# "British-style" tea - how do you take it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740 "2011-12-29T18:11:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/21 "2011-12-29T23:04:42Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > The tea that is the standard hot drink in the UK. The thread I link to in the OP pretty much covers it. Gotcha. > [@DCnDC](#): > > As an Asian I find the idea of adding milk to hot tea horrifying. South Asians almost all take tea with milk. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/22 "2011-12-29T23:17:29Z")
No milk. No sugar. No dash of water. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/23 "2011-12-29T23:22:07Z")
No milk, no sugar, straight and hot from the teapot without dilution. I drink my tea for the taste of the tea. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/24 "2011-12-29T23:51:23Z")
Slightest dash of milk, no sugar. And it has to be PG Tips\*, none of this Yorkshire or Tetley business. If I’m back at my parents’ house, its PG Tips, Indian-style: 1/5 mug of full fat milk per person, 4/5 mug of water per person, 1/2 mug water extra for the pot, 3 teabags for 4 mugs. Put everything in a saucepan and bring to the boil; once boiled, simmer for 3 or so minutes until you achieve the desired colour. Decant into mugs, drink and enjoy. \*That stuff is priced like gold in the USA. Thank goodness my mum brings some over with regularity. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/25 "2011-12-30T00:40:14Z")
Milk in hot water?!? No no no! Dash of lemon & dash of (fake) sweetener (maybe half a teaspoon each tops!) **Wanted to ask:** Is lemon in hot tea uncommon or even a faux pas in Britain? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/26 "2011-12-30T00:43:42Z")
It’s uncommon nowadays, but certainly not a faux pas. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/27 "2011-12-30T00:47:52Z")
Loose leaf 90% of the time, but just your bog-standard supermarket issue black tea leaves (whatever’s on special, usually Tynee Tips or Dilmah). Milk, no sugar (ok, half a sugar when I need a pick-me-up). Teabag will do in a pinch but I drink fewer of them than ever now I have my single-serve Beehouse teapot. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/28 "2011-12-30T01:18:18Z")
British but an absolute tea philistine here. I’ve gone for years without drinking any at all but I have the occasional cup these days. I grew up in a well brewed, milk first household but these days I just pour 2/3 of a mug of boiling water over a teabag, pull the bag straight back out then fill up with milk. Real tea drinkers avert their eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/29 "2011-12-30T01:26:38Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > **Wanted to ask:** Is lemon in hot tea uncommon or even a faux pas in Britain? Fairly common with Earl Grey, otherwise uncommon, in my experience. I wouldn’t expect it at someone’s house, but you’d be fine in most cafes. Half-a-sugar and milk here, with the standard brew. I’ll drop the sugar occasionally, but you come between me and the milk at your peril. Biscuit? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/30 "2011-12-30T01:30:22Z")
My favorite drink to make for myself at home: 16 oz mug 3 bags of Tetley rounds - leave to brew at least 15 minutes, nice and bitter all the tannins 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, or vanilla extract top off with dash of half and half Weird? Maybe so, but to me it’s soooo gooood! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/31 "2011-12-30T01:39:15Z")
> [@JessMagic](#): > > Really? Fascinating. I know a few people in Scotland who take their tea black. It’d be interesting to conduct a study comparing the tea-drinking habits of Scots and Irish, but I doubt we’d get enough results on the Dope to draw any solid conclusions. As I said in the other tea thread, my Mum drinks it black and she’s a Scot. So the numbers are going up 😉 Personally I take it white with no sugar. I need the milk to ease the bitterness and I’m a type 1 diabetic, so no sugar for me … ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/32 "2011-12-30T01:42:02Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > **Wanted to ask:** Is lemon in hot tea uncommon or even a faux pas in Britain? That’s what you have when you’ve got a cold but drunk too much Lemsip already. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/33 "2011-12-30T01:48:34Z")
Teabags from Marks & Spencer (actually cheaper than Tetley’s here in Singapore, else I’d be drinking Lipton’s nastiness), milk and 2 [size]maybe 4 depending on the size of the cup tee hee[/size] sugars. When I was in the UK, and asked for tea with milk and sugar, the cafe owner gave me a look (this was in my school cafeteria) and said “of course you’re having milk in it, I was asking how many sugars”. OOoooookaayy. :eyebrow: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/34 "2011-12-30T01:58:42Z")
No milk, with sugar, because I’m _American_ - which, admittedly, is equivalent to “mental” in some peoples’ eyes… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/35 "2011-12-30T02:07:16Z")
Very very strong (brew for a minimum of three minutes and for god’s sake squeeze the bag) and very milky - maybe 1/4 milk, but no sugar. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/36 "2011-12-30T02:16:33Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > “Black”, i.e. no milk and no sugar. I’ve never used cold water to cool it; just blowin’. This. Coffee must have cream and sugar, though. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/37 "2011-12-30T02:21:18Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Very very strong (brew for a minimum of three minutes and for god’s sake squeeze the bag) and very milky - maybe 1/4 milk, but no sugar. :eek: The horror! I meant DON’T squeeze the bag! :eek: Damn Swype. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/38 "2011-12-30T03:04:15Z")
I’ve seen the Tetley’s bags with two strings, specifically for the purpose of squeezing the bag. Huh. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/39 "2011-12-30T03:36:23Z")
An addendum: The teabag I most often use is [Stassen Pure Jasmine Green Tea](http://www.amazon.com/Stassen-Jasmine-Green-Bags-5-3oz/dp/B003GKCVVW/ref=pd_sim_gro_1) which probably doesn’t quite qualify as “British-style”, but I drink other teas (e.g. Twinings, Red Rose) the same way – black. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740/40 "2011-12-30T04:10:28Z")
I used to be inordinately fond of black tea with sugar and a dash of evaporated milk. Now, just sugar. Doesn’t adding milk to tea do something to eliminate the supposedly healthful benefits, the antioxidants, in the tea? (I keep reading all kinds of foolishness in women’s magazines about tea -‘drink enough green tea and you’ll live forever! milk will destroy the long-life properties!’) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-style-tea-how-do-you-take-it/607740.md?page=3)