Victorians in america and in england (about tea)?

Question

Firstly, was victorian era culture similar in both america and england?

Was tea-time practiced in america just like in england?

Secondly, what did tea consist of? was food always involved?

Did people get together have one cup and then leave???

THIRDLY, was tea served warm-or-hot. And...why?

Sorry if these are really stupid questions but i've wanted to know for a very long time!!

Answer 1

Afternoon tea became popular in the late 1800s.  It was a result of the main meal of the day being moved to a later and later hour in the course of the century, leaving a long gap between lunch and dinner, which was filled with afternoon tea.  Usually tea would be served with sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits (cookies).

For people of the lower classes, 'tea' would be a substantial meal that would be served when they got home from work.

Either way, tea is always made with boiling water, and served hot.  My husband, who goes to America quite frequently, assures me that it is impossible to get a drinkable cup of tea in the USA "Americans don't know how to boil water" he says.

I don't know whether afternoon tea ever caught on in America.  I think they gave up drinking tea after the Revolution and took to drinking coffee instead.

Answer 2

The United States of America is the only country where the most popular form of tea is iced. Every other country prefers their tea either warm or room temperature. During the colonial period, tea was the most popular form of beverage in the colonies just as it was back in Britain. The Boston Tea Party was a political, economic and social statement. By the 1800s, however, coffee replaced tea in the United States, primarily as a way of Americans making themselves different from the British.