When hosting a big event, you need to know how to make tea for a party! and you will need to provide enough refreshments for a large group of people. One of the most popular beverages served at sizable gatherings is tea. So, how do you make great teas for large events?
So what are the things to consider when preparing tea for a large gathering?
When preparing tea for large events, you always want to ensure you have the right amount of supplies and tools and know what it is you want to serve. Things to consider include tea (bags or leaves) and ways to flavor the drink (milk, honey, etc.). Are you serving the tea hot or cold? How many guests are coming to the event?
When you are preparing for a large get-together where you plan on serving tea, you always want to make sure you offer an array of options to suit all different tastes, giving guests a choice they can enjoy.
How to Make Tea For Large Groups
If you are getting ready to host a large group and want to offer your guests tea, here are some of the things to think about and ways to be prepared, so your event goes off without a hitch.
Tea Bags or Loose Leaf Tea?
What types of teas do you plan on serving? You can choose from tea bags or leaves and a whole slew of different flavors. Typically with larger groups, it is best to offer tea bags; this way, guests can pick and choose from the flavors provided themselves, and it is easier and cleaner to deal with.
Types of Teas
It is important to mix between different tastes, like camomile – for a caffeine-free option, fruits, and more traditional like green and black tea.
The reason for that is that different people have different tastes and different choices, and sometimes even they want to go out of their comfort zone and try new things.
Flavors of teas to consider include:
- Camomile
- Lemon tea
- Green Tea
- Fruit Flavors – (Mango, Raspberry, Elderberry)
- Black tea (Chai teas and Earl Grey)
Another great tip here will be putting a plate of sliced lemon, fresh honey, sugar, and milk. That way the guests will have the all options to choose from for their own taste.
Hot or Cold?
Are you going to serve your tea hot or cold? If you decide you want to go with a cold brew, you should add one tea bag for every 1 cup of water. When making a batch of cold brews, you want to have a few pitchers with different flavors. Fill the pitchers up with water, then add the appropriate ratio of bags to the container.
Cold-brew tea needs to steep for at least 12-24 hours before serving, so you should consider making the mixture the night before.
If you are going with hot tea, you can use teapots or commercial tea brewers. Black teas typically require a boiling point of 205°F or higher to get the right taste; all other options usually serve well at the point of boiling.
Ways to Flavor Your Teas
This was covered above in the “types of teas” section in short, but here I’ll provide you with a few more options!
There are plenty of people out there who enjoy their tea as-is, especially when drinking flavored options. And some people simply appreciate the natural taste of nature, without adding any other ingredients (like me 🙂 ) However, there are plenty of different ingredients that you can offer your guests to give them a few different ways to add a little extra flavor to their drinks.
Some of them include:
- Honey
- Milk (whole, skim)
- Heavy cream
- Fresh fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, berries)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Mint leaves
- Sugar
Types of Cups
When you are preparing for a big event, sometimes the little things are the most important. Many people don’t consider their cup of choice until it is too late, so preparing for this ahead of time is crucial.
If you are planning on cold brew teas, simple paper and disposable cups are adequate. These cups come in tons of great designs, sizes, and colors, giving you tons of ways to make them look great at a price to fit any budget.
However, if you are going to be serving hot tea, you need heavy-duty cups, whether you want disposable or something else. You can always offer disposable travel cups to your guests. These products typically come with a lid and cup holder that keep your hands from getting too hot or spilling.
If you are hosting a little bit more of an upscale event, offer your guests teacups or coffee mugs and label them with a cup band so every guest has one glass and you don’t end up with a huge sink full of cups to wash at the end of the day.
Alternative Options
Providing tea for big occasions is a good way to go because many people enjoy drinking this beverage; However, not everyone likes tea, so it is important to offer these people something to drink that they will enjoy and isn’t just water. Beverages you can easily serve along with tea include coffee, fresh juice (apple, orange), or even an alcoholic beverage such as sangrias.
It is important to always keep in mind that at a big event, where tons of people are going to show up, there is going to be a wide variety of tastes and preferences. In order to make your event a success and to keep your guests happy, offer them an array of options to enjoy.
Summing Things Up
Whenever you are hosting an event where you plan on offering tea, the best thing you can do is make sure you have a plan in place and know the ins and outs of preparing, serving, and enjoying every option out there.
Enjoy your cup of tea!
