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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not keep every type of tea in my kitchen cupboard.

58 replies

ChaosInCamelot · 01/03/2010 19:17

Do those of you who drink different types of tea/hot drink expect others to have them in stock in their kitchen? I just tend to drink 'normal' tea and coffee, and then I just drink plain tap water if I am not having a hot drink. I sometimes have green or peppermint tea in the evening, but if I run out I sometimes forget to replace it for a month or so.

Have a couple of friends and relatives who don't drink tea/coffee. One came round today and when I asked her if she wanted a cuppa, asked what teas I had. Um, just the standard tea sorry. Cue disappointed look and asked me to dunk the bag in the water for literally half a second (actually considered this a bit of a waste of a teabag).

I just think that if I only drank herbal/fruit teas I would keep a couple of tea bags in my handbag for these occasions.

DHs sister only drinks a particular type of herbal tea (can't remember which) but when I'm at hers I just have that. I don't expect her to keep the caffeinated ones in just for me.

OP posts:
cyb · 01/03/2010 19:18

No, you ANBU, but lol at waste of a teabag.

you are not a branch of Whittards for heavens sake

DarrellRivers · 01/03/2010 19:18

When I was drinking herbal bags I used to carry a few in my bag
YANBU

MrsC2010 · 01/03/2010 19:20

I tend to have Earl Grey and normal, and that's it. I went through a phase of having some fruity teas but not as the norm.

Morloth · 01/03/2010 19:21

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking "what have you got"? That could be because most of the people I know are going to have 20 different types of tea in the cupboard.

Disappointed look is a bit weird though.

cat64 · 01/03/2010 19:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

thehillsarealive · 01/03/2010 19:25

i have lots of different teas in my cupboard, and a few coffees too, but if I only drank herbal tea then i would have some tea bags in my bag to take with me.

no disappointed look though.

so YANBU

Original poster
ChaosInCamelot · 01/03/2010 19:26

Glad not everyone has disagreed with me - the first time I have done AIBU!
Morloth - I agree, didn't mind the asking, it was just the look that irritated me!

OP posts:
Morloth · 01/03/2010 19:27

Imagines cat64 throwing decaff tea bags from a basket. No idea why.

brimfull · 01/03/2010 19:27

yanbu
I had someone ask for peppermint tea the other day and looked miffed when I had to offer her redbush or green tea instead.

KurriKurri · 01/03/2010 19:42

I've got a lot of teas in my cupboard because I drink fruit/herb teas. I also stock ordinary tea and coffee. But if I go out of the house and I want to drink 'my tea' I take it with me. Or drink whatever I'm offered.

I don't think beveragal preferences should over ride good manners.

Feierabend · 01/03/2010 19:44

This reminds me... I once offered a friend a cup of tea. She asked what brand it was and I said PG Tips. She declined. Apparently she only drinks Tetleys. WTF???

Rockbird · 01/03/2010 20:00

Feierabend, your friend could be me although I have recently defected to Yorkshire tea. I can tell the difference between every type of bog standard tea bag at 10 paces. Anything other than Tetley or YT tastes like floor sweepings and I can't drink it.

roulade · 01/03/2010 20:07

Pg tastes like shite, especially the "one cup" bags they get at my office (i use two). At home i always have twinings or Jacksons.

disclaimer - i am not a snob, just hate weak tea!

DarrellRivers · 01/03/2010 20:10

Tetley tea bags much nicer than pg tips
So, do I know you in RL Feierabend?

whomovedmychocolate · 01/03/2010 20:12

Just lob some Radox in there, tastes the same

Hulababy · 01/03/2010 20:13

I only generally have in decaf Yorkshire tea in the house. My sister often brings green tea with her (which I really dislike) so sometimes there are some of them in too. I never even tell people the tea is decaff.

For coffee we have a range of Tassimo pods, coffee for the cafitiere and instant decaf.

Feierabend · 01/03/2010 20:30

Ah surely it depends on where you live / water quality and such? I think Tetleys is vile but loved it when I lived in Berlin. On Saturdays we have leaf tea from Fortnum & Mason

Feierabend · 01/03/2010 20:33

But maybe I'll get some Tetleys in for those tea snobs who come to visit

littlebylittle · 01/03/2010 20:46

yanbu course not, plain hot water good enough and I usually ask for thatcos otherwise it looks as if you're saying their selection of tea is substandard

ChippingIn · 01/03/2010 20:56

YANBU in so much as you can't cater for everyone, on the other hand if you have someone who is a regular visitor then I think it's a bit rude not to have something in that they like.

I drink my tea, very weak & black - so a very quick dunk! If I am at someone elses I will ask if they are having tea and get first dunk, if they aren't I'll have hot water (which I often have at home anyway).

My brother annoys me, Mum, Dad & I drink tea but they never bother to get a box of tea bags in. If we take them to put in their cupboard they get huffy cos they don't drink it. So if we want tea we have to remember to take a tea bag - it's pathetic. I keep stuff in they drink, why can't they do the same?? (Maybe I should stop stocking their favourite fizzy!!).

GoldenSnitch · 01/03/2010 21:10

You'd hate me then ChippingIn. Neither me or DH drink tea or coffee and so I don't keep any in. I hate the smell of tea and the smell of coffee actually makes me sick so I don't like it in my cupboards either. I only have mugs and a kettle because someone else bought then for us (which made me huffy - I don't want to waste precious cupboard space on stuff I don't use)

I don't expect other people to keep soft drinks in just for me and will happily drink water at other peoples houses to prevent them having to - why should I keep tea in for tea drinkers? I don't keep fags in for the smokers!

taffetacat · 01/03/2010 21:17

I have normal tea , Earl Grey ( yuk but bf drinks it ), Peppermint tea ( a good friend gave me a packet as she drinks it regularly and comes round a lot ) and lots of freebie single bags from hotels/samples through the door etc.( probably from the early 90's).

If Assam is ever on a special offer, I buy that because I like it. But agree mostly what makes the difference to a cup of tea is how chlorinated the water is.

Friend and her DH came over recently and her DH was horrified we didn't have any Chai ( T'Chai? whatever) tea.

Tea. Good with a

Nightshoe · 01/03/2010 21:22

YANBU, I wouldn't be stocking everything just in case!

However, to pick up on ChippingIn's point, when I have someone who comes round regularly I will make sure I have in what they drink. My friend only drinks squash and I hate it, but I always make sure I have some for her. It is just being thoughtful isn't it?

thesecondcoming · 01/03/2010 21:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JohnnyTwoHats · 01/03/2010 21:32

I normally drink Earl Grey but I don't expect people to provide it if they don't drink it themselves (a couple of my best friends do have it in for me actually, but that's just them being lovely
I have normal tea in for others because I appreciate the fact that some people object violently to EG.