Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea

When: Afternoon tea is served after 3:30pm, but no later than 4:30pm, so as not to run into cocktail hour.  If you do serve a late tea, it’s appropriate to also offer champagne.

Where: Hosting a tea party in your home is made simple through Vamp Christine’s sample menus and tea party types.

What: Tea is a meant to serve as an afternoon break, providing rest and rejuvenation for the rest of the day, whether you’re blogging at home, working at a trading desk, or waiting to pick the kids up from school.  Tea for one is a perfect gift for yourself during an otherwise chaotic day.

Who: An intimate tea can be you and one of your best friends.  A thé moyene (medium tea) is for four.  A large tea party is for as many people as your home can accommodate.  Remember that since tea is a small meal, guests need a place to balance their plates, tea cups, and saucers.

Menu: No tea is complete without scones, strawberries, cucumber sandwiches, and a sweet but if you have nothing more than a storebought scone with jam just for yourself you will achieve Vamp level relaxation.

Tea ceremonies have been practiced in different countries and cultures for thousands of years.  The “afternoon tea” referred to here is from the English tradition, though we’ve also provided ideas that are less traditional.  There are, however, some basics for what you need for every tea party:

• China or pottery teapot or a Japanese cast iron teapot

• Linen napkins (cloth ones will also work in a pinch)

• China cups and small, decorative plates

• Silver teaspoons, pastry forks, and spreaders (fun spreaders are easily found at any home goods store and can have festive ceramic handles, like the flamingo ones my mother picked up in Florida years ago, or you can look for antique-y feeling ones at garage sales)

• A tea cozy, if possible, to keep the tea warm throughout the party

Preparing the tea

Always use loose tea.  Vamp Christine recommends McNab’s “Highland Tay” (www.macnabstea.com) or Tea Gschwendner for a lovely organic tea like “Assam Mokalbari” (www.teagschwendner.com). Warm the teapot before putting in the tea leaves (1 teaspoon per cup, +1 extra teaspoon), and let the tea brew for five minutes before serving, and keep a pot of hot water nearby to lighten anyone’s tea that may have gotten too strong.  A tea cozy will ensure the tea stays warm throughout the party.  Be sure to have milk and sugar available for your guests.  If a guest takes milk, pour the milk in before pouring the tea; this will warm the milk.  Decorative sugar cubes (such as Sucres Accroche-Coeur by Canasuc from Sur la Table at www.surlatable.com) are especially fun.

Sample Menus

• Petite tea: scones, strawberries, a sweet (such as cookies), cucumber sandwiches.  For the scones, be sure to have clotted cream or crème fraiche (for more zing!), lemon curd, marmalade or jam (two different flavors is best).

• Nouveau tea: a more modern take on the traditional tea, this could include anything from above plus, sushi, crostini with tapenade or tomato, or little fruit salad skewers.  Just remember your guests are eating primarily without silverware, so make it easy to eat!

• Grande tea (for a crowd): everything from a petite tea plus another type of tea sandwich (see below), a layered tea cake, an apple or pear cake or tart (great with crème fraiche), and a date or walnut bread.

• Summer tea: Just make iced tea with extra thin slices of lemon (preferably Meyer lemons) instead of hot tea.

• Kiddie tea: everything from the petite tea menu-wise, but be sure to also offer hot (but not too hot) cocoa with whipped cream.

Types of tea sandwiches: cress, curried egg salad, ham and cheese.  For children: plain ham, plain cheese, or pb&j!