# How do you like your tea?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 26, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161 "2016-02-26T02:37:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/41 "2016-02-27T07:34:25Z")
Lemon Ginger tea with honey, lemon juice, and rum
awesome if you have a cold/flu
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### Author:  [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2016, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/42 "2016-02-27T08:16:38Z")
Loose tea brewed in a pot, poured into a big mug with 3/4 of a teaspoon of sugar, stir and add milk very slowly - too much milk will ruin a good cuppa and put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I prefer English Breakfast from Twinings, will make do with Yorkshire or PG Tips, Lipton tea I ignore on principle.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/43 "2016-02-27T10:27:25Z")
> [@Elemenopy](#):
>
> I also still enjoy “sun tea;” for the uninitiated, that would be cold-brewed tea, cheap strong black pekoe, left out in a pitcher for a while in the window, and eventually served over ice with a little lemon and sugar. Lipton, Red Rose, or Luzianne. Not quite the same as Southern sweet tea, but was as ubiquitous in the Midwest not so very long ago. I heard recently that it’s a health hazard, but I don’t buy it. (Seriously…tea bags left for an hour or two in water will give you food poisoning? I’ll risk it.)
For an hour or two, no, not a problem provided you start with an actually clean jar.
The problem comes in with people who never refrigerate the result, especially if they add sugar to the jar (add it in the individual serving) and don’t thoroughly clean and sanitize the sun tea jar between uses. I usually use a bleach solution, especially for those jars with a tap built in. For those you need to run the bleach water through the tap. And then rinse very, very thoroughly. If you don’t clean it thoroughly then you get a build up of bacteria.
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/44 "2016-03-01T17:59:38Z")
Bit confused by people referring to “black tea with milk”. Does “black tea” have a meaning other than “without milk” in other parts of the world, is it referring to how long the tea is brewed, that is strong tea?
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### Author:  [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/45 "2016-03-01T18:08:01Z")
There are generally four recognized types of tea (outside of herbal or tisanes): black, green, white, and oolong. Black tea is normally the strongest of the teas and can stand up to milk. It’s fairly rare to put milk in the other styles of tea.
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### Author:  [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/46 "2016-03-01T19:50:16Z")
I like to have a little tea with my cream and sugar.
Unless it is Russian-style, which tastes horrible with cream, but excellent with lemon.
White tea with a little sugar.
Not fond of either green or oolong.
Iced tea with a lot of sugar and a little lemon.
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### Author:  [@Galwegian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galwegian)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/47 "2016-03-01T20:03:30Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#):
>
> Bit confused by people referring to “black tea with milk”. Does “black tea” have a meaning other than “without milk” in other parts of the world, is it referring to how long the tea is brewed, that is strong tea?
Hi Gadai. When you and I say “black tea”, we mean tea without milk. When the rest of the world says “black tea”, they mean tea.
Here in Ireland, and also in the UK, tea means just one thing, unless qualified by green, or herbal, or something. In the rest of the world, it can mean any kind of preparation of herb, plant or fruit steeped in hot water.
So they qualify our type of tea as “black tea” as opposed to ask that other stuff.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/48 "2016-03-01T20:05:32Z")
Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast for me, hot, with three or four spoonfuls of sugar. No milk, cream or lemon, thanks.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/49 "2016-03-01T20:05:56Z")
Earl Grey, Hot
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/50 "2016-03-01T20:19:51Z")
I don’t drink tea that often, but when I do, I like it with a bit of lemon. No sugar!!
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### Author:  [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/51 "2016-03-01T21:07:22Z")
> [@mbh](#):
>
> Unless it is Russian-style, which tastes horrible with cream, but excellent with lemon.
I’m not a big fan of Russian tea, but if I drink it, I figure I may as well do it right, so I prefer to sweeten it with strawberry jam.
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/52 "2016-03-01T22:56:28Z")
Last year, I discovered the yumminess that was milk tea. This is the stuff served at Asian cafes that specialize in the stuff. I tried jasmine milk tea with popping boba and black milk tea with tapioca balls. Then I tried Assam milk tea with tapioca. That stuff was amazing - it tasted smoky and caramel-y and nutty all at once.
It was right about then that I discovered that caffeine was starting to violently disagree with me, and I had to give it up. No tea (or anything with caffeine) since then.
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### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/53 "2016-03-02T05:26:24Z")
With sugar and lemon. Hot tea, that is. I always get served that in Chinese restaurants 🙂
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### Author:  [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/54 "2016-03-02T06:46:28Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
>
> Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast for me, hot, with three or four spoonfuls of sugar. No milk, cream or lemon, thanks.
ditto, almost, no sugar, no milk, no nuthin’
Add in jasmin and lapsang when feeling exotic. No milk sugar or other additives.
Also the occasional Yerba Mate, my wife is Argentine and I occasionally partake in the whole ritual. Not sure it really counts as tea though.
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### Author:  [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/55 "2016-03-02T09:01:35Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#):
>
> I tried jasmine milk tea with popping boba and black milk tea with tapioca balls.
I like jasmine green tea with tapioca pearls, but I don’t care for milk in it. I’ll admit that milk would likely help with the visual aesthetics of the drink–I’ve been known to compare its appearance to iced swamp water full of giant frog eggs. Tasty, though.
In fact, I’ve described it that way here, in a thread about [unfortunate bubble tea incidents](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=613268). (How I do _not_ like my tea: frozen to the back of my throat.)
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/56 "2016-03-02T14:28:09Z")
Never milk, sugar only if the tea is very strong or bitter, and lemon only in Russian Caravan.
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### Author:  [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/57 "2016-03-02T14:34:50Z")
Black English breakfast tea, a small sprinkle of sugar, and milk. As Donald Pleasence said in _The Great Escape_: "Tea without milk is so uncivilized.
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### Author:  [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/58 "2016-03-02T15:45:06Z")
> [@Galwegian](#):
>
> Hi Gadai. When you and I say “black tea”, we mean tea without milk. When the rest of the world says “black tea”, they mean tea.
>
> Here in Ireland, and also in the UK, tea means just one thing, unless qualified by green, or herbal, or something. In the rest of the world, it can mean any kind of preparation of herb, plant or fruit steeped in hot water.
>
> So they qualify our type of tea as “black tea” as opposed to ask that other stuff.
Ignorance fought! Thanks. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/59 "2016-03-02T17:00:30Z")
Hot: English or Irish breakfast tea with half&half and a smidge of sugar. Or, earl grey with just sugar.
Cold: southern sweet iced, on the weak side (generally ordered ‘half tea half water’).
Special occasion hot: lavender, lady grey (flavored with I don’t know what, but floral), or ginger.
Special occasion cold: sweet chai, strong-brewed green tea with lemon.
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### Author:  [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-like-your-tea/747161/60 "2016-03-02T18:21:44Z")
[Mouse Trot](http://www.tinroofteas.com/tea-blog/tea-irish-culture) [Builder’s Tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Builder%27s_tea).
I’ve developed a method that has spoiled my household (they can’t enjoy tea elsewhere).
Warmed teapot
Spoonful of quality long leaf [Keemun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keemun) for smokiness.
Spoonful of Mamri [CTC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush,_tear,_curl) for strength.
Freshly drawn water just off the boil
Steep for 4 min for the first cup, then leave the rest to steep in the teapot for the following morning’s cup (My Core Cheapness and Heresy exposed).
Cream and Sugar to taste (leaning into the Milk Tea proportions for us).
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