Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is, as the name suggests, is a small afternoon meal taken with tea. It has a very specific menu consisting of savory finger sandwiches, scones, then sweets. Everything is designed to be eaten with your hands.

A note on why it’s not “high tea.” I’ve noticed a lot of Americans calling it high tea. I get why, but it’s wrong. People who work for a living historically didn’t sit around having savory finger sandwiches and petit fours during the day, so it has an association with the upper classes. It would make sense to think that something posh might be called “high tea” but the actual name for it is “low tea” because traditionally the tea was served in a lounge setting next to a low table, like a modern day coffee table rather than a dining room table (a “high” table). We had a delightful afternoon tea at the Ampersand Hotel in 2020 that was served as a traditional low tea. If you were having “high tea” you’d be having it in the evening as your supper sitting at a regular dining room table. Nobody actually does this though - “high tea” is not really a thing. If you have low tea at a regular height table, you’re having afternoon tea. There is no such thing as “high tea” in the context of finger sandwiches, little cakes, and being posh. And please don’t stick your pinky finger out - ever. That’s not a thing either and you’re just going to spill hot tea all over yourself! And leave the saucer on the table, unless you’re having low tea and there’s nowhere to set it down close by…

So many rules. That’s the fun part. No really!

With that out of the way, let’s talk about afternoon tea.

The rules and the tradition are what I like about it. Some places try to go off script and I find this comes with mixed results. Tiffany’s Blue Box cafe didn’t do too well, but the Grand Floridian’s Garden View Lounge managed to completely surprise us with it’s Alice in Wonderland themed Afternoon Tea recently.

have some very specific criteria by which I judge an afternoon tea:

1. Do they do finger sandwiches?
   Finger sandwiches, like scones, are a cornerstone of an afternoon tea.

2. Do they do specific finger sandwiches?
   A cucumber sandwich, smoked salmon and cream cheese, coronation chicken, egg salad. I look for at least 3 of these - but preferably all 4 when checking menus. coronation chicken is the gold standard, though.

3. Do they bring out refills on the sandwiches?
   … without you having to ask. That’s how you know they know how it’s done. Unlimited refills are the standard and if they’re making you ask, it means they don’t want to!

4. How are the scones?
   Are they proper scones? I don’t mind if they pronounce it like go or gone, as long as they’re warm, soft, and not too dry.

5. Is there clotted cream?
   Is there? If there’s just butter then I don’t know how to react.

6. What kind of jam are we dealing with?
   A strawberry. And then something else. I like a lemon curd, but at least two different types.

7. Is the tea loose leaf?
   If it’s teabags then we know you’re not serious - and you probably want me to ask about refills on the finger sandwiches too!

8. Does someone come around and refill my teapot with hot water before it’s too late?
   This needs no explanation.

9. Are the sweets varied, fresh, and of high quality?
   We almost lost a tooth biting into a not-completely-thawed macaron at Bergdorf’s of all places.

10. Is there some fruit knocking about on the sweets tier?
    I like a few fresh raspberries and blueberries here and there on the sweets tier.