Properly serving a tea table

An invitation to a cup of tea never means just tea. It is always delicious sweets and heartfelt conversation in a warm atmosphere. To create this atmosphere and make the meeting with friends and family unforgettable, you need to pre-attend to the preparation of the tea table. It is no accident that serving it is a real art, and the traditions of tea drinking have a long history in every country in the world. Today, if desired, you can arrange a tea ceremony in any style.

The birthplace of tea is China, where this drink was known in the fifth millennium BC. It is believed that the merits of tea were appreciated by the Buddha himself. Initially, the leaves of the plant for brewing were crushed into powder. When the Mongols came to China in the 13th century, they did not bother to prepare tea leaves for brewing, but simply poured them with boiling water. In Europe, tea appeared in the XVII century and already with the Mongolian version of brewing.

In any case, the Dutch and English merchants, and after them the aristocratic circle used the method of brewing just tea leaves. The philosophical side of the Chinese tea ceremony with the symbolic significance of porcelain vessels for brewing a drink in Europe did not mean anything. Here appeared its traditions and its semantic content of the tea feast.

Tea was presented to the French king Louis the Sun as a remedy that was supposedly intended to treat gout. Starting to be treated, the king quickly appreciated the taste of the drink, and after him the whole courtyard adopted the fashion for tea drinking. Very little time passed, and it spread throughout Europe. Tea feast turned into an exquisite lesson. It spoke of the belonging of those gathered at the tea table to a good society.

Accordingly, importance was attached to the situation in which tea drinking took place, how to drink a drink, what dishes to put on a table for tea, and so on.

Each country has its own traditions in this regard. Today there are concepts of English, German, French, Turkish, Russian tea drinking:

• In France tea is almost the same as wine. In addition to sweets, there is always a wide selection of teas in sweets. Here they love this drink with bergamot, slices of zest, rose petals and other additives.

• In England, where coffee is almost never consumed, there is always a green light for tea. It is drunk for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Traditional English tea drinking is usually held from 16 to 17 hours. Drink a drink often with milk and cream, which are always present on the tea table in a special jug. Various sweets are available for tea.

• In Turkey black tea is most respected. It is customary to add apple and mint to the drink. The teapot is placed on a large container with boiling water, and sugar is used in pieces.
• These features are traceable. in the Russian tea tradition. Although historically tea came to Russia directly from China itself. In this drink in Russia, it is customary to add some more herbs, for example, thyme or mint. Tea is also drunk with lemon. The Russian samovar is a loan from Turkey. But drinking tea from a saucer is an exclusively Russian invention. Pot-bellied cups, saucers, a samovar, vases with sweets, a hot-water doll for a teapot and a bunch of bagels or bagels - all this is a characteristic part of a Russian tea feast.

Anything can be a reason for tea drinking - a birthday, a wedding, a New Year — an entire holiday that appears on the calendar. Etiquette requires that the design of the tea table in accordance with certain rules.

A properly set table should impress guests and set them up for a festive mood. The design scheme is as follows:

• On the table lay a tablecloth, which in tone resonates with the service. It is imperative that the fabric is absolutely clean and spotlessly ironed. To create a festive atmosphere, you can decorate the edges of the tablecloth with bows or ribbons. Everything here is in the power of the mistress.
• Dessert plates should be set a couple of centimeters from the edge of the countertop.
• To the right of each plate put a spoon, fork and knife.
• Also to the right of the plate, arrange a tea pair. At the same time, leave a spoon on the saucer.
• On the left side of the plate put a socket under the jam, another teaspoon, as well as a saucer for seeds.
• The center of the table can be decorated with a bouquet. It is better to choose a low vessel that will not interfere with anyone, and nobody will overturn it.

The mood of a spiritual holiday can be set using lighted candles. They can also be installed in the center:

• The rules for arranging appliances and dishes allow you to arrange sweets, plates with sandwiches, pies and other pastries near the edge, so that everyone can take them conveniently. To preserve the freshness of baking before the feast begins, plates can be covered with beautiful napkins.
• Plates with lemon wedges are next to the baked goods.

• Milkman and creamer, a sugar bowl with a spoon set in the middle. Nearby you can put carafes with alcohol.
• Sweets such as honey are placed in small vases near the edge of the table so that no one has to reach for them.
• A samovar or a vessel with hot water should be put on a special table, on the left hand of the one who will manage the change of dishes. A teapot is left there.
• It is impossible to set the table without napkins. They are neatly stacked at each cutlery set for guests.

Of course, if a tea feast is organized in a certain style, for example, in Russian, you can deviate from these rules. A round table with a samovar in the center will set a certain mood.

Choosing a tablecloth for a meeting over tea is a special matter. If you have chosen a tea set with painted cups for a festive occasion, a white starched cloth is best suited for it. If you are the owner of a snow-white service with a gold border around the edge of each appliance, choose a lace tablecloth. And if you plan to have a tea in the company with a samovar, choose a colorful bright tablecloth with embroidery.

Depending on the size and shape of the table, you have to choose how to lay the tablecloth. The round and oval countertops are covered with a cloth in two layers. The lower should go down from the table to the chair seat. If you hang the tablecloth stronger, it will be an obstacle for people sitting at the table, a short "skirt" will look too short. Sometimes it is collected with folds and frills and stabbed. The second layer on the table lay a tablecloth to the size of the countertop.

Two tablecloths located at an angle of 45 degrees will look good on a square table. If you take tablecloths of the same size, but different in color, you can achieve a great effect.

As for napkins, they should in any case be perfect in cleanliness. If there are spots on them left from the previous feast, it is better not to show such things to guests. For a tea table use items measuring 35 by 35 centimeters. Before tea, they can be folded simply in the form of a triangle. In special cases, they are shaped like a fan, sail, tulip. Moreover, both fabric and paper products. True, to get beautiful, you need a certain skill. Therefore, it is better to practice in advance.

Napkins are placed not only under personal appliances, but also under other utensils in which fruits, sweets, bread and more lie.

The meaning of linen is to protect clothes from drops and crumbs from the table. Wipe your hands with paper. After the meal, you can put a paper napkin on a plate, and leave a cloth on the table. Do not crumple or fold it.

A tea meeting does not require a strict dress code. Still, this is not a gala dinner. Everything is simpler here. But still, you need to prepare thoroughly for the event. Guests must abide by certain unwritten rules. If you are invited to tea, it’s good form to bring along a box of chocolates or something sweet from the patisserie.

The tea itself is brewed when the guests are gathered. But on the part of the owner, it is obligatory politeness to ask if someone wants coffee. Well, if the house in case someone does not tolerate tonin, there is herbal tea. In hot summer time, it is better to prepare iced tea for guests.

Properly selected dishes, tablecloths and treats will make a meeting for tea memorable. An expensive decoration of any tea table will be a Chinese service. But domestic dishes are also very elegant, able to set the right mood.

The design of the table for the holiday is logical to take into account the "case". The appropriate paraphernalia is appropriate on the New Year's table - in the center you can put a composition with fir branches and New Year's decorations. It’s good to choose napkins suitable for the topic.

A modest tea party does not require special efforts to design the table. Against the background of a beautiful tablecloth, a service with an elegant pattern is clearly visible.A small number of devices and snacks on the table will allow you to enjoy tea and food, without interfering with the mood for a private conversation.

Appropriate decor should be chosen for a birthday or wedding. Romantic tea drinking in the garden involves decorating the table with flowers. To create a mood, candles will be appropriate. A white tea set on a milk-colored tablecloth with a pattern will look attractive surrounded by natural greenery.

Serving lessons can be seen in the next video.