Some tea and cookie combinations pair especially well together and although not an exact science, some better than others. If you think of taste pairings as a reflection of a region's “menu” you'll soon find it easy to guess what is harmonious.
Best Snacks for Tea
For example, simple finger sandwiches with fresh bread, light creamy cheese or avocado and salmon are a great choice, especially with green tea. Fruit salads go well with lighter white, oolong or green teas. Scrumptious scones with clotted cream go very well with traditional black tea blends.
Choose alternatives: Fruits, nuts, whole milk, homemade breakfast like poha, upma, idli, oats, dosa, sprouts, coconut water, fruit and vegetable juices etc. can be the best alternatives to replace your chai and biscuit combo.
There aren't any rules when it comes to the food, but a standard afternoon tea menu comprises a tier of sandwiches, a tier of cakes and one of scones or teacakes. But you could also throw in pastries, petits-fours or biscuits.
Biscoff cookies are a classic tea cookie known for its buttery texture and lovely spice.
Afternoon Tea is a tea-related ritual, introduced in Britain in the early 1840s. It evolved as a mini meal to stem the hunger and anticipation of an evening meal at 8pm. Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of sandwiches (usually cut delicately into 'fingers'), scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes.
The most common elements of the tea meal are the drink itself, with cakes or pastries (especially scones), bread and jam, and perhaps sandwiches; these are the pillars of the "traditional afternoon tea" meals offered by expensive London hotels.
Shortbread is a wonderfully rich and buttery biscuit with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It's available in stores at any time of year but is traditionally associated with the Christmas season. It's a lovely treat on its own or with a cup of tea or coffee.
Part of the English tea time tradition involves dunking tea biscuits into tea. While this may seem a bit odd, there's a science to it. Many traditional tea biscuits are actually designed for dunking. These biscuits tend to soften up when dunked into the hot tea, making them much easier to eat.
Earl Grey tea pairs beautifully with shortbread cookies' buttery, crumbly texture. The light citrus notes in Earl Grey tea complement the rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavour of shortbread cookies.
Exploring The Traditional Italian Cookie Biscotti cookies, also known as cantucci, are traditional Italian cookies. They are known for their long shelf life and crisp texture. They can be enjoyed with coffee or tea, dipped in wine, or used as a dessert topping.
They do, although cookies are far from the most popular biscuits used for dipping (or “dunking” as it's more often called - we don't tend to be so delicate about it). Rich Tea, digestives, hobnobs, shortbread, custard creams, and bourbons are all more common choices.
A comparative study has found that oat biscuits, such as the humble Hobnob, work best for dunking in tea thanks to their “structural integrity”. In second place were digestive biscuits, followed by shortbread biscuits in third, and rich tea biscuits bringing up the rear.
There are a few classic options that are traditionally served with English tea. These include scones with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches, and cakes or pastries. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to tea time snacks. You can serve whatever you like, as long as it goes well with the tea.
Usually consisting of a selection of teas, freshly prepared finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries with all the trimmings, a light Afternoon Tea should allow for 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 2 cakes (of different varieties) per person.
The correct way of stirring tea is to place the spoon at the 6 o'clock position and gently stir the tea towards 12 o'clock without touching the sides of the teacup. Don't fold the tea back and forth or side to side. After you've stirred the tea, place the spoon on the saucer next to the cup.
Speculoos, the cookie family to which Biscoff belong, are often described as a type of gingerbread, but that's a little misleading. Aside from their use of caramel sugar, speculoos don't have quite the same bite; their spice blend tends toward aroma rather than heat.
Moreover, their unique taste is the main reason why the fame of this cookie grew rapidly. Lotus Biscoff came from a term between Biscuit and Coffee, a consuetude of eating biscuit and coffee. Their caramelized biscuit is a handful of natural ingredients with no colors and added flavor.
Tea cakes originated in Britain and were served, as the name implies, with afternoon tea. But in the South, the cookies evolved into a special snack. In some families they were served only on holidays. In others, they were especially for children.
High tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3 to 5 p.m., served with desserts, cakes, and light tea sandwiches. Also called afternoon tea, its origin is attributed to Anna Maria, 7th Duchess of Bedford.
Arrive on time. A hostess gift isn't generally expected for a tea party, but if you choose to bring one, keep it simple. The hostess will appreciate some flavored loose tea, a new tea ball, or a candle.
Usually, the attire requested for guests to adhere to for afternoon tea is 'smart casual'. This will generally mean no sports-branded trainers, t-shirts, shorts, or sportswear. A typical outfit for afternoon tea for men would include smart trousers and shoes, with a shirt.