Tea tray

“ In order to get the maximum quantity of work from the Dryer, the trays must be spread with rolled leaf twice as thick as that used when Tea is dried over charcoal, where there is no forced current of air, and after the Tea has been half-dried, then the Tea on two trays should be spread on one tray, and the drying finished. In the Dryers now in course of construction, the trays have been made one-half deeper, so that the half-dried Tea on three trays should be finished in one tray. The out-turn of the machine is greatly diminished when the foregoing method is not observed ”

“ A double-decked table that has its second deck above the main table is not good because the tea tray perched on the upper deck is neither graceful nor convenient. In proper serving, not only of tea but of cold drinks of all sorts, even where a quantity of bottles, pitchers and glasses need space, everything should be brought on a tray and not trundled in on a tea-wagon! ”

“ I have already spoken of one of McMeekin’s inventions. His chest-of-drawers for firing Tea is, I think, superior to his batten table. It is now so well known, and in such general use, that I shall describe it very shortly. It is nothing more than a low chest-of-drawers, or trays fitted in a frame one above the other, the bottom of each tray being fine iron wire, so that the heat of the charcoal, in the masonry receptacle over which it is placed, ascends through all the drawers and thus dries or fires a large quantity of “roll” at the same time. ”

“ Generally an antiquated chest of drawers is among their cherished possessions; a tea-tray always is. I know of at least two rooms in which a little tea-kettle of genuine burnished copper, vies with the cat in winking at the fire; and one old lady has a tea-urn set forth in state on the top of her chest of drawers, which urn is used as her library, and contains four duodecimo volumes, and a black-bordered newspaper giving an account of the funeral of Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte. Among the poor old gentlemen there are no such niceties. ”

“ Tea made at night is never very good. With sufficient motive power, sufficient rolling machinery, and Kinmond’s Dryers, the factory (let the leaf gathered be what it may) can be shut up at dark. Kinmond’s Dryer may yet be improved upon by himself or by others, but as it now stands it possesses a feature peculiar to itself, and all important. The hot air, driven by a fan (the speed of which, under control, regulates the temperature) , does not pass successively through the different trays, for the hot air, drying the Tea in each tray, has a separate inlet and outlet. ”

“ The every-day afternoon tea table is familiar to everyone; there is not the slightest difference in its service whether in the tiny bandbox house of the newest bride, or in the drawing-room of Mrs. Worldly of Great Estates, except that in the little house the tray is brought in by a woman—often a picture in appearance and appointment—instead of a butler with one or two footmen in his wake. In either case a table is placed in front of the hostess. A tea-table is usually of the drop-leaf variety because it is more easily moved than a solid one. ”

“ We are glad to record that one seldom happens upon one, these days. How the English used to revile them! In the simplest homes it is always possible at the tea hour, to have a table placed before whoever is to "pour" and a tray on which are cups, tea, cream, sugar, lemon, toast, cake or what you will, brought in from the pantry or kitchen. There was a time when in America, one shuddered at the possibility of dusty cups and those countless faults of a seldom-rehearsed tea-table! ”

“ The housekeeper, lady’s maid, cook, or whoever may be acting as housekeeper, makes the tea, fills the hot-water kettle with boiling water, fills the sugar-basin and creamjug, and places the teacups on the tray, with teaspoons, a plate of thin bread and butter or cake, if not both. The footman, before taking in the tea, places a low table in front of his mistress, or of the seat usually occupied by her when pouring out tea, or he sees that the table near to her chair is clear of articles, that he may at once place the tray upon it. ”

“ The silver equipage includes (left to right) a sugar container and cover, hexagonal tea canister, hot water jug or milk jug, slop bowl, teapot, and (in front) sugar tongs, spoon boat or tray, and spoons. The cups and saucers are Chinese export porcelain. (Photo courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc.)
The gracious art of brewing and serving tea was as much an instrument of sociability as was a bit of music or conversation. This custom received the attention of a number of artists, and it is amazing what careful and detailed treatment they gave to the accessories of tea. ”

“ If the rivals thus caught jump and dance with pain, the effect is increased. The serving maid who brings the tea in Scene 5 wears a cap and apron and carries a tray bearing a number of unbreakable wooden and tin dishes which make a great clatter in falling without causing any damage. The tea table, a small one, supported by a single post in the center, may be cut from brown paper and pinned on the screen before Scene 5 appears. In shadow it will seem to be just as real as an actual table, but of course a real table may be used if preferred. ”

“ A cloth must always be first placed on the table, before putting down the tray. The tea cloth may be a yard, a yard and a half, or two yards square. It may barely cover the table, or it may hang half a yard over each edge. A yard and a quarter is the average size. A tea cloth can be colored, but the conventional one is of white linen, with little or much white needlework or lace, or both. ”

“ Oranges were changed into pots of marmalade, and given away to the boys, and a chest of tea was converted into a tray carrying a steaming teapot, sugar, milk, cups of tea, and handed by the attendants to the ladies in the reserved seats only—such is the blighting influence of cash, which caused the one-shilling people to be neglected and the eighteenpenny-reserved-seat folks to have their teas. ”

“ Sometimes the teapot, whether ceramic, pewter, or silver, was placed upon a dish or small, tile-like stand with feet. These teapot stands served as insulation by protecting the surface of the table or tray from the damaging heat of the teapot. Stands often were included in tea sets but also were sold individually, such as the “Pencil’d China ... tea pot stands,” advertised in 1775, and the “teapot stands” of “best London plated ware” imported in 1797. [69] The stands must have been especially useful when silver equipage was set on a bare table top ”

“ The tea-spoons, cups, saucers, and milk-jug, come next to be washed in warm water, and lastly, the silver forks, plates, and butter-dish; by this arrangement the articles not greasy will not be dimmed by those that are; the knives should be put aside in a knife-box, to be taken away by the person who is to clean them, and the tray, after being washed over, and well rubbed up, should be placed in the butler’s pantry, with its face to the wall, and each tea-cup hung up on a nail, with the saucers ranged below on shelves for the purpose ”

“ When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender; ”

“ Tinware-Solder, zinc milk pails,pepper boxes, ewers and basins, water jugs, candlesticks, japanned tea trays, pudding pans, Dutch ovens, candle and flour boxes, flour scoops, meat hasteners, funnels, dripping pans, American ovens, cooks' sieves, door porters, Tea services, spoons, forks, gold and silver pencil cases, &c, &c. ”

“ How can we insure the least loss, taking into consideration the fact that the weights of both the gross and tare, because of the wood drying and lightening in transit, can never come out the same at the Custom House in London as they were on the garden.
We can do it thus: the Tea if well packed in a chest in no way alters in weight during transit. If dry, when put up, it cannot become lighter; if the leaden covering is air-tight, it can absorb no moisture, which would of course [276] make it heavier. I therefore beg the question that it is a fixed quantity, for it must be so if well packed. ”

“ Heavy with lump sugar, a handful of mint and bay leaves was also crammed into the little remaining space in the teapot, the boiling water out of the urn was turned on over all, filling up every chink, the lid shut down upon the steaming fragrant brew, and the teapot set back upon the brass tray, the centre of a ring of tiny gilt and painted glasses. ”

“ Place a folded napkin at the left of the plate, a bread and butter plate at the tips of the forks with butter spreader laid across the plate. Near the top of each plate individual pepper and salt cellars, at the right of each plate place a glass for water, and sugar bowl and cream pitcher at each end of the table.
Food should be passed at the left and placed at the right. When coffee and tea is served, place a cup at the right of each person.
When clearing off the table, food must be first removed, then the soiled dishes, glass, silver, then crumb. ”

“ Not seen in this detail of the painting is the entry of a male servant who is carrying a tall silver pot, which may have contained chocolate or coffee. These two other social beverages of the 18th century were served in cups of a deep cylindrical shape, like the three seen on the end of the table. The shallow, bowl-shaped, handleless teacups and the saucers are arranged in a neat row along one side of the table. The teapot rests on a square tile-like stand or dish that protects the table from the heat. Nearby is a bowl to receive tea dregs, a pot for cream or milk, and a sugar bowl. ”

“ To descant on the advantages over the old system of bulking which are possessed by the machine which has been described would be little better than a waste of time. Yet some few points may be briefly referred to. First, cleanliness is secured, for from first to last the Tea is never touched by hand or foot. Again, the Tea cannot be injured, nor can it lose its aroma, for it is never exposed to the atmosphere at all. Instead of being allowed to lie on the floor of the warehouse for any period, the entire process of bulking is completed without break or delay. ”

“ This slap on the basket is invariably applied throughout the stages of the tea manufacture. There is always a large basket underneath to receive the small leaves that fall, which are afterwards collected, dried, and added to the other tea; in no case are the baskets or sieves permitted to touch or remain on the ground, but always laid on a receiver with three legs. After the leaves have been half dried in the drying basket, and while they are still soft, they are taken off the fire and put into large open-worked baskets, and then put on the shelf, in order that the tea may improve in colour. ”

“ Always spread the same side up, or the carpet will be soiled by the rug. Table-mats are needful, to prevent injury to the table from the warm dishes. Tea-cup-mats, or small plates, are useful to save the table-cloths from dripping tea or coffee. Butter-knives for the butter-plate, and salt-spoons for salt dishes, are designed to prevent those disgusting marks which are made when persons use their own knives to take salt or butter. A sugar-spoon should be kept in or by the sugar-dish, for the same purpose. ”

“ In the first place it is insisted on in their warehouses that previous to trampling the Tea into the chests, a cloth shall be placed over it to preserve it from the dirt of the man’s boots, and to some extent from injury—a precaution which, strange as it may seem, is not taken in every bonded warehouse. ”

“ This is especially remarkable in the case of such places as Canton, where large numbers are living afloat on the mouths of sewage-laden rivers or estuaries.
The ordinary everyday domestic beverage is a weak infusion of tea, made in a large teapot, kept in a padded basket to retain the heat. The whole family is supplied from this reservoir. The very poorest drink plain hot water, or water tinged by infusing the spent tea-leaves rejected by their richer neighbours.
Next to the boiling of water for its own sake, comes the boiling of water as a medium for the cooking of other things. ”

“ Another possibility, if the lid was multipurpose, is that it was used as a dish or stand under the teapot to protect the table top. Silver sugar boxes, basins, and plated sugar baskets were other forms used to hold sugar, [60] which, in whatever container, was a commodity important to the Americans. As Moreau de St. Méry noted, they “use great quantities in their tea.” [61]
Figure 18.—Stiegel-type, cobalt-blue glass sugar dish with cover, made about 1770. ”

“ Still teas should be kept as much as possible from the light and air, particularly in damp or humid weather, as the oxydizing influences of the atmosphere has a more or less deleterious effect upon them. They should never be sold out of freshly-painted bins or newly-japanned tea-caddies, being much better, at all times, to deal them out of the original packages, replacing the lead and lid when through. The most successful tea-dealers I have met invariably sell them in this manner. Do not keep your teas too close to a fire or stove, a dry, cool atmosphere of moderate temperature is always best. ”