If someone asked you for "builders' tea", what would you make?

[LethargicLumpOfLockdownLard]

Colleague at work, when asked what they would like, asked for a cup of builders tea (no sugar). Several times. Each time I'd make it strong, then wonder why they went back to the kitchen and added more milk.
Eventually I asked them about it and they said they don't like it strong. When I queried this they said they ask for builders' tea in order to differentiate between regular tea and the decaf, redbush and other teas.
To me, builders' tea is strong tea. No?

I'd make a strong tea with 2 sugars.

Builders doesn’t mean ‘strong’ to me, it just means PG Tips-style - not early grey or roobois or any funky herbal stuff.

Tea so strong the spoon stands up in it is builder’s tea!

It’s a Hyacinth Bucket-ish way of signalling that you’re above that kind of beverage.

@museumum

It is strong but can also have a decent swig of milk too.

Tea strength and tea milkiness are separate factors.

This. A "builders" is strong but can also be quite milky, and usually sweetened. It might look like a weaker less milky brew but one sip will tell the difference.

I would make - black tea bag - Yorkshire if not then PG/Tetley.
If huge mug then définitely two tea bags.
Left to steep but not get too cool.
Standard amount of milk.
Tea should be dark.
One sugar but I’d not be surprised if they wanted more.

Just realised that PG must stand for Proctor and Gamble ??? Never realised and bizarrely have never wondered.

Strong, with a middling amount of milk (usually with sugar too).

She wants breakfast tea.

Definitely means strong tea! Then you ask "milk and sugar?"

The amount of milk and sugar is preference but the builders bit definitely refers to strength!

@museumum

It is strong but can also have a decent swig of milk too.

Tea strength and tea milkiness are separate factors.

Exactly that.

Well funnily enough here’s what wiki says about the name -

In the 1930s, Brooke Bond launched PG Tips in the tea market in the United Kingdom under the name Pre-Gestee - a variant of the original name 'Digestive Tea'. The name implied that it could be drunk prior to eating food, as a digestive aid. Grocers and salesmen abbreviated it to PG.[1]

I'd made coffee 2 sugars since that's all my builders seem to drink and I'm on very little milk at the moment

Just means breakfast tea to me. No indication of strength or milkiness.

I'm with her - to me 'builders' tea' is just teabag tea as opposed to herbal tea/redbush/green etc.

Except I call it swingers tea because I only drink green tea and [ex]dp and I once had a laugh about meeting swingers and having them home and I said I'd have to buy 'normal tea', so we named it swingers tea.

So, builders' tea is just PG Tips etc, you then specify how strong/milky etc you want it.

I drink builders tea, very strong, a 5p size dash of milk & sugar.

Tea is tea. Builders tea is strong tea.

If you want any other (non) tea type you specify then surely - eg green tea or roiboos tea.

This reminds me of working in a restaurant and people ordering steak medium rare and then complaining that it was too pink in the middle. If you want well done steak thats fine, no-ones judging, but dont order medium rare/rare to look more sophisticated and then complain about pinkness or blood.

Builders tea is strong. Always has been. We had another name for weak tea .....cats pee!

I'd say strong tea. Builders don't drink weak tea in my experience!

People I know have always called blended/breakfast type tea (like PG tips) as builders’ tea. As opposed to Earl grey etc. So I take a builders, not too strong, not too milky

PG tips or similar. We usually have Earl grey but offer guests that or 'builders tea'

vagoghsdog love that. Swingers tea 😂Love how we get our crazy sayings.
My fave is when heading out for a walk if either of us say ‘I need my hat’ we both have to say
Ma hat ma coat ma ghandhi - sometimes shortened to mahatma.

Doesn’t sound odd at all - perfectly normal.

What diva said. It's not about it being ordinary tea . It's strong tea. I leave my teabag in mine...

Not milky. That's 'milky tea'.

I’m with you, OP. I’m not British but DH has a mug with shades of tea on it, and I’m sure builders is the next one after the ‘no milk’, so just assumed strong with not a lot of milk (which is how I drink my own tea). Will try to locate the mug

There you go (thanks google)

My DF used to like "builder's tea". He used to say that, if the teaspoon isn't standing up in the cup, it's not strong enough. He called the tea my DM drank "clover tea" or "fortnight tea".