afternoon tea vs tea

afternoon tea and tea both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
afternoon tea	Yes	No	No	No
tea	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, afternoon tea and tea are synonyms defined as:

afternoon tea and tea: a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes

Other synonyms of afternoon tea include teatime.

afternoon tea (noun)	tea (noun)
a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes	a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
	a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes
	dried leaves of the tea shrub; used to make tea
	a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree extensively cultivated in e.g. China and Japan and India; source of tea leaves