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?

You've answered your own question there - a TEA leaf makes tea. Not a genetic term, a term for the hot drink we make from the TEA plant.

Hot drinks made from other plants are called other things. Like "coffee" or "hot chocolate" or they are simply infusions or tissanes because we've not given them they own specific name.

Yes, people incorrectly refer to them as "tea", like "mint tea" or "lemon tea", but unless those are black (or green etc) actual tea with mint, or lemon, in, they are just infusions.

Tea is not a generic term.

Imho it's something people in offices to do avoid doing any work.

I didn't say mint wasn't a plant.

I'm a British person who has never had a cup of tea in my life or even tasted it

Why not just try a cup. It might answer your question.

I don't have that tea-loving gene.

My kids do - they drink tea all day and are pretty obsessed with it. My son (20) orders Yorkshire tea in sacks of over 1000. I might drink one (decaf) every few days, and that's it.

Ditto coffee - I have never drunk it in my life but my family and friends are addicted. I feel I am missing out, but I am unlikely to change now.

It smells and looks gross and why anyone would want to add milk to a hot drink is something I do not understand.

At a push I enjoy a ginger tea. It must be in a very clean white mug and have no sort of kettle 'scum' on

I love that I am not part of the ' round' at work and waste so much time worrying about other peoples drinks.

Yup, precisely this.

I really enjoy tea, that’s why I drink it, same as any other drink I enjoy.

Mint "tea" and other flavoured "teas" are actually infusions I believe.

It's just a drink, it tastes nice just like some people like soft drinks. It's really no big deal is it.

I remember watching Dinner Date once, there was a bloke who had never eaten mashed potato and thought eggs came from rhinos 🙃

Mmmmmmm, tea.

I really bloody love tea. The first cup of the day is divine. My husband drinks tea all day long. He works from home. I’m often out and about so I don’t get through as much tea as he does but I certainly manage a few throughout the day.

I drink it because it quenches my thirst and because I’m presumably addicted to caffeine (I’ve been addicted to all sort of things in my life and caffeine is probably one of the least harmful of these). I like the ritual of it. Certain times of day or certain situations can always be made better with a cup of tea.

It also carries heaps of nostalgia for me. My grandparents all drank a lot of tea and my mum and dad loved it too- especially my dad, who had specific rituals around making tea (type of mug, specific teapot, amount of time to brew the leaves etc). So drinking tea brings me comfort because it makes me feel closer to all those lovely people who aren’t here anymore.

I could ask why so many people are obsessed with coffee (I hate it) but I don’t because it’s obvious to me that there are lots of reasons why people enjoy coffee every day.

I've never tasted it either 😕 never felt the need

I'm half Irish, half Yorkshire so my dislike of tea is always a talking point and a badge of shame.

It literally tastes of mud. And yes, I have tasted mud. But I understand everyone has different tastes!

I hate coffee too - at work, if i want a drink, it's 5 seconds filling a glass or water/juice...for others it's 5-10 minutes brewing up. And when I hold meetings, consideration always has to be given to tea/coffee meaning a tea kettle, cups, teabags, coffee, milk, sugar and spoons, then the washing/clearing up....rather than a jug of water. It's a faff but it's very important to the vast majority of it so has to be done. Comfort and hospitality I guess. If everyone was like me, there'd be entire industries out of business!

It's my desert island drink. Forget wine or gin. TEA!

It smells and looks gross and why anyone would want to add milk to a hot drink is something I do not understand.

Why not?

I dislike black tea. It tastes too tannic and "thin" without milk. I can drink black coffee, but I pefer it with milk. Milk seems to soften and round the taste of tea and coffee for me.

When I come into the house from gardening or shopping a glass of water just doesn't hit thes pot the way a cup of tea does.

It is a ritualistic thing. It seems like a cup of tea is like a tiny drop of calm in a crazy day. Comforting, familiar, soothing, and also a bloody good excuse to stop the boring thing you are doing and have a brew!

I believe it wasn't rationed in the war and was seen as very important for morale.

Thank you @Singleandproud I had no idea. I would definitely be one of the ones pausing a battle for a cuppa too

Btw my username totally goes with this thread haha

If Twinings call it tea, that's good enough for me

Milk stops tea having that feeling where it's like it's stuck to the back of your tongue. It rounds out the flavour.

@Davros tea was rationed during the war; however they resisted this as long as possible for morale reasons. Protecting the British tea supply took a lot of time and effort. One way of ensuring a steady supply that could be well-controlled would have been by combining all tea imports into one and creating a “British blend” thereby having no individual brands. This was done with flour and butter for example. But it was felt that people had a very strong attachment to their preferred brand of tea and although at times in the war they came very very close to having to centralise tea distribution in the end they avoided it. That is the importance of tea during the war!

I can't stand tea or coffee. I drink hot water. If really pushed a coffee made with milk and a couple of sugars can be forced down🤢

I've voted YABU just because I can't function without my cup of tea in a morning when I get up 😁
I love all teas.
You're not being unreasonable for knowing what you do and don't like though, teenage DS is like this but won't entertain the idea of any drinks but water!

Me neither! Not too struck on hot drinks, and the mere smell of tea turns my stomach... have never, ever wanted to try it!