Afternoon Tea

We had some afternoon tea today and this is the most posh I think i've ever felt! All I needed was a funky hat on and I would of been a typical traditional tea person. It was actually pretty awesome to do and I really enjoyed having tea and some crumpets with the team. I never really enjoyed tea before but it was pretty freaking good I couldn't stop drinking it. I also didn't realize how strong it was and it had the same effects as coffee. I always thought it was a weak version of coffee but I was extremely wrong hah. I definitely was wired after the tea.

Tea consumption increased dramatically during the early nineteenth century and it is around this time that Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford is said to have complained of "having that sinking feeling" during the late afternoon. At the time it was usual for people to take only two main meals a day, breakfast, and dinner at around 8 o'clock in the evening. The solution for the Duchess was a pot a tea and a light snack, taken privately in her boudoir during the afternoon. What it really showed was class and how much that changed people's view of you and where you stood in society. Back during that time class was huge and being able to have afternoon tea showed that you had wealth to enjoy a third meal when everyone else had 2 if they were lucky. Class has and will always be a huge thing in society but I think since that time it has gotten better and it's great how everyone can experience tea time now not just the wealthy.

Seeing how the British would do their tradition was an awesome experience and I really felt like i was part of it. Traditionally, the upper classes would serve a 'low' or 'afternoon' tea around four o'clock, just before the fashionable promenade in Hyde Park. The middle and lower classes would have a more substantial 'high' tea later in the day, at five or six o'clock, in place of a late dinner. Nowadays, afternoon tea if often used if you wanted to have a business meeting or meet up with a friend you haven't seen in a little while. Today everyone can enjoy afternoon tea not just the wealthy!