Art and Etiquette of Afternoon Tea

Finally, on the top part of the stand, the third tier, small pastries are served, also typically English, which bring this moment of conviviality to a close.

The British Afternoon Tea Ceremony

Around the world, the ritual of tea is known as one of the most cherished and meaningful moments to enjoy a good infusion, alone or in company. It is well known that this precious beverage spread from China to all of Europe precisely from Great Britain, becoming a fundamental part of English life. However, not everyone knows that there are very specific rules that should be followed.

First of all, you need to choose a good loose-leaf tea and steep it in boiling water — depending on the type of infusion chosen — for three to six minutes. For each guest, the teapot should contain one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea, plus one extra “for the pot.” Separately, of course, there will be the sugar bowl and milk jug. And what about lemon? The English almost never use lemon, substituting it with milk. Do you know why? Not for a reason that’s fundamentally about taste, but for a logistical one to solve a serious problem: at one time, English teacups couldn’t withstand the heat of the tea and would break. To get around this problem, the English started putting the milk in the cup first to cool down the hot tea that would be poured in right after. 

Naturally, after 1700, with the founding of historic companies like Wedgwood, Spode, Minton, etc…, the materials used were able to keep cups from cracking under heat thanks to the use of kaolin, effectively leading to the birth of porcelain and bone china. Afternoon tea, thanks to Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, people began to accompany the drink with both sweet and savory bites. It’s no coincidence that a three-tiered plate is served with very specific foods: on the first tier, the lowest one, sandwiches made with white and brown bread are served, filled with chicken, eggs, salmon, etc…

On the second tier, buns sometimes studded with raisins called scones are served; they are split in half by hand, never with a knife, and filled with clotted cream and strawberry jam. In reality, there’s a historic dispute between Devonshire, which says you should put the clotted cream on first and then the jam, and Cornish, which says you should spread the jam first and then the clotted cream. The latter is a sort of butter-cream similar to mascarpone that is really hard to find in many countries.

Above, a patent for a gilded age “Sandwich Plate” by Haviland. The “sandwich set” with plate and cup has a very wide saucer to hold biscuits, scones, finger sandwiches or pastries.

Finally, on the top part of the stand, the third tier, small pastries are served, also typically English, which bring this moment of conviviality to a close. Many hotels around the world recreate this ritual, adding the option to serve Prosecco or champagne. The most interesting thing, though, is seeing what tools have been invented to fill the table with dishware and surprise the guests. Among the cups, for example, there’s the “mustache cup,” which has ceramic or porcelain ledges to keep mustaches from getting dirty, or the “luncheon set” or “sandwich set,” which have a very wide saucer to hold biscuits, scones, finger sandwiches or pastries. 

Other interesting items are new utensils like the lemon fork with spread out or “splayed” tines for picking up lemon slices, the jam spoon with a chiseled edge, the bird-shaped lemon squeezer, the sugar cube tongs, and strainers of various shapes and materials. In short, it’s a ritual that becomes an experience and can be compared to the beauty of the Japanese, Chinese, French, New Zealand, or Italian tea ceremony.

Other interesting items are new utensils like the lemon fork with spread out or “splayed” tines for picking up lemon slices, the jam spoon with a chiseled edge, the bird-shaped lemon squeezer, the sugar cube tongs, and strainers of various shapes and materials.

Petra Carsetti was born into a gastronomic minded family… true lovers of excellent foods and wines. From an early age she showed a great passion for the table, which she later developed by working in important, well-known Italian restaurants. Since 2005, she has written many books on food and wine, along with guides to Italian restaurants, specializing also in galateo and etiquette at the Accademia Italiana Galateo and ANCEP (the Association of Ceremonialists for Public Institute). She teaches etiquette in schools to adults and children, is a consultant for various political and economic authorities, and she has a weekly column in a historic newspaper. She also writes for various other newspapers, is a frequent television guest. Very active on Instagram @galateopetra_carsetti, Petra is happily married to well-known wine and food aficionado, journalist and author, Carlo Cambi and together they have one daughter. Her books Galatime and Galatime II are full of etiquette and entertaining advice.

🍽️Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor of the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette and Tea Cup Handles

The handle of the teacup came from Mediterranean lands. Originally it a was made of thick and strong earthenware and applied to heavy jars and lamps. Its decorative possibilities popularized it with Greek and Roman potters, who extended its use to small amphorae and flagons; but as the word “amphora” indicates, the handle was double. Single handles crept into use by slow degrees and were probably applied to drinking cups about the time that coffee came into vogue in Southern Europe — Shown above, a variety of antique cups and saucers designed for hot chocolate, but appropriate for tea or coffee, as well.

The First Tea Cups... They Had No Handles, and Saucers Were Used as Covers

In the middle of the seventeenth century, tea was introduced into England, and with it came the Chinese or “china” tea cup. Strangely enough, the men who imported it from the orient did not themselves understand the method of  itsuse. The Chinese put a pinch of tea into a large cup without a handle, filled it with boiling water and then inverted a saucer over the receptacle, within whose rim it closely fitted. The object was partly to retain the heat, but chiefly to prevent the escape of the fragrance of the herb, which the Chinese found most delicious. The infusion was permitted to stand for five minutes, when 

it was decanted into a second cup without a saucer and daintily sipped. 

John Bull, however, emphatically declined to take his tea in Chinese fashion. He liked the appearance of the ornamental ware upon his table, but be insisted on placing the cup in the saucer, like a miniature flowerpot, and used it exclusively to drink from, preparing the beverage in a common, instead of an individual, receptacle. In course of time, England began the manufacture of cups and saucers, and pictures which have been preserved from the days of the Stuarts show big, flaring cups, four inches across the top, with saucers less than three inches in diameter. By degrees one dwindled and the other expanded, until in the middle of the nineteenth century the opposite extreme was reached, and fashionable tea services had cups only an inch and a half in diameter accompanied by five inch saucers. 

The handle of the teacup came from Mediterranean lands. Originally it a was made of thick and strong earthenware and applied to heavy jars and lamps. Its decorative possibilities popularized it with Greek and Roman potters, who extended its use to small amphorae and flagons; but as the word “amphora” indicates, the handle was double. Single handles crept into use by slow degrees and were probably applied to drinking cups about the time that coffee came into vogue in southern Europe, the beverage being taken almost at the boiling point, so that some device for lifting the cup without burning the fingers was found desirable. Traveling slowly northward, the one-handled coffee cup finally reached Great Britain, where its merits were immediately recognized. It was not long before handles were applied to drinking vessels of every description. —London Tatler, 1914

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette, Engagement Traditions

We usually find that a young lady's spinster friends are partial to the custom; they seem to find particular enjoyment in presenting her with dainty tea-cups, either separately or in sets.

There is an old tradition regarding the giving of tea-cups as an engagement present. A lover, who was obliged to go away on an extended sea journey, gave to his betrothed a delicate china cup, asking her to drink tea from it every afternoon. He said, "If I am unfaithful, the cup will fill to overbrimming and the tea pouring over the sides will crack the thin china. Then you will know I have broken faith."

The custom has been brought down to us, and now we find that the giving of a tea-cup or a tea-set as an engagement present signifies faithfulness—and it may mean faithfulness to friendship or love as the case may be. We usually find that a young lady's spinster friends are partial to the custom; they seem to find particular enjoyment in presenting her with dainty tea-cups, either separately or in sets. — Lillian Eichler, 1921

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Moderator and Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia