Although typically served with milk, it is also common to drink certain varieties black or with lemon. Sugar is a popular addition to any variety. Everyday tea, such as English breakfast tea, served in a mug with milk and sugar is a popular combination.
The Brits' habit of putting milk in tea extends all the way back to the 18th century, from the time when tea was brewed in pots. Tea was a big deal at the time, and people tended to drink it out of china cups.
Given its delicacy, the porcelain would often crack due to the high water temperature. Therefore, people started adding milk to cool down the cup. Another popular theory is that milk was used to balance the natural bitterness of tea, giving it a smoother, more delicate flavour.
Black tea is the most popular type of tea in England and it is almost always enjoyed with a splash of milk and a teaspoon or two of sugar. However, it was not originally designed to be taken this way.
Milk no sugar, please – that's the most popular way to enjoy a brew followed by milk with two or more sugars and then milk with one sugar. Perhaps surprisingly, is that 14% of Brits don't indulge in this quintessentially English tradition.
Traditionally, Earl Grey tea is served with a slice of lemon and sugar to taste. According to YouGov, a massive 85% of British Earl Grey and English breakfast tea drinkers enjoy their tea with milk. In the US, they like to add milk and sugar to their Earl Grey tea.
Doodh pati chai, literally 'milk and tea leaves', a tea beverage drunk in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
In general, the British custom is to pour milk in your cup first, then tea. Whereas, the European custom is to pour the hot tea in first, then milk.
It was also fortuitous that the Australian dairy industry expanded at this time, making fresh milk available, so black tea with milk and sugar became the national beverage.
A: 97.5%. Q: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TEA IS TAKEN WITH MILK? A: 57% of tea drinkers add dairy milk, 10% add a plant milk, 27% add sugar and 12% use a low-calorie sweetener.
Crisps (UK) / Chips (US)
Americans and Brits fight over this one all the time! In the UK, the thin round slices of fried potato that come in packets are called crisps, while in the US these are called chips.
Back home, I'd say biscuits, but I know that in England those are what we call cookies.” She smiled and informed me that they were scones. And they were as delicious as they looked.
In both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, tea-drinking blends and preferences vary. Although typically served with milk, it is also common to drink certain varieties black or with lemon. Sugar is a popular addition to any variety.
Brits are however the most likely to use sweeteners in their tea in place of sugar (7%), with the French (1%) being the least likely. A sizeable number of Swedes (13%) say that they are adding honey and lemon to their Earl Grey/English breakfast.
You can put milk in Earl Grey tea, if you do so in the right way to avoid the milk curdling. Alternatively, this type of tea is just as delicious and flavourful without milk, so it will depend on your personal taste and preference whether you should put milk in your tea.
A brolly is the same as an umbrella.
In the UK, 'chips' are a thicker version of what people in the US call 'fries'. If you want a bag of what Americans call 'chips' in the UK, just ask for crisps.
The Irish are noted for drinking their tea strong and with lots of milk. Traditionally milk was poured into tea cups first to prevent the hot tea from cracking fine china cups.
China is far and away the largest consumer of tea, at 1.6 billion pounds a year. But per person, as illustrated in the map above, the picture is a lot different: Turkey, Ireland, and the United Kingdom are home to the world's biggest tea drinkers.
In the evening the British are going to dinner with their family. During the big meal they discuss the events of the day, politics and sports. At that time of the day especially popular are soft, soothing teas flavoured with bergamot. The most famous «evening» tea is «Earl Grey».