Afternoon tea parties are making a return. Perhaps they never went out of style among tea connoisseurs, tea grannies, teetotalers and the millions of individuals worldwide who love and drink tea. "Tea time" etiquette originated from English royalty who were the first on the Atlantic to hold social gatherings that were focused around serving tea.
Tea traditions in Britain date back to the 17th Century. Tea trade that started in the 1670s as trade routes to the Orient was established by the English. Afternoon tea, initiated by the aristocracy, quickly caught on among the middle class.
In North America, there is a lot of uncertainty about the distinction between "high" tea and "afternoon" tea. They aren't the same, although several hotels in Canada and the U.S. refer to afternoon tea as "high tea." High tea in England is also referred to as: "meat" tea and could be like dinner. Afternoon tea is served around 4 o'clock and was once called as "low" tea as it was served on low tables, usually in drawing or living rooms.
Today tea parties have become a social gathering or a business affair. The biggest rule of etiquette, however, is common courtesy. That is, making your guests feel comfortable and being a graceful, gracious guest.
The rules around holding your cup and saucer are as follows: If you are seated at a table, raise only your cup and keep the saucer on the table, returning the cup to the saucer between sips. If you're seated without a table - or if you're a lot more than twelve inches from the table, hold the saucer in your lap with your left hand and hold the cup with your right hand. In between sips, return the cup to the saucer, which remains on your lap. (Its acceptable to put milk and sugar in your cup before or after the tea is poured.)
Savories (small sandwiches), scones and pastries are served at a full afternoon tea. But don't expect to replace lunch or dinner by attending a tea. Anything that is served in these tea parties is served in small quantities. (This was initially because when tea first became trendy it was very expensive and thus served in small amounts.)
There are 3 tiers to the conventional serving dish which holds the goodies. The bottom tier holds the savories, the second tier holds the scones and the top tier holds the pastries. (The sweets go on top to show them off.) Note, also, that the proper way to eat a scone is to break off one bite-size section at a time and butter it sparingly on the plate provided.
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