Final conclusions of the masterclass “The history and etiquette of Afternoon Tea”

“`Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well,' the Hatter grumbled: `you shouldn't have put it in with the bread-knife.'”

“`At any rate I'll never go there again!' said Alice, as she picked her way through the wood. `It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!'”

 “A Mad-Tea Party”, Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Last week, I finished the course “The History and Etiquette of Afternoon Tea”, a masterclass of the UK Tea Academy. It’s one of the modules of Level 3, the level to become Tea Master, but it’s open to all who are interested. The course comprises four webinars (seminars online), one every week. The course is very well structured and has plenty of details and anecdotes too.

The first webinar is about how tea got into Britain and how it became the most important drink. Then, we learnt how the afternoon tea tradition was born. After turning the pages of history, I understood lots of things that for me, being not British, but Spanish, were bizarre when I started living in London. For example, the fact you can buy food and drinks everywhere, in every station, even if it’s very small, on the trains, even if they’re not going far, even a lot of church have coffee shops. Tea is not only a national drink but also a social occasion, a meal - it can be a tea in the afternoon or a dinner, depending on the region - and a sort of hospitality.

We also learnt about the tea wares: teapots, cups, forks and knives… and their history. The last webinar is about the etiquette, do’s and don’ts if you’re a host or a guest. Apparently, the etiquette is very strict, but we should remember that the afternoon tea is a relaxed meal and it’s a finger meal (the cutlery is used only if it’s absolutely necessary). The rules help to make everything easier and, at the same time, elegant and beautiful. And that’s why Alice, in the mad tea-party, couldn’t stand it any longer and, “disgust, walked off”. Maybe, if the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse had attended this course, the end of the story would have been a bit different. The history of tea goes beyond. Tea also played an important role in women’s emancipation in the 19^th century. The afternoon tea, being a gathering mainly of women and a social occasion more informal than the dinner, freed them from wearing corsets during this event, and it smoothed the way of a more “loose” fashion. Furthermore, the emergence of the tea rooms meant that women, when being out, had, for the first time, a place where they could rest and, eat and drink something without the company of a man. Tea rooms also were places where suffragettes could hold their meetings and hide.

I enjoyed it very much these four webinars, even if I would rather take them in a classroom. I recommend this course not only to avoid mistakes if you’re attending an afternoon tea or hosting one but also to learn the fascinating history of tea in Britain. And one last tip: the Tea Dance webinar is a perfect add-on to this course.