Thursday 8 February 2018

Giving Equal Time to Tea

After my last post celebrating coffee, all you tea drinkers out there rose up as one and loudly proclaimed the superiority of your own chosen hot beverage!


Hee, hee, hee . . . oh, sorry.


Okay, okay, we all know that tea drinkers
are found only among the Very Best People!



Lots of cultures around the world drink tea, but it is almost invariably associated with one group in particular --



Yes, those crazy Brits. And to me, they commit the worst and most unpardonable of all sins. They take milk with their tea.


Noooooooooooooo! Tea must be taken clear. That's the way I drink it! Maybe a slice of lemon once in a while, but never milk. NEVER.

As the old saying goes: "Milk is for the WEAK!"






True confession time, tea drinkers . . . .
Which side are you on?

58 comments:

Toni said...

Tea of coffee? Depends on mood. If I have a lot to accomplish and need a turbo charge, coffee it is. If my plan is to curl up with good book and be the queen, tea is my choice. Green tea and fresh ginger root or almond vanilla tea.

Linda d said...

Never coffee. Very bitter and nasty to me.

Never milk. Don’t get that at all. Just plain ole tea, no sugar. Perfect.

anne marie in philly said...

IF I ever drink tea, it's clear with sugar only.
but tea never gives me a lift like coffee does.

Mistress Maddie said...

Love the Royalitt!!!!!

I'll need some hot tea.....ill be at the Eagles Victory Parade today.

Parnassus said...

What about the association of tea with the Chinese? Here in Taiwan, it is all about the quality of the tea, which comes in an infinite number of grades and types. Even the containers are important--I recently did a post on old pewter tea canisters.

I agree, tea should always be taken clear--I don't get the milk-in-tea thing. Green tea, black tea, or coffee, all fine with me.
--Jim

Marie Smith said...

Lol. Switchel for me, the Newfoundland term for black tea, no sugar. Sacrilege to the British!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

As a Newfie, I loved tea -- with milk. But alas, the tonic acid is now too hard on my tummy. I occasionally drink coffee ☕ - dark roast, rich and milky! I'm in THAT camp!

Jeanne said...

I like my tea just like I take my coffee, "Black as midnight on a moonless night". To quote Agent Cooper.
I was never real fond of hot tea - always took my tea iced and never with sugar! - until I started writing. Then I would have a cup or two when I sat down at the keyboard. Helped me focus. My fav is Earl Grey or Lady Grey. What's your fav tea?

Anonymous said...

no question,,, Red Rose, loose tea,,, milk first then tea then sugar,,, ahhhh, perfection!!!!

Bob said...

I usually have a cup of green tea with agave syrup before I go to sleep. Soothing, I must say!

NanaDiana said...

LOL- I am not a tea drinker at all....just not "my cuppa tea" as the saying goes. I will take coffee any day. But I could not begin to imagine drinking it with milk..lol Have a great Thursday, Debra! xo Diana

A Heron's View said...

I used to drink tea quite lot and there is one small country who can out drink the Brits and that is the Irish who differently to the English put the milk in last because that way the milk is not scalded.
A favourite winter warmer in the UK is to add a drop of whisky into the cuppa before adding the milk.

DEZMOND said...

I drink it with lemon too! It is strange I'm drinking tea at all given that in my country they think tea is drunk only when you are ill, literally. We are massive coffee drinkers, black coffe (grind coffee cooked in boiling water on the stove with sugar). We've been under Turks for half a millennia after all.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ Jeanne -- I'm an Earl Grey girl too. And specifically, Tetley's Earl Grey which has just the right amount of bergamot, in my opinion!

^.^ said...

I drink lemon water instead, so that solves that problem, friend DHS ... smiles ... https://www.youtube.com/embed/yK0_6a_zF-Y?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0 ... Love, cat.

^.^ said...

... DSWS ... i meant to say ... smiles ... cat.

Joanne Noragon said...

I've learned there are many things they put in infusers in hot water and call tea.Some are passable, though a glass of water would do as well.

brewella deville said...

I like coffee as a special treat, but it's tea every day for me. Tea and milk in the morning, plain green tea in the afternoon, Persian tea with cardamom and sugar sometimes for dessert, tea with a splash of bourbon if I'm by a campfire and want to get my inner lumberjack on... wait, what were we talking about?

e said...

Well, since you ask... Black tea with milk and a scant half teaspoon of sugar. But, never Earl Grey; the bergamot gives me a headache. We drank a lot of Red Rose growing up, but I've switched to Barry's or Bewley's. I also love a good herbal tea and never put milk in that.

BUT, I'm really a coffee drinker. Three cups in the morning -very strong and with half & half, no sugar.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ Cat -- Thanks for the link to that great old union song! "Which Side Are You On?" indeed!

Snap said...

Tea ... plain ... a little lemon on occasion....
xx

Kirk said...

I like tea...particularly iced.

Martha said...

I prefer coffee but sometimes I enjoy a nice cup of tea. Without milk! Never milk.

Miss Val's Creations said...

I need and love both! 2 cups of coffee starts my day and usually 2 cups of milk free tea in the cold winter afternoons.

Adam said...

I'll leave tea to snooty people and American right-wing racists.

I've never liked tea, ever.

Susan said...

I have a foot firmly in both camps. Coffee in the morning - dark and STRONG, two cups, a minimal splash of cream for color. Afternoon tea is anything black, no cream, milk, lemon or sugar, and, lastly, evening is a nice cuppa of ginger tea or a cup of bourbon with a splash of tea. Depends on the day.

BWBandy said...

Earl Grey. Enough said.

Jenn said...

I am a coffee drinker in the AM, tea any other time. No milk. Yes to lemon sometimes.

Jono said...

Me Mum was a Brit so I HAVE to drink tea. I do have coffee in the morning because I am half Scandinavian, but I have tea later on. Like right now, for instance. Clear, of course, but I did add sugar as a young person. That was sooo long ago.

LL Cool Joe said...

I haven't had a cuppa tea for years. I prefer cider. ;)

The Happy Whisk said...

I love the war is on but we must make time for tea.

Leanna said...

I like my tea porn hot and clear. Milk is a sin. Coffee is only for the morning when I can't find the jumper cables.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

And yet we Americans who boast about being tea drinkers (like me), don't know nothing. I've had a Victorian tea. Our neighbors to the North do it right.

John Going Gently said...

TEA SHOULD ONLY BE DRUNK WITH MILK
And milk in the cup first

Guillaume said...

I am a tea drinker. Ironically, my British wife is not, she hates the thing.

John M said...

I like tea with milk and sugar. I also like iced tea without milk of course, usually sweet.

Lady M said...

Tea with milk is awesome. I have been trained up by His Lordship who makes the best cup of milky tea ever!

Barbara said...

I rarely drink hot tea. I like it but I guess putting the coffee on is just a habit while putting the kettle on and waiting for the tea to steep seems too long. I think I would be willing to try milk with my tea - may not like it but since I drink cream in my coffee I guess it might be near the same?

Moving with Mitchell said...

I'm versatile... when it comes to my tea, too. I love good, strong tea with milk. But also love tea with lemon and honey or on its own. I especially like it when someone else makes it.

G. B. Miller said...

I consume both, but I only do coffee during the winter season (October thru March). Tea I drink year round, on average about 12 cups a day in the winter and 22 during the spring/summer.

I Are Writer!

Rain said...

Lol I'm a sinner, I drink milk and sugar in my tea! :) Not herbals though, those teabags just pee in my water and I'm fine with that. :) Cute!

Carol Blackburn said...

Must be HOT, HOT, HOT whether black tea or black coffee. If it's HOT I'm drinking it.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

always with milk and sugar....it might have something to do with how you were raised. milk and sugar in my tea with cinnamon toast or toast with honey and butter!

Magaly Guerrero said...

I'm fully bi. Coffee in the morning, tea in the evening. We are a happy threesome.

Jill said...

I love tea! I can drink it just about any way.... milk and sugar or no milk and sugar... but I really prefer a good brew and to enjoy the flavors. No coffee for me, lol :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Blessings,
Jill

Willym said...

As with many things I am middle-of-the-road: sometimes I take my team with milk, sometimes clear, sometimes clear with lemon but always with sugar.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I do enjoy a vanilla chai latte, and lately I've been having it with almond milk. Cold coffee drinks that taste like milkshakes are really my favorite though.

This was fun!

Julie

Kay G. said...

Royal TEA, that is so funny, I shall always think of the Queen with that tea cup on her head now!

Of course, one knows that tea MUST be taken with milk and just a touch of sugar. Also, there is a most proper way to prepare the tea, as well. I have learned this from my English husband, of course! Before we married, I had never had a cup of hot tea in my life, only the sweet cold iced tea we have in the South!

Bill Lisleman said...

I'm more of a coffee drinker - black coffee. I do drink herbal tea with lots of honey when I'm feeling under.

Jim said...

Ron says I'm not a true coffee drinker because mine is decaf. So since I do LOVE my matcha tea, guess I am a tea tottler after all is said and done. Cheers.

Magic Love Crow said...

That first cartoon is bad! LOL! I love it! LOL!
I only drink tea! I love green tea and mint tea, but will drink different kind of berry teas too. All with no milk or sugar! I love Tetley or Twinning!

mshatch said...

Total coffee addict. I do remember my mum making me chamomile tea when I was small and putting a little milk in it. I thought that's what you were supposed to do.

yellowdoggranny said...

I order Barry's decaf tea from amazon..jenny asked me what I wanted for christmas and I said Barry's decaf..got me 2 boxes..and over nighted it to me..hah I have to have my tea..

bj said...

hahhaa...so cute...and while I love my coffee...I also love my tea about mid afternoon....

Onevikinggirl said...

No milk, never. Also let the bag seep until black and strong.

baili said...

In our culture the tea is most wanted drink
tea with milk is most popular though in snowy mountains of north the tea without milk is also famouse

i loved your fun post as i love tea (though can't have it much now like olden days ,my poor stomach:(

Lynn said...

Coffee in the morning, a hot cup of Darjeeling tea after dinner (with NO milk!)

AntiquityTravelers said...

ha! no milk for me ... I like mine hot, black, sweet and smokey ;) I go for strong black Chinese tea and my favorite is Russian Caravan. I only drink tea - no coffee