Afternoon Tea

peachexploration · Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 61 Location: Florida

Any Afternoon Tea praticioners here? What do you think makes the ultimate Afternoon Tea? What types of tea do you prefer? What about the additions? Crumpets, pastries, etc.?

squirrel · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 96 Location: Bucharest, Romania

good question... I have no idea... !!!

salsachinita · Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:59 pm Post subject:

Top quality tea (real leaves in real pots) & top quality espresso coffee (none of that dripped stuff please, no chain-store products either).

GREAT sandwiches & creative savouries.

Best French pastries. Petite Fours. Your Brownie Martinis, PeachE :wink: !

Larger-than-life cakes........

Ok, it remains a fantasy of mine only......as a lactose intorlerant girl I might be able to have one bite of each then I need to lie down :lol: !

sagitta · Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 16

Afternoon tea. I always have that when I go home - that's where my parents are. The main reason is that is when I have the leisurely time to fully appreciate the event. Tea always and good coffee. Then for teas at home we have a variety of stuff. Indian savories and sweets from the local store. Plus other homemade stuff like sliced roast tongue on toasted bread and small buns with a variety of fillings (minced beef, spiced up shrimp, sweet fillings). Tea is had around 4-4:30. What is even nicer is going first for one tea at my aunt's then coming home and joining everyone for tea. :D I never really acquired the taste for crumpets and the traditional items that people associate with the British teas.

squirrel · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 96 Location: Bucharest, Romania

never had this habit, of afternoon tea... it's not regular here in my country!

sagitta · Joined: 10 Jun 2004 Posts: 16

It is a British custom. I believe that is also is called "high tea".

squirrel · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 96 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Sagitta, I have no idea how it is called, but I know it is of British 'extraction' :lol: :lol:
but does anybody know about the tea ceremonies in Japan?
have you guys experienced any...?

cocodrilo · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 193 Location: Kurashiki, Japan

I LOVE afternoon tea, and I was just at Fortnum & Mason(London) the other day with my Mom. I ADORE their champagne tea which includes a flute of their best followed by the tea of your choice. Mine is almost always darjeeling. The tea is served with a 3-tiered assortment of sandwiches(from the bottom) followed by scones (to be eaten with clotted cream & jam) then sweets at the top. Tea is served from 3:00pm so this is FAB is you are off to see a musical and the tea will sustain you till post-theater suppertime. (If you are in London now "Chicago" is not to be missed! Incredible dancing!)

I attend quite a few tea ceremonies, as I live in Japan and like this custom. It requires the guest to sit on one's folded knees "seiza" style, for a lengthy period of time which tends to cramp the style of some foreign guests. I wear kimono and any other sitting style would be inexcuseable in this attire. The ceremony is performed by a single person, and the tea bowl is set in front of the guest while the server bows. Before drinking the tea, which is a powdered green tea called "matcha", the guests are served traditional Japanese sweets to take the "edge" off the bitter tea. After the sweets are taken, one lifts the teabowl and turns it three times to the right, then sips and drinks the tea in a few quiet gulps. Afterwards, the teabowl is turned back to the left three times, and it is good manners to comment on the teabowl you have used. (The teabowls are property of the person performing the ceremony, and are quite costly. One may say "What kind of pottery is this?" or simply "Lovely teabowl".) There are various kinds of tea ceremony such as "sencha" , where the sweet(compared to matcha) tea is poured into several tiny cups from one teapot that can be enjoyed as well. Please note the very subtle decor which includes a "kakejiki"(hanging scroll) in the tokonoma(alcove) as well as the lacquerware tea caddy and nearby flower arrangement which is specially selected for that season. These, as well as the teabowls, may be commented on freely and can expect eager replies from the tea server. This is the only conversation that goes on during the tea ceremony.

cocodrilo · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 193 Location: Kurashiki, Japan

Oh, P.S. I hear that only tourists call it "high tea". I am a tourist there but the locals simply say "tea" or "afternoon tea".

squirrel · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 96 Location: Bucharest, Romania

cocodrilo, the tea ceremony in Japan is close to an art form, if I understood well...

cocodrilo · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 193 Location: Kurashiki, Japan

squirrel wrote: cocodrilo, the tea ceremony in Japan is close to an art form, if I understood well...

Indeed it is. People practice for years to learn how to do it , while not even coming close to perfecting it. Incidentally, to get a teaching license for tea ceremony (or ikebana or Japanese dance for that matter) , one must cough up major amounts of cash to the "association". I heard it is upwards from US$10,000! I do not take tea ceremony lessons as I tried flower arranging for 6 months once and realized I couldn't stand the pain of sitting "seiza" for hours on end. I DO attend the occasional tea ceremony and kabuki performance as I can endure an hour or two, but not on a weekly basis(godawful for your circulation, not to mention the probability of that position giving you spider veins!!!)...

squirrel · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 96 Location: Bucharest, Romania

hmmm... I sit seiza in my aikido practice lessons... but not for hours! You have to know how to sit, otherwise it cna be quite painful...

dancin_feet · Joined: 21 Jul 2004 Posts: 12 Location: Brisbane, Australia

Don't tend to have afternoon tea that much, but you can't beat a good devonshire tea of coffee with scones, jam and cream!