Tea Time for All

[grace]

I drink tea every day--black. Though I love variety, my pocketbook does not. Ah well...one day...

Thank you for all the fun snippets and information here!

 

[Zella]

Nice to see so many fellow tea drinkers! I love sweet iced tea but drink hot tea most mornings in the winter. I have a little collection of teas I order on Amazon every fall, and it usually lasts me for the year: Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold and Assam teas and Barry's Gold. Also Brodies, but they discontinued the one I really liked.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

"Gunpowder is a classic green tea from Zhejiang province, China. As the name implies, Gunpowder tea is made up of leaves hand-rolled into tiny pellets. These resemble gunpowder, and give this tea its distinct name. Full-bodied cup with a hint of smokiness and a smooth mouthfeel. Blend Gunpowder tea with spearmint to create the famous 'Moroccan Mint' tea." according to https://www.adagio.com/green/gunpowder.html
It was very popular.

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[Charleston, 1863]​

Southern tea drinkers were dependent on the success of the blockade-runners.

Ooh, this sounds really good @John Hartwell - both varieties, the original and the blend. Thanks for sharing that extra information.

clotted cream, jam and scones made you think you'd died and were drinking tea in Heaven.

That sounds like heaven to me JPK

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

We have Red Rose here in NH. We are only tea drinkers here. My husband likes Earl Grey but I do not like bergamont in tea. I have a variety of black teas and have now ventured into rooisbos tea (bush tea) and find I like it! I have 100s of the Wade figurines. I don't collect per se, they have just come in the tea boxes and we drink A LOT of tea in this house!

 

[Zella]

My husband likes Earl Grey but I do not like bergamont in tea.

I don't either!

 

[Cavalry Charger]

Tea drinkers unite! I've been a tea drinker all my life, change it up with a couple of cups of coffee in the morning, but I'm a boring old Lipton's girl. Reading this thread has made me realize I might need to change up my routine I don't drink anything black, and always put milk in my tea. Not all teas are made to be drunk that way obviously, so that could provide a stumbling block for me. I'm going to have to get more adventurous if I want to be a true connoisseur!

 

[Zella]

Tea drinkers unite! I've been a tea drinker all my life, change it up with a couple of cups of coffee in the morning, but I'm a boring old Lipton's girl. Reading this thread has made me realize I might need to change up my routine I don't drink anything black, and always put milk in my tea. Not all teas are made to be drunk that way obviously, so that could provide a stumbling block for me. I'm going to have to get more adventurous if I want to be a true connoisseur!

The hot teas I drink are all good with milk . . . and sugar.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

and sugar.

Don't mind a spoon or two myself !

 

[grace]

Ooo, sugar! Like Pa Ingalls said, "It brings out the flavor..."

(I's tiny with a slight eating problem. I's entitled to my sugar! *giggles and giggles)

 

[Northern Light]

My Dad liked Earl Gray and Gunpowder teas. He use to order them but I don't remember from where.

My Dad liked gunpowder tea, as well, but it is too smoky for my taste.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

You know, while admiring the connoisseur find it exhausting to practice. Not just tea, it'd be anything. There is something about tea which makes you feel you're making a contribution towards humankind's efforts at being civilized.

Our famous assault on tea way-back-when, pitching so much into a harbor was considered shocking in a lot of quarters- not for political reasons. I mean, it was tea. On the other hand, the expedition sounds like it was a lot of fun. You can't tell me those big children didn't enjoy themselves hugely.

 

[grace]

*mutters. Yes-because-I-bet-most-of-them-didn't-drink-it!

*coughs. So! On that topic, only women could offer guests tea. Gentlemen had to offer something stronger. *giggle. In those days, it was very much a girls' only drink...

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Julie Fromer's book, "A Necessary Luxury," examines tea in Victorian advertisements and literature. It's a very interesting read. I think you would enjoy it @grace. According to Fromer:

"It was in the 18th century that the tea table became a specifically female place and space within the home. There were no more debates over whether the tea table was a good thing. It was an accepted part of national identity."

Some folks questioned whether drinking tea at home would lead to women gossiping too much or harm their health, but by the 19th century it was well accepted that everyone just drank tea every day.

I love this image of a Victorian tea party, circa 1895. It should be captioned, "A Penny For Your Thoughts."

(Hulton Archive—Getty Images)​

 

[Northern Light]

Julie Fromer's book, "A Necessary Luxury," examines tea in Victorian advertisements and literature. It's a very interesting read. I think you would enjoy it @grace. According to Fromer:

"It was in the 18th century that the tea table became a specifically female place and space within the home. There were no more debates over whether the tea table was a good thing. It was an accepted part of national identity."

Some folks questioned whether drinking tea at home would lead to women gossiping too much or harm their health, but by the 19th century it was well accepted that everyone just drank tea every day.

I love this image of a Victorian tea party, circa 1895. It should be captioned, "A Penny For Your Thoughts."

(Hulton Archive—Getty Images)​

Bored teen and dog waiting for crumbs. Plus ca change, plus c'est la même chose.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

That's definitely me on the far right, down to the haircut at that age!

 

[Eleanor Rose]

5 O'Clock Tea by David Comba Adamson
(Dundee Art Gallery and Museum)​

Our Victorians had rules for just about everything. Tea was no exception. Many of these rules are just considered good manners when you attend a modern day tea party in the South.

How to Properly Drink Your Tea:

First and foremost never hold your cup with your pinkie finger extended. This is improper and in most social settings is considered rude. Place your index finger into the handle of the cup up to the knuckle while placing your thumb on the top of the handle to secure the cup. The bottom of the handle should then rest on your third finger. The fourth and fifth fingers should curve back towards your wrist.

At one time it was traditional to pour the milk into the cup before the tea. This was done to prevent the glaze on delicate tea cups from cracking. We do not have that problem today, so add the milk after the tea so that you can judge how much to use based on the color change.

When stirring your tea, be careful not to clink your spoon against the cup. Gently swish the spoon back and forth without touching the sides of the cup. When through stirring, remove the spoon and place it on the saucer behind the tea cup and to the right of the handle. Of course, never take a drink of your tea without removing the spoon first, and please never, ever sip from the spoon.

If seated at a table, do not lift the saucer. This is only proper if standing; then lift the saucer with the cup. When you are taking a sip of tea do not look around at the other guests, but lower your eyes so you can see what you are doing and not spill your tea down the front of your blouse or dress.

When your cup is low try to avoid the temptation of swirling the tea in the cup. How embarrassing if some should happen to slosh onto the tablecloth and we all know how easily tea can stain.


Source: Tea Laden

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Anybody heard of saucering? Is that still a thing?

 

[Zella]

Anybody heard of saucering? Is that still a thing?

Does this mean what it sounds like?

Back in the 50s, my grandfather's brother brought a girl home to meet their family. My grandfather's family was really poor, but they broke out the nice china for her, including saucers. They said she was really pretty and my great uncle was all polished up in his Marine uniform.

Then the lady in question dumped all of her coffee in the saucer, pulled her chair back, leaned her face into her saucer, which was still on the table, and proceeded to slurp up her coffee. My poor great uncle was mortified and my family still make fun of this woman all these years later. She wasn't invited back. But that sounds like it could be saucering to me.

As a side note, my grandmother said one of her sisters married a guy whose family all drank coffee out of the saucer, which her family regarded as mildly eccentric, but they apparently had better manners than the other lady and made less of a spectacle while doing so.

 

[Northern Light]

Drinking From The Saucer
by John Paul Moore

I've never made a fortune,
And I'll never make one now
But it really doesn't matter
'Cause I'm happy anyhow

As I go along my journey
I'm reaping better than I've sowed
I'm drinking from the saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed

I don't have a lot of riches,
And sometimes the going's tough
But with kin and friends to love me
I think I'm rich enough

I thank God for the blessings
That His mercy has bestowed
I'm drinking from the saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed

He gives me strength and courage
When the way grows steep and rough
I'll not ask for other blessings for
I'm already blessed enough

May we never be too busy
To help bear another's load
Then we'll all be drinking from the saucer
When our cups have overflowed

 

[Northern Light]

Apparently from the brief research I did on the topic, it is a cultural thing. In India and surrounding countries and in Russia, it is the normal way to drink tea. It was also the way it was consumed when tea first came to Europe.

(Corning Glass Museum)