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

[julylover]

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).

One bag per mug....unless someone is specifically mentioning they would rather share one....

Who's buying the tea?

The making/receiving round depends on the office. Sometimes it works really well - everyone sort of has a natural syncing of frequency, and no-one is trying to shirk on their duty. Other times you feel bombarded with tea, or a massive drought, as everyone is attempting to wait out everyone else to avoid their turn.

Personally, which probably isn't the done thing, I (privately) picked a time for "my round" that suited me: so like when I came back from lunch, or after a specific meeting, and offered then - so I knew I'd offered at least once. Over time they'll be some days that you don't make any (and accept loads) as you're beavering away, other days you have lots of natural breaks, and you make 2/3 rounds.

There is always one that makes a crap tea in the round, but unless you are very specific in your preferences most people's tea in the tea round will be fairly passable.

Opt out, for your own sanity!

Trying to remember who has tea, who has coffee, who takes sugar, who has semi skimmed/skimmed/oat milk and a hundred other variations, just isn't worth it, to get a badly made cuppa in return!

I always made it clear that I would, in the nicest possible way, never ever make or accept a hot drink in the office. I work exclusively from home now, so it's no longer an issue 🙃

Ger yourself a thermos mug and stay out of it

I make it clear on day 1 that I don’t participate in rounds. I like tea a certain way and I just wouldn’t enjoy it the way someone else would make it. Most people are particular about how they like their tea so they generally aren’t satisfied with my tea’s anyway. I just make my own. What everyone else does is up to them. But yeah you can’t make more than one tea out of one tea bag

I would figure out a way to end the tea rounds. I don't like other people, with unwashed hands, making me bad tea. We've a stopped them in my office thank goodness.

Get a teapot it’ll make life easier.

I prefer it if people didn’t make me tea as I like it strong and not like dishwater.

It’s a good job I asked - I thought you could put a teabag in a mug, add boiling water, swish it around a bit then quickly add it to another mug of boiling water and use again to make another tea! I don’t want to be wasteful but want to make decent tea.

1. put kettle on to boil
2. put a teabag in each mug with chosen amount of sugar
3. add boiling water
4. wait to brew
5. add milk, stir and remove teabag

Step 5 is often done in reverse but I don't feel that makes much difference and I prefer to see the colour of the tea before removing the bag so I can adjust if necessary.

I worked with someone who would always accept a cuppa but never reciprocate; we stopped making him one 🙅

Just say no and make your own. Tea rounds are fucking weird.

Oh god I hate this, much prefer making my own as I like it a particular way and like having the break from my desk. But yes a tea pot would make more sense. If it were me though I'd make a point early on of preferring to make my own

Ah this is what I miss about office working! And Ken goes out for more fags than Sandra. Molly never replaces the squash she keeps drinking. Phil replaces robinsons with lidl own brand!!! Good times 😂

One per cup. Surely making more isn't really that much more stress. Get a tray, line the mugs up, drop tea bags in while the kettle boils. Pour water on, give a stir, squire out the tea bag then add milk. Leave on the side and shout 'tea's are ready' as you walk back to your desk.

Sorry OP but your tea making sounds awful. Unless you like really weak tea.

This stresses me out just reading this. 😬Honestly, I don't even make cups of tea for people in my own house unless under absolute duress. I am particular about tea and I like my tea differently than most people do, and I just make it 'wrong'. So now I offer, but that only goes as far as putting in the tea bag. Then even guests need to take over because it's too much stress!