Anyone for tea?

Tea and casinos go together a bit like… peaches and cream, bread and butter, and gin & tonic. As we celebrate National Tea Day on April 21, 2022, it is good to remember that White’s started out as a teashop before it became associated with the ‘gamesters of White’s’ and known as one of the first gambling houses in the 18th century.

Here are a couple of other facts…

• In April 1964 John Lennon was photographed drinking tea in Les Ambassadeurs Club.
• National Tea Day The date is Queen Elizabeth’s birthday
• Tea can be both a drink and a meal
• The famous afternoon tea was introduced in the late 1840’s by the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Russell, because she had hunger pains between meals
• It is the world’s second famous drink – after water
• Tea was invented in 2737 BC in China
• Les Ambassadeurs’ Mayfair neighbour Fortnum and Mason began importing tea 1707
• There is only one way to stir tea – start from 12 o’clock position and slowly fold the tea with a spoon from 12 to 6, back and forward 2 to 3 times.
• Da Hong Pao is the most expensive tea on the planet at around $600,000 per pound. This rare China-based tea is harvested from nearly extinct ancient ‘mother trees’, which are the oldest trees in the forest. It has a heavily oxidised, smoky mellow flavour.
• About 3.8bn cups of tea are consumed globally every day according to Euromonitor.

We look forward to seeing you at 5 Hamilton Place, where you can enjoy a cup of tea…