I had the opportunity to spend a year at the famous Peabody Hotel in Orlando, FL serving Afternoon Tea. It was here that I became known as the "Tea Lady". Previously, I attended the Protocol School of Washington and received my certificate as a Tea Etiquette Consultant.
But “Having Tea” is not new to me. My mother had tea & chocolate chip cookies or tea & Graham crackers waiting for me, and my brother & sisters, when we arrived home from school. “Tea Time” has continued to be an opportunity for me to relax and unwind ever since.
Consider this: One day, I heard the Lord tell me to take my cup of tea and come sit with him. God wants to be so close to us. He even cares about what we care about. He loves us that much. Do we love him enough, to care about what he cares about? I hope all of you who enjoy drinking tea and the "to-be" tea drinkers enjoy this page of tea facts and my favorite recipes for a Victorian Tea. For those of you who collect teapots continue to the page of Tea Time gift gems for some cute and unique teapots. These are great for your collection, or they make wonderful gifts for the tea drinkers in your life. - Nancy
Tea Facts
Tea is made from a plant called the Camellia Sinensis. It's an evergreen and if allowed to grow, can reach a height of 15 - 30 feet. This same plant produces black, oolong, and green teas. Did you know there is also a white tea. It's very rare and only produced in China. It is made from the bud rather than the leaf, and in times past, was only served to their emperors.
Today, India and surrounding regions produce over half of the world's tea. Charleston, S. Carolina is the only location in the US that grows, processes and markets a black tea.
Before tea was introduced into England, beer and ale were the customary drinks for both men and women. In 1678, the E. India Co. began to import tea commercially. It was an expensive luxury, only the royals could afford. The 1st teashop in London was opened in 1717.
Tea Tidbits
Tea is good for us in what ever way it's used !
Health benefits have now been proven. Tea contains antioxidants which neutralize free radicals that contribute to aging and degenerative diseases. It also helps prevent cancer and heart disease.Plants also like tea added to their diet."Bathing in tea is good for sunburn.Use a chilled pitcher of peppermint tea as a foot soak. It will invigorate hot, tired feet.Because tea is an astringent, it removes odor from smelly feet; wash them for 20 minutes in a bowl of warm tea.
Interesting Information
Use milk, it compliments tea. Cream masks the taste of tea. Debate: Milk in first or last? Putting the milk first is more of the lower class way of doing it. Queen Elizabeth puts it in afterwards. Lemon? Add sugar first. The citric acid of the lemon prevents sugar from dissolving. The lemon doesn't have to be pressed. The tea draws out the oil from the peel, and juices from the fruit.
Tea's History
The Ceremony
The ceremony of afternoon tea was started in 1840. The story goes that: Anna, Seventh Duchess of Bedford, suffered from afternoon "sinking spells": she remedied them with a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake. Unable to give up her delightful new habit, she began sharing it with friends. Tea progressed from a simple "drink with jam and bread" into a full-blown social event among the aristocrats.
The Teacup
The teacups you use today for your tea have handles, but this was not always the style. Chinese and Japanese tea bowls influenced the first European teacups. These dainty little bowls were ceramic and didn't have handles or saucers. The English made teacups without handles in the traditional Chinese style until the mid-1750's, when a single handle was added to the cup to prevent ladies from burning their fingers.
Iced Tea
Iced Tea was invented by accident in the summer of 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair by an Englishman, Richard Blechynden. Representing tea's grown in India, he was there hoping to popularize hot tea. The hot, humid weather created a steady stream of visitors to the cold refreshment stands offering Coca-Cola and lemonade, but no one wanted his hot tea. Desperate to promote tea he filled glasses with ice and poured hot tea into them. This cool, refreshing beverage was an instant hit.
The Tea Bag
Can't let out the story of the tea bag. An American, Thomas Sullivan is credited with creating the tea bag around 1908. To increase product interest, he started sending his retail customers samples of tea in small hand-sewn silk bags. When his customers requested more bagged tea, Mr. Sullivan substituted gauze for the silk. Today, filter paper has replaced the gauze and silk. And the number of tea drinkers using tea bags continues to grow.
