The Pageantry Of The Afternoon Tea

By Marina Rybak

The Holiday season is upon us and the countdown to the Downtown Abbey’s third season premier has begun. The beloved British import returns to PBS on January 6th, rekindling our national obsession with the elaborate costume spectacle and the tea-loving cast of characters. In the meantime the pastime of the Afternoon Tea moves high up on my agenda during this festive stretch.

There is something theatrical and otherworldly about the ritual of the Afternoon Tea in the virtual age of the beverages on the go. Yet the social event with the roots in the Victorian era endures. I love to indulge in the refined experience, which takes me into the dimension beyond time and surrender to its delicious, inspiring and simple pleasures.

Big Apple is rich with the diverse venues, committed to perpetuating the pageantry of the teatime ceremony and recreating the enchanting environment where you can spend a few hours with your loved ones and catch up with your friends.

For starters there is totally British Tea & Sympathy in the West Village, Lady Mendl, which is nestled in the landmark townhouse in Gramercy Park and groundbreaking Ballocq Tea Atelier for the adventurous sophisticates in Green Point. The stylish and thoroughly modern tea design studio is on Oprah’s favorite things 2012. 

And there are the “establishment” grand hotels like St.Regis, Peninsula, The Pierre, Mandarin Oriental just to name a few, which cast their own charm and spin their own fancy versions to keep the tea protocol alive.

So it is the dress-up moment to slip into my pleasurable habit. The destination for the simple luxury is chosen… The stage is set.  The warm glow of the interiors is comforting. The cell phones are left at the door – only the soothing rhythm of the pleasant conversation remains… The air is infused with the aroma of the fragrant tea. It is intoxicating…  The irresistible savory and sweet props are at arm’s reach on the three tier curate stand and are ready to please –  the scones with Devonshire  cream, the crustless sandwiches, the tartlets, the miniature eclairs and the petits fours…  Never mind the still brewing controversy among  the etiquette historians how far to lift your pinky to keep the balance of the teacup. The digital age is forgiving… The curtain is rising.  The heart is filled with the anticipating joy. The show is about to begin.. It is teatime.

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. “  – Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady