# A good cuppa (tea), possible in the states? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893 "2011-05-31T20:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/21 "2011-06-01T02:58:21Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > Don’t hotel rooms in the US have a kettle in them? Not usually. They have a coffeemaker and tea bags. You end up with coffee-flavored tea. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/22 "2011-06-01T03:04:18Z")
I also remember having very good tea in England. > [@](#): > > Our local supermarket has PG Tips and Typhoo Would y’all tea connoisseurs recommend these two brands for regular home consumption? ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/23 "2011-06-01T21:34:12Z")
It’s not always the leaf, it’s the method. See George Orwell’s A Nice Cup of Tea. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/24 "2011-06-01T21:52:15Z")
Drink it iced and heavily sweetened like the gods intended, ya damyankee. With that out if the way, don’t the Brits use tea bags too? I know I saw it on a Torchwood episode. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/25 "2011-06-01T21:57:18Z")
That link’s got one too many https. Try: [http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/a-nice-cup-of-tea.htm](http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/a-nice-cup-of-tea.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/26 "2011-06-01T22:47:46Z")
Here is an ordinary, average English person expressing his feelings on the subject of tea: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eELH0ivexKA/hqdefault.jpg "Cup Of Brown Joy - Elemental") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/27 "2011-06-01T23:00:39Z")
How nice to have a thread all about me! Wish someone had told me… Anyway, to clarify - I was not talking about the “quality of tea” or any such thing. There are a million types of tea, served in a million ways. I’m sure they’re all equally tasty to their fans. I was talking about a “cuppa” which is a particular way of drinking tea, and is the staple drink of 60-million Britons. It has nothing to to with green tea, iced tea, rare eastern teas, or anything else. It simply refers to the simple “cuppa”, which I adore and which I find hard to come by in the US. I drink a dozen cups of it a day, and to me, personally, it is the perfect drink. I am fully capable of locating and drinking eastern green minty tiger-brewed tea which is meant to be drunk through a bamboo cane while sitting cross-legged on a pyramid, should I wish to. I was simply referring to the good old British cuppa, and that I miss it when in the US (or anywhere else, to be honest - it’s just that the US is somewhere I visit a lot). ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/28 "2011-06-01T23:01:12Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > Drink it iced and heavily sweetened like the gods intended, ya damyankee. That reminds me of a question I’ve always wanted to ask…do the British drink iced tea? Or is that just an American thing? ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/29 "2011-06-01T23:03:04Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > That reminds me of a question I’ve always wanted to ask…do the British drink iced tea? Or is that just an American thing? I’ve never had it. It exists, as anything does in any modern Western country, but I’m not personally familiar with anyone who drinks it. Not that I know what everyone drinks when in the comfort of their own home, but I’d venture a guess that it’s pretty uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/30 "2011-06-01T23:06:49Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > How nice to have a thread all about me! Wish someone had told me… Not about you, inspired by you. Subtle difference. Sorry for not saying anything, I sort of figured you would wander in eventually. (and you did!) And I did get what you were going for (eventually), and I think this thread has probably told me what I was generally looking to find out. I tend to get in the way of my own threads sometimes so I decided to just back off after the OP and see where this one went. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/31 "2011-06-01T23:14:50Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Yeah, the water that hits the tea really has to be just below actually boiling. > > Wouldn’t the tea sit in the bottom of the pot and stew? > > I brew my tea and pour it through a strainer into a vacuum carafe. Doesn’t stew, stays hot and delicious. > > Forgot to add, I buy my tea at the Indian markets on Devon. Good English tea, dirt cheap. My description was not complete. First, it’s not a large pot (possibly 12-14 ounces); second, the tea sits in a strainer that is located where you pour the water in, so it sits above the water once you have poured out the first cup. In any case, if I’m in the shop drinking it, the tea doesn’t last long enough to get stewed. I’ve never been to Britain so I probably have never experienced a good British cuppa. I went to a tea shoppe in Greenwich Village a couple of years ago, but I don’t remember much about the actual tea. I would love to find a real British style tea shop that serves a good cuppa, properly made, with perhaps some shortbread cookies or something to go with. There is one place I’ve been meaning to try, here in SF, I’ll report back if it’s any good. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/32 "2011-06-02T19:50:06Z")
If the question is why you can’t get tea in the US like the Brits like to drink it I think the answer is as simple as it is the US not the UK. I vaguely recall learning in school about a war and something about tea. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/33 "2011-06-02T20:04:45Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > If the question is why you can’t get tea in the US like the Brits like to drink it I think the answer is as simple as it is the US not the UK. I vaguely recall learning in school about a war and something about tea. 😃 They threw that good tea into Boston Harbor … and have been cursed by the gods in the form of never having a good cuppa since? :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/34 "2011-06-02T20:16:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I also remember having very good tea in England. > Would y’all tea connoisseurs recommend these two brands for regular home consumption? I do like PG Tips a lot. They make a pretty strong cup – and brews in about two minutes. It’s my go-to tea when I really need a pick-me-up. I don’t think I’ve tried Typhoo, but my wife likes it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/35 "2011-06-02T20:18:36Z")
I just had plain old Red Rose when my UK friend was here, and he seemed to like it well enough. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/36 "2011-06-02T21:06:26Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I just had plain old Red Rose when my UK friend was here, and he seemed to like it well enough. Most of the more popular brands in Britain are not amazingly refined teas anyway. What they are is strong, black tea from India or Africa, and the preparation is usually a teabag steeped in a mug, with boiling water. Add milk and sugar to taste, and repeat several times a day. That’s my idea of a cuppa, and one that isn’t easy to obtain as a tourist in America. This is no criticism, it’s just different strokes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/37 "2011-06-02T21:23:47Z")
Quoth **RealityChuck** : > [@](#): > > And others have pointed out, you usually get lukewarm water with Lipton (though other brands like Stash do show up). To my taste, Stash is the best tea generally available in the US-- I like it better than Twinings or PG Tips. I’ve never seen it in restaurants, though-- The best you can hope for in restaurants is usually Bigelow (which is still decent, but not the greatest). And if you’re not lucky, you may even get stuck with United Food Services or something of the like, which I’m convinced is made out of equal parts floor sweepings and dried oak leaves. Even at that, though, Stash still isn’t quite as good as the stuff I had each and every day from a wide variety of B&Bs when I visited Ireland. Here, you have to make an effort to find the good stuff, but across the pond, it’s ubiquitous. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/38 "2011-06-02T21:57:11Z")
> [@Achren](#): > > That link’s got one too many https. > Try: > [http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/a-nice-cup-of-tea.htm](http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/a-nice-cup-of-tea.htm) thanks. Stand you to a cup next time I meet you. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/39 "2011-06-02T23:04:15Z")
Don’t know about anybody else, but at home I make loose leaf teas in a classic brown bess teapot that has been knocking around in the family for an unknown amount of time. And when I say I have no idea how old it is I am serious, I still have the receipt [and limoges china but not the barrel it was shipped in] from wedding china shipped over in 1835. I suppose I really should look into replacing the missing 5 pieces that got damaged over the years. I also carry around my own tea bags when I am not home. They don’t take up much space in my bag, I keep them in an ancient sucrets tin from somewhere back in the 70s I found shoved in a drawer at my moms. I tend towards stash caravan loose at home as my main tea, and I rotate between twinings black box earl grey, assam or pekoe on the road. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893/40 "2011-06-02T23:27:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I do like PG Tips a lot. They make a pretty strong cup – and brews in about two minutes. It’s my go-to tea when I really need a pick-me-up. > > I don’t think I’ve tried Typhoo, but my wife likes it. And I think that might be it. Default British teas are black teas. In the US, there’s really no standard type of tea. If I go into a supermarket around here, I’m going to find: 1. The cheap stuff (Lipton, Tetley, store brands) 2. Upmarket American teas (Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow) 3. Asian-style green teas - promoted for their antioxidant qualities 4. “Yoga mom” herbal teas with flavors like “Relax”, “Invigorate” and “Zen” (Tazo, Stash, Yogi, etc.) 5. Common British brands (Twinings, PG Tips, Typhoo) 6. Chai, mate, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-cuppa-tea-possible-in-the-states/583893.md?page=3)