We prefer to sip hot tea with a saucer rather than a cup it is because the saucer has large surface area compare to the cup,so the hot tea cools faster in the saucer. The rate of evaporation depends upon the suface area.
At first, the saucer was just what the name implies — a small dish for holding sauce. Then it moved to its familiar spot beneath a cup, the place to put your spoon or soggy teabag. Not long ago, the saucer served a purpose. It was common to pour hot tea or coffee from the cup into the saucer to cool the drink.
The saucer is useful for protecting surfaces from possible damage due to the heat of a cup, and to catch overflow, splashes, and drips from the cup, thus protecting both table linen and the user sitting in a free-standing chair who holds both cup and saucer.
Saucers were added to the design of both coffee cups and tea cups in the 1700s as well. Although drinking tea from a tea bowl was customary, tea drinkers eventually found that pouring a small amount of tea into a saucer helped it to cool faster.
If sat at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the tea cup, leaving the saucer on the table, and to place the cup back on the saucer between sips. It's considered rude to look anywhere but into the cup whilst sipping tea, and absolutely no slurping!
We are able to sip tea or milk faster from a saucer because it has a larger surface area than the cup. In larger surface area rate of evaporation is faster due to which tea or milk cools rapidly.
If you have a table in front of you while you are drinking tea, you better be sure to leave that saucer on top of it. It is unbecoming to lift the saucer along with your tea. If you are standing or do not have a table anywhere nearby, it is alright to hold the saucer with your teacup.
“Saucer-drinking was a class-marker”, writes Sykes. “Russian aristocrats, the true tea-drinking class, were strong enough to drink their tea hot or patient enough to wait for it to cool,” he says. “Merchants and other climbers were weak and/or hurried so resorted to the saucer.
/ˈsɔsə/ A saucer is a small, rounded dish that sits beneath a tea or coffee cup. Other kinds of saucers include objects with a similar round shape — like a flying saucer. Saucers that live under cups are useful for catching drips from and protecting the table.
The concept of a lidded tea cup is not new — in fact, cups with lids have been used in traditional Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies for centuries. By sealing in the hot water and steam, the cup better steeps delicate tea leaves, creating a more fragrant and balanced taste.
The lid serves two practical purposes: first, if you steep in the cup, the lid will help the tea steep better; second, after steeping the lid will help the tea stay warm longer.
The correct way of stirring tea is to place the spoon at the 6 o'clock position and gently stir the tea towards 12 o'clock without touching the sides of the teacup. Don't fold the tea back and forth or side to side. After you've stirred the tea, place the spoon on the saucer next to the cup.
The tea tray and china tea set are placed at one end of the table. On the right, set out the necessary number of cups and saucers and teaspoons. Plates, flatware, and tea napkins are placed on the left.
The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created.
Turkey had the highest rate of tea drinkers in 2022, with nine in ten people saying that they regularly drink the hot beverage, followed by Kenya. Tea is the second most widely consumed drink around the world, coming in only after water.
History of adding milk to tea. Many assume that adding milk to tea started in England, but that's not actually the case. The British didn't start drinking tea until the 17th century, whereas dairy may have been added to tea in Tibet as early as 781, when tea was introduced to Mongolia from China.
What is this? Afternoon tea etiquette is to eat the sandwiches first, then the scones, then the pastries. Some places will serve the food in courses, so you won't have to worry about remembering the order.
It's not easy, so pay attention: pick up the saucer with the cup on it with your left hand. Then pick up the cup with your right hand, while holding the saucer a few inches beneath it. Bring the cup to your mouth, and while sipping, tilt your head back just a little bit (doing this too much would be very unpolite).
The fastest way to cool your tea down is to add a bit more milk, or a splash of cold water.
The traditional Cream Tea menu includes tea, scones, clotted cream and preserves (strawberry is very popular). Very often, lemon curd will also be offered as a scone condiment. More rarely, you may also be served crumpets.
The correct order to enjoy the food that accompanies afternoon tea is savory to sweet: sandwiches first, then scones, and sweets last. You can use your fingers to eat all three courses. To eat a scone, you simply break it in half with your fingers.
It comes from the fact that cultured people would eat their tea goodies with three fingers and commoners would hold the treats with all five fingers. Thus was born the misguided belief that one should raise their pinky finger to show they were cultured. Tuck that pinky finger in.”