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11 of the worst tea-making faux pas everyone should avoid

Listen up, class is in session.

BY VOLUNTEERING TO make tea, you are entering into a consenting contract which promises a fine cup of tea made to the best of your ability.

AKA, do none of these.

1. Not volunteering at all

If there’s less than say, five people, in the room, there’s absolutely no excuse for failing to offer them a cup if you’re heading to the kitchen to make one.

If you want to be ‘that’ person, follow all these faux-pas and ensure your offer is always answered with NO.

tea1 Shutterstock Shutterstock

2. Not properly disposing of a used teabag

Finished with your teabag? Plopping it on the counter or in the sink is fair cause for dismissal in many workplaces.

Leaving it there to reuse it later? Maybe you’d feel more at home in a commune.

Tea for two naama naama

3. Failure to pre-heat the mug

Why. Why would anyone not heat up the mug with a dash of hot water before pouring the golden nectar?

No matter how hard we try, we can’t come up with a single reason for this heinous crime. We can taste your betrayal with the first icy sip.

tea4 dullhunk dullhunk

4. Putting the milk in before the tea

Milk should always, always go in AFTER, now’s not the time for experimentation.

As a result of this, it’s only right to have a little sniff in the carton beforehand to avoid ruining a perfectly good cup.

Imgflip Uglypersonsface Uglypersonsface

5. Speaking of milk, don’t use too much or too little

Ask. Last thing we want is to be served up a pale ghost of tea that has passed. RIP, death by drowning in milk.

Unless, of course, you ask for it.

Tea Glutnix Glutnix

If this is too much responsibility to bear, which it will be for most, let the drinker pour their own milk. Everyone’s happy.

6. Leaving tea stains in the sugar bowl

NO DOUBLE DIPPING. There’s nothing worse than arriving to the sugar bowl to be met with lumpy patches and moist brown patches.

Scandalous.

sugar-bowl-spoon-390x285 Shutterstock Shutterstock

7. The hot water isn’t hot enough

Never use a tap when making tea. If the water hasn’t reached boiling point it forms a thick foamy ring around your cup and is basically grounds for divorce.

tea2 Tunesntea Tunesntea

8. Failure to present in adequate cuppage

Characteristics of a cup of tea shouldn’t be served in, under any circumstances:

  • Dirty
  • Stained
  • Chipped
  • Paper or Styrofoam
  • Washing-up liquid tasting-y
  • Too small
  • Too large
  • Too wide
  • Transparent (what’s with that?)

Wake up. Come on, it’s not much to ask?

Mug of Tea grassrootsgroundswell grassrootsgroundswell

9. Not giving it a stir first if made in a pot

A rookie mistake. The initial cups will be weak, while the latter too strong. The Goldilocks of tea situations, stirring makes it just right.

stir-the-tea Allabouttea Allabouttea

10. Not drinking it, ever

We’ve been through this. If offered a cup of tea in someone’s home, saying no is simply not an option.

Sorry.

11. Not providing a biscuit

In certain circumstance, this might be acceptable. One of such circumstances is NOT when you have people in your home. A biscuit is as essential as the teabag itself, you might even throw in a bit of chocolate if you’re showing off.

Proper order.

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Author
Nicola Byrne
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