The Brits are stereotypically known for having a massive tea addiction, which I have seen is proven very true. I know many people who drink multiple cups of tea a day, and at least one of my new friends has a caffeine addiction because of the stuff (and drinks about six cups daily).
In England, tea is the default beverage for any occasion, and whenever someone announces they are putting the kettle on, many mugs are scrounged up for the occasion, since everyone has multiple mugs.
Americans tend to be more obsessed with coffee, but the Brits love their tea. There are not very many Starbucks shops, and a lot of people I’ve talked to prefer other places like Pret A Manger or Caffe Nero. I have never been much of a coffee drinker myself, I actually can’t stand the taste, so I feel more comfortable in England where tea is more prevalent. When I try explaining that tea isn’t as popular in the States, I get varying expressions of shock, as in “how can that be?”
The most popular brand is PG Tips, and there is one flavor: Original. What Americans would call English Breakfast, Original is just black tea, and is not a proper cuppa until plenty of milk and sugar have been added to the mug. Since arriving in Reading, the most common way I’ve seen a cup of tea be made is this: put the bag in the empty mug, then put the boiling water into the cup and let the tea steep for a couple minutes. While the bag is still in the mug, add the desired amount of milk (it tends to be a lot). Then remove the bag and add the desired amount of sugar, which are measured by number using an actual teaspoon.
Another way to brew a cuppa involves putting the milk in the mug first, then tea, followed by the sugar. This method goes back to when teacups were thin and if the hot tea was poured into them first, the cup would break. Now that cups and mugs are made to be sturdier, breaking the cup is no longer an issue.
It is also common to know how your friends take their tea, too, whether they prefer a stronger or weaker brew, and how many sugars to put in the mug. This can facetiously be called an indicator of friendship because the more time you spend with a person, the more tea will be drunk, so each will know how the other takes the tea. In the States, you’re on your own, mate. Putting a number on how many sugars I had in my tea was confusing at first because back in the States I was used to basically playing sugar roulette by pouring the sugar from a sugar shaker with a shrug and a “I think that’s good enough.”
The Brits take their tea very seriously, as I found out for myself when the exact number of mugs at my friend’s flat was undetermined. The number of people who wanted tea could potentially outnumber the mugs, which almost caused a crisis. When the number of mugs was found to equal the number of people, all was good. Otherwise, as my friend Michael said “I was prepared to fight you for tea.” So much for the British politeness…
As for actually drinking the tea, any time is deemed appropriate. Whether it’s a cup in the morning, one while hanging out with friends in the afternoon, or another after coming back from the club, tea is great at any point in the day. It is a way for friends and family to spend time together and enjoy a hot drink.
As an American, the prevalence of tea in England surprised me because while I knew it was a common stereotype, I was not expecting it to be proved so true. I was happily proved wrong and will gladly partake in drinking multiple cups of tea.
