Published in Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Superbowl (Greenwood Publishing, 2008)

Tea ceremonies have their origins in China where tea’s cultivation began 4,000 years ago. During the 10th -13th century Song Dynasty a style of tea drinking developed that involved using powdered green tea, ceramic serving bowls, and precise serving rituals. Known as the Song tea ceremony, its customs spread throughout Asia.

Although the practice no longer takes place in China, drinking tea remains an integral part of family celebrations and weddings. During the holidays in particular younger generations take their elders to restaurants to have tea and pay their respects.

Japanese tea ceremonies began in the 13th century after Buddhist monks returning from China introduced the Song tea ceremony to their countrymen. Emphasizing serenity, simplicity, and self-discipline, the Japanese version follows two schools of teaching, Omotesenke and Urasenke. Participants are expected to know the basic tenets of these schools and to exhibit the proper manners for serving and accepting tea.

Both Omotsenke and Urasenke require guests to wash their hands, rinse their mouths, and remove their shoes before entering a tea house. Inside they are greeted by a kimono-clad host or hostess. Before the tea ceremony begins, the host may serve a small snack finished off with Japanese rice wine, sake, or an array of sweets.

The host then kneels on a tatami, or straw mat, floor, and cleans each tea making-utensil in front of his similarly kneeling, formally dressed guests. After completing this ritual, the host selects a ceremonial bamboo whisk with which he will mix hot water and powdered green tea in a ceramic tea bowl. Tea whisked, he then passes the bowl to his guests. Each person takes two or three sips before praising the drink, wiping the bowl’s rim, and, with a bow, passing the bowl to the next person.

The procedure is repeated until everyone has drunk the tea. The host then cleans the utensils again. As prescribed, the tea ceremony may take between one to four hours to complete. A sense of tranquility is maintained throughout and conversation is kept to a minimum.

A contrast to the Japanese ceremonies, afternoon tea in Great Britain and former British colonies acts as a means of satiating one’s appetite. British afternoon tea began in the early 19th century when Anna the Duchess of Bedford requested that a snack of tea, bread, and butter be delivered to her chambers in the late afternoon. She required this light meal at five o’clock because she had experienced a “sinking feeling” and could not wait for the standard eight o’clock dinner. Soon after the Duchess began inviting friends to join her for this daily repast and stave off pre-dinner hunger pangs. Tea was served then as it is now – in a teapot accompanied with milk and sugar.

Over the years afternoon tea has come to include scones with jam and clotted cream, small iced cakes and pastries, and tea sandwiches, all of which are displayed on a tiered stand. Customary tea sandwiches consist of thinly sliced cucumber, egg, and smoked salmon and dill. The delicate sandwiches are served with the crusts removed and cut into triangles. A simpler version of afternoon tea, Devon cream tea omits the sandwiches and calls only for scones, jam, and clotted cream.

Taken around four o’clock, British afternoon tea is offered in homes, tea shops, and hotels, consumed by patrons dressed casually or in their best finery, and with as much as conversation as desired. In the United States afternoon tea appears on the menus of tea shops and high end hotels and is often mistakenly referred to as “high tea.” High tea is, in fact, an early evening meal served at six o’clock and stands as a substitute for the later evening dinner.

Throughout much of North Africa mint tea or atay bi nahna acts as the drink of hospitality. Introduced by the British in the 1850’s, green tea was quickly accepted and adapted by the North Africans. Served in a silver, ornamental teapot, the hot tea contains a generous infusion of fresh mint and sugar. Poured from the teapot held high above the table, it splashes gently into small, slender, filigree glasses. Sweet pastries can accompany it and do so during the Festival of Ad Al Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan.

Deemed a symbol of good will, mint tea plays a prominent role in welcoming houseguests, conducting business dealings, bargaining for carpets, woodcrafts, or souvenirs and relaxing with friends at a cafe. Also thought to aid in digestion, it is served at the beginning or end of every meal. Etiquette requires that each person consume three glasses before departing a home, shop, or cafe. To decline a glass is deemed rude.

Whether due to its lack of expense, comforting taste, ritualized yet simple preparation, or mildly addictive properties, mint tea has captivated this region. One cannot walk through a busy square without seeing rich, steaming tea being sipped at sidewalk cafes or in storefronts. Wherever tea is taken, lively conversation remains part of the event.