The British are the ones who established the way tea is celebrated today with the centuries old tradition of afternoon tea. Traditionally, the British either add milk to their tea, or add tea to a few drops of milk. When milk is used before the tea is added this will produce a blend of the milk and tea, while adding the milk last will excellent the tea and make it easier to sip and also prevent harm to the leaves from the hot water. There are some that think the order in which individuals add their milk in to the tea indicates their social class. Working class people would add the milk in first whereas upper class folks added their milk in after the tea was poured. It is believed that this occurred because pouring the milk in first would prevent the cups from cracking since the lower classes could not afford high quality porcelain cups. Regardless of the system you choose to use, some like to add milk to strong black teas to mellow the tannins and make the tea less bitter. However it is becoming very popular to add milk to all sorts of teas to create lattes.
Afternoon tea has evolved into a combination of high and low teas. High tea used to be called meat tea and it was had at the end of extensive workday with family in the lower classes. Low tea on the other hand was considered a snack had by the British upper classes to hold them over till a large dinner in the evening. Low tea was very much a social event to be enjoyed with friends. The type of table used for serving high or low tea could even be used to make a differentiation between to the two. High tea was served on a high dining room table, while low tea could be had on a low table like a coffee table in the sitting room or living room.
