Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Content

Foreword..2
Chapter I the history of tea.3
Chapter II-British style tea...6
Chapter III-Tea customs..........................................................9
Conclusion.....12
Bibliography..13

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Foreword
As a person who is concerned with British customs and who is also in love
with tea, I have chosen the topic Customs of British Tea due to the fact that they
have a great history in tea.
Another reason for which I have chosen this topic is because I Wanted to
know more about how it all begin and they used to drink it. The evolution of this
drink in the social live of British people is also interesting because, even thou it
came from China, it is more popular in U.K.
The paper is structured in 3 chapters, each of them contains interesting facts
and discoveries in the tea field. I took me about 3 weeks to research and a lot of
tea to discover the proper taste of the British tea. The internet was very helpful and
I have found some captivating information about how to make it and how to drink
it on sites such as www.wikipedia.com and http://www.tea.co.uk/.
The first chapter will present a short history about how tea became the most
popular drink in the United Kingdom and about the tea bowls which were very
fashionable. In the second chapter I will present the way that British people drink
tea and the rules that were in pouring the tea in cups. Tea customs in different
social states are presented in the last chapter.
I would recommend this paper to those who are as interested in the United
Kingdom as I am, but also to those who love tea and think of it as more than just a
drink.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

CHAPTER I
The history of tea
Before it became Britain's number one drink, green tea exported from China
was introduced in the coffeehouses of London shortly before the Stuart Restoration
(1660); about that time Thomas Garraway, a coffeehouse owner in London, had to
explain the new beverage in pamphlet and an advertisement in Mercurius Politicus
for 30 September 1658 offered "That Excellent, and by all Physicians approved,
China drink, called by the Chinese, Tcha, by other nations Tay alias Tee, ...sold at
the Sultaness-head, ye Cophee-house in Sweetings-Rents, by the Royal Exchange,
London". In London "Coffee, chocolate and a kind of drink called tee" were "sold
in almost every street in 1659", according to Thomas Rugge's Diurnall. Tea was
mainly consumed by upper and mercantile classes: Samuel Pepys, curious for
every novelty, tasted the new drink in 1660 and recorded the experience in his
diary: [25 September] "I did send for a cup of tee, (a China drink) of which I had
never had drunk before". Two pounds, two ounces were formally presented to
Charles II by the British East India Company that same year. The tea had been
imported to Portugal from its possessions in Asia as well as through the TRADE
merchants maintained with China and Japan. In 1662 Charles II's Portuguese
queen, Catherine of Braganza, introduced the act of drinking tea, which quickly
spread throughout court and country and to the English bourgeoisie. The British
East India company, which had been supplied with tea at the Dutch factory of
Batavia imported it directly from China from 1669. In 1672, a servant of Baron

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Herbert in London sent his instructions for tea making, and warming the delicate
cups, to Shropshire;
"The directions for the tea are: a quart of spring water just boiled, to which
put a spoonful of tea, and sweeten to the palate with candy sugar. As soon as the
tea and sugar are in, the steam must be kept in as much as may be, and let it lie half
or quarter of an hour in the heat of the fire but not boil. The little cups must be held
over the steam before the liquid be put in."

Between 1720 and 1750

the imports of tea to Britain
through the British East India
In the mid-18th century, tea still had exotic
connotations: salt-glazed stoneware teapot,
Staffordshire, ca.1750 (Victoria and Albert
Museum)

Company

more

than

quadrupled. Fernand Braudel

queried, "is it true to say the

new drink replaced gin in England?" By 1766, exports from Canton stood at 6
million pounds on British boats, compared with 4.5 on Dutch ships, 2.4 on
Swedish, 2.1 on French. Veritable "tea fleets" grew up. Tea was particularly

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

interesting to the Atlantic world not only because it was easy to cultivate but also
because of how easy it was to prepare and its ability to revive the spirits and cure
mild colds:"Home, and there find my wife making of tea", Pepys recorded under
28 June 1667, "a drink which Mr. Pelling the Pottecary tells her is good for her
colds and defluxions".
The earliest English equipages for making tea date to the 1660s. Small
porcelain tea bowls were used by the
fashionable; they were occasionally shipped
with the tea itself. Tea-drinking spurred the
search for a European imitation of Chinese
porcelain, first successfully produced in
England

at

the

Chelsea

porcelain

manufactory, established around 1743-45 and

quickly imitated.
Between 1872 and 1884 the supply of tea to the British Empire increased
with the expansion of the railway to the east. The demand however was not
proportional, which caused the prices to rise. Nevertheless, from 1884 onward due
to new innovation in tea preparation the price of tea dropped and remained
relatively low throughout the first half of the 20th century. Soon afterwards
London became the centre of the international tea TRADE. With high tea imports
also came a large increase in the demand for porcelain. The demand for tea cups,
pots and dishes increased to go along with this popular new drink. Now, people in
Britain drink tea multiple times a day. As the years passed it became a drink less
associated with high society as people of all classes drink tea today which can be
enjoyed in many different flavours and ways.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Chapter ii
British style tea
Even very slightly formal events can be a cause for cups and saucers to be
used instead of mugs. A typical semi-formal British tea ritual might run as follows
(the host performing all actions unless noted):
1. The kettle is brought to a rolling boil (with fresh water to ensure good
oxygenation which is essential for proper diffusion of the tea leaves).
2. Enough boiling water is swirled around the teapot to warm it and then
poured out.
3. Add loose tea leaves, (usually black tea) or tea bags, always added before
the boiled water.
4. Fresh boiling water is poured over the tea in the pot and allowed to brew for
2 to 5 minutes while a tea cosy may be placed on the pot to keep the tea
warm.
5. Milk may be added to the tea cup, the host asking the guest if milk is
wanted, although milk may alternatively be added after the tea is poured.
6. A tea strainer is placed over the top of the cup and the tea poured in, unless
tea bags are used. Tea bags may be removed, if desired, once desired
strength is attained.
7. Fresh milk and white sugar is added according to individual taste. Most
people have milk with their tea, many without sugar.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

8. The pot will normally hold enough tea so as not to be empty after filling the
cups of all the guests. If this is the case, the tea cosy is replaced after
everyone has been served. Hot water may be provided in a separate pot, and
is used only for topping up the pot, never the cup.
Whether to put milk into the
cup before or after the tea
has been a matter of debate
since at least the mid 20th
century; in his 1946 essay
"A Nice Cup of Tea", author
George Orwell wrote, " tea
is one of the mainstays of
civilization in this country and causes violent disputes over how it should be
made". Whether to put tea in the cup first and add the milk after, or the other way
around, has split public opinion, with Orwell stating, " indeed in every family in
Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject". Another aspect
of the debate are claims that adding milk at the different times alters the flavour of
the. Some studies suggest that the heating of milk above 75 degrees Celsius
(adding milk after the tea is poured, not before) does cause denaturation of the
lactalbumin and lactoglobulin. Other studies argue brewing time has a greater
importance. Regardless, when milk is added to tea may affect the flavour. In
addition to considerations of flavour, the order of these steps is thought to have
been, historically, an indication of class. Only those wealthy enough to afford good
quality porcelain would be confident of its being able to cope with being exposed
to boiling water unadulterated with milk.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

There is also a proper manner in which to drink tea when using a cup and
saucer. If one is seated at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the
teacup only, placing it back into the saucer in between sips. When standing or
sitting in a chair without a table, one holds the tea saucer with the off hand and the
tea cup in the dominant hand. When not in use, the tea cup is placed back in the tea
saucer and held in one's lap or at waist height. In either event, the tea cup should
never be held or waved in the air. Fingers should be curled inwards, no finger
should extend away from the handle of the cup.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Chapter iii
Tea customs
Afternoon Tea
Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford, is reputed to have originated the idea of
afternoon tea in the early 1800s. She
conceived the idea of having tea around four
or five in the afternoon to ward off the hunger
pangs between lunch and dinner. Some time
earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had the idea of
putting a filling between two slices of bread.
These habits soon became a good reason for
social gatherings, and started a trend that is
still very much a part of British life.
Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford

Tea Gardens and Tea Dances

As the popularity of tea spread, it also became an essential part of people's
entertainment outside the home. By 1732 an evening spent dancing or watching
fireworks in Vauxhall or Ranelagh Gardens would be rounded off by serving tea.
Tea gardens then opened all over the country on Saturdays and Sundays, with tea
being served as the high point of the afternoon.
Dancing was included as part of the day's festivities, so from the tea gardens
came the idea of the tea dance, which remained fashionable in Britain until World
War II when they lost popularity. Tea dances are still held in Britain today.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Teetotal
The charge for entrance to such fashionable gardens as Vauxhall or Ranalagh
Gardens included tea with bread and butter - welcome refreshment after the
entertainment. But rapid urban growth in the early 1800s led to the closure of the
gardens and the only places
left serving tea were the inns,
taverns and hostelries.

Ranalagh Gardens

Tea now began to play an

important

role

in

the

temperance movement's battle against the very high levels of alcohol (in particular
gin) consumption and tea meetings were held all over Britain in an attempt to
convert drinkers and to raise money for the cause. It is believed that the phrase
'teetotal' may have been derived from the beverage.
High Tea
For the working and farming communities, afternoon tea became high tea.
As the main meal of the day, high tea was a cross between the delicate afternoon
meal enjoyed in the ladies' drawing rooms and the dinner enjoyed in houses of the
gentry at seven or eight in the evening. With the meats, bread and cakes served at
high tea, hot tea was taken.
Tea Shops

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

In 1864 the manageress of an Aerated Bread Company shop persuaded her

directors to allow her to serve food and liquid refreshments in the shop. She
dispensed tea to her more favoured customers and soon attracted many clients
clamouring for the same service.
Not only did she start the fashion for tea shops but also unwittingly laid one
of the foundations for women's emancipation, since an unchaperoned lady could
meet friends in a tea shop without sullying her reputation. Tea shops spread
throughout Britain, becoming as much a tradition as tea itself: and even today,
despite the plethora of fast food and drink outlets, this tradition remains, attracting
huge numbers of UK and foreign tourists. For further information, see our guide to
the best tea places in the UK.
Tea Breaks
Tea breaks are a tradition which have been with us for approximately 200
years. Initially when workers commenced their day at around 5 or 6am, employers
allowed a break in the morning when food and tea were served. Some employers
repeated the break in the afternoon as well.
Between 1741 and 1820 industrialists, landowners and clerics tried to put a
stop to the tea break maintaining that tea drinking and rest made working people
slothful. Modern thinking couldn't be further away from this - regular tea breaks
can play a vital part in the day to help maintain a positive attitude towards work
and fluid intake.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

Conclusion
As a result in this paper I have learned new and exciting things such as how
to make a proper tea and at what temperature the milk should be. Another
interesting fact that I have found out is that the British tea is not considered just a
beverage, but also a meal between lunch and dinner.
For some people tea was a reason to meet and to socialize. By this we can be
sure that this drink had an important part in the social life of people back then, and
we can also say that it brought people together.
Also books were written due to the high importance of tea in the life of
British people. One author who wrote a book as that war George Orwell who wrote
the book A Nice Cup of Tea. This custom has also separated the United Kingdom
in two different parts, some of them thought to be wright to put the milk first and
after that the tea, and some of them believed that the best way to prepare British tea
was to put the tea and after that the milk. In my opinion, each of us makes it as
they like it, and there is no best way.
In this paper we can notice the great impact that British tea had and still has
in the social life of people in the United Kingdom. I would recommend it to the big
lovers of a nice cup of tea.

Liceul Teoretic Neagoe BasarabOltenita

BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.wikipedia.com
http://www.tea.co.uk/.
http://www.historic-uk.com/
https://www.travelodge.co.uk