Antiquated Traditions (We Must Resuscitate): Tea
The Tea Party
14 March 2023, San Diego, California, USA
A tale of two teas
Two Teas. Two Paintings.
Welcome to Part III of Two Weeks of Tea: Antiquated Traditions (We Must Resuscitate).
It has been my immense pleasure, over the last two weeks, to host not one but two
teas, and every moment was delectable.When I was a little lady, from the age of 4 onward, I could not help myself from “playing tea”. Tea party, tea solo, tea total. I even went so far as to drag my little sister, Beetle, into the formal dining room for an afternoon tea and convinced her to stay put with a “whipped cream tea”. This method consisted of me holding a can of whipped cream beneath the table and if Beetle attempted to flee the afternoon tea scene, I dished her out a little dollop in her tea cup. Carrot, meet stick. That tea lasted as long as the cylinder was full of overly sweet magic cream.
In an attempt to graduate me from at home whipped cream teas, my mother, Trudie, introduced me and Beetle to Afternoon Tea. At a tea house, in a hotel, as we got older, in Europe - and, oh my, did me and Afternoon Tea get on. The tradition was fossilized.
From my tween years onward I have been a staunch voter for Afternoon Tea. It is a way of life, a culture, a tradition, a time to relax and be at your most formal and informal - to me, Afternoon Tea, is a perfect use of 90 minutes in the hours one might devote to emails, napping, scrolling, television mindlessness, mindless snacking etc.
As I have grown, Afternoon Tea has become a most critical connection for me and my ladies. A time to take a break without committing to a restaurant, bar, or an activity that gives you a finite number of minutes to catch up. Specifically, I so enjoy hosting Afternoon Tea at home, doing so allows you to 1) Discuss any topics you like without the nosiness or interruption of other diners or a restaurant team 2) Control the menu and aesthetic (absolutely vital).
In honor of Two Weeks of Tea, we have selected two works of art that inspired Antiquated Traditions We Must Resuscitate: The Tea Party.
At bat is: A Chinese ceremony with tea and rice bowls, c. 1850, by an unknown Chinese artist, from the Wellcome Collection
On deck: Afternoon Tea, 1879, Jean Carolus, Shipley Art Gallery
Chapter I: Tea Ceremonial
As previously mentioned in Two Weeks of Tea, during WIOW, I used to live in China and while I was living and working in China tea was a massive, important and special special part of my daily life. It kept me whole and healthy.
During the past week’s meditation on tea it was necessary I work my Chinese tea experiences into my Tea Party resuscitation. To achieve this, I decided to host a Tea Ceremonial inspired by the Chinese tea ceremony traditions I was introduced to in China and gleaned across my Asian travels. As inspiration for my Tea Ceremonial, let us dig our polished paws into a 19th century Chinese painting from the Wellcome Collection in London.
I like this painting because it is simple yet thoughtful. Like a tea ceremony it is organized and purposeful. The characters in the frame also appear elated, they are stoked. Stoked to learn, be together and enlightened by their tea moment.
It also tickles me that the fellow in golden hues is just standing there taking up space, likely singing out orders to his tea comrades - it would be such fun to be a fly on the wall. What did they discuss over tea and rice?
Without further ado, I give you Lo. Lynch’s 9 critical components to the Tea Ceremonial
Select your date & form your guest list
Send invitations - an Evite will never do but digital is accepted, see below for example. I messaged this to each guest with context
Curate the menu
Tea
I prefer to offer two options to my guests, one caffeinated and one herbal, especially when wandering outside of tea taste norms, it is important to offer something all of your guests will enjoy - I acquire both of my teas from Paru here in San Diego
Menu
We remained in the Asian realm a fruit course, Kiwi and Mango, Spicy noodles, a Thai inspired a chopped salad with spicy peanuts and mochi for dessert
Select your tea set
This is supercritical - the tea set must match and because we are taking cues from the traditional Chinese tea ceremony, you will need smaller, Asian style tea cups. My tea set features six white porcelain tea cups painted with the icons and characters denoting a variety of beliefs and spiritual/moral encouragement. For my guests, I translated these and offered for them to select their cup for the Tea Ceremonial - the eldest guest chose first
My Chinese tea cups
Tea table checklist
Tea tray
Tea towel (Necessary yet oft forgot)
Strainer
Tea pet1
Electric kettle somewhere out of sight
Sweet and a bit inappropriate Tea Pet
Lay your table
Always do this the evening prior
Prepare the menu
With your menu planned and ingredients purchased a day or two prior to the tea, prep is simple and should be done about 3 hours prior to showtime
You Time
Pour yourself a sparkling water & light the candles2
Spy my monochromatic look: St. John, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, and vintage
Cleanse your space
The last vacuum
When entertaining I always perform one final vacuum of my space - especially as I run a shoeless household. Guests with pretzel crumbs on their feet? I don’t think so
Negative energy
Do away with it. Fire up your smudge stick and cruise around every corner of your home, do not forget the bathroom, guests need positive energy while in the powder room
Meet my smudge stick, Beetle brought it back for me from New Orleans, Louisiana
Welcome your guests & press go on that kettle
The Tea Ceremonial was incredible, we discussed history, and at the beginning of the tea I did a reading based on each guest’s element and zodiac sign, we then connected this to the tea cup and theme they chose. It was special and gave everyone space to breathe and focus on themselves. We all need that, once in a while.3
Part II: An Afternoon Tea
As a complement to my Tea Ceremonial, a week later
hosted a classic Afternoon Tea. It was a dream, a day-lit fantasy matinee starring six women. Women connecting, expanding their social circle and relaxing while nourishing their minds and beautiful bodies.An ode to my After Tea, I give you Afternoon Tea from Belgian artist Jean Carolus, spy it below. I am tickled by this oil painting specifically because it captures the wonder that is Afternoon Tea that captured my heart two decades and a sprinkle of years ago: the informal formality of gathering with your gals for tea.
Tea is the vehicle for connection, we enjoy the tea, we are comforted by the tea, but, as much as I revel in sips of perfect temperature tea, we do not need the tea. We need one another. Just as this foursome gathered ‘round their crackling fire in pastel tea gowns and ready for the late afternoon lay down before a fabulous ton ball need one another. They would not be complete without the quartet, each of their figures ground the painting and draw the viewer’s gaze directly toward the gilded mirror and ormolu4 clock - an excellent move by Carolus, inviting you into their tea.
An ode to our four aristocratic-pastel-ladies, enjoy LLW’s 11 steps to hosting the loveliest Afternoon Tea
Select your date & form your guest list
Again, send invitations, never an Evite but something digital will do, see my example below
Curate the menu
3 courses, light, delicious and easy for you to pull together in a pinch - stick to recipes you could execute with a hangover.
I offered my guests: Egg salad tea sandwiches, an avocado, arugula and tomato salad, smoked salmon toastlettes, scones and chocolate cakes
Select a theme & mold the tablescape
Recently I have been leaning into my interest in Spode. While at Ballyfin over my honeymoon I took tea with my breakfast each morning, and Ballyfin, in the mornings, only serves with Spode Blue Italian porcelain. Sitting in the plush and pastel Georgian rooms, the bluey-blue stops time. It is spell binding. Anyhow, when it came to my tea, Spode’s Blue Italian was the only way to go.
Visualize your tea party
Mood board mood board mood board - it helps and is made better and more fun by a glass of champagne
Call in reinforcements
The night prior, invite over your entertaining white night, aka the Vintage Finds extraordinaire, Trudie
Trudie brought in the big guns, including an extra tea pot, two tea strainers, extra white tablecloths, an ironing board, dinner and Viennese porcelain that matches Jasper’s Tea* cup (If you don’t get the reference, checkout Vintage Finds from last week)
Lay your table & arrange the flowers
Lay your table the evening prior, think formal, never use disposable napkins and ensure you have all the forks necessary - Google is here to help or you can phone a friend, namely moi.
For the flowers: Warm water and say no to suffocating the stems
Welcome to my Crib
A lot of Zzz’s
Rest well, this will benefit your energy levels and set the tone for all of your guests
Wake up, Bake up
Cake
I bake the cakes5 first, let them cool and the whipped cream frosting set and then the scones. Scones are cut into perfect rounds and placed in the refrigerator until one hour prior to show time when they meet their maker in 400 degrees of heat - 20 minutes later they are perfect and still warm when your guests arrive
Scones
I am partial to Ina Garten’s Irish Scones, only change I can recommend - ditch the currants
Serve with homemade whipped cream, Kerrygold butter at room temp, and homemade guava preserves
Plate
As this is Afternoon Tea, you’ll need tea stands, three layered stands are the best, and serve the most guests, plus the height gives the table a bit more pomp that is welcome
Shower & Prep
Moisturize, breathe, hydrate and press play on your Afternoon Tea playlist
Billecart6 , I mean, Showtime
The Teas were both a hit - for different reasons - the Tea Ceremonial brought balance and calm while the Afternoon Tea invited an energetic social flutter into each of our lives and left us inspired and satiated.
I hope this brief read is an inspiration for you to host your own Afternoon Tea, or maybe a coffee connect, bring together people in your life, a couple, a few, four or five - and pull out all the stops to coax them into relaxation, enjoyment and conversation.
As you are considering this idea, remember bringing together people is always worth it.
We have one final part of Two Weeks of Tea, IV, Meet the Expert. I look forward to meeting you then.
Cheers,
LLW
Fin.
A little ceramic character meant to be the receiver or your tea rinse, tea pets each represent a different meaning and are believe to introduce goodness into your household - my tea pet, Acrobatic Pig, brings with him good luck and fortune
When entertaining I always light candles, even during the day, it adds that indescribable something
It’s called self-care, look it up
A popular method used to decorate clocks in the 18th and 19th centuries in which gilt bronze and bronze doré are especially utilized
Two mini chocolate cakes, I follow Barefoot Contessa’s Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting (Ina is my girl) but I do not ever make the mocha frosting - ‘tis perfection
Love the Rosé, the best bubbles in town, in my opinion