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Article even contains some 'tea tips'. 
As part of the resurgence in demand for the time-honoured and quintessential Afternoon Tea, Singapore Airlines is blending Eastern and Western cultural traditions by introducing its own English Tea service to the skies.
The UK Tea Guild estimates there has been a 20 per cent increase in the popularity of Afternoon Teas in the last year alone. Launching this month, Singapore Airlines will further this with its English Tea Service becoming the newest ‘Light Bites’ offering to First and Business Class customers flying on selected flights from London Heathrow to Singapore.
The full Singapore Airlines English Tea [1] option will be served on the airline’s iconic Givenchy designed china and will include:
O Open cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches, served in a traditional finger style without crusts
o Warmed currant scones, served with Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream & Frank Cooper's Strawberry Jam
o Petit fours, including a ‘Milk Chocolate Tear’, featuring a milk chocolate Callebaut mousse in a marbled chocolate tear shape and a fresh berry ‘Fruit Tart’, complete with crème patisserie in a handmade white chocolate coated tart case
o Two Harrods tea options; the specially created No.16 Afternoon Tea blend and ever popular No. 42 Earl Grey
Wilson Yong, General Manager UK & Ireland for Singapore Airlines comments: “Tea was discovered more than 5000 years ago in China and the customary tea break has existed in the UK for approximately 200 years. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom are the largest per capita consumers of tea in the world[2] and this is just one reason why we wanted to launch the Singapore Airlines English Tea service at 35,000 feet. We are always keen to cater to local traditions and tastes onboard, using local recipes and ingredients wherever possible. In this instance, by marrying Asian influence with British tradition, we look forward to tantalising the taste buds of our customers flying from London, whether English Tea provides a comforting old favourite or new culinary experience altogether.”
Singapore Airlines is renowned for excellent service in the skies, as provided by the iconic ‘Singapore Girl’. This focus on attention to detail led the airline to consult the British authority on tea regarding the art of serving afternoon tea at 35,000ft. Head of The UK Tea Guild, Irene Gorman, is an expert in Afternoon Tea service and has shared these insights on the tradition:
O Delicacy is key – Afternoon Tea is a refined tradition and convention dictates that crusts should be removed from sandwiches, which should be appropriate in size for Afternoon Tea service. It is also preferable for scones to be served warm. There is much debate over whether clotted cream should be spread first onto the scone (the Devonshire way), or if it should instead be jam first with cream to follow (the Cornish way). Fortunately, as far as the general afternoon tea tradition goes, it is simply down to the customer’s individual preference; something the Singapore Airlines First Class service caters for. There is, however, a recommended order of eating; sandwiches and savouries should be enjoyed first, followed by scones and, finally, the pastries
o Brewing tea at high altitudes is a fine art - A pressurised aircraft cabin at 35,000 feet will reduce the temperature at which water boils. Water boils at 100 degrees centigrade at sea level but will boil at approximately 90 - 92 degrees on board a plane, depending on cabin pressure. The ideal conditions for making the perfect cup of black tea is boiling freshly drawn water and using a good quality tea
o Tea can help keep you hydrated - Tea is recognised by nutritionists as a significant contributor towards hydration; after all, a cup of tea is 99% water. Tea consumption does not produce a diuretic effect unless the amount of tea consumed at one sitting contained more than 300mg of caffeine, which would relate to drinking seven or eight mugs of tea at one sitting. Each cup of tea contains significantly less caffeine than a cup of coffee
o Tea has overall health and wellbeing benefits – Tea is an important source of flavonoid antioxidants and increasingly, evidence is highlighting the role antioxidants may have in protecting against certain conditions such as heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. The recommended number of cups of tea to drink each day is four, to get optimal health benefits
Tea Facts:
O Each month, Singapore Airlines boards enough tea to serve over 1.5 million cups to customers
o Onboard, customers have 18 different varieties of green, black, blended and herbal teas to choose from
o Green tea is good for stimulating digestive enzymes and has all-round detoxifying properties which help to alleviate trapped wind, a common in-flight problem[3]
o Black tea sits at the more caffeinated end of the spectrum. In moderation caffeine can be a benefit; in black tea it stimulates the metabolism, increases brain function and aids alertness [4] – helpful if you are flying for business purposes and need to remain alert
Golden Rules of Tea Brewing - whether at home or in the skies[5]:
1. Any tea is only as good as the water you brew with. Always start with fresh cold water and only heat it once. When water is boiled it starts to lose the dissolved oxygen that brings out the flavour of the tea
2. Tea needs good hot water to brew properly, so always warm the teapot with a splash of hot water and discard before you add the leaves
3. Measure the tea carefully. The strength of a tea should be determined by the amount of tea you put in the pot, not by the brewing time
4. Pour on the water. Most teas are brewed for 4-5 minutes to bring out the best flavours; any longer and the tea over-brews and becomes bitter
5. Once the tea has brewed, it should be strained and poured immediately
The Singapore Airlines English Tea Service is available on board now, so upgrade on your next flight to enjoy this newest culinary experience in either Business or First Class. For the latest special offers and to see the range of South East Asian and Australasian destinations served, visit www.singaporeair.com.
The UK Tea Guild estimates there has been a 20 per cent increase in the popularity of Afternoon Teas in the last year alone. Launching this month, Singapore Airlines will further this with its English Tea Service becoming the newest ‘Light Bites’ offering to First and Business Class customers flying on selected flights from London Heathrow to Singapore.
The full Singapore Airlines English Tea [1] option will be served on the airline’s iconic Givenchy designed china and will include:
O Open cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches, served in a traditional finger style without crusts
o Warmed currant scones, served with Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream & Frank Cooper's Strawberry Jam
o Petit fours, including a ‘Milk Chocolate Tear’, featuring a milk chocolate Callebaut mousse in a marbled chocolate tear shape and a fresh berry ‘Fruit Tart’, complete with crème patisserie in a handmade white chocolate coated tart case
o Two Harrods tea options; the specially created No.16 Afternoon Tea blend and ever popular No. 42 Earl Grey
Wilson Yong, General Manager UK & Ireland for Singapore Airlines comments: “Tea was discovered more than 5000 years ago in China and the customary tea break has existed in the UK for approximately 200 years. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom are the largest per capita consumers of tea in the world[2] and this is just one reason why we wanted to launch the Singapore Airlines English Tea service at 35,000 feet. We are always keen to cater to local traditions and tastes onboard, using local recipes and ingredients wherever possible. In this instance, by marrying Asian influence with British tradition, we look forward to tantalising the taste buds of our customers flying from London, whether English Tea provides a comforting old favourite or new culinary experience altogether.”
Singapore Airlines is renowned for excellent service in the skies, as provided by the iconic ‘Singapore Girl’. This focus on attention to detail led the airline to consult the British authority on tea regarding the art of serving afternoon tea at 35,000ft. Head of The UK Tea Guild, Irene Gorman, is an expert in Afternoon Tea service and has shared these insights on the tradition:
O Delicacy is key – Afternoon Tea is a refined tradition and convention dictates that crusts should be removed from sandwiches, which should be appropriate in size for Afternoon Tea service. It is also preferable for scones to be served warm. There is much debate over whether clotted cream should be spread first onto the scone (the Devonshire way), or if it should instead be jam first with cream to follow (the Cornish way). Fortunately, as far as the general afternoon tea tradition goes, it is simply down to the customer’s individual preference; something the Singapore Airlines First Class service caters for. There is, however, a recommended order of eating; sandwiches and savouries should be enjoyed first, followed by scones and, finally, the pastries
o Brewing tea at high altitudes is a fine art - A pressurised aircraft cabin at 35,000 feet will reduce the temperature at which water boils. Water boils at 100 degrees centigrade at sea level but will boil at approximately 90 - 92 degrees on board a plane, depending on cabin pressure. The ideal conditions for making the perfect cup of black tea is boiling freshly drawn water and using a good quality tea
o Tea can help keep you hydrated - Tea is recognised by nutritionists as a significant contributor towards hydration; after all, a cup of tea is 99% water. Tea consumption does not produce a diuretic effect unless the amount of tea consumed at one sitting contained more than 300mg of caffeine, which would relate to drinking seven or eight mugs of tea at one sitting. Each cup of tea contains significantly less caffeine than a cup of coffee
o Tea has overall health and wellbeing benefits – Tea is an important source of flavonoid antioxidants and increasingly, evidence is highlighting the role antioxidants may have in protecting against certain conditions such as heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. The recommended number of cups of tea to drink each day is four, to get optimal health benefits
Tea Facts:
O Each month, Singapore Airlines boards enough tea to serve over 1.5 million cups to customers
o Onboard, customers have 18 different varieties of green, black, blended and herbal teas to choose from
o Green tea is good for stimulating digestive enzymes and has all-round detoxifying properties which help to alleviate trapped wind, a common in-flight problem[3]
o Black tea sits at the more caffeinated end of the spectrum. In moderation caffeine can be a benefit; in black tea it stimulates the metabolism, increases brain function and aids alertness [4] – helpful if you are flying for business purposes and need to remain alert
Golden Rules of Tea Brewing - whether at home or in the skies[5]:
1. Any tea is only as good as the water you brew with. Always start with fresh cold water and only heat it once. When water is boiled it starts to lose the dissolved oxygen that brings out the flavour of the tea
2. Tea needs good hot water to brew properly, so always warm the teapot with a splash of hot water and discard before you add the leaves
3. Measure the tea carefully. The strength of a tea should be determined by the amount of tea you put in the pot, not by the brewing time
4. Pour on the water. Most teas are brewed for 4-5 minutes to bring out the best flavours; any longer and the tea over-brews and becomes bitter
5. Once the tea has brewed, it should be strained and poured immediately
The Singapore Airlines English Tea Service is available on board now, so upgrade on your next flight to enjoy this newest culinary experience in either Business or First Class. For the latest special offers and to see the range of South East Asian and Australasian destinations served, visit www.singaporeair.com.
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