High Tea
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High Tea in London
High Tea (sometimes incorrectly referred to as afternoon tea - a less sedately elaborate social activity) is one of London's little known secret pleasures.
Tea time in London is obviously any time one chooses. You'll be spoilt for a choice of places serving tea in London - specialist teas, tea blends or infusion teas in cafés, hotel restaurants, restaurants, shop restaurants, tea rooms or tea shops.
High Tea are however, seductively elaborate and often served between 3pm - 4:30 pm. High Tea are usually in classier settings with waiters and waitresses dressed appropriately for the occasion serving the nibbles, specialist tea or tea blends (exotic infusion teas are often available on request).
You are not usually expected to wear anything fancy, but most establishment do expect a smart casual dress code.
High tea seems to be a well guided secret.
While restaurants in say, Fortnum and Mason or the Ritz are normally heaving with seemingly happy people, chatting amongst family and friends between 3pm - 4:30 pm the number of people having high tea (the glass of champagne before the tea arrives is optional) are small in comparison to the number of people out and about at tea time in London.
In unashamed selfishness, I would have preferred to keep high tea in London a secret pleasure. It's hard enough getting a table for high tea at Fortnum and Mason on a Saturday:-).
However, a film made to encourage visitors to London has scuppered the idea of keeping high tea in London a secret from the rest of the world.
Time to share a decadent and enjoyable pleasure - high teas...
Tea time in London is obviously any time one chooses. You'll be spoilt for a choice of places serving tea in London - specialist teas, tea blends or infusion teas in cafés, hotel restaurants, restaurants, shop restaurants, tea rooms or tea shops.
High Tea are however, seductively elaborate and often served between 3pm - 4:30 pm. High Tea are usually in classier settings with waiters and waitresses dressed appropriately for the occasion serving the nibbles, specialist tea or tea blends (exotic infusion teas are often available on request).
You are not usually expected to wear anything fancy, but most establishment do expect a smart casual dress code.
High tea seems to be a well guided secret.
While restaurants in say, Fortnum and Mason or the Ritz are normally heaving with seemingly happy people, chatting amongst family and friends between 3pm - 4:30 pm the number of people having high tea (the glass of champagne before the tea arrives is optional) are small in comparison to the number of people out and about at tea time in London.
In unashamed selfishness, I would have preferred to keep high tea in London a secret pleasure. It's hard enough getting a table for high tea at Fortnum and Mason on a Saturday:-).
However, a film made to encourage visitors to London has scuppered the idea of keeping high tea in London a secret from the rest of the world.
Time to share a decadent and enjoyable pleasure - high teas...
Tea
A brief history of tea and the secret pleasure afternoon tea
Tea variety
The range of tea variety can be puzzling - black, green, red or white.
White tea
The rarest of all tea types and a speciality of Fujian province (on China's east coast). The name is a reference to the almost colourless liquor and the silvery hairs found on the buds of the plant.
The quality tea, mellow creamy or nutty has a delicate and slightly sweet flavour.
White tea is the whitish buds of the tea plant. Lower quality varieties of white tea include some tea leaves.
The buds (and leaves) are sun dried naturally or by dried using steaming methods.
White tea is unfermented (that is, the tea leaves are uncured and unoxidized).
Green tea
Green tea makes up approximately ten percent of the world's tea. It's production process is similar to that used for white tea.
The tea processing starts with withering, then pan-frying or steaming to prevent fermentation.
After steaming, before drying, green tea leaves are rolled to give them the desired shape.
China's green tea leaves can be intriguing; they are shaped, twisted, rolled, flattened or curled into eyebrow-shaped, twisted pieces, tight balls, flat needles, or curled whole leaves.
Japanese green tea leaves have shiny green blades with reddish stalks and stems.
Green tea is greenish-yellow in colour; the grassy, astringent taste of the green tea reflecting the source of the fresh green tea leaves.
Scientific studies implies that green teas and black teas may prevent cavities and gum disease. Studies also implies that green teas and black teas may increase the body's production of antioxidant.
Other scientific studies:Reference1
Green tea has been linked to possible weight loss.
White tea has a higher proportion of buds to leaves than green tea.
Oolong tea
Considered to be one of finest and one of the most expensive teas in the world, Oolomg teas are considered to be the "champagne of teas".
Most oolong teas are from Taiwan.They are referred to as pouchongs in China.
Oolong tea is "semi-fermented" - that is, it goes through a short period of oxidation (fermentation) that turns the leaves from green to red-brown.
The tea is pale yellow, with a floral, fruity smell - similar to peaches - and a hint of smoke.
Oolong tea is drunk by connoisseurs without milk, sugar or lemon.
The range of tea variety can be puzzling - black, green, red or white.
White tea
The rarest of all tea types and a speciality of Fujian province (on China's east coast). The name is a reference to the almost colourless liquor and the silvery hairs found on the buds of the plant.
The quality tea, mellow creamy or nutty has a delicate and slightly sweet flavour.
White tea is the whitish buds of the tea plant. Lower quality varieties of white tea include some tea leaves.
The buds (and leaves) are sun dried naturally or by dried using steaming methods.
White tea is unfermented (that is, the tea leaves are uncured and unoxidized).
Green tea
Green tea makes up approximately ten percent of the world's tea. It's production process is similar to that used for white tea.
The tea processing starts with withering, then pan-frying or steaming to prevent fermentation.
After steaming, before drying, green tea leaves are rolled to give them the desired shape.
China's green tea leaves can be intriguing; they are shaped, twisted, rolled, flattened or curled into eyebrow-shaped, twisted pieces, tight balls, flat needles, or curled whole leaves.
Japanese green tea leaves have shiny green blades with reddish stalks and stems.
Green tea is greenish-yellow in colour; the grassy, astringent taste of the green tea reflecting the source of the fresh green tea leaves.
Scientific studies implies that green teas and black teas may prevent cavities and gum disease. Studies also implies that green teas and black teas may increase the body's production of antioxidant.
Other scientific studies:Reference1
Green tea has been linked to possible weight loss.
White tea has a higher proportion of buds to leaves than green tea.
Oolong tea
Considered to be one of finest and one of the most expensive teas in the world, Oolomg teas are considered to be the "champagne of teas".
Most oolong teas are from Taiwan.They are referred to as pouchongs in China.
Oolong tea is "semi-fermented" - that is, it goes through a short period of oxidation (fermentation) that turns the leaves from green to red-brown.
The tea is pale yellow, with a floral, fruity smell - similar to peaches - and a hint of smoke.
Oolong tea is drunk by connoisseurs without milk, sugar or lemon.
- Every tea in the world is produced from one native China evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis.
- Camellia sinensis is grown in various forms, 15 - 20 metres tall, the leaves range from smooth and shiny to fuzzy and white haired. Worldwide, there are more than 3,000 varieties of teas
-
Teas are classified into six categories - black (the Chinese apparently call "black teas" " red teas"); flavoured, green, oolong, pu-erh and white teas.
The jury is still out on whether blends can be classified as tea.
Herbal infusions are revered to as teas. They are however unrelated to tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves.
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London is a cosmopolitan city, diverse and rich in history. High tea is the highlight of any afternoon
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