Have You Joined A Tea Society?

New year’s resolution for afternoon tea lovers:  join a tea society!

Local or online tea societies bring together tea sisters and brothers for some or all of the following:  tea education, society afternoon teas or themed events (i.e., with guest speaker, etiquette class, costumes, book review or historical lecture), discussion of all things tea, recommendations for teas or afternoon tea venues and in rare cases, a welcome gift box (tea goodies!).

As a tea society member, not only are you hip to the latest in the world of tea, but you are sure to make some new friends who enjoy thoughtful conversation over tea.

Tea society membership is oftentimes free — in the case of Facebook or Meetup groups — or can have a nominal annual membership fee, like $25, that comes with certain perks. Society email newsletters or Facebook posts invite members to society events and share tea news. Here are some tea societies for you to explore. If your tea society is not listed, please share its name in the comments, and we’ll update this article with your additions. Thank you!

Tea Societies

Facebook – Afternoon Tea Across America
Prescott, Arizona – The Prescott Tea Society
Santa Ana, California – Victorian Tea Society of Orange County
Southern California (SoCal) – Southern CA High Tea Meetup
Southern California (SoCal) – Tea Travellers SocieTea
Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Tea Society
Hawaii – Hawaii Tea Society
Bancroft, Michigan – Grand Oak Herb Farm Tea Society
Albuquerque, New Mexico – Albuquerque Ladies Tea Society
New York, New York – New York Tea Society (NYTS)
Hudson, Ohio – Secret Tea Society
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Victorian Ladies Tea Society of Philadelphia
York, Pennsylvania – The Royal-tea Club
South Carolina – Southern Tea Society
Spring, Texas – Afternoon Tea Meetup
USA/Canada – JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) – not a tea society, but meetings and annual festival include afternoon tea

If you are in the metro Atlanta area and haven’t yet joined the Meetup group Atlanta Tea Society, you are missing invitations to one-of-a-kind afternoon tea outings. Since joining ATS, I’ve not only met new friends who love going to tea, I’ve also been able to experience afternoon tea venues that only take larger parties or special tea events organized by the group, such as this November Garden Tea Party at the Chastain Park Conservancy. I thank ATS for a lovely memory!