Teatime in the Regency.

By the Regency period, tea was a well-established social ritual, though the concept of ‘high tea’ (as a meal served between lunch and dinner) wouldn’t be introduced until later by the Duchess of Bedford.

There are five types of tea that would have been available to Regency England: white, yellow, green, oolong, and black.

The most common teas then, as today, were green, oolong and black (the most popular). Tea was always served hot, with milk and sugar for enhancements, and always served in order of precedent. Social status was always to be observed!

So, by the Regency, tea as a social device and entrenched ritual in most English households had been deeply established.

But there was no Earl Grey tea during the Regency. Earl Grey tea is actually a blend of tea that wasn’t created until sometime in the 1830’s and named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of England from 1830-1834. It’s a luscious blend of black tea infused with bergamot, an aromatic and flavorful citrus oil.

Tea time was an excellent place to share information and flirtatious remarks in a Regency romance because it was a common event that was suitable to both genders of the time. Elaine golden.sistergoldenblog