Tea Parties are Now Cool!

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POSTED BY AJ

Tea Parties are Now Cool!

Submitted by:	AJ
Submitted on:	Jul 24, 2010 at 4:28 PM
Story Category:	Party & Leisure

With an increased attraction to - and a nostalgia for - simpler and more gracious times the Afternoon Tea Party has recently enjoyed a surge in popularity. This slightly more formal affair provides a unique way to celebrate either a special milestone event or a simple get-together with old friends.

Invitations
Invitations announcing your tea party should be sent out about two weeks before the party to ensure your guests have time to adjust their calendars. Choose from invitations for specific events like bridal showers, retirement parties, Sweet 16 or baby birthday parties. Or if the party is just a get-together you can choose a general but enticing invitation like the Cake Slice Invitation or the Cake Party Invitation.

In considering the time you should set for the party, tea time is really anytime but it's usually held in the afternoon. At the Empress Hotel in Victoria B.C., Afternoon Tea starts at 12:00 p.m. In the past, working class Brits served High Tea in the evening in place of dinner so there is no real reason you need to stick to the afternoon. Although on consideration of the caffeine in tea, afternoon may work better for your guests unless you want to serve decaffeinated tea as well.

As for attire, smart casual is the best way to dress, in other words, you don't have to go over the top formal, but no shorts, jogging pants, beach wear etc. If you want to go all out and have your guests dressed to the nines, in hats, gloves and dresses or suits, then make sure you clearly request this dress in the invitations.

Food Preparation
The food should be prepared earlier in the day, so that come Tea Time, you only need to concern yourself with making a great pot of tea. The Empress Hotels' Afternoon Royal Tea serves not only finger sandwiches, cakes, scones, tarts, shortbread, pastries & preserves, fresh seasonal fruit, cream, teas but also sparkling wines. If you are serving wine as well you may want to ensure you have enough wine glasses on hand.

Sandwiches can range from simple egg salad (make them from free range chickens), cream cheese and ham to curried chicken with mango. Cut them into fancy triangles with the crusts cut off. My mom used to buy a loaf of whole bread, cut it lengthwise, spread the cream cheese and olive mixture on, roll it up and cut it into 1 inch pieces, creating cute little pinwheel sandwiches.

Tea
The tea matters! Don't go cheap with the grocery store no name brand. Delicious teas, they may cost a little more, but if you going to all the trouble to put on a great tea party, don't fall short when it comes to the taste of the tea. The Empress Hotel uses quality teas exclusively blended for them by the Metropolitan Tea Company. These blends include teas from Assam, Africa, India, Ceylon and China. Do a little research on tea so you learn about the various kinds and become somewhat of a connoisseur.

Decor
You can arrange a buffet table or have a more formal table arrangement with place settings. You can serve the food on disposable plates (especially if you are having the party outside or putting it on for children) or you can go all out with your best china, linens and silverware. If you don't have good china, you can always rent or borrow the fancy teacups and delicate china. Splurge with good quality paper napkins or go even fancier with real lace napkins.

Artistic centerpieces like the Wooden Wildflowers can be used forever while a simple flower centerpiece adds elegance and smells wonderful too. You can also have bouquets of flowers thorough out the room or garden to add color and glamor.

If you have many guests coming or you want to serve a few different kinds of teas, you will need a few teapots. This Glass Teapot has a metal infuser chamber to allow your tea leaves to fully infuse. Or you could try the IngenuiTEA Teapot a truly ingenious teapot with a valve at the bottom that when released pours crystal clear tea into your cup. As well you may want to invest in a tea cosy or two to keep the tea warm longer or if that seems too old fashioned consider the Teapot Warmer that uses a simple tea candle to keep tea warm.

If you want to go pro with tea making consider the Jarden Zarafina Tea Maker Suite. This innovative tea maker creates the ideal cup of tea by steeping and maintaining the proper temperature depending on the kind of tea you brew, be it black, oolong, green, white, or herbal.

Ambiance
Music can be playing quietly in the background, classical is always a winner, but keep it light like Vivaldi's Four Seasons rather than Beethoven's Fifth. Or consider the classics like Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte or Mel Torme or go modern with Coldplay, Enya or Michael Buble. Candles or soft lighting bring about the sense of calm and peaceful relaxation you are looking for. If the party is outdoors make sure you have a patio umbrella to keep everyone cool and comfortable.

Serving Tea
It is customary to serve the guests their tea rather than have them pour it themselves. Sugar cubes are just so much more elegant than regular sugar so make sure you have sugar tongs to pick them up with. Serve the sugar and milk in pretty matching milk and sugar sets - and serve milk not cream. (Cream can be served with the fruit.) Slice lemon in a bowl with delicate forks for picking up. If a guests requests both sugar and lemon, add the sugar before the lemon because the acid in the lemon will prevent the sugar from dissolving. Guests can serve themselves the savory and sweet treats.

Tea Preparation

Finally prepare the tea! Here is a video (requires Flash) of a real Brit describing how to make a proper cup of tea courtesy of Times Online. Some of her great advice:

Use loose tea over tea bags - the reason being that the bigger particles that make up the loose tea allow them to swell and infuse more in the water giving better flavor.

Use 1 tsp. per person and if you like it strong, 1 more for "the pot".

Boiling water isn't necessarily better because it can lead to a more bitter taste, whereas at a slighter lower temperature, the "sweeter, softer amino acids" dissolve making for a sweeter cuppa.

After putting the tea in the teapot, wait about 3 minutes for it to be ready to drink. And don't throw the leaves away, they can be used again for an even better taste.

Some other tips: use purified water only and pre-warm your teapot by pouring boiling water in it first.

I hope my advice helps you when planning for and supplying your first or next, tea party. Happy sipping!

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Tea Parties are Now Cool!

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