Tea Time Etiquette: How to Drink From Tea Cups and Saucers
There has been somewhat of a resurgence of the old custom of Afternoon tea. Of course tea can be poured into any type of cup but if you are having an actual ‘Afternoon Tea’ you really should try to do it correctly. After all that is half the fun of inviting guests for Afternoon tea. You should have a matching set of tea cups and saucers, as mismatched cups and saucers just will not do. Fortunately the cups and saucers do not necessarily have to be made from the finest china available, but do make sure they are actual tea cups though.
A tea cup differs from coffee or hot chocolate cups mainly in its shape. It is narrow at the bottom and flares out at the top, usually quite a bit wider than the coffee cup which tends to go straight up. A tea cup will hold around four ounces of tea but of course you never fill it up to the brim, three quarters full will be sufficient. Of course this does not apply to Chinese teas, however, as they use a different style of cup altogether.
There are many different points of etiquette to uphold when having a tea party, and if you have young girls they also love to learn these different things. Teach them while they are young as once they are in their tweens or teens they will most likely have little interest in tea parties!
Have you ever wondered why the handles on tea cups were so small? Well, you are actually not supposed to loop your fingers through the handle, but merely to hold the handle between your fingers by holding it at the front and back. And yes, the pinkie is supposed to go up in the air to help balance the cup!
Tea should not be stirred with round circular motions. The correct way is to gently sweep your spoon from the six o’clock position over to the twelve o’clock position a few times and that is it! Of course everyone knows that when sipping tea, the teaspoon should be set back on the right hand side of the saucer. You never leave your teaspoon in the tea cup even when it is sitting on the saucer.
If you follow these tea time etiquette rules you will find people will be very impressed at your genteel manners. Sip your tea, do not wash your food down with it, and enjoy pleasant conversation with your guests.
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