Herbal teas, also known as infusions, have become such a familiar drink that we may forget that they are also a medicinal herb. Below I have listed several interesting facts, helpful hints and other little tidbits that I have purposely researched so as not to repeat much of the information commonly found on other tea resource web sites.

The best way to make tea is to boil the water. The advantage is the water is actually boiling when you pour it over the tea, either in a cup or in a teapot. This helps to extract the most flavor from the tea, and it reduces the length of time you need to brew the tea. The longer you brew, the more bitter tasting tannin will be dissolved.

Tea parties are fun no matter your age. With summer just around the corner, it might be a good time to plan a tea party for the little girls in your life. Etiquette Rules for Tea Parties “Always think of others before yourself”

The first recorded arrival of tea in England was when Catherine de Braganza brought chests of it in her dowry for her marriage to Charles II in 1663. Charles and Catherine’s affinity for tea quickly popularized it amongst the upper classes and the British tea trade began in earnest in the 1670s, thanks to the British East India Company. Though tea was initially limited to the upper classes, it gradually spread to even the lower classes. By 1700, it was served in over 500 coffeehouses and tea retail shops in London alone. (Coffeehouses were for men only, so tea retailers set up areas to drink tea in order to pull in more female customers.) With these changes, tea supplanted ale as the national favorite.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, as Americans we have an entirely different concept than the British when it comes to our tea consumption. The British think of High Tea the same way we think of "supper or dinner".

In Britain, " High Tea" is High tea is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm in the evening. It would be eaten as a substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal.
It would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal.
On farms or other working class environments, "high tea" would be the traditional, substantial meal eaten by the workers immediately after nightfall, and would combine afternoon tea with the main evening meal. See also The UK Tea Council Definition.
In recent years, high tea has become a term for elaborate afternoon tea, though this is American usage and mainly unrecognised in Britain.

As an American, I'm most familiar with the condept of a Tea Party or afternoon tea. This is a light meal typically eaten between 3 pm and 5 pm. The custom of drinking tea originated in England when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal.[citation needed] Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons only take afternoon tea on special or formal occasions.

Several years back my husband had a visitor from England. He stayed with us for several days and on the last day he was visiting, he said that he'd like to take us out to Tea on his way to the airport. Since I was unaware of the fact that dinner was known as tea, I thought he meant that we'd stop somewhere for a cup of tea and possibly a scone or other light dessert to go with the tea. I wondered why he looked so uncomfortable when I put dinner on the table about a couple of hours before we left for the airport. On the way, we stopped at the only Tea House that I knew of in our area and it was then that he explained to me what he meant by tea. So even I used to think that High Tea and Afternoon Tea were the same thing: dainty little social events, where one drank tea, ate sweets and sometimes little sandwiches were on the menu. But now I know better. Don't make the same mistake when you are talking about these English tea times. I enjoy an occasional afternoon tea both at home and also when I go to a Civil War reenactment, I invite the ladies to afternoon tea.

Dolley Payne Todd Madison, one of the best known and loved First Ladies, was the wife of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817). Her iconic style and social presence boosted her husband’s popularity as President.
For half a century she was the most important woman in the social circles of America. To this day she remains one of the best known and best loved ladies of the White House--though often referred to, mistakenly, as Dorothy or Dorothea.

Downton Abbey Edwardian Hat "Lady Cora" is a sample of my design of a beautiful 19 inch wide brim designer straw hat "dedicated" to the hat that Cora wore to the flower show in Season I of the series. It is a gorgeous wide brimmed summer hat and it is perfect for that special tea party, church or Easter! It is adorned with a beautiful yellow rose (choose your rose color) accented with soft green velvet leaves. The hat band and bow are green silk (choose your own silk color) . The brim of the hat is adorned with chenille dotted veiling.

Church hats can be cute and perky, wide brimmed and dramatic, airy and delicate, but it's the radiance of the woman or girl wearing that hat that makes the hat as well as vice versa¦ the right hat with the right outfit can make the woman or girl glow with self-confidence. When I'm designing a hat for church...in my minds eye, it should be lovely and reflect the beauty of nature.