Afternoon Tea History

If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you. Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! I am glad I was not born before tea.

William Gladstone: British Prime Minister

The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting under a tree while his servant boiled drinking water. When some leaves from the Camellia sinensis tree blew into the water, Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion his servant had accidentally created. The resulting drink was what we now call “tea.” Whether the story is true or not, tea drinking was established in China many centuries before it made its way to the West.

Fast forward to the mid seventeenths century when tea first appeared in England. The practice of having afternoon tea wasn’t established until about 1840, however, a time when lunch was eaten quite early in the day, and dinner wasn't served until 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. When Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford (1788 to 1861) and one of Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, was feeling a bit hungry late one afternoon, she asked for a tray of bread-and-butter sandwiches, small cakes, assorted sweets and, of course, tea too be brought to her in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The Duchess enjoyed her “taking of tea” so much that she started inviting her friends to join her. Afternoon tea, as we know it, was born, and before long other hostesses quickly picked up the practice and elegant tea parties became very fashionable.

In just a few decades, the custom was well established. During the 1880s, upper class women would change into long gowns, gloves, and hats for their afternoon tea, which was usually served in the drawing room between 4 and 5 o’clock. At first, the practice was limited to the upper classes, but it eventually became so popular that teashops and tearooms began opening for the enjoyment of the general public. Demand for tea wares grew, and soon manufacturers like Wedgwood, Minton, Royal Doulton.

and Royal Albert began producing tea services in fine bone china, trays, cake stands, servers, tea caddies, tea strainers, teapots, and tea tables.

But the British are not the only ones who enjoy this lovely ritual, and in many European capitals some of the top names on a “where to eat” list are tea salons, cafés, patisseries, and confectioneries where tea is served. In Paris, for example, the French enjoy le goûter—a cup of tea and a little sweet to tide them over until dinner—at salons du thé such as Ladurée, Fauchon, and Mariage Frères, all renowned for elegant service, crisp macaroons, and buttery Madeleines.