History Main / TeaIsClassy

Even as tea becomes more widespread and "common", and with diners selling "to go" paper cups of tea, the connotation of tea-drinking as a sign of sophistication and wealth still persists. Posh characters--most likely TheOjou, the PrincelyYoungMan, TheBeautifulElite, or the BourgeoisBohemian couple in their expensive home--will often be seen drinking tea during their spare time ([[IdleRich which they have plenty of]]), and might even be seen carrying a teacup and a saucer even when it's inappropriate. Meanwhile, middle-class characters may take to drinking tea in order to look more classy, and little girls role-playing [[PrincessPhase as princesses or rich young ladies]] may include tea parties as an essential part of their act.

Whether it is a group of [[BritsLoveTea Victorian-esque ladies and gentlemen]] sipping their afternoon tea out of fancy China cups while taking dainty bites of finger foods and desserts, or the elaborate ceremonies performed by accomplished masters garbed in expensive-looking kimonos in Asian cultures, the very practice of tea drinking is presented as a sign of wealth and privilege--contrasting the "working-class" coffee.[[note]] While the inexpensive "cuppa joe" at the diner or truck stop is a working-class drink, coffee has become a high class beverage in posh BourgeoisBohemian circles, where espresso aficionados drink costly shots of shade-grown beans, chat in pretentious SommelierSpeak about the "tasting notes" and buy thousand dollar stainless steel espresso machines. [[/note]] The ConspicuousConsumption signifiers of costly teapots and fine China cups, and the ritual of steeping and pouring the tea add to the high-class ambiance.

* ''Manga/OnePiece''; when he is sent to the frozen island of Baldimore, Franky runs out of his cola reserves and the doctors end up replacing it with earl grey tea. This has the side effect of turning [[HotBlooded Franky]] into a posh, polite gentleman who has no taste for violence, which disappoints the young boy who found him and [[WeWantOurJerkBack liked the loud, flamboyant Franky better]].

This is not surprising. In China, where UsefulNotes/TeaAndTeaCulture originates, high-quality tea was often used by the nobility as a symbol of status, while offering tea was traditionally mandated as a show of respect: during important events, the younger/lower-class member of the family/society are expected to serve tea to the elder/upper-class member. When tea eventually made its way to the United Kingdom in the 17th Century, it was six to ten times more expensive than coffee, making it a luxurious commodity associated with [[BlueBlood aristocracy]]. Naturally, as prices began to fall, this led to the middle and working classes taking up tea drinking as well, wanting to emulate the upper class's new tea culture.

Even as tea becomes more widespread and "common", and with diners selling "to go" paper cups of tea, the connotation of tea drinking as a sign of sophistication and wealth still persists. Posh characters--most likely TheOjou, the PrincelyYoungMan, TheBeautifulElite, or the BourgeoisBohemian couple in their expensive home--would often be seen drinking tea during their spare time ([[IdleRich which they have plenty of]]), and might even be seen carrying a teacup and a saucer even when it's inappropriate. Meanwhile, middle-class characters may take to drinking tea in order to look more classy, and little girls role-playing [[PrincessPhase as princesses or rich young ladies]] may include tea parties as an essential part of their act.

* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' combines this with BritsLoveTea. The St. Gloriana team is an AristocratTeam based on the UK and has a tea set as its coat of arms. The school's creed is "Be elegant at all times", and the students (most of whom have tea-based EdibleThemeNaming) are often seen drinking tea even during matches. Their team commander, [[ProperLady Darjeeling]], who epitomizes the school's promotion of dignified elegance, is also the most prominent tea drinker. Her character page's image even shows her holding a teacup and a saucer.

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Both Shizuru Fujino and Reito Kanzaki, the [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil Student Council President and Vice President]], respectively, are avid tea drinkers. Shizuru speaks with a Kyoto-ben, [[BrilliantButLazy tends to delegate authority]], and even in situations that call for action prefers a SlowWalk and a NonchalantDodge. [[spoiler: And she named her CHILD Kiyohime after a Japanese fable]]. Reito tends to be easy-going (Haruka often chides him for his "Now, now..." responses to various situations), is polite and encouraging to Mai, definitely a ChickMagnet, and lives in a BigFancyHouse. [[spoiler: He's also been RaisedAsAHost for the BigBad, the Obsidian Prince.]]

--> '''Gertrude:''' A lack of tea would kill me more surely than any bullet. You'd understand if you were a noble.

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* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': Henry not only drinks tea, he brews it ''properly'' whenever possible, rather than using a tea bag. When Dr. Farber wants to put Henry at ease for their first therapy session, he serves Darjeeling tea with the full tea set in a sort of low-key ceremony.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': As befits his OfficerAndAGentleman personality, Captain Picard is always sipping on his beloved [[CatchPhrase tea, Earl Grey, hot]].

* ''Manga/SoulHunter'''s Chou Koumei is a flamboyant man who enjoys luxury and while he's more often seen enjoying AGlassOfChianti, he occasionally drinks tea as well.

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Both Shizuru Fujino and Reito Kanzaki, the [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil Student Council President and Vice President]], respectively, are avid tea drinkers. Shizuru speaks with a [[KansaiRegionalAccent Kyoto-ben]], [[BrilliantButLazy tends to delegate authority]], and even in situations that call for action prefers a SlowWalk and a NonchalantDodge. [[spoiler: And she named her CHILD Kiyohime after a Japanese fable]]. Reito tends to be easy-going (Haruka often chides him for his "Now, now..." responses to various situations), is polite and encouraging to Mai, definitely a ChickMagnet, and lives in a BigFancyHouse. [[spoiler: He's also been RaisedAsAHost for the BigBad, the Obsidian Prince.]]

Whether it's a group of [[BritsLoveTea Victorian-esque ladies and gentlemen]] sipping their afternoon tea out of fancy China cups while taking dainty bites of finger foods and desserts, or the elaborate ceremonies performed by accomplished masters garbed in expensive-looking kimonos in Asian cultures, the very practice of tea drinking is presented as a sign of wealth and privilege--contrasting the "working-class" coffee.[[note]] While the inexpensive "cuppa joe" at the diner or truck stop is a working-class drink, coffee has become a high class beverage in posh BourgeoisBohemian circles, where espresso aficionados drink costly shots of shade-grown beans, chat in pretentious SommelierSpeak about the "tasting notes" and buy thousand dollar stainless steel espresso machines. [[/note]] The ConspicuousConsumption signifiers of costly teapots and fine China cups, and the ritual of steeping and pouring the tea add to the high-class ambiance.

Whether it's a group of [[BritsLoveTea Victorian-esque ladies and gentlemen]] sipping their afternoon tea out of fancy China cups while taking dainty bites of finger foods and desserts, or the elaborate ceremonies performed by accomplished masters garbed in expensive-looking kimonos in Asian cultures, the very practice of tea drinking is presented as a sign of wealth and privilege--contrasting the "working-class" coffee. The ConspicuousConsumption signifiers of costly teapots and fine China cups, and the ritual of steeping and pouring the tea add to the high-class ambiance.

Whether it's a group of [[BritsLoveTea Victorian-esque ladies and gentlemen]] sipping their afternoon tea out of fancy silverware while taking dainty bites of finger foods and desserts, or the elaborate ceremonies performed by accomplished masters garbed in expensive-looking kimonos, the very practice of tea drinking is presented as a sign of wealth and privilege--contrasting the "working-class" coffee.

This is not surprising. In China, where UsefulNotes/TeaAndTeaCulture originates, high-quality tea was often used by the nobility as a symbol of status, while offering tea was traditionally mandated as a show of respect: during important events, the younger/lower-class member of the family/society are expected to serve tea to the elder/upper-class member. When tea eventually made its way to the United Kingdom in the 17th Century, it was six to ten times more expensive than coffee, making it a luxurious commodity associated with aristocracy. Naturally, as prices began to fall, this led to the middle and working classes taking up tea drinking as well, wanting to emulate the upper class's new tea culture.

Even as tea becomes more widespread and "common", the connotation of tea drinking as a sign of sophistication and wealth still persists. Posh characters--most likely TheOjou, the PrincelyYoungMan, TheBeautifulElite, or the BourgeoisBohemian--would often be seen drinking tea during their spare time ([[IdleRich which they have plenty of]]), and might even be seen carrying a teacup and a saucer even when it's inappropriate. Meanwhile, middle-class characters may take to drinking tea in order to look more classy, and little girls role-playing [[PrincessPhase as princesses or rich young ladies]] may include tea parties as an essential part of their act.

* Weaponized in ''Film/RedCliff''. On the eve of the final battle, Xiao Qiao buys time for her husband's men to cross the river and get in position to attack by walking into Cao Cao's camp and distracting the enemy general with a tea ceremony.

* ''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'': Richard is so rich, classy, and just plain ''weird'' that he's obsessed with his royal milk tea and serves it to his wealthy, upperclass clientele. The fact that he's half [[BritsLoveTea British]] also helps.

* ''LightNovel/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'': Richard is so rich, classy, and just plain ''weird'' that he's obsessed with his royal milk tea and serves it to his wealthy, upperclass clientele.

* The last panel of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'''s GenderFlip {{omake}} shows a female!Garcia--the heir(ess) of the prominent Lovelace family--sporting RegalRinglets and dressed in a fancy gown, calmly sipping tea from an ornate china cup served by a male!Roberta.

A SubTrope of DrinkBasedCharacterization (in which tea reflects the drinker's prestige) and obviously a SisterTrope to the aforementioned WineIsClassy. See also BritsLoveTea and AsiansLoveTea, where tea is used as NationalStereotypes rather than a sign of class.

A SubTrope of DrinkBasedCharacterization (in which tea reflects the drinker's prestige) and obviously a SisterTrope to the aforementioned WineIsClassy. See also BritsLoveTea, where tea is used as a {{National Stereotype|s}} rather than a sign of class.

Even as tea becomes more widespread and "common", the connotation of tea drinking as a sign of sophistication and wealth still persists. Posh characters--most likely TheOjou, the PrincelyYoungMan, or TheBeautifulElite--would often be seen drinking tea during their spare time ([[IdleRich which they have plenty of]]), and might even be seen carrying a teacup and a saucer even when it's inappropriate. Meanwhile, middle-class characters may take to drinking tea in order to look more classy, and little girls role-playing [[PrincessPhase as princesses or rich young ladies]] may include tea parties as an essential part of their act.

* ''VideoGame/DragonFableFalconreach'': As a elegant, noble lady, Celestia is extremely fond of tea.