Tea Blog

If you live on this side of the pond (ahem, the Atlantic Ocean), you may not be overly accustomed to tea parties or taking tea, except for the occasional one thrown by a toddler, fueled by imaginary tea, with stuffed animals and dolls as your seatmate. That said, there's absolutely no reason to keep it that way.

A tea party for adults is actually a great time! We promise. Why? Between work, family, friends, and just life commitments – so many of us go for weeks or months saying, gosh, I wish we could get together, but... (insert excuse here!). Well, enough is enough. An adult tea party is the perfect, low-pressure way to throw a get-together.

So, whether you’re an experienced tea drinker and party planner or new to both, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover our best tips and tricks.

What Does a Tea Party for Adults Entail? 

So, you may be wondering – what would a tea party fit for adults look like? Well, you can make it as complex or as simple as you’d like! On the simple end, you could just shoot a text or message to your pals (consider if it would be better received as a ladies-only event, or if couples or the whole friend group would enjoy!) setting up the date and time, complete with a pot or two of tea and some finger sandwiches.

While the simple tea party or afternoon tea is perfectly acceptable and certainly has its place, we live life a little more boldly here at Tiesta Tea. That's why we have some more zhushed-up suggestions up our sleeve. The tea party for adults of our dreams includes all the bells and whistles of a birthday party or other similar event – and yes, that includes invitations, decorations, a tablescape, menu, and party favors!

When it comes to inviting your guest list – go as simple or elaborate as your party dictates. Maybe it's a group email or text, or perhaps it's an evite or paper invitation mailed to their home. Whatever you're feelin', run with it! After 2020, we could all do with an extra reason to celebrate, right?!

For décor, again, follow your heart's desire with a bit of help from Pinterest. Maybe you're going to borrow your grandmother's china or show off your thrifted teacup collection – or maybe you'd instead opt for your current mugs or something from the party store. Do you! Pull out your fancy tablecloths, slap on a plastic $0.99 one, or go bare – just don’t let the occasion pass you by. Now’s the time to raise a mug to the people you love and spend the afternoon enjoying each other’s company. 

Adult Tea Party Menu Ideas

While we aren’t picky on how you invite or set up an adult tea party – where we do have opinions as strong as an English breakfast brew is when it comes to the menu. Now’s the time to bring out the bold, beautiful loose leaf tea – not skimp on some tea dust in a prepackaged bag. This is a tea party, after all.

When it comes to building a menu, we recommend it's centered around the meat and potatoes – or in this case, the tea. Some of the tea we insist you serve at your adult tea party includes the world's most famous flavored black tea: earl grey. At Tiesta Tea, we feature not one but two takes on this renowned blend. Choose between Earl Grey de la Crème, a creamy take on the classic that's punctuated with vanilla and blue mallow flowers and Victorian Earl Grey, a robust, floral-forward spin on the ol’ Earl of Grey’s tea.

Beyond the (Tiesta Tea spin on the) classic, just like any party, you want to be sure there’s something to please all guests. That’s why we recommend an assortment of our flavors and functions – from the caffeine-free Immunity, Eternity, and Relaxer blends to our Energizer or Slenderizer blends that’ll put a pep in your step. 

Some go-to favorites of ours include:

• Chinese Gunpowder – our twist on a traditional smoky green tea, it's stood the test of time and deserves a seat at your tea party—a great way to introduce guests to this century's old classic.
• Fruity Paradise – a strawberry pineapple green tea that’ll hit the spot for tea experts and novices alike with its fruity, fun notes that punctuate the green tea flavor you’d expect.
• Maui Mango – a mango pineapple fruit tea that’s caffeine-free (and perfect for sharing with any kiddos who are hoping to have their own tea party – it’s like juice, but healthy!).
• Blueberry Wild Child – a blueberry hibiscus fruit tea that's as beloved by the adults as by their kiddos (doll approval pending). It's decaffeinated and packed with antioxidants—a great, unexpected addition to your tea party.
• Chai Love – a spiced chai black tea that’s popping with warm cinnamon, cardamom, and peppercorns. It’ll warm ya from the inside out, and it's a great way for those somewhat familiar with tea to dip their toes into all the goodness loose leaf tea has in store.
• Nutty Almond Cream – a cinnamon almond herbal tea that brews to this beautiful bright pink and offers a moment of relaxation no matter what's happening at the party!
• Lavender Chamomile – a soft chamomile herbal tea that’s a relaxing tea that tastes like serenity in a mug and is the perfect way to help your guests wind down after a fun, refreshing afternoon tea.

These teas are just the tip of the tea-iceberg if you will. We have dozens of other blends to serve your guests – from the ultra-traditional to the bolder, new-age variety. Another great option when shopping for your tea party needs? Snag one of our variety packs! We offer them in sampler sizes that'll be perfect for your tea party! They include Top Seller, Energizer, Immunity, and our full-size Loose Leaf Tea Variety Pack.

When you’re brewing up your tea, don’t forget the fixins. Even if you like to drink your brew straight, your guests may have other preferences. We’d suggest offering some ways to soften their blends with cream, honey, milk, lemon slices, and sugar. Another fun take on a traditional tea party? Serve some iced blends! All of our blends are great over ice, and we offer two cold brew variety packs (12-count and 24-count) of our very faves for just this reason.

When it comes to food, we have opinions… but we’re not the experts. However, some standard offerings for an afternoon tea include:

• Tea (or finger) sandwiches:
• English tea cucumber sandwiches
• Lox & cream cheese sandwiches
• Roast beef & horseradish cream sandwiches
• Scones with jam
• Teacakes or buns

Anything goes, but if you're feeling stuck, some other tasty treats we've had success with include:

• Charcuterie
• Fruit
• Cheese
• Pastries or biscuits

High Tea Party Ideas

If you're thinking of planning a high tea party, make sure you know what you're signing up for! High tea is often a misnomer. Most people refer to afternoon tea as high tea since it sounds fancy! However, high tea is essentially dinner. And yes! It does sound fancy. But the name "high tea" comes from a working-class meal served after completing the workday and was taken either on high-backed stools or standing around 5:00 pm. The food served traditionally was steak and kidney pie or other rustic dishes. 

However, over the centuries, Americans (reinforced by hotels and tea rooms) continue to think of high tea as what Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royals enjoy, complete with dainty finger sandwiches. This, however, is actually afternoon tea.

That’s not to say you can’t host a high tea party! You certainly can! You can call your afternoon high tea (as that’s what most do!), or you can host a traditional high tea around 5:00 pm with more hearty dishes than finger sandwiches.

Tea Party Ideas for Ladies 

As we laid out above, afternoon tea is the perfect way to host a tea party for ladies of all ages! With a few blends of teas, an array of tea finger sandwiches, and scones or tea cakes, you're off to a great start. If you’d like to make it an extra-special occasion, consider sending invitations, setting a dress code (may we suggest some fascinators to really channel Kate and Meghan?), and dusting off some china or fancy paper cups from a party supply store.

However you choose to host, we’re sure you and your guests will enjoy a teacup (or several) of our bold, flavorful, premium loose leaf tea blends. And who knows? Maybe you’ll start a new tradition of girlfriends and ladies in your circle hosting tea parties!

Ready for Your Tea Party? 

At Tiesta Tea, we travel around the globe to source the best quality ingredients to produce the best cup of tea. We believe in making loose leaf tea that's accessible and affordable without sacrificing quality. Ready to hit send on your tea party invitations? Don’t forget the VIP guest – your bold, premium loose leaf tea! Check out our full lineup here. And cheers to Living Loose!