# Slurping Tea - Rude or a better way to drink tea **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826 "2004-10-24T00:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/1 "2004-10-24T00:29:20Z")
I got inot an argument with a friend about whether it is rude to slurp when drinking tea. I say that it makes the tea taste better. I don’t know why this is, but it just tastes better when it is slurped. As far as I am concerned this is the proper way to drink tea. Don’t people slurp tea in China? What is everyone’s thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/2 "2004-10-24T00:40:27Z")
I don’t know about China, but to the best of my knowledge in the west it is considered rude to audibly slurp any food or drink. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/3 "2004-10-24T01:03:21Z")
I’ve read that slurping helps you to taste a liquid better by aerating it. I don’t know the mechanics behind it but evidently, a mist of liquid will have a stronger and more discernible flavor to it than you would get just by normally drinking it. I believe professional coffee tasters slurp when they’re testing a product’s flavor. I sometimes slurp my soda for the same reason. Drives my mom crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/4 "2004-10-24T14:57:46Z")
You could sip your tea, which will still aerate it without making you sound like an unmannered lout. Or you could slurp tea to your heart’s content when you are alone, and just get a glass of water when you are in civilized company. ---
**Author:** ![Scarface\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Scarface\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarface_Z)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/5 "2004-10-24T17:20:58Z")
the chinese often (i hesitate to say always) slurp tea (and soup too). the reason not having to do with taste (at least not traditionally) rather the idea is to cool the liquid as it enters your mouth. you can slurp much hotter tea than you could sip or drink. ---
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/6 "2004-10-26T20:04:48Z")
Bump. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/7 "2004-10-26T20:36:23Z")
I was always taught that it’s incredibly rude to slurp anything in public. It’s noisy and disruptive to the others you’re dining with. It’s also really distracting to have a conversation with someone who’s slurping. Since it’s so loud, you’ll have to either stop talking until the person finishes their slurping (which is really annoying if someone abruptly starts slurping while the person they’re talking to is in mid-sentence) or you’ll have to repeat yourself because the person who was slurping didn’t hear you over the sound of their own noise. Also, when you slurp, whatever it is that you’re slurping has a greater chance of falling out of your mouth than if you sip. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slurping-tea-rude-or-a-better-way-to-drink-tea/270826/8 "2004-10-26T22:03:06Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > You could sip your tea, which will still aerate it without making you sound like an unmannered lout. Absolutely. I HATE HATE HATE slurpers. Especially the ones who sigh or go ‘ahhhh’ after each slurp. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: