# UK Dopers: Tell Me About British Tea **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494 "2011-12-27T05:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/21 "2011-12-27T15:51:09Z")
I became a tea drinker when I was in England and found their coffee undrinkable. Then I happily discovered \*good \*tea! I search for it in the US, and in NY it is easily findable, both loose and in bags. Black _only_–good tea is ruined by cream or sugar. And I like strong black Russian or China teas, none of that green cat-piss for me. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/22 "2011-12-27T16:20:23Z")
I’m a football/soccer fan, and a lot of times at halftime, the announcers will mention the players having a cup of tea in the locker room (dressing room). Are the players really having tea at that point? I can’t see it as being refreshing at all. I wouldn’t have coffee during a game of anything. Also, I get that the water _should_ be boiling hot while the tea steeps, but do Brits drink it boiling hot, too? Or is that just the best was to get the right flavor, and then they wait for it to cool a bit? I can’t drink piping hot coffee, so I usually have to wait 10 to 15 minutes (another reason I can’t imagine having tea at halftime). ---
**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 27, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/23 "2011-12-27T16:20:53Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I’m of the opinion that if a tea bag comes individually wrapped then it is crap tea. All the proper teas come in a big box with about eleventy million of the fellas in there. See, it’s the opposite here in the US (in general). Only bargain house-brand tea bags come without individual wrappers, and Og knows how long those have been on the shelf gathering dust and going stale. Might as well use straw. The exception would be high-end teas that come in actual tins, which helps keep them fresh. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/24 "2011-12-27T16:23:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > See, it’s the opposite here in the US (in general). Only bargain house-brand tea bags come without individual wrappers, and Og knows how long those have been on the shelf gathering dust and going stale. Might as well use straw. 😕 Red Rose doesn’t come individually wrapped and neither does Lipton or Tetley, and all are perfectly good teas. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/25 "2011-12-27T16:53:15Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > Also, I get that the water _should_ be boiling hot while the tea steeps, but do Brits drink it boiling hot, too? You can’t put boiling water in your mouth! Try it, and let us know when you get back from the hospital. 🙂 Yes, it has to cool a bit. The milk helps cool it, so you don’t have to wait long. Under a minute, once milk’s been added. ---
**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 27, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/26 "2011-12-27T17:03:08Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > 😕 Red Rose doesn’t come individually wrapped and neither does Lipton or Tetley, and all are perfectly good teas. What, your Lipton bags don’t have a paper wrapper around each bag? That’s not individually wrapped? I’m not really familiar with the other two, so perhaps they aren’t wrapped after all. I do know unwrapped house brands (which Lipton’s, Red Rose, and Tetley’s aren’t) are typically stale by the time you buy them. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/27 "2011-12-27T17:15:06Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Yup. Just ask for " a cup of tea" (or “a cuppa”) and the above is exactly what you’ll get. If you wanted something else, you’d have to specify specifically. It’s very much the ubiquitous cheap, common drink; not supposed to be anything but. > > And yes, you’d be looked at kinda odd for not having milk. If in someone’s home, they’ll probably add the milk automatically unless you think to mention it beforehand - they’ll ask how you like it, and what they mean by that is “how many teaspoons of sugar?”, the common answers being “no sugar/just one/two sugars please”. If in a cafe or somewhere, the milk will come in a little jug - not because they imagine you might choose not to have the milk, but so you can (a) decide how much to have and (b) have a second cup from the little stainless steel teapot they’ll also give. If asked how you like it IME they also mean how strong do you want it . ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/28 "2011-12-27T17:16:56Z")
> [@Butterscotch](#): > > I’m a Brit living in Italy. I buy my favourite tea in the international shop here unlesss I can get visitors to bring it over for me. > > I drink Twinings Earl Grey, there is a version of it here in Italy, made by Twinings, but it doesn’t taste anything like the English one. Italian tea is much weaker, I like my tea strong, or as you would say in England “Stewed” or “Cabbage Water”. > > **In Italy the tea bags are also all individually wrapped in paper** That’s the way Twinings is packaged here in the US, too. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/29 "2011-12-27T17:18:29Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > I’m a football/soccer fan, and a lot of times at halftime, the announcers will mention the players having a cup of tea in the locker room (dressing room). Are the players really having tea at that point? I can’t see it as being refreshing at all. I wouldn’t have coffee during a game of anything. It seems unlikely. The traditional half time refreshment used to be orange quarters (for the juice, I suppose) but these days I would guess the players drink “sports drink” type stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/30 "2011-12-27T17:25:11Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > If asked how you like it IME they also mean how strong do you want it . I don’t often hear people answer in terms of strength. Sometimes they do, but only if their taste is unusually strong or weak. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/31 "2011-12-27T17:46:00Z")
Lipton–at least the crap they hand out in diners–is \*not \*“a perfectly good tea.” It is The Bitter Tea of General Yen. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/32 "2011-12-27T17:51:27Z")
OK. To each their own. My feeling about tea is the same as my feeling about coffee: I’m perfectly happy with the inexpensive standard stuff, and if I ever develop a taste for the finer, more expensive types, that will cost me a lot of money. So I will continue to be happy with the inexpensive standard stuff. Although actually I usually just have Red Rose around, because it tends to be on sale most often. ---
**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 27, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/33 "2011-12-27T18:09:54Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Lipton–at least the crap they hand out in diners–is \*not \*“a perfectly good tea.” It is The Bitter Tea of General Yen. Half the problem with Lipton’s in diners is that _the water isn’t hot enough_ to make tea. Use _boiling_ water and it becomes quite a bit more acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/34 "2011-12-27T19:00:56Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > That’s the way Twinings is packaged here in the US, too. If it is as horrible as Italian Twinings I feel sorry for you. I buy English Twinings which is much stronger, in a box of 50, no individual wrappers. I drink my tea hot, I let it brew for about 5 minutes, add milk and start sipping immediately, can’t bear it tepid. As **Candyman 74** said, the milk cools it down [which is just as well.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7965380.stm) If someone I don’ know well asks how I like my tea I’d reply “stewed, splash of milk, no sugar.” People ask because they expect specifics! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/35 "2011-12-27T19:18:08Z")
Aussie exiled in California here. Among my circle back home, we all drink Dilmah, which I can buy online [here](http://www.dilmahtea.com/). Standard, but good quality, plain black tea. I get it in big boxes of tea bags (200?), and not individually wrapped. Alas, I can’t drink it at work - the water here is so hard, it reacts with the tannins in the tea and forms a digusting film. I drink Genmai Cha (Japanese green tea with roast brown rice) instead, as it has much lower tannin levels, and is also yummy. Doesn’t stain my teeth, too. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/36 "2011-12-27T19:30:03Z")
From Chicago, I didn’t know I liked tea until I visited friends in England. My usual is loose Twinings, which I buy in a big canister from the Indian shops on Devon. It’s decent, strong black tea. When I can’t get that, I default to Aldi’s house brand of tea bags. Like a lot of Aldi’s stuff, it is usually good quality and very cheap. I brew a pot then strain it into a vacuum carafe that keeps it hot enough to drink three cups. At night, I switch to decaf. My wife, who I love, insists on stewing her tea to undrinkability. If you want strong tea, toss an extra teabag into the pot - don’t leave it in the pot for ten minutes or squeeze the bags! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/37 "2011-12-27T19:34:42Z")
Had to chime in here. Even though I am American I learned to drink tea from some British friends (they also introduced me to a proper G&T). I’ve come to really love a proper cuppa. I just received a little gift from a friend yesterday - I have access to boiling water at work, but all of the tea I have is loose leaf so I haven’t been able to enjoy it while there. I’m temping so I don’t want to carry around stuff, or else I’d use my [IngenuiTEA](http://www.adagio.com/gifts/holiday_ingenuiTEA.html?gclid=CKvKtMj-oq0CFUOQ7QodI2TFoA). I’ve had it for years and it works like a charm but I can’t really use it where I am. My friend knows this so she gave me a box of disposable tea filters. This morning I loaded one up with an old favorite (Harney’s [Queen Catherine](http://www.harney.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=3765&category=0&secondary=873)) and I’ve been enjoying it all day now. The disposable bag is sturdy enough for re-steeping, so as long as the tea you have is up to that task you can drink 4-5 cups from one of the bags. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/38 "2011-12-27T19:34:45Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Half the problem with Lipton’s in diners is that _the water isn’t hot enough_ to make tea. Use _boiling_ water and it becomes quite a bit more acceptable. Why the hell am I being charged the same price as a cup of coffee for a tea bag and a pot of lukewarm water? For all the worship of coffee in this country, why is it seemingly impossible to get a cup of brewed tea? Then again, I haven’t looked into any of these new tea chains like Argo. Do they actually have brewed tea, or is it just fancy packaging for a place that will hand me a cup of non-boiling water and a tea bag? ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/39 "2011-12-27T21:25:14Z")
Obligatory link: George Orwell’s [A Nice Cup of Tea](http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm). This was of course in the pre- tea bag era. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494/40 "2011-12-27T21:26:13Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Half the problem with Lipton’s in diners is that _the water isn’t hot enough_ to make tea. Use _boiling_ water and it becomes quite a bit more acceptable. Our break room is coffeecentric, but they’ve stocked it with a few “tea” bags. That is, Green Tea, Camomile & Earl Gray. I’d far prefer Plain Lipton’s to that nasty stuff. Of course, the only hot water is lukewarm, from the red spigot on the water cooler… (This thread has convinced me to bring in a little electric kettle & some decent teabags for the afternoon. Coffee is great in the morning but not all day.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-tell-me-about-british-tea/607494.md?page=3)