Friday, June 8, 2012

MIND YOUR TEA'S AND Q'S!

National Iced Tea Month is the perfect time to polish your "iced tea etiquette skills!" This is a post I wrote a couple of years ago...

To sit and have a glass of tea is one of the most relaxing things that you can do. It slows you down from your hectic pace and gives you a chance to take a deep breath and relax. However, it doesn't matter whether you are drinking iced tea from a styrofoam cup on the front porch...

Or taking sips from a beautiful Waterford iced tea goblet at an Afternoon Tea...

There is proper etiquette to be followed!
Even in the South, iced tea is only served at informal meals and at Afternoon Tea, not at a formal meal. This is a proper formal placesetting...notice that the iced tea goblet is not displayed.

Properly served, iced tea is served in a tall glass with a doily and a saucer (bread plate) and an iced teaspoon. (Many savvy Southern brides include silver iced teaspoons and crystal iced tea goblets on their Bridal Registry.) The iced teaspoon would be placed on the outer right of the place setting at an angle, or laid straight on an iced teaspoon rest.

If the spoon is used to stir your tea after adding sugar, the teaspoon is either placed on an iced teaspoon rest provided or placed on the saucer. If there is no saucer or spoon rest provided, the spoon should remain in the glass at all times. Keep the long iced teaspoon in your glass, after you stir, with the handle held toward the far side by the index finger and with the remaining three fingers and thumb of the hand, hold the glass while you drink. It is quite easy to drink your tea and hold the teaspoon in the glass, and if you practice it, you will be able to handle it with grace! Remember that once used, a utensil is never placed back on the table.
Sugar and lemon are both offered with iced tea. Add sugar first, otherwise the citric acid of the lemon prevents the sugar from dissolving. You may place the lemon slice/wedge directly into the poured glass of tea, but it is not necessary to press the lemon.

What to do with the empty sweetener packet? Use the sweetener packets provided and tuck the empty packet discreetly under the edge of the saucer or the dinner plate.

In the South, your iced tea goblet may be adorned with a pretty doily bonnet...


So, whether you're drinking tea from a styrofoam cup or from a fancy Waterford iced tea goblet, remember these Teas and Q's:

~Swallow your food before you sip your tea.
~Don't slurp your tea...sip!
~Don't place your iced teaspoon directly onto the table after you have used it, place it behind the iced tea glass onto the saucer, onto the iced teaspoon rest, or leave it in the glass.
~It's "iced tea" not ice tea.
~Look into the glass of tea while you are sippin', not over it!
~Stir the tea liquid gently with the iced teaspoon.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Y'all have a tea-rific day!

33 comments:

CanadianPrep said...

Thank you for the tip about sugar before lemon. I've always ended up with a gob of sugar at the bottom of my glass and look forward to an evenly-dispersed sweetness the next time I have iced tea.

And I am now officially on a hunt for those mint crunch moon pies. I love anything that will combine my loves of chocolate and mint, and those simply sound divine.

Thank you for being a new follower, and I look forward to reading your new posts!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing that it isn't necessary to press the lemon into your tea. I can't tell you the number of times I've been sprayed with juice from someone sitting next to me!!

Ashley Turner said...

Very informative! Thanks for sharing! xo

JDB said...

What would we do without iced tea? I've literally been drinking it since I was a toddler. 'Course, I was raised right. ;-)

Suburban Princess said...

Thank you for saying to swallwow food before drinking. I just can't handle eating with someone who drinks over their food!

LC said...

I'm thirsty for tea now! :)

Donna said...

Oh, gee, Janice. I'm from the South. Have been drinking "iced" tea all my life, and I never knew the proper way to "sip" it until now. Thanks. :)

Donna

KDC Events said...

Great post! I have oftern wondered what was ok in relation to the sugar packets =)

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

This is wonderful! I love the lesson on iced tea!

I have been drinking a lovely mango tea all afternoon...it is yummy!

I hope you are having a wonderful day dear lady!

Enjoy!
Cathy

highheeledlife said...

I was not aware of the "iced teaspoon". I'm goingto look for them the next time I am in Toronto. If I can't find them here, I will need to plan a trip to the South, in the States.

P.S. Thanks for your visit, Miss Janice. I just use a tiny pinch cayenne in the hot chocolate.. :)A girl needs all the heat she can get in the snow filled north of Canada... LOL..:)

PAT said...

Thanks so much Miss Janice. I enjoyed this post and learned something new today.

Lori said...

But MIss Janice... sweet tea isn't really sweet tea unless you steep the sugar while the tea is hot! Don't you agree! And lots of sugar please.

Kittie Howard said...

Beautiful! You have a lovely way about you, Miss Janice. I wouldn't part with my iced teaspoons for all the noodles in China. And, Miss Janice, I'm somewhat new to your lovely blog and don't know if you've said anything about blowing on hot liquids. This seems to be a habit of those who are, er, not from the South but which some Southerners are adopting. The habit annoys. Once a well-dressed lady splattered me with coffee. And, of course, one's breath travels.

Tammy B said...

Thanks for the tips. I forgot to make tea this morning. A glass of iced tea would be great on this hot humid evening.

Lisa said...

Thank you Miss Janice.:)

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

I didn't know about the sugar before lemon! Most of the time the lemon is already in the glass - I guess I should start asking for it separate. Thanks for the tips!

James said...

Perfect post, thank you

Bethany said...

What a lovely tea post! You're so sweet.

PS Come see me at www.marylandpinkandgreen.com to join my Follow Friday blog hop to get more followers and find more preppy blogs.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea about the lemon needing to be after the sugar- thanks for the tips Miss Janice!

Anonymous said...

Thank you! We need more people like you teaching etiquette!!

Nanette said...

Hi Miss Janice,
What a fun iced tea post. That's interesting about the lemon not letting the sugar dissolve. Your moon pie friendship gifts are so cute, what a good idea!
Valerie

Kara said...

My oh my! Do I remember my iced Teas faux paus with you at Houston's restaurant! Your gentle chiding sure put my right from now on.....Gotta love a woman who knows her iced tea etiquette.....

Love bunches, Miss Kara

From the Kitchen said...

Thank you, Miss Janice. After all these years, and a move north, I finally know what to do with my iced tea spoon! I do have twelve of those very necessary utensils. However, I have no "rests". Ah, what wonderful memories I have of sitting on our Virginia porch with my mother, sisters, grandmother and aunts sipping that sweet amber liquid and listening to family stories.

Thanks for the memories.

Best,
Bonnie

Anonymous said...

Miss Janice- thanks for stressing that D in iceD tea! People call it "ice tea" all the time and I'm forever correcting them... gahh!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Miss Janice! I hate to tell you this - but I think I just failed the course on iced tea! :O
I grew up in Alabama and our iced tea was anytime and even in Texas it still is! I've never seen an iced tea spoon holder and I've wondered where to place the iced tea spoon at a place setting too!
I love those iced tea doilies - never seen those either.
Oh, I feel horrible - I have failed the iced tea course!!
Thanks for all of this info.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Lindy D. said...

Is there any proper way to extract more juice from the lemon wedge? I loved my iced tea to be lemony.

Anonymous said...

Miss Janice,
This was a most informative post...even for a gal living north of the Mason Dixon line.
I will forever look at a glass of iced tea differently now.
Have a wonderful day :D
~victoria~

Laura B said...

Wow I did not know about putting the sugar in before the lemon. How interesting.
I do wish that people cared about such etiquette in Pennsylvania!! Maybe I'm a Southern girl trapped in a Northeastern girl's body?!

Miss Janice said...

Lindy,
Yes, you may extract more juice from the lemon by holding the lemon with your thumb, index finger, and middle finger of one hand and covering that hand with the other hand while squeezing.

nannykim said...

I think my granddaughter who is 3 & 1/2 should join you for teaching etiquette. She is always correcting me at the dinner table, shame on me!

Anonymous said...

My mother always taught me to add sugar to the tea while hot, then your tea will always be sweet enough requiring only lemon to be added when its ready to drink. I wish some places in certain geographic areas, which will remain nameless, would know that handy technique...but I digress.

Susan R said...

Who would have known there was an etiquette to drinking iced tea? Miss Janice would know, that's who.
I don't know if there's a difference, but I'm not a fan of iced tea, however, I adore sweet tea. I know one can add sugar/sweetener to iced tea, but it doesn't taste the same to me.

Forrest said...

I purchased silver spoon rests to use with my formal service. I’m usually the only one using sweetener in my tea. I do t have saucers or doilies, so the rest works perfectly