Proper manners include sipping your tea quietly, holding the teacup by the handle, and having your pinkie fingers down (yes, you read that right. Pinky's are meant to be down!) Another expected rule includes keeping electronic devices away.
Don't "Raise Your Pinky" Because It Is Considered Rude.
Etiquette expert Emily Post was "adamantly opposed" to crooking one's pinky because she thought "it was improper and rude." If you need to balance your teacup while sipping, use your pinky or thumb to support the cup from the underside.
It has been said that sticking your little finger into the air when drinking tea makes you appear elegant and regal.
If sat at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the tea cup, leaving the saucer on the table, and to place the cup back on the saucer between sips. It's considered rude to look anywhere but into the cup whilst sipping tea, and absolutely no slurping!
There are also rules in place when it comes to tea and food. The entire tea set should remain together. If someone asks for tea then the entire set should be passed to them. The saucer remains on the table and is not meant to be picked up while enjoying a cup of tea unless standing or sitting without a table.
“Today, most all etiquette authorities agree; The proper way to hold a tea cup is with one or two fingers of the right hand put through the hole of the cup handle, while balancing the cup with your thumb on the top of the handle.
The correct way to stir your tea is in a back and forth motion, because this helps the sugar to dissolve. Do it gently so as not to splash any tea over the side of the cup.
What is this? Afternoon tea etiquette is to eat the sandwiches first, then the scones, then the pastries. Some places will serve the food in courses, so you won't have to worry about remembering the order.
It seems as though historians can't decide why people initially held cups with their pinky out. The experts at the Emily Post Institute say it comes from the Middle Ages, when Europeans still ate with their fingers and at the transition of utensils being invented.
Your ring finger is the finger next to your pinky, and it has this illustrious name because people tend to wear wedding and engagement rings there. Some people choose to wear a promise ring on the left ring finger, although this is reserved for serious romantic promises.
For example, if you asked for two fingers of whiskey, you would get straight, room-temperature spirit poured in an old fashioned glass (or tumbler) to the height of two fingers.
At first, the saucer was just what the name implies — a small dish for holding sauce. Then it moved to its familiar spot beneath a cup, the place to put your spoon or soggy teabag. Not long ago, the saucer served a purpose. It was common to pour hot tea or coffee from the cup into the saucer to cool the drink.
While at a buffet tea hold the saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the teacup with your right one. If you are not drinking from the teacup, return it to the saucer and hold in your lap.
The flavor of your tea changes with each steep, so when you use your leaves multiple times you're actually getting a new experience in every cup. This also explains why high quality loose leaf teas are usually more expensive than single-use tea bags or sachets that may contain crushed tea leaves.
“Any [high-quality] tea leaves should at least produce two steepings,” Teng says. That said, it's best not to steep most tea bags twice. Usually, tea bags are filled with tea dust, small particles of tea leaves that release flavor very quickly.
Save your energy and let that cuppa cool on its own. Yes, but not enough to make it worth doing. A metal spoon in a cup of tea will act as a radiator, conducting heat to the air. If you stir it as well, you are bringing the hotter liquid from the centre of the cup to the edges, where it can cool faster.
In general, skip the color black for a tea party, which can look way too formal or serious. Remember, you want light, bright, fun colors!
When you put milk into infusing tea you lower the temperature of the water so a proper infusion can't take place. To get the best of your brew in a mug, always make the tea first to your taste and strength and the milk after.”
Whilst they both include tea as a beverage, afternoon tea includes delicate pastries, little sandwiches, scones and cakes. Whereas high tea is typically a more wholesome meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables served after a long hard day at work.
2. The saucer stays on the table. Don't hold it in your hands while enjoying tea. You only hold your saucer and tea cup together if you are standing or sitting with no table in front of you.
You will notice some sediment at the bottom of your cup, much like when you make french press coffee - but a LOT less. The leaves are completely safe to drink and rich in nutrients. In fact, in a lot of Asian cultures, tea drinkers consume tea leaves as part of their experience.