‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

[RafaC]

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow is the International Tea Day and as the tea-lover that I am, I thought it'd be nice to start a topic about it on the community 🍃

Despite tea being the most consumed drink in the world (after water), it's not huge where I grew up (Sao Paulo, Brazil) as, most of you may know, Brazil is quite famous for its excellent coffee. But I'm not a coffee-drinker and I consider myself to be lucky to have a tea-loving mum.

I grew up drinking a lot of tea (well, actually most of it was infusions: spearmint, lemongrass and above it all, mate tea). No, mate tea is not tea for your mates, but tea made with erva mate (or, in Spanish, yerba mate). Calling it "tea" may be technically wrong as it's not made out of Camelia Sinensis - the tea plant - but we call it tea down there anyway. Mate tea is hugely popular in South America but it's consumed in different forms throughout the continent: in Argentina and Uruguay, it's consumed as chimarrão, hot and served with a metal straw in a container usually made from a calabash gourd and that same way of drinking it applies to the extreme South of Brazil. 

In Sao Paulo, you can enjoy it hot or cold, with or without milk, served in regular cups and in Rio de Janeiro, they only have it when served cold, most of the times with lemon juice mixed to it on a regular glass.  I'm actually drinking some mate tea that my partner brought from Brazil whilst I'm writing this piece 😄

I honestly like all the ways of drinking it, and as a tea-lover I like most types of tea and infusions. I'm crazy about Chinese and Japanese green and white teas, but I'm also a huge fan of the blends of black tea made here in the UK. The one that I drink the most has to be Yorkshire Tea. Love some of the classic blends from Whittard as well. 

The International Tea Day also exists to raise awareness of everything that revolves around a simple cup of tea: from its social and environment impact to its cultural and historical importance. 

By the way, did you know that you can grab a free tea from Greggs with Priority? (It can be coffee though, but if you're like me you'd go for the tea)

What's your favourite tea? Is it the one you drink the most or do you save it for special occasions? I also have to ask the dreaded question: milk before or after? Please share your tea thoughts on the comment section below whilst sipping your favourite cuppa.

[Cleoriff]

@RafaC 

Who, on this earth, thought the topic of tea would stretch to 4 pages? Sez, me, just on my 3rd china mug of tea😂😂

Forget to say, for me to REALLY enjoy my tea, It must be in a china 'Rose of England Mug'

[RafaC]

@Cleoriff brilliant 😂🤣

That mug's so beautiful 😻 

[Anonymous]

I would never have imagined we'd be discussing tea on the 02 Community, but I don't mind though!

I like PG Tips or Brooke Bond.

I imagine the workers at the 02 Call Centres must have a tea break (if they are not working from home!) - what tea do they like to drink?!

[RafaC]

I'm enjoying this thread a lot actually

Sorry @Anonymous, I wouldn't know that as I work at a different department. I could ask the other community managers @lewys-gp and @Martin-O2 to come and answer your question though. My favourite everyday tea is Yorkshire Tea (red label).

[lewys-gp]

I am loving the tea chatter 😂.

First, to address your tag, @RafaC, I would suggest asking the man on the inside (@Chris_K), as he may have the answers about the O2 team's tea-drinking habits, @Anonymous.

Now, more importantly, to share my own habits...

Growing up, I enjoyed the milkiest and sugariest(?) cups of tea possible. We would always have Tetley in our house, and usually, the whole family could be found in the living room after work/school enjoying a cuppa.

But, as I got older, I began trying to copy my stepfather's preference (which my sister also did). The teabag would stay in the mug for a long time, it would be squeezed to death before taking out, and then the smallest dash of milk would be added. I think it became a bit of a competition between the three of us. This is how I still enjoy my tea to this day (PG Tips now though), but I try and have soy/oat milk instead of normal milk (used to be a green cap boy!).

My mother puts the tea bag in, adds water, then the milk and tries to remove the teabag as soon as possible so it is as weak as possible. Not for me.

P.S. Teabag must be removed before adding milk!!!

Great topic, Rafa, and so interesting reading everyone's comments. I still need to try mate tea! But, have tried and enjoyed other teas over the years. Love that mug btw, @Cleoriff! Seen so many similar ones in many a family member's home.

[Chris_K]

Afternoon all,

Starting with myself first, I'm more a coffee drinker but I do still enjoy the odd cuppa so I'll share a few things that may interest and/or horrify you:

• My go-to tea bag is PG Tips or Yorkshire Tea 'Malty Biscuit Brew'
• My tea building process is: Fancy stoneware or glass mug, pop a sweetener in, add tea bag, brew for a few minutes, remove bag, add milk, take an immediate sip and burn my mouth
• Every now and then - not often - I like to go full psycho and brew a tea bag in a cup of freshly brewed coffee. I done this years ago by mistake, without thinking, while doing a few other things at the same time and my initial reaction was: Actually... That's not bad! Think of it as the hot beverage equivalent of the 50/50 bread.

Checking in with some of our Social Media team, here's some insights:

• One of our team members say they're more a coffee drinker, but when they do drink tea it's Yorkshire Tea - and they drink from a fine bone china mug because it tastes better
• Another team member has given a +1 to Yorkshire Tea, but they like their flavoured tea's as well - such as the Biscuit Brew I also like. They like to drink from a mug that says 'YipTea' on it, and they also made the switch years ago to oat milk
• One of our team likes green or matcha tea - usually a good quality brand. I've enjoyed a green tea or two with them in Wagamama's after a meal before, and we even managed to bag ourselves a couple of the fantastic Wagamama tea cups - no, not by five finger discounting them, but by chatting with their Social Media team and twisting their arm
• Another team member isn't fussy when it comes to tea and will happily drink LIDL own brand, but it's gotta be out of their mug with an 'A' - first initial of their name. Their tea is usually on the weaker / lighter shade of tea, and they cannot have a tea without a biscuit. It's a rule!
• And another person in the team has added yet another +1 to Yorkshire Tea (can you tell most of them are from the midlands?!)
• One of our team doesn't drink tea or coffee, and when quizzed by others about how they're even able to function, the response was "they don't". Okay, going to be keeping an eye open on that one! 😅
• Many of the team have confirmed that they take their own tea bags on holidays abroad as they either can't be without their favourite brew, or they don't like or can't trust they'll like local tea bags - if they can even find them at all
• Yes - they are all collectively horrified at my 'Cofftea' invention and no longer want to speak to me after backing away slowly like I have a disease

If I get any more responses from our team then I'll be sure to update this post.

[lewys-gp]

Cofftea, @Chris_K 😭.

If we're sharing our terrible secrets, I will have to admit that I don't like dunking a biscuit in tea, as I think it ruins the flavour of the tea...

[Chris_K]

I like a good biscuit dunk - Tunnock's Caramel Wafer dipped in tea = heaven. I'm also fine with digestives, but at that point you run the risk of your biscuit breaking apart and making the bottom of the tea undrinkable. Lumpy biscuity soggy bottom tea... Bleugh!

Everyone put me in the mood for a cuppa so thought I'd take a snap. And yes, my desk could do with a little cleaning before anyone says! 🤣

[Cleoriff]

@Chris_K 

If that's tea, it's just the colour I like. I use 2 tea bags to get it that colour though. 😂

Your tea and coffee mix sounds absolutely disgusting 😬

[pgn]

Love the blue vibe too, @Chris_K, very "O2" 👍😆