The Langham’s afternoon tea tradition dates back to 1865 at The Langham, London.
As the global pioneer of luxury afternoon tea, it has remained the supreme exemplar of British tea ritual aesthetics for a century and a half.
Across a hundred years, this dialogue on elegance continues in Shanghai.
The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi pays tribute to the brand’s heritage with the collectible The Langham Afternoon Tea Book and joins forces with Aynsley, the British Royal bone China brand, to present a century-spanning British gathering of elegance: Color Tea Time Langham Afternoon Tea.
This Color Tea Time marks another collaboration between two century-old brands and a poetic dialogue between Eastern and Western aesthetics.
This edition features the classic Butterfly collection tea ware born in the 19th century: Art Deco-style cups decorated with contrasting patterns and three-dimensional butterfly handles, like butterflies gracefully alighting among flowers, adding lively elegance to the autumn tea table.
The four colors represent elegance, fashion, legend, and passion, respectively, recounting a century of porcelain craftsmanship amid shifting light and shadow.
The tea menu strictly follows the three-tier ritual of British afternoon tea.
The savory tier brings together smoked salmon with watercress and horseradish finger sandwiches, masala chicken with harissa sauce sandwiches, and potato cakes with spicy mayonnaise and pickled egg, with distinct layers and savory, appetizing flavors.
The sweet tier features fresh fruit cream tarts, using the four seasonal fruit colors of kiwi, mango, raspberry, and blueberry to echo the four-color teaware and capture the garden’s vibrant flavors on the tongue.
In addition, raspberry jasmine tea cake rolls, rose lychee baba cakes, and vanilla salted caramel mille-feuille blend the sweetness of flowers and fruit with a touch of salt to just the right degree, leaving a lingering finish.
Freshly baked dried-fruit English scones, soft and sweet, are served with rich cream, fully expressing the authentic essence of classic British teatime.
This afternoon tea also features a specially added interactive element, giving the traditional tea ritual a new experience.
Before being seated, guests may draw an exclusive ‘Today’s Butterfly Tag’—each butterfly corresponds to a tea ware in a specific color.
Guests follow the color’s guidance to find desserts, objects, and scenes of the same color palette at the tea table, ultimately completing a nine-grid puzzle and capturing a one-of-a-kind moment of British elegance.
With a century of heritage as its prelude and fluttering colorful butterflies as its guide, Color Tea Time Langham Afternoon Tea invites guests to join an elegant appointment that transcends time amid blossoms and tea fragrance.
Color Tea Time · The Langham Afternoon Tea
RMB588 per set, for two to share; each guest enjoys free-flow coffee or tea
RMB300 per table for free-flow champagne or sparkling tea
Daily, 2pm-5pm
Cachet, 1F, The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi
[All image courtesy of The Langham Shanghai Xintiandi]
