To ask what is the deal with tea

[tingalayo]

I'm a British person who has never had a cup of tea in my life or even tasted it. Not sure why, it's just never occurred to me.
It's something I've been wondering about before but I really want to ask now because I'm moving house and I've just read advice to pack the kettle and mugs LAST because that's the most urgent thing you'll need when you get to your new house and the most urgent thing the removals people will need.
Why do most British people need to drink tea so often? It's seems to be an actual need rather than just something nice. I do love peppermint tea and I've worked in offices before where people knew this and offered me a cup every time they made a round of tea and I was like...no? I like mint tea but I don't want several cups a day. My husband and his family drink tea every couple of hours if they can and seem to get grumpy if they don't have it.
It seems like an addiction to me. Is it caffeine? Or something else I don't understand that someone can explain to me?

Alright, calm down Ted Lasso.

I suppose it’s habit.
I drink decaf tea so it’s not a caffeine hit I get.
And I find it refreshing.

no I have never tasted it. I never tasted it as a child because I was scared I'd burn my tongue. In fact even as a teenager I was scared I'd burn my tongue

So you never put anything hot in your mouth because of a fear of burning your tongue? You only eat cold food?

I drink lots of different teas, I find them delicious and relaxing. My absolute favourite is T2 French Earl Grey, it's just a nice little ritual to make a cup then sit and enjoy it.

When made right (and that's a personal thing - so many variations!) it's delicious and refreshing. I don't even think it's the caffeine for me. I can equally enjoy a cup of redbush/roibos.
It's also a comforting thing; if someone makes me a cuppa it shows they care.
I drink mine black these days and quite weak. But I used to love strong 'builder's tea.
I also love herbal teas, tho not the fruity varieties. They set my teeth in edge.

A cup of tea is like a hug in a mug to me. It’s just comforting somehow. Always tastes better when someone else makes it too. It’s relaxing to just sit and have a brew.

It's a good pick-me-up, not as full on as coffee. I like one mid-morning and mid-afternoon when I'm working. There's also a social element to it; offering a guest tea is a way of saying 'You're welcome in my house' or, to a colleague, 'I like you' IMO.

Bizarre, I had tea in a bottle, my kids had (weak) tea in a sippy cup. We don't have fizzy drinks, juice, sweet drinks etc in the house so it's coffee, tea, herbal tea or water. If you don't drink tea or coffee, what do you drink - most cold drinks bar water are very bad for you unless occasional

I just like to have a cup of tea in the mornings. I like the taste (little bit of milk, no sugar), it's a quiet 10 minutes to sit and collect my thoughts before the day begins and the children get up. That will usually be my only cup of the day.

Unless we have guests. Then having tea together is a social thing.

Surely it’s just their choice of drink? Everyone has a drink every couple of hours, some people like tea, some like water, some like apple juice.

Making a cup of tea / coffee in a new home / hotel room is a rite of passage.
There's also something just comforting and sociable about sharing a cuppa (yes I know lots of you hate that word).
I

It’s just, nice! I tend to drink decaf so it’s not the caffeine. But during a working day it’s a good reason to take a quick break and stretch your legs, and there’s a bonding element to getting a round of drinks.

At the weekend, there’s a self care element to making a cup of tea and sitting down to enjoy it with a book in a way that just reading the book isn’t the same. I think it’s the ritual of making the tea forces you to take a break and it marks the start of an activity.

Similary, when catching up with friends it earmarks the start and end of a visit.

it’s also warming and comforting in a way that water isn’t.

As a previous poster said, it’s also a better option than constantly snacking.

I think tea has just become engrained in British culture as a it’s very cheap, it keeps you warm, and the making of the tea is a bit of a ritual which encourages a bit of reflection / time out from the day.

This is even weirder than the woman on an old episode of Come Dine With Me who had never tried soup.

I drink it because I don't like sweet drinks at all, fruit teas, soft drinks, fruit juice etc. I find a cup of tea with a dash of milk refreshing, thirst quenching, weirdly cooling on a hot day and warming on a chilly day.

I hate tea, it tastes sort of like milky pond water

I also hate tea breath which seems to affect people who drink multiple cups a day

I never drink tea. I have tried it though and don’t like it. It makes me thirsty! So have to follow it with a glass of water anyway so might as well just have the water.

m I used to like coffee but only when out and in a cafe usually with friends but after not having it over lockdown I can’t stand the taste of it now.

im not a purist by any means as I drink coke and lemonade and alcohol although not on a daily basis. It’s just tea and other hot drinks taste grim to me. I think it’s the milk as I’m not a fan of dairy products. Don’t eat cereal because I don’t like milk and I haven’t found a milk alternative that I like.

The two women on reception at work seem to constantly going off to make a cuppa. One is late 50’s and other early 30’s so not even a generational thing.

It's tradition, used for every occasion in my parents home,
cold - have a tea it'll warm you up,
hot - have a tea it'll cool you down (still don't get this one),

bad day - have a tea,
shocked - have a tea with a ton of sugar.
Good day - celebrate with tea and cake/biscuits

Its also quite social, I only ever drink tea at work or with my parents, I drink herbal at home.

@TipsyandChips I put a cup of hot ribena to my lips and it was so hot I dropped the cup and I didn't try a hot drink again until my 20s. Incredibly wimpy I know.
I'm not curious about the taste of tea because I don't think it smells good and anyway I know the answer isn't about taste. If most people drank mint tea every couple of hours and got antsy without it I would wonder why as well, even though I love the taste of that. I don't think I'm going to taste tea and be like "OH! I UNDERSTAND! IT'S ENTIRELY ABOUT TASTE!"
Some people have said it's a drink they like and they drink that in preference to other drinks when they want a drink, I get that, thank you.
And people talking about warmth, ritual etc that makes sense too.

Same
It's a ritual, I like the taste as well
Probably drink 6-8 mugs a day

I don't like the typical black tea with milk/sugar.

I do like herbal tea.

But wouldn't have multiple in a day, especially in warm weather.

It's soothing, or calming, or a pick me up as required. It warns you up and cools you down.

It's a mini break in the middle of the day. It's a time to reflect/rest/recuperate.

It's a ritual habit to give structure to the day, as a reason for a break, a social interaction.

It's cheap and accessible.

I don't like coffee, milk, Prosecco or many other drinks, but I don't query anyone else's enjoyment of them. I don't understand why anyone would want to drink 12 pints of beer and throw up in the street, but this also seems to be a British habit.

It is the cure for all evils. If it is in the right mug.

It's just a drink but it's a drink v popular in China, India and the U.K. and to a lesser degree USA. That's a lot of fans.

I like it.

I don't like coffee. People who like coffee can't tell me why they like it other than that it's nice (to them).

Newsflash, people like different things.

It's horrid stuff. I did used to drink it then actually thought about it for a while and stopped as I realised I just did it cos that's what people do.
I drink peppermint tea in the morning, coffee with oat milk during the day and night time pukka tea before bed.
Each to their own though, some people like it but I've never understood the whole cup of tea sorts everything attitude.