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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what is the deal with tea

212 replies

tingalayo · 25/07/2022 11:06

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?

OP posts:
GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 25/07/2022 17:23

Best thing that isn’t a person, I should probably say.

RampantIvy · 25/07/2022 17:25

Do you enjoy drinking tea when it’s hot?

Yes I do @AppleBottomRats. I was drinking it last week during the stupidly hot weather Grin

darisdet · 25/07/2022 17:32

I don't know why @tingalayo but I'm probably the same with coffee and 'need' at least three cups a day.

I used to like a cup of tea but over the years, as I've drunk more herbal, I find I can no longer drink tea with milk, it feels odd and unnatural. Green tea is a favourite, followed by chamomile and others, and I'll very occasionally, drink earl grey (no milk).

darisdet · 25/07/2022 17:34

Taylors Jam and toast tea

I've seen something similar in Sainsbury's. Does it really taste like Jam and toast?

mojokonoko · 25/07/2022 17:37

This is probably why tbh

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine

Picklypickles · 25/07/2022 17:47

I've never liked tea, I don't understand how people can drink it so hot! I've politely accepted a cup of tea at events now and then and felt embarassed when everyone else has finished theirs and mine is still burning my lips!

I don't really drink any hot drinks, if its really cold and snowing I might have a hot chocolate but that's about it! At least chocolate tastes nice, tea just tastes like hot dirty leaf juice to me!

CrunchyCarrot · 25/07/2022 17:52

I've never liked 'regular' black tea. I didn't drink tea growing up (despite being in a household where tea was drunk a lot) but began having Earl Grey (black) in my twenties. I liked the lemony, fragrant taste. Later on I switched to green Jasmine tea (in my 40s) but later developed histamine intolerance so cannot have any green or black tea. I now drink Chamomile tea and enjoy it, or sometimes Ginger and Lemon. Trouble is, though, that I always want to eat something sweet with tea (I never have sweetened tea) so right now am trying to back off it a bit!

TheWeeDonkey · 25/07/2022 17:54

It's the elixir of the God's and solves every problem known to man. Brew

Quirrelsotherface · 25/07/2022 17:56

Can't speak for everyone but for me it's comforting, warming, a hug in a mug, hydrating. I make a tea when I'm happy, sad, wanting to dunk a biscuit.

I take it weak and milky so definitely not a caffeine addiction for me.

Clarich007 · 25/07/2022 18:05

I don't get it either. I don't like the look smell or taste of it in fact didn't have any hot drinks until i left home at 17 to a live in job.
I do drink herbal teas though now, but not really bothered about those either.
My Mum was convinced she had produced an alien. The kettle was always on at our house.

MermaidEyes · 25/07/2022 18:07

HumousWhereTheHeartIs · 25/07/2022 14:24

This is a very odd thread. Why wouldn't you just try it instead of asking random strangers? To me, tea is comforting, relaxing and hydrating.

Do you drink coffee, OP?

It is an odd thread. I like tea although prefer coffee and always have a couple of cups a day as I genuinely enjoy the taste. I can't stand either gin or prosecco and don't understand the current obsession with those but hey ho, we're all different. OP doesn't seem to have grasped that.

onthefencesitter · 25/07/2022 18:08

I don't like hot drinks in general either but I grew up in a tropical country. I do drink Milo but I need to fill half the cup with lukewarm water. I do enjoy a hot chocolate occasionally. I do drink tea in other people's homes because thats generally the default drink but I would never make tea for myself as its not something I really enjoy.

I drink juice and iced tea (from the bottle). I also like bubble tea.

Ted27 · 25/07/2022 18:10

What else would you have with toast, crumpets or a bacon sarnie?

'Tea" is a generic term though . Mint tea is still tea.
I have at least 15 different teas in my tea drawer. I probably drink 8 cups a day. Mostly I drink Redbush but I like a mint or fruit tea in the afternoon.
None of my teas have caffeine.
Perhaps it's just the many variety of teas available now, or that you can adjust it to your precise requirements.
I have breakfast with 3 friends every week. We all have tea, none of drink it the same way.

onthefencesitter · 25/07/2022 18:17

Ted27 · 25/07/2022 18:10

What else would you have with toast, crumpets or a bacon sarnie?

'Tea" is a generic term though . Mint tea is still tea.
I have at least 15 different teas in my tea drawer. I probably drink 8 cups a day. Mostly I drink Redbush but I like a mint or fruit tea in the afternoon.
None of my teas have caffeine.
Perhaps it's just the many variety of teas available now, or that you can adjust it to your precise requirements.
I have breakfast with 3 friends every week. We all have tea, none of drink it the same way.

I don't eat toast, crumpets or sandwiches. I only eat bread on shabbat for ceremonial purposes.

But I do drink tea but it must be iced. Tapioca pearls optional...My first tea was a bubble tea at age 8 so that is still my favorite....

darisdet · 25/07/2022 18:22

Tea" is a generic term though . Mint tea is still tea.

True enough. Though I took it to mean the standard stuff usually served with milk. Builders or 'breakfast' tea?

Kite22 · 25/07/2022 18:36

Seems a bit bizarre to be curious about tea....to be married to someone who regularly drinks tea - indeed every couple of hours......yet never thought to just have a sip to taste it, when he has a brew right there in front of you Confused

If you are anxious about drinking hot drinks, then surely it would make more sense to try a drink that has cold milk in it, rather than a peppermint tea, which doesn't, and is therefore likely to be hotter.

However, to answer your question.
I like the taste
It keeps me hydrated
It is refreshing
Yes, there is something in 'going to put the kettle on' that gives you a break from your desk
It is sociable - both meeting someone for a cup of tea or a coffee is a social thing to do, and also it is polite when someone comes into our home to offer them refreshment, and tea is commonly liked.

ThreeRingCircus · 25/07/2022 18:38

It's not the caffeine for me, I get that from coffee but it's the ritual and the comfort.

It is often cold and miserable weather in the UK so I like a hot drink to warm me up. Tea isn't calorific if you don't have sugar so it's ok if I want multiple cups.

I like the ritual of it. A few minutes to pause and think while waiting for the kettle to boil. Sitting quietly, cradling a hot mug in my hands. It's comforting.

I grew up in a household of tea obsessives so I associate it with lots of times that brought me comfort. When I was crying after my first boyfriend dumped me my dad (man of few words) placed a hot cup of tea in my hands. It was his way of showing he cared and wanted to comfort me. Similarly being made a cup of tea by my Grandma after school, it was a pause in the day to sit and have a chat. It feels "kinder" somehow to make someone a cup of tea than just hand them a cup of water, it's a way of saying "you're welcome and can take your time here."

Ted27 · 25/07/2022 19:00

@ThreeRingCircus

Couldn't have put it better

My son makes me my last mug before he goes to bed, presents it with a hug and a kiss

VanGoghsDog · 25/07/2022 19:00

Ted27 · 25/07/2022 18:10

What else would you have with toast, crumpets or a bacon sarnie?

'Tea" is a generic term though . Mint tea is still tea.
I have at least 15 different teas in my tea drawer. I probably drink 8 cups a day. Mostly I drink Redbush but I like a mint or fruit tea in the afternoon.
None of my teas have caffeine.
Perhaps it's just the many variety of teas available now, or that you can adjust it to your precise requirements.
I have breakfast with 3 friends every week. We all have tea, none of drink it the same way.

That is not tea, it's a tissane or infusion.

Tea is not a generic term, tea is tea - it's a plant.

Ted27 · 25/07/2022 19:06

Last time I looked mint was a plant

ManateeFair · 25/07/2022 19:09

Some people like a different drink to the ones you like. That’s literally all there is to it. I drink loads of tea but almost never coffee, and I really loathe herbal teas. DP drinks coffee only.

The smell of peppermint tea makes me recoil for some reason, but it doesn’t seem weird to me that other people drink it.

The advice on packing kettles and mugs last when moving is for hot drinks in general, not only tea, and it’s not just for you but also so you can ask the removal people if they want one on their break. Really not a big deal; just don’t do it if it’s unimportant to you. It’s not a problem not to be keen on hot drinks.

Some people get headaches from caffeine withdrawal, but most people don’t, and thirst of any kind makes people grumpy - someone who only drinks water would be grumpy if they were gasping for a drink.

Piratical · 25/07/2022 19:10

I mainly love it because nothing beats dunking a custard cream in tea, the two flavours are made for each other haha

other than that it’s tastes nice (especially with sugar anyway 🙈) and i think for the most part it’s a comfort drink

it’s also probably an acquired taste without sugar, and something you’d have grown up with if you’re a drinker of it

Ragwort · 25/07/2022 19:10

What do you drink OP?

Personlly I don't drink tea, I have tried it but just don't like the taste. But I love coffee, I had the most perfect cup of coffee today (despite shocking service, arrived in a lovely cafe I had previously frequented, asked for a coffee and a sandwich - it was 1pm- was told there was a 30 min wait for sandwiches - so I just asked for a coffee) that took over 20 mins but it was the most delicious coffee 😀😀

Caspianberg · 25/07/2022 19:15

how is a tea leaf any different from a mint leaf? Both a plant, both a leaf, both infuse to make ‘tea’

Violinist64 · 25/07/2022 19:18

It’s my favourite drink. It’s refreshing in both hot and cold weather. The first drink of the day has to be tea for me. I like coffee but tea is my favourite. I like good quality tea made in the pot with just a little milk and no sugar. I rarely drink sweetened drinks and I have a little wine on occasions like Christmas - it would never occur to me to have a glass of wine in the evening. I mostly drink tea with milk (Assam is my favourite) but like green or white tea from time to time. I do not drink infusions.