Private & Luxury Events
High Tea Catering in Medellín
Medellin Elite Catering brings high tea catering to homes, gardens and clubs in Medellín, with three-tier stands of finger sandwiches, scones and pastries served on proper china. We also offer a Colombian afternoon of pandebono, buñuelos and hot chocolate for hosts who want something local.
Hosts book our tea service for birthdays, bridal and baby showers, book clubs, women's associations and expat social groups, as well as morning teas at the office. Most tea parties run 10 to 60 guests and last about two hours.
Our kitchen has been baking scones, tarts and Colombian breads since 2019, and every item for a tea is made the same morning. Small things decide a good tea: the jam and cream, cucumber sliced thin enough to see through, and water at the right temperature for each leaf.
- Itemized quotes available
- Bilingual English and Spanish coordinators
Plan your event
Our High Tea Catering
Our high tea catering sets up a complete afternoon or morning tea at your venue: food on tiered stands, teapots, cups and saucers, a tea and coffee station, and a server to pour and refill. You can have it seated at set tables or as a standing tea buffet. Staffed teas start at 15 guests, and smaller groups can order a drop-off tea.
Strictly speaking, the British call a light mid-afternoon spread afternoon tea and a heartier early evening meal high tea, but most people now use high tea for both. We serve either one: a classic afternoon tea from 3 to 5 p.m., or a fuller version with savory tarts and a hot dish that doubles as an early dinner.
Many of our teas take place in houses and garden apartments, including the tree-lined streets covered by our catering in Laureles service. For bigger office mornings, our breakfast catering handles the larger headcounts.
The Three Tiers of Afternoon Tea
A classic three-tier stand holds finger sandwiches on the bottom, scones in the middle and pastries on top, eaten in that order. We plan about 4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 3 to 4 pastries per guest.
The bottom tier carries crustless cucumber and cream cheese, egg and chive, smoked salmon with dill and chicken with tarragon, plus a Colombian touch of ham and quesito with guava paste. We cut them on the morning of the tea and keep them under damp cloths, because Medellín's warm air dries bread quickly.
The middle tier holds plain and raisin scones baked that morning, with strawberry and mora jam and a thick cream we whip in house. On top go lemon tarts, mini éclairs, macarons, carrot cake and a maracuyá mousse cup, and a larger sweet table can come from our dessert catering.
A Colombian Afternoon: Onces
Onces is the Colombian afternoon snack, and in Antioquia it usually goes by el algo: coffee or hot chocolate with breads and cheese around 4 p.m. We serve it as an alternative to English tea, one that visitors love and older Colombian relatives recognize at once.
The table includes pandebono (cheese bread made with cassava starch), buñuelos, almojábanas, pandeyuca and small arepas de chócolo with quesito. Hot chocolate is made with Colombian table chocolate, whisked frothy with a wooden molinillo and served santafereño style, with cubes of fresh cheese to drop into the cup.
We add aguapanela, hot water sweetened with panela (unrefined cane sugar) and served with lime or cheese, plus a pot of tinto for the coffee drinkers. Many hosts mix the two traditions, putting scones and pandebono on the same stand.
Tea and Coffee Selection
We serve a selection of six teas, a set of fresh-herb aromáticas and freshly brewed Colombian coffee at every tea party. Each tea is brewed at its own temperature, so the green tea is never bitter and the black tea never weak.
| Drink | Examples | Water | Steeping time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea | English breakfast, Earl Grey, Assam | At the boil, about 95 °C here | 4 to 5 min |
| Green tea | Sencha, jasmine | 75 to 80 °C | 2 to 3 min |
| Aromáticas and herbal | Lemongrass, hierbabuena, chamomile, cidrón | At the boil | 5 min |
| Colombian coffee | Antioquian beans, filter or French press | 92 to 95 °C | 4 min in a press |
At Medellín's altitude of about 1,500 m, water boils at roughly 95 °C rather than 100 °C, so we give black teas an extra minute to reach full strength. Aromáticas are Colombian herbal infusions, often served after a meal, and we make them with fresh herbs rather than bags.
The coffee is brewed in small batches every 30 minutes, so the last cup is as fresh as the first. Decaffeinated coffee and a caffeine-free rooibos are always on the tray for evening teas.
Tableware and Styling
Tiered stands, teapots, cups and saucers are part of our tea service, and we rent fine china, vintage-style or gold-rimmed sets through partner suppliers when a host wants a specific look. Plates, cups and flatware are included in every staffed quote.
One three-tier stand serves 3 to 4 guests, so a table of 12 needs three or four stands, plus one teapot for every 4 guests and a milk jug and sugar bowl per table. Linens, flowers and table runners are coordinated through partners and itemized.
For garden teas we bring mesh covers for the cakes and set the stands in the shade, since cream fillings soften quickly in the afternoon sun. If the tea is outdoors, our garden party catering explains tents and rain plans.
Questions and answers
High Tea FAQs
Can you cater a morning tea?
Yes, we cater morning teas from about 9 a.m., with pastries, fruit, mini quiches, yogurt with granola, coffee and a choice of teas. Morning tea suits office celebrations, club meetings and coffee mornings.
Do you rent tiered stands and teapots?
Yes, tiered stands, teapots, cups and saucers come with our staffed tea service, and we rent fine china or decorative sets through partner suppliers for themed teas. Every rented item is listed on the quote, and we collect it all after the event.
Reserve your date
Book an Afternoon Tea
Tell us the date, the number of guests and whether you prefer a classic three-tier tea or a Colombian onces table, and we will send an itemized quote within 24 hours. You can also write to info@medellincatering.com.
- Itemized quotes available
- Menus, staff, tableware, setup and cleanup in one quote
- Food-handler certified team and labeled allergens on every tray
- Monday to Saturday
- 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday
- Closed (events still run)