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?

AtomicBlondeRose thank you for that info, very interesting

I get it. I do drink tea, but not hourly! I’m not entirely sure how people do that. It makes me really need to pee! Worse than coffee and decaf is no better.

I don’t understand the ritual part of it, how it’s the answer to everything. I do understand a cup of something hot is comforting, but the actual going off to make it is a faff and interrupts whatever I was doing. I’ll make it if I need a break. I’m not a huge liquid consumer. One large coffee mid-morning, perhaps two on days off. Lunch and water. Cup of tea or mint tea the afternoon if I need a break, or a friend pops round. Water with dinner. Chamomile or cocoa at bedtime. I probably don’t drink enough, but the idea of making a cup of something every couple of hours in the day is one I can’t get my head around. I’m bad enough at keeping focussed on one thing long enough as it is, let alone faffing about the kettle every 90 minutes! To each his own, though. It’s just not for me.

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

Probably! Chamomile etc. I do like a nettle tea, too, but mixed with something else.

Though green tea, my favoured tea drink, is from a type of tea leaf I think?

This video is hilarious!

I love tea but I don't drink coffee as I don't like the taste. Some people drink fizzy drinks, others water, squash, smoothies. It's just a drink. Why don't you try it if you're curious?

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

Because, accurately speaking, tea means the specific plant camellia sinensis,and the drink made from it. Other infusions are often referred to as teas, but technically they aren't tea. Not that it matters particularly!

For goodness sake, just try it! There is no way people can explain it to you. People drink all kinds of things during a day, tea is just one of them. Incidentally, people do drink tea in other parts of the world. I prefer coffee, but it upsets my stomach now so I'm back to tea. It's warming on a cold day, and refreshing on a hot day.

It is. As is white tea, yellow tea, oolong, sencha etc. There is thousands of types of actual tea. No need to lump infusions in too.

Tea is cultural for native brits. Hot drinks are comforting, especially when it’s cold, which it often is in the UK for more than half the year. Staying hydrated is important and it’s tastier than drinking water, lower sugar than squash, juice or fizzy drinks.

You are of course not being unreasonable. There are very many other drinks available and there is no reason to have tea in the house for random visitors/tradespeople if you don't drink it yourself.

I don't like any hot drinks at all. Saves a lot of effort! There is tea and coffee in the house but that's for other people.

I hate tea. I hate the taste, the smell, I hate the no one can function without it, I hate that people look like me like a freak when I turn down their cup of tea, I hate that I can’t bloody do anything with anyone without having to stop for tea, I hate people trying to force it on my kids… it’s like a religion!!

I don't drink many hot drinks - maybe 3 cups of tea a week - possibly up to once a day when it is cold. My DH has about 5 cups a days - it seems be because he likes it 🤷🏼‍♀️