To think this is so AGEING

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Being over-specific about how you want your hot drink. Don't do it! You can choose milk and/or sugar. That's it. Any further instruction makes you sound like you buy your shoes from an insert in the Telegraph weekend supplement.

'Just dunk the bag and take it out quickly could you?'/'Not too much milk, please'/'just the one sugar, but if you could make it a smallish spoon'/'I prefer a good slug of milk'.

Urgh. Verbal varicose veins.

Nooo PD UHT is not fine apparently.

Absolutely Pdog, delegation is the key to successful command and all the Jazz.

Nigerian sunset for me please. No sugar.

UHT never fine - and I don't care if that opinion makes me appear fully 96 years of age.

I have been fussy about my tea since I was about 12.

I'm confused, what's wrong with being old?

Well , I grew up with nothing but UHT milk and it never did me any harm!
Took me years to get used to fresh milk

I am also happier with crappy instant coffee than the stuff that DH's expensive Swiss made coffee machine burps out - apart from all the noise it makes, and fuss it needs to make a single cup of coffee, it's not HOT enough!!

Every tradesman I have ever offered a cuppa to has been specific: 'milk, 2 sugar, love', 'splash of milk, no sugar, hen' or 'strong, no milk, 3 sugars'. Nobody has ever hinted that how specific or not they were had anything to do with their age.

If no UHT how about a big ol' spoonful of Coffee Mate?

And why is it particularly considerate to make tea the way someone likes it? PILs like tea like dishwater, to give them builder's would be rude.

Thanks Sparkling. Nigerian sunset it is.

Eddie, apparently 'old' = 'fussy'.
I suspect more so if you are a woman.

Or, if you are an older 'fussy' man, you are seen as 'an old woman, you'

Euw, I draw the line at Coffee mate

Age has nothing to do with it.
Manners have everything to do with it.

The tea round in my office is clear... Builders, Milky, stand spoon up in it, dip the bag. All commonly heard and politely adhered to.

Manners.

And how the hell have you been, Eddie?
Have you been AWOL, or have I not been paying attention??
My age, you see, makes me forget things quite readily…

I always give instructions as to how I like my tea, I have done for years. It has to be one level teaspoon of sugar and close to Mr Tea in colour.

For a brief yet permanently scarring period I worked leading coach tours for British people around Europe. I would say about 80% were pensioners.

It was my job to make the tea. In plastic cups. The boiling water spouted out of a faucet over a mini sink next to the toilet cubicle, and boiling tea would splash all over my hands as I carried constant cups of tea up and down the aisle of a moving coach. Every single one of the passengers would have their particular specification- "Oh, just show it the tea bag, please". "Can I have precisely three quarters of a teaspoon of sugar please"."Can I have coffee- but I want one and a half spoonfuls please".

I hated, hated, hated doing it, and the driver would try to force me to do tea rounds on an hourly basis, as we split the tea proceeds 50/50. I would gladly have foregone my 50 cents a cup.

YANBU. I'll say it again- YABVVVVV reasonable (twitches).

Ah, but insisting on manners is quite, dunno, fuddy-duddy, innit?!
Like wot old people do

I used to work in design. We spent hours creating colour charts for our perfect cuppa. Hours and hours, it was great fun, but not sure it made much profit for the company.😈

I'm not sure anyone said that it was rude to be specific about hot drinks.

I like my tea medium strong, with a small amount of skimmed (if possible) milk and one scant teaspoon of sugar. I also must have the spoon left in as I'm a continual stirrer.

If I ask for "Tea, with milk and one sugar", I risk being presented, as I have at times, with a mug of three quarters tea, one quarter full fat milk separating out into a lovely swirl on top, and one piled high spoonful of sugar, half dissolved at the bottom (and no spoon to stir it in). Boak.

It pays to be precise, when possible. In fact, even better, just offer teapot, jug of milk and sugar bowl separately so I can do it myself.

I agree with you OP, it's ageing and demonstrates how set in your ways and particular you are. Its a hot drink with either/or milk and sugar. I dont understand how people can be so demanding and difficult when someone else is making the beverage for them? My MIL will throw tea I have made for her down the sink if I've added more than a 'splash' of milk. I find it rude.

Looking at other threads about hot beverages I think most Mumsnetters are picky and fussy and not old at all. There was one poster who took a flask rather than risk being made an instant coffee.

come on, tea is the drink of the devil...

I'll have black coffee thanks, no sugar, splash of cold water. I like my drink dark & bitter, like my personality.

I fucking love Coffee Mate.

StubbornStains - yup, this is my experience. Not my experience with the younger crowds...

Sometimes I even put milk AND Coffee Mate in my tea. Or coffee. I'm not bothered.