A Mad Hatter’s tea party

Historical society to host event at museum.

By: Josh Appelbaum
   The Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society plans to steal a page from Lewis Carroll next week when it hosts a spring tea party.
   Lisa Beach, who is organizing the April 23 event, said it would be a "Mad Hatter’s Tea Party." The idea was to use the Victorian-era feel of Cranbury Museum’s exhibit room.
   "We’re asking people to wear their most fabulous hats," Ms. Beach said. "It’s inspired by Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures,’ so it will be a Mad Hatter’s tea party."
   The afternoon tea has also been named the Marilyn "Lyn" Green Tea and Lecture in honor of the longtime society member who died last year. The afternoon will feature a lecture by food historian and tea specialist Judith Krall-Russo and a trip back in time, with the museum decorated in the Victorian style.
   Tea-partiers will learn some rules and etiquette that women serving and drinking tea abided by during Victorian times. Ms. Krall-Russo, who will supervise the 2 p.m. tasting and speak on the plant’s history, would agree the "Green Tea Party" is an apt title for the day’s events.
   "The afternoon is a great time for green tea, and we’ll also be talking about different varieties like black tea and oolong," Ms. Krall-Russo said.
   She will talk about the origins of the three types of tea which were first grown in China and brought to the Western world by Dutch and Portuguese traders in the 1400s who used the tea leaves as currency.
   Ms. Krall-Russo said tea came to England in the 17th century, where it was condemned before it gained popularity.
   "Tea came to England along with other caffeinated beverages like coffee and chocolate, and was looked at by many people as something very evil," Ms. Krall-Russo said. "Tea and coffee and chocolate largely came from pagan countries, so they weren’t looked upon very nicely, but they took hold for social reasons."
   In fact, tea became so accepted among the British that, in the Victorian era, elaborate procedures for the service and consumption of the beverage at afternoon teas divided the social classes.
   "The rules were over-the-top," Ms. Krall-Russo said. "There were rules for how one would sit at a tea, how to hold the spoon while stirring, who poured the tea and who was to be served first. The middle class strove to follow the rules and were ostracized for not practicing good etiquette."
   Many of the ways people serve and enjoy tea have changed over the years and Ms. Krall-Russo said the taste of a cup of tea has probably gotten better since British nobility exclusively sipped the beverage out of china at afternoon teas because the leaves are better prepared and fresher today.
   "In today’s turn-around market and with the advent of vacuum-packed tea, in my opinion, the quality is probably much higher," Ms. Krall-Russo said.
   She said that, in the 18th and 19th centuries, American tea merchants also blended teas with cheaper ingredients like sassafras to supplement the tea leaves coming in from China. Ms. Krall-Russo said the availability of high-quality teas today caters to a more discerning connoisseur.
   "There are single-estate teas, which are different than blended teas like Lipton, Tetley or Stash," Ms. Krall-Russo said. "With those, every time you have a cup, it tastes exactly the same. But with estate teas, it’s more like tasting wine. It’s a different experience every time."
   As with wine, Ms. Krall-Russo said different teas are paired with different foods, depending on their flavors.
   "You wouldn’t pair a green or white tea with a spicy carrot cake, they’re too delicate," Ms. Krall-Russo said, suggesting a bold black tea would go better with the cake.
   She said learning the intricacies and tastes of teas with a background of history on the plant are what will make the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party enjoyable.
   "I think it’s a great event for mothers and daughters to learn about the history and etiquette, and a good way to explore the world of tea," Ms. Krall-Russo said.
For more information call Lisa Beach at (609) 409-1289.