or setbacks
Gate - opportunity
Dogs - represent friendship
You may like to start your own tradition of having afternoon tea to relax and destress before dinner. It will really help you mellow out and help you to forget all about the previous stresses of the day. I have another little secret, it helps curb your appetite!
Enjoy!
Tea Time
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