British Tea Culture

British Tea Drinking Habits

We conducted a small-scale online survey on British tea drinking habits. Here are some of the interesting findings:

Favourite Tea

Top 1 - English Breakfast

A blend of black teas from Kenya, Assam, and Ceylon. It is usually enjoyed with milk and sugar.

Top 2 - Earl Grey

It is a simple blend of black tea and oil of bergamot. It was named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey and Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834.

(Click here for more details of the survey)

A Brief History of Tea in Britain

(Chrystal, 2014; Rappaport, 2017)

Late 17th Century - Early 19th Century

Catherine Of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of King Charles II, introduced the ritual of tea drinking to the English Royal Court. When Catherine arrived in England, tea was being consumed only as a medicine. But since the young queen was used to sipping tea as part of her daily routine, she turned the drink from a health tonic to a social beverage.

As a result of the high cost of shipping, tea was an expensive product which was affordable only the upper class.

Early 19th Century - Early 20th Century

The price of tea declined over the years. By the Victorian Era, tea had been firmly established as part of the British way of life, enjoyed by both the upper class and the lower class. However, there were significant class differences in when, where and how tea was consumed.

Mid-20th Century Onwards

Tea became more and more popular in mid-20th century onwards as it was comparatively cheaper and more affordable by people coming from different classes, occupations and educational backgrounds. People enjoy a wider variety of tea nowadays, including but not limited to, the traditional English Breakfast tea, fruit tea, herbal tea, and even bubble tea. Tea has become so common that it could be bought and enjoyed at many places.

Tea and Class

When tea was first introduced to Britain, it was exclusive to the most privileged class in society. The gradual decline in the price of tea allowed wider access to the exotic drink. By the early 19th century, 200 years after its arrival in Britain, tea had become firmly established in the everyday lives of people. Despite the growing prevalence of tea consumption in society, there were clear class divisions in ways tea was consumed.

Afternoon Tea vs High Tea

Upper Class - Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea is a British upper-class tradition of sitting down for an afternoon treat of tea, sandwiches, scones, and cake. It was served in the afternoon to fill in the long gap between lunch and dinner. By the late nineteenth century, afternoon tea had become a social performance in which the menu, arrangement of furniture, choice of gown, selection of entertainment, and of course one’s guest list all reflected upon the breeding and refinement of the hostess.

Working Class - High Tea

Afternoon tea was for the rich. The working class did not have the luxury of sipping tea in the afternoon. For workers, tea time, also known as high tea, had to wait until after work which was sometime around 6. In other words, high tea was the working-class dinner which was generally served with bread, vegetables, cheese, and meat-heavy dishes to replenish flagging spirits after a day of labour. Today, dinner is still called tea in some parts of the UK.

True or False: High Tea = Afternoon Tea?

(Source: The Spruce Eats)

False. For the upper class, tea was usually served at low tea tables (left). The word "high" in the phrase "high tea" is believed to refer to the counters where after-work tea was served (right).

Teaware

Upper Class - Exquisite Teaware

For the upper class, tea drinking came with a set of accessories – fine porcelain teacups, bowls and saucers, decorative teapots, mahogany tea caddies, tea urns and exquisite table linens.

Working Class - Mugs

The working class, in contrast, typically drank tea out of mugs.

Types of Tea

Upper Class - Ceylon & Assam

The upper class had a preference for Ceylon and Assam. Milk and sugar were not added to preserve the original flavour of tea. Lemons, which were expensive at the time, were sometimes used to play up the taste of the tea.

Working Class - Milk-in-First

Many working class families would buy thick black teas which were sold at a lower price. The working class had the practice of adding milk and sugar to tea to tone down the strength of thick tea. They would usually put milk in the cup first, and hence "milk-in-first".

Tea, Food and Class

British tea culture unveils the connection between tea and social class. The rich could afford expensive teas and tea-ware, and had the luxury of sitting back and enjoying tea in the afternoon, whereas the working class only had their cuppa after a long day of work. Tea, therefore, was more than tea. It served as a way to mark status in society and for some, as a vehicle for socialisation. Likewise, the consumption of food is much more than nourishment. It is closely connected to class and other social and cultural factors.

Historically, the upper classes often distinguished themselves from the lower classes based on the quantity of foods consumed (Fuster, 2019). The more powerful you are, the more food you consume. As society gets richer, the lower class enjoy better living conditions and are able to have access to greater quantities of foods. Class distinction then comes in the types of foods consumed (Fuster, 2019). Higher classes distinguish themselves through the consumption of luxury items. You may recall that the upper class liked adding lemons, which were exotic and expensive at the time, to their Assam tea, while the poor could only afford a mug of mediocre tea which would require milk and sugar for better taste.

Members of different social classes distinguish one another based on different things they own and acquire. The taste of the upper class often dominates the taste of the whole society (Fuster, 2019). In other words, members of the upper class are the trendsetters. And very often, those in lower classes will aspire to imitate the taste and style of those in the upper class. Historical shifts in patterns of food consumption demonstrate how social classes attempt to distinguish among themselves, with the upper class wanting to distinguish from the lower class, and the lower class wanting to imitate the upper class (Fuster, 2019).

At a more fundamental level, class also determines the availability of cooking facilities and the time required to prepare food, eat, and clean after eating (Fuster, 2019). In modern societies, while time might be an issue across classes, affluent families may get round the problem by making use of technology and hiring labour. Recall our discussion on British tea culture: the upper class could afford to idle away their afternoons by throwing tea parties which would have required the concerted efforts of servants and cooks. The working class, on the other hand, had neither the time nor resources for such gatherings. Tea was simply part of their supper, which was the last meal of the day.

Today, tea is no longer a manifestation of wealth and power. It has transformed from a luxury to an item of daily life. However, class divisions in food culture and other aspects of social life persist. Can you think of any examples?

References

Chrystal, P. (2014). Tea: A very British beverage. Amberley Publishing.

Fuster, M. (2019). Food and Class. In Kaplan D.M. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of food and agricultural ethics. Springer, Dordrecht.

Montgomery, C. (2007). Northern English dialects: A perceptual approach. University of Sheffield.

Rappaport, E. (2017). A thirst for empire: How tea shaped the modern world. Princeton University Press.

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