When, and Why, Afternoon Tea Was Born

It has been some time. This is Sebastian, your most senior butler. Today I should like to trace, through history, the origins of "afternoon tea," which is bound up closely with our work as butlers.

Afternoon tea was born in the mid-nineteenth century, in Victorian England. In the dining habits of the upper classes then, dinner was taken very late — commonly around eight in the evening. Through the long stretch from luncheon to dinner, one naturally grew hungry. And so a certain duchess conceived of enjoying tea and light sweets in the afternoon hours — this, it is said, was the beginning of afternoon tea.

What began as a personal habit grew, in time, into a social occasion for inviting close friends. What matters here is that afternoon tea was refined not as mere "snacking," but as a "ritual for hearts to meet." The custom of arranging sandwiches, scones and sweets on a three-tiered stand and beginning from the lowest tier was also shaped, little by little, within this sociability.

What is fascinating is how the custom changed after it crossed to Japan. There it was received as a symbol of a hotel's refined hospitality, and achieved its own development — taking in seasonal Japanese ingredients, lavishing delicate design. Culture is a thing that, each time it crosses a sea, takes on the colour of that land and assumes a new form. I find this very journey of culture endlessly fascinating.

Let me touch, too, on the manners. With the three tiers, the basis is to begin from the salty sandwiches on the lowest tier, then the scones of the middle, and up to the sweet confections at the top — taken in an order where richness and sweetness gradually increase. This is the wisdom of our forebears, for not wearying the palate and enjoying it deliciously to the very last. Manners are not cramped rules; pressed to their essence, they are, I believe, an accumulation of "devices for making a moment comfortable."

Behind a single cup of tea lies a story this rich. The next time you take afternoon tea, I should be glad if you might turn your thoughts, a little, to the layers of its history. Do enjoy a leisurely time at tea.