On the 100th anniversary of iced tea, The Tea Lady
visited Sunrise Retirement Living in Springfield, giving residents a crash course in iced teas and the habit of extending one's pinkie while sipping tea. The pinkie routine was a big fad in the middle of the 19th century.
"It's now considered the height of bad manners," said Judy Larkin, who is known as The Tea Lady.
Tea aficionado Sara Henry was still a fan of the pinkie, though. Henry, a Manassas resident, was visiting her grandmother Neva Fitzgerald for the tea event. The extended pinkie was good only for black tea, though, and green tea drinking required two hands.
"I like green tea the best," Henry said.
Larkin had Earl Gray tea, green tea and mint teas along with a list of tea etiquette tips for the residents of Sunrise on Friday, July 16. Her list included don’t drink tea with a spoon in the cup, always brew with fresh water, don’t use double boiled water and clean the teapot with baking soda before changing types of tea in one pot.
"If you're making a lot of teas, you need to make sure your teapot is completely clean of the previous tea," Larkin said.
At the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Richard Blechynden poured the tea over ice on a hot summer day and started a trend. Larkin was familiar with the story.
"There was no way anyone was interested in hot tea," she said.
Now 80 percent of the tea consumed in the United States is iced.
THE TEA LADY concept started in England when a woman pushed around a trolley stacked with the tea urn, china cups and cookies. According to information distributed by Larkin, the tea lady became a victim of coffee machines in the 1980s. Now Larkin is studying tea to become a tea expert in accordance with the Tea Association standards.
"I call myself a student of tea," she said.
According to Larkin, 3,000 kinds of tea are grown in 67 countries, and tea is a healthy drink, compared with soft drinks.
"It's healthy; it's a natural product. Green and black tea have medical benefits; they're equally as healthy," she said, although green tea has only 8 milligrams of caffeine compared with a cup of black tea, which has between 25 and 101, and coffee, which has between 60 and 120.
According to information released by the Tea Council in New York, studies have shown that the flavanoids and antioxidants in tea are beneficial to the heart. Another study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported reduced risks for Parkinson's disease after two cups of tea a day.
Mrs. Earl Clark of Alexandria was at Sunrise for the presentation. Clark was a hot tea fan but finished off her glass of lime mint iced tea, which Larkin served.
"I like that," she said.
Larkin offered scones and cucumber sandwiches to complement the tea event. She wore a frilly blue hat, as well.
"I try and keep it lighthearted. People should have fun drinking tea," she said.
Erin Mason, the regional director of community relations for Sunrise, helped out with a tray of lime mint iced tea.
"She usually does a formal English hot tea. This is the first time she's done an iced tea," Mason said.