Introduction: English afternoon tea, the founder of China tea is Princess Catherine of Portugal, who married King charles ii of England in 1662 and was called "the queen of tea drinking". At that time, her dowry included 22 1 kg black tea and exquisite China tea set. At that time, black tea was as precious as silver. The exemplary role of the elegant brewing and drinking of the new queen attracted the nobles to follow suit, and the fashion of tea tasting quickly became popular and became a symbol of the nobility.
The discovery of tea trees in China not only gave birth to the splendid tea system in China, but also nourished the tea culture in Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Britain, the United States, the Netherlands and other countries. In moderns of the Commonwealth, tea became an important part of life occupied by nobles, and then spread to Europe and America.
Tea is 1662 Princess Catherine's private dowry; 1702, Queen Anne gave up expensive wine at the court banquet and only drank a cup of black tea. This arrogant "replacing wine with tea" quickly convinced the nobles of the charm of tea. During 1840, afternoon tea began to rise in the Victorian era. At four o'clock every afternoon, the ladies give up everything and go to tea, which is full of elegant romance. Everything is so natural.
20 14 years, I stayed in America for five and a half months. In the limited rest day, I naturally can't give up the opportunity to feel afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is a good and popular choice, especially when meeting with new boyfriends and girlfriends.
Of course, today, afternoon tea is not exclusive to women, but an important way of slow life. Slow life provides a path for self-repair and self-nourishment of life, and afternoon tea provides tea fragrance and energy for it. A complete English afternoon tea including tea, snacks and utensils.
The first thing is tea, of course. British tea culture is more about black tea culture, which often comes from China black tea, such as Qimen Red, but Indian Darjeeling black tea and Ceylon black tea also came from behind. English people drink tea by themselves and seldom drink it clearly. Besides sugar, milk and honey, there are many kinds of mixed teas. Of course, the most famous is Earl Grey Black Tea, which is made of the good Qimen Red and bergamot essence mentioned above. Black tea, especially black tea with milk and sugar, is more suitable for women. I often choose other teas. At present, the varieties of English afternoon tea are also constantly enriched. Wuyi rock tea, cooked Pu 'er tea, China green tea, Japanese green tea and lavender tea are all common products. Prince Charles green tea is also a good choice, made of beaded green tea and mango essence. This beaded green tea is called "gunpowder green tea" in Britain because it is similar to a shotgun.
In view of the pragmatism of afternoon tea, drinking tea is the foundation, but not the most important. Mainly eating. The traditional English afternoon tea is very small, and the British call it fingerfood, but in fact it still needs some tableware, such as butter knife, fork and spoon. The most special thing about English afternoon tea is the three-tier snack rack and the snacks on it. Usually, the first floor of a three-story tower is salty sandwiches such as ham, cheese and tuna sauce, while the second and third floors are desserts. Generally speaking, on the scone floor, there are many strawberry towers, lemon cheesecake and Si Kang, which are necessary for English afternoon tea. Others, such as puffs, biscuits or chocolates, are freely matched by the owner. Desserts on the third floor are not fixed, and there are also suitable snacks selected by the owner, usually cakes and fruit towers.
Among snacks, Si Kang is my favorite. Si Kang is interpreted as fast bread in China, probably because it is similar to bread, but it is not fermented enough. The recipe of scones includes sugar, butter, flour, whole egg liquid, milk and dried fruit. First, mix sugar, softened butter and sieved flour, and knead by hand until the butter and flour are completely mixed. Then, add the whole egg liquid and milk to the flour, knead it into dough, pour in dried fruit, and gently knead it for 30 seconds. Don't knead the dough too much, so as not to produce too much gluten and affect the taste of the finished product. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into pieces with a thickness of 1.5CM, and die-cut the pieces into triangles, circles or various shapes. Finally, put the cut dough into a baking tray, brush a layer of whole egg liquid on the surface, and bake in an oven preheated to 200℃ for about 15 minutes until the surface is golden yellow. In afternoon tea, the commonly used Si Kang flavor is rose or cranberry. Compared with other fancy desserts, handmade scones are more likely to bring moving taste to customers. With homemade tea sauce and cream, the simple English country style stands out. By the way, you must have tea sauce and cream to eat Si Kang. Simply put, tea sauce is jam made of tea leaves and dried fruits, and the cream should be made into soft cream bubbles. When you eat scone, apply some tea sauce first, and then cream. After taking a bite, apply another bite.
English afternoon tea has a set of exquisite utensils besides a three-layer shelf for putting snacks. Including porcelain teapot (two-person pot, four-person pot or six-person pot, depending on the number of guests); Filter tennis balls and a small dish for placing filtered tennis balls; Bone China teacups and plates painted with gold or roses; Sugar jar; Milk cup; Teaspoon (the correct placement of teaspoon is at a 45-degree angle with the cup); Seven-inch personal dessert plate; Tea knife (for butter and jam); A fork for eating cakes; A bowl for putting tea dregs; Napkins; A bottle of flowers; Teapot insulation cover; Lemon cutter; Wooden mop (for serving tea). In addition, lace hand-embroidered tablecloths or tray mats are very important equipment for Victorian afternoon tea, because they symbolize the important household ornaments of Victorian aristocratic life. Others depend on the situation. For example, I have seen a teapot mat printed with linen. There are dried flowers and tea leaves in the inner layer, which will emit a faint fragrance according to the temperature emitted by the teapot.
However, I think the most important thing for afternoon tea is probably the mood of the tea drinker. Without a leisurely mood, even the best afternoon tea will be dull. Let's prepare for a taste of tea first.
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