Always Brewing
It wakes us up and puts us to sleep. It’s a way to warm up on a cold winter day, and a reason to catch up with a friend on a busy afternoon. It soothes sore throats, settles anxious nerves and calms upset stomachs. We make it when company stops by unexpectedly, and when we don’t know what else to do for a grieving friend. It is a social experience, a medicine, an entertainment, and a tradition. It is the second most popular drink in the world (over 165 million cups are made around the world each day), and the second oldest. For as long as humans have been heating water, they’ve been tossing leaves in it. Tea, it can easily be argued, is a universal concept.
While many western cultures view tea as being quintessentially British, the drink most people know as ‘tea’ today traces its roots back to ancient China. One legend states that leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant accidently fell into the Emperor Shen Nung’s cup of hot water, and thus tea was born. From there, it spread to other south Asian cultures such as Vietnam, India, and Japan. It wasn’t until the 1600’s that tea became popular in European, and British, cultures.
It took a while for tea to saturate every level of English culture. Initially tea, along with other imports such as sugar and spices, was only drunk by the rich and powerful. In 1840, Queen Victoria’s lady-in-waiting, the Duchess of Bedford, suggested having an afternoon snack of tea and pastries during the long wait between the midday meal and dinner, typically eaten around 8:00 pm. The Queen loved the idea and the practice of having an afternoon tea quickly became popular amongst the upper classes. The lower classes, in true keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ style, began to indulge in the luxury drink more often as well. The growing demand combined with expanding trade routes and improved shipping methods to lower the price of tea leaves. Indeed, the clipper style of ship was invented with the aim to get tea to London faster.
Of course, not all tea was considered equal. The British soon began to mix different varieties together to form unique flavours, and invented several new utensils and dishes dedicated solely to the storage, mixing and brewing of tea. Different types of gatherings also acquired different names, many of which are misunderstood in common culture today. For example, ‘high tea’ was not a fancy party, but rather a quick meal taken at 6:00 pm by the lower classes. It gained its name ‘high tea’ from the fact that most people ate it standing up or sitting on tall stools. ‘Low tea’, in contrast, was a quick repast taken by upper class ladies sitting around low tables in their parlours. This was the more formal and elegant tradition that most of us think of as ‘high tea’ today.
Still, the mixing, brewing, and drinking of tea became a beloved daily ceremony in England and all of her colonies, including Canada. If you would like to learn more about the history of tea how to brew ‘a proper cuppa’, The Friends of Bronte Creek Park will be hosting a Victorian Tea at Spruce Lane Farmhouse on Saturday, May 18th and Sunday, May 19th. Sittings will be held at 12pm and 2pm, and we recommend arriving early as the program is very popular and seating is limited. Join us on Monday, May 20th for our annual Spring Time on the Farm event to discover more about Victorian culture. There is no additional charge for any programs, however donations are welcome. All proceeds are dedicated to enhancing the educational program in the park. Handmade crafts, quilts, woodworking projects will also be for sale.