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Original poster

Teabags - how many do I need? Also what is tea etiquette at work?

40 replies

julylover · 27/07/2023 05:48

I work in a small office where everyone makes a round of tea a few times a day. We don’t have a teapot so it’s a case of making the tea straight into mugs.

My question is, how many teabags do I need to do this? Does it have to be one teabag per (smallish) mug or can I use one tea bag to make several mugs? I don’t want to make crap tea!

Also, is it bad etiquette to accept tea off others when you don’t want to make a round yourself later? (Sometimes I’m too busy and then feel guilty I’ve accepted one from someone else earlier).

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 27/07/2023 05:51

One teabag per mug but as long as you do offer as well as accept tea then it’s ok if you get busy one day and can’t.

greenacrylicpaint · 27/07/2023 05:51

it's one bag per mug.

and, sorry, tea rounds is nuts. unless you are chained to the desk bar tea duty then getting up to get a Brew gets me to stretch my legs.

inloveonholiday · 27/07/2023 05:55

One tea bag per person per cup.

It's much easier to get a second hand teapot from a charity shop, you can get away with slightly less tea bags if you do this and it's less time consuming as you aren't having to steep and squeeze each bag individually.

Wheresmyrobe · 27/07/2023 06:19

Do everyone a favour and get a teapot.

daffodilandtulip · 27/07/2023 06:27

Eugh this would drive me nuts. Hands off my tea.

(And probably the kind of anti social reasons that led me to be self employed, working in my own home.)

00100001 · 27/07/2023 06:35

I'd definitely be not liking tea at work... "Oh, no thanks I don't drink tea"

navithefairy · 27/07/2023 06:37

One per cup.

Regarding etiquette, I have always found it best to actually discuss with colleagues to avoid misunderstandings. These things are surprisingly important!

Like some people will care if you don't 'return the favour' by making them one later, some people will not be bothered at all.

If you're relatively new, or have a new person join, that's the ideal time to bring it up in conversation!

greenteaandmarshmallows · 27/07/2023 06:38

Shoxfordian · 27/07/2023 05:51

One teabag per mug but as long as you do offer as well as accept tea then it’s ok if you get busy one day and can’t.

This

cinzanoandcoke · 27/07/2023 07:08

One teabag per cup. You take turns but not needed for everyone to take one turn a day if eg 10 people in the office.

LolaSmiles · 27/07/2023 07:13

One bag per cup, but a cheap teapot would be easier.

Unless someone was really petty, most people would not keep score on who makes the tea on a daily basis.

It would be noticed if one person always accepts cups but never offers to make for other people though

AvengedQuince · 27/07/2023 07:16

Get a teapot and let people then pour their own, you need to get up and stretch your legs anyway.

Danikm151 · 27/07/2023 07:16

5 years ago I dropped out of the tea round and everyone knows it. I drink way too many cups of tea for anyone to keep up and people are too fussy 😂

doorstopper123 · 27/07/2023 07:18

Just say no thanks. Always. Just make your own

If anyone asks? , oh I'm really fussy about my coffee

DailyMailHater · 27/07/2023 07:20

I previously worked in an office that did tea rounds and it drove me mad the people who accepted but never made….it was noticed maybe not on an individual day but def on a weekly level. When I found my new office do the same, and this person has that milk and this other person likes it that way - I decided to not get involved so just said “oh I am super fussy about how my tea is made is I will just do my own”…no one questioned it and 10 years on it is still the same…I do smile when I hear them moans that so and so hasn’t made
tea for ages.

OddOne2023 · 27/07/2023 07:21

Omg so much faff and overthinking

Just make your own /opt out

TroysMammy · 27/07/2023 07:22

I worked with someone who would do a tea round for everyone including herself but if someone else was making it she would decline a cup. She would then get up after everyone had been served to make her own.

nalabae · 27/07/2023 07:24

I hate doing rounds of tea to many requests I'm just basic, no sugar tea but others it's two sugars, milky, or not to strong like get what you're given

Wheresmyrobe · 27/07/2023 07:25

TroysMammy · 27/07/2023 07:22

I worked with someone who would do a tea round for everyone including herself but if someone else was making it she would decline a cup. She would then get up after everyone had been served to make her own.

I don't blame her, I like my own tea. Nothing worse than a poorly made cup of tea!

Airdustmoon · 27/07/2023 07:27

The office I used to work in did tea rounds. It was a bit stressful tbh, I was constantly having cups of tea put in front of me that I didn’t really want, then feeling like I’d better go and make another cup I didn’t really want so I could take my turn. Trying to remember exactly how everyone liked their tea, and no-one ever getting mine quite right (I like it strong!)

It was quite a relief really when I moved jobs and the new office didn’t do tea rounds!

MBailey99 · 27/07/2023 07:33

I used to be that annoying person who said no thanks and just didn't bother with tea rounds and made my own tea. I have carpal tunnel and struggled to carry a tray of 8 mugs, but it was mainly because I couldn't be arsed. People should just make their own drinks when they want them.

southlondoner02 · 27/07/2023 07:38

Tea rounds are pretty standard everywhere I've worked. We used to have a chart on the wall with everyone's preferences for tea or coffee, how much milk, what type of milk. I drink a lot of tea and made a lot of rounds but found a lot of the time only a few people would want one, so it wasn't too onerous

maddening · 27/07/2023 07:40

If you want to be in a tea round then you also make a round.

It is a tea bag per cup. But I assume work provides the tea? If they didn't I would not do rounds!

EarringsandLipstick · 27/07/2023 07:43

We used to have a chart on the wall with everyone's preferences for tea or coffee, how much milk, what type of milk.

I could not work somewhere this happened! Madness.

(I've never worked anywhere that it was normal to make tea. Partly because there's always been a staff room / tea room or it was customary to go for coffee. It's never been the norm to have it at your desk.)

greenteaandmarshmallows · 27/07/2023 07:44

I genuinely thought since covid times especially and the move against one or two people always picking up the "wife work" that this sort of thing was a thing of the past.

Tryingtogetitright · 27/07/2023 07:50

I worked somewhere where there was a dulux paint chart on the wall with the exact colour the director liked his tea circled! (you needed two tea bags in a mug to achieve it!)

Another place my boss would only drink from one particular mug... had to go hunting if it was missing (used by someone else) and take it back and wash it up - you'd get shouted at if you used the wrong one!

Lovely boss now but I had some horrid ones!