I'm 34 and I have never tried a cup of tea

[2ndbase]

I don't know where to start, how do you know which tea bags to use? Do I have milk, if so, how much? Sugar?

It's always puzzled me how people already know all this, I think it's what's put me off trying it before now!

If the only tea available to me was milky and sugary, I'd never touch it either - and that's pretty much what's mostly on offer in the UK. Horrible murky dishwater is part of our national culture.

Yes I'm a tea snob. I do love tea but it never has milk in, EVER. I've gulped down dishwater tea if it's given to me at someone's house, I'm not rude, but it makes me gag. I like to taste my tea.

You could start from scratch with green or black tea, try teabags or better still, a little diffuser ball or small teapot, and try without milk to start with. Do you like floral scents/tastes? (Try Earl Grey, or green teas with jasmine, or chamomile) Do you have a palate that enjoys bitter flavours? (try stronger green teas or black teas without sugar) Do you like strong, intense tastes? (Lapsang suchong)

The only cuppa I had with milk and sugar that I actively enjoyed, in fact supped like it was ambrosia, was the polystyrene cup of bog-standard I was handed shortly after coming round from an ERPC operation. It was truly amazing and life-giving. I've never had another cup of tea with milk in it that did that for me. But there again, it's a bit of an extreme to go to in order to enjoy a cup of horrible milky tea....

I'm a tea drinker and DH a coffee drinker but neither of my DSs drink hot drinks. They both know how to make a very decent cuppa though as I trained them young.

@iamrubbishatdiy 😂😂

In fairness though, I only put in a splash (not half a pint) so it really doesn't affect the warmth, and it means I get the exact right amount (I know where it goes up to in the cup) and it brews steadily so no risk of being over tanniny if I forget to take the tea bag out!

You see, if you slosh too much in first, you can take some out. If you splosh too much in at the end, your tea is ruined!

Hmm which word was right there, slosh or splosh?

Might be worth reading George Orwell's thoughts on this:

"A Nice Cup of Tea"
www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm

Everybody has a different tea ideal op. You will need to try variations ..
If you have a sweetish tooth then try making a cup first medium strength, a medium light brown once you’ve added milk, with half a teaspoon of sugar. Then you can try it with more or less sugar, weaker, stronger, with lemon rather than milk.
Lemon works well with China tea ( smokey Lapsang Souchong).
I didn’t like tea on first tasting, you need to get used to the flavour. I preferred coffee for a long time, but tea is somehow reviving with the lurching adrenalin feel of coffee.

I'm the same, OP. But I don't want to have any involvement with the whole business. I have a caffeine tablet in the morning and a can of coke if I'm really knackered.

I'm 44 and I've never had a cup of tea either. The smell, bleugh!

Go to a tea shop , twinings and let them give you tasters.

You’re not really missing out

I’m 28 and started coffee only after having the baby, hated for long , until I learnt in mumsnet that you supposed to dissolve coffee in milk and not water. Now I’m addicted

See I'm 31 and never drank tea (not fond of hot drinks), but I'm so confused that you don't know how to make one!?

Like surely people around you have made a brew

I will try it tonight and report back.

One thing I do know is that I will never ever be one of those people that carries my drink around in a disposable cup, that really annoys me!

Recommendations if you don’t like plain tea.

1- Lipton tea, with 3 or four fresh mint left in the cup for few mins before drinking. No milk. Sugar if needed.

2- Lipton tea, with cinnamon stick in for few mins before drinking. No milk.

3- Lipton tea, with cardamom left for few mins before drinking. Add milk. Sugar.

I need tea and coffee to warm up my innards.

How do those of you who don't need hot drinks feel warm and cosy when you first get out of bed?

I know some folks do the hot water with lemon thing, but it's too thin for me. It lacks the life-giving robustness of tea or coffee.

I LOVE tea and have done since I was a child, and drink it several times a day. But my husband wanted me to describe the flavour and why I actually like it and weirdly, I couldn't really do it!

I don't want to have any involvement with the whole business

That made me laugh djnoun

Yorkshire Gold is beltingly strong and I say that as someone who likes builder's tea.

Twinnings is gnats' piss, you could brew it for an hour and it would still taste of fuck all.

You can get very lovely reusable bamboo takeaway cups, I have a lovely William Morris one.

How do those of you who don't need hot drinks feel warm and cosy when you first get out of bed

Fuck warm and cosy. I need caffeine to wake me up. If I wasn't scared of needles I'd mainline.

I'm not disagreeing about caffeine, I need it too - but I'd really miss the comfort I get from tea or coffee. The whole wee ritual. It's such a nice way to ease into the day.

So many people giving wrong advice!

Get a teabag (typhoo probably or maybe PG tips - don’t bother going fancy, tea isn’t a fancy drink)
Put your teabag in your mug
Pour boiling water over the bag
Allow the tea to brew for at least a minute, maybe longer depending on your patience
Squeeze the teabag and remove from the mug
Add a splash of milk and stir
Enjoy

As soon as the milk is added your tea stops brewing so anyone adding milk before removing the teabag, or god forbid before the teabag has even entered the cup, are just wasting everybody’s time.

My DS21 is with you OP. His older brothers are like me, total tea addicts, but he's never tried tea, or coffee either. He can make a decent brew, though, I made sure to teach him this essential life skill

Agree Yorkshire tea isn't nice at all.

I think it's the bog standard tea with milk that is the acquired taste. People just drink it because they're used to it, myself included, but really milk spoils the flavour of tea. I don't want to sound poncy but trying different higher quality teas with a bit of lemon juice or sugar might be the way to go.

I mainly drink Twinings green teas now because they are lower in caffeine and I sleep better. The flavoured ones are nice.

I need it too - but I'd really miss the comfort I get from tea or coffee. The whole wee ritual. It's such a nice way to ease into the day

I stagger into the kitchen and think 'fuck... I've got to make the stuff ... WHY did I not wash the perculator (sp) yesterday evening?'. Why can't I live above a good indy coffee shop that won't mind me staggering down with bed hair, morning breath and my nightie? :)

I really miss coffee AbsentmindedWoman, the ritual of it as well as the caffeine hit. I had to give it up along with black tea as it makes me too anxious and I can't sleep. Decaf isn't the same

If you are in Scotland, Scottish Blend is lovely tea. Try it without sugar first...although if you are used to drinking sweeter drinks, you may not enjoy it as much.

I stagger into the kitchen and think 'fuck... I've got to make the stuff ... WHY did I not wash the perculator (sp) yesterday evening?'.

Get an aeropress or v60. Simple ways to make good coffee.

Whoever was recommending Lipton tea... I've never seen that in the U.K., and have never had a decent brew from it, but possibly because its the brand widely used in America presented wrapped beside a pot of water that's well off the boil by the time you get the teabag into it.