Plan a tea party menu.
Afternoon tea quantities come from a well-established convention: three finger sandwiches, one to two scones and two or three small pastries per guest, with three cups of tea. The tea measurement is the one worth getting right — about 2.5 grams, or 0.088 ounces, of loose leaf per six-ounce cup, which for ten guests over three cups each is roughly 2.6 ounces. That is most of a small caddy, and a common mistake is buying a single 50 gram packet for a party it cannot cover. The hot water figure matters for logistics rather than shopping: 11 quarts means boiling several kettles in sequence, so a large urn or two teapots kept warm is the practical answer.
Tea Party Planner
Total cups = guests x cups per guest; loose leaf oz = cups x 0.088; hot water qt = cups x cup size / 32; sandwiches = guests x per guest
About 2.5 grams, or one level teaspoon, per six-ounce cup. Larger mugs need proportionally more — a ten-ounce mug takes closer to four grams.
Three finger sandwiches, one or two scones with cream and jam, and two or three small pastries, served in that order with tea throughout.