Tea Etiquette

By Etienying Akpanusong

The weather is just right for indulging in tea because, drinking tea is a great way for staying warm and hydrated at the same time, improve the osmo-regulation of the body.

However, it’s important to note the basic etiquettes for drinking tea in order to exude elegance.

Below are a few guidelines you should observe whenever you are hosting, playing guest at a tea party or even just having a tea moment by yourself. 

• Serve right: If you’re playing host, always serve tea in a teacup with a teaspoon placed on a saucer or tea tray. 
• Serve it Hot: The hot water must reach its boiling point before making your tea. Never serve tea with lukewarm water.
• If you have a teapot, you can diffuse your tea in the teapot or put a teabag in your teacup.
• Avoid Spillage: Don’t pour the tea to the brim of the tea cup; you don’t want the tea to spill out when you’re lifting your tea cup. About one inch from the brim of the teacup is just right.
• Stir back and forth, not in circles: Move your teaspoon back and forth (6pm and 12am), gently folding in the sugar or milk.
• Avoid making noise with the tea spoon: Try and ensure that your spoon doesn’t clang and touch the sides of the tea cup. Also, don’t tap your teaspoon to the side of the teacup.
• Never put the teaspoon in your mouth: The tea spoon is there to stir your tea and shouldn’t go in your mouth.
• Take out your teaspoon: After you’ve stirred your tea, put your spoon on the saucer either on the right side or behind the cup. Don’t leave it in your tea cup.
• Hold the teacup by the handle: Teacups are usually small in size for convenience. Hold it with one hand (right hand preferably, except where there’s a limp right hand involved) by the handle. Avoid touching the body of the cup in order not to get hurt.
• Put your pinkie finger down: Gone are the medieval days when the pinkie finger was used to stir tea. Tea spoons now to play that role.
• ·Saucer stays on the table: When you’re sitting at the table, you don’t need to lift the saucer to drink from your cup. You should only lift your saucer with you if you must move one foot or more away the table.
• Don’t blow on the tea to cool it down: Let the tea cool on the table if it’s too hot, before you take a sip.
• Avoid slurping: Drink your tea in small quiet sips and avoid slurping. 
• Never! Never swish your mouth with tea, your tea isn’t a mouth wash.
• Tea is often accompanied by finger foods, you can ditch the cutlery for your fingers while biting in on your burger, sandwich etc
• Never dunk your bread into tea: Cut your bread (scone) in bite size and chew. The mixture with tea should take place in your mouth and never in the cup.
• If in a restaurant where a waiter is doing the refill, turn over your cup when you’re done drinking to avoid having a refill. That informs the “tea-boy/girl” that you’re done drinking your tea.

Enjoy your tea experience and…

Keep it Classy always.