Mommies Magazine

Tea Party Etiquette

Posted on 11. Jan, 2009 by Mom Mag in For Fun

photo credit: Dan Harrelson

Did you know there was a difference between ‘taking tea’ and ‘drinking tea’? While they both refer to the same act- that of picking up a tea cup and putting it to your lips; it is the setting that decides whether you take your tea or drink it. During the Victorian Era, the aristocratic classes preferred to ‘drink tea’ and considered it too vulgar to ‘take tea’. They kept that for the lower classes.

Whether you are attending an elegant tea-party or hosting one yourself; knowing your tea party etiquette will help you not look like Alice at the March Hare’s Tea Party.

• Teapots are designed differently from coffee pots. They lower portion of a tea pot is rounded to give the tea leaves enough room to expand during the infusion process. Even the spout is designed differently and placed lower down on the body so that the tea can be poured without disturbing the leaves too much.

• Even tea cups are designed differently from coffee cups. Tea cups are wider and shallower than either coffee or chocolate cups. This is to allow the beverage to temper before drinking it. A tea cup traditionally equals 4 ounces and measures 3