It's tea time! Every Saturday afternoon at 514 Jarvis Street
- for our guests and friends in the community.
Victorian afternoon tea
Anna, Seventh Duchess of Bedford had long been afflicted with
a tired, sinking feeling every afternoon around 4 o'clock, in
the long interval between lunch and dinner. One afternoon in 1840,
she plucked up her courage and upset the household routine by
asking for a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake to quell
the pangs of hunger. Her request became a matter of habit and
rather than break it she spread the idea of tea parties served
in the home amongst her friends.
"Miss Lavinia and Miss Clarissa partook, in their way,
of my joy. It was the pleasantest tea-table in the world. Miss
Clarissa presided. I cut and handed the sweet seedcake. The
little sisters had a birdlike fondness for picking up seeds
and pecking at sugar; Miss Lavinia looked on the benignant patronage,
as if our love were all her work; and we were perfectly contented
with ourselves and one another."
- Charles Dickens, David
Copperfield
On the menu
The menu for afternoon tea is an extravagant affair; a broad assortment
of tea itself, small delicate sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, and pastries galore.
Our Tea
Can be as simple as tea and biscuits (British cookies) or expanded
to include an extensive buffet. Over the years, afternoon tea
has become an art form as our collection of tea books, cups, pots,
strainers, and cozies has grown.
Join our tea-party
It's not just about the tea you know. We invite our guests and
guests of guests to join our tea party. But we also invite people
from the community. You never know who you might meet.
Hats optional
You can wear any hat you like when you come to our home for tea.
Or no hat at all. It's up to you. We welcome all types of hats.
Afternoon tea is a Graceful event
Tea time conversation is sweet and light. Small group chatter
and the exchange of pleasant news is appropriate. Even our most
outgoing guests somehow fall under the spell of the occasion and
behave like ladies and gentlemen. It is not uncommon for our Tea
Parties to adopt a theme. There have been hat parties, Tiara parties...
simple and fun ice-breakers.
 Tea-tasting
We like to have guests try an assortment of teas. In fact, tea-tasting
is much like wine-tasting. There are varieties and blends, and
tea is judged on quality, character, age, strength, and color.
And just like almost all wine begins with a variety of grape,
almost all tea belongs to the same evergreen plant of the camellia
family.
Appreciate the flavor
A bit of milk or cream is the traditional partner for a cup of
tea. No lemon, and we suggest avoiding sugar to really appreciate
the flavor. Placing milk in the cup before adding the tea ensures
a better mixing of the tea and milk. Be sure to use a strainer
to catch the leaves when you pour the tea into cups. A tea ball
or infuser can be used inside the pot to avoid this step, but
if the leaves are packed too tightly together, they won't be able
to release their full flavor. This is the major drawback to tea
bags. We sometimes compromise by using a very large tea ball.
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