Shore Time: Resurrecting Afternoon Tea
Compiled by Amelia Blades Steward | Photo by Milada Vigerova/Gettyimages

“While there is tea there’s hope.” — Arthur Wing Pinero
Historical Timeline of Tea
1368-1644 — Steamed tea leaves were dried and added loose to water and left to steep
Early 1600s — Tea introduced to Europe by Portuguese and Dutch traders
1658 — Charles II married Catherine of Braganza and tea became fashionable at court
Late 1600s — Tea took off in America
1840 — The Duchess of Bedford in England requested a mid-afternoon snack which created the ritual of “Afternoon Tea”
Making a Good Cup of Tea
Fortnum & Mason (Est. 1707 as Grocers and Tea Merchants) recommends:
Buy the best quality of tea you can afford
Check out new local tea merchant Doehrn Tea Co. www.doehrntea.com — offering delicious high-quality loose leaf teas and tisanes.
Fill the kettle with cold water
Warm the teapot by rinsing it in hot water
Use 1 tsp. of tea for every ¾ C. of water
When water is boiling, pour it over the tea and steep for 3 — 5 minutes
Fun Facts About Tea
America’s clipper ships sparked Britain to use its clipper ships to race from China to Britain in Tea Races in the early 1850s
Tea comes from the evergreen bush, Camellia sinensis and is manufactured into black, green, oolong, white, or puer tea
Teabags were introduced in 1908 in New York
Footnote: “Tea at Fortnum & Mason,” Ebury Press, A Random House Group Company, 2010, pp. 10-20.