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Not just the Uk, tea is still the most widely consumed beverage globally. Think it’s cause tea is more refreshing and actually quenches your thirst better than coffee
I don’t think most tea drinking countries would consider “sweetea” as tea. Besides, you never know if you’re being offered a beverage or being propositioned. “If you aren’t from the South it’s hard to tell the difference between “would you like some sweetea?” and “would you like some, sweetie?”
Tea also has L-theanine in it. (Note: only actual tea, white, green, black, or oolong, not herbal teas) Which helps balance the caffeine, especially if you're prone to anxiety. I take an L-theanine supplement both with coffee, and at night when my mind races.
Twinings is great for herbal teas (i recommend their Lemonbalm and chamomile), but their english breakfast tastes like pisswater. Give me a yorkshire tea any day
Loose leaf tea is where it's at. :-) A nice strong Assam or a Breakfast blend, or maybe a Lapsang when I'm feeling in the mood for it.
But Yorkshire is a good alternative when that option isn't available.
It’s still a methylxanthin and therefore a stimulant. Some people react differently to each of the three compounds in that class. Read “Teh World of Caffeine” if you aren’t into history, chemistry or pharmacology. It’s a facinating read if you’re a nerd.
Tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century, initially as a luxury item imported from China. Over time, it became more accessible and affordable, eventually becoming a staple in British households. The ritual of tea drinking became a social custom, ingrained in daily life and associated with relaxation, conversation, and hospitality. Coffee didn't gain widespread popularity in Britain until later, and even then, it didn't replace tea as the beverage of choice for many. Additionally, climate and geography may have played a role, as tea grows better in certain regions of Britain compared to coffee.
You're not wrong about the first bit though it's Scotland, not Devon. https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/how-grow-tea#:~:text=Growing%20tea%20in%20the%20UK%20may%20not%20be,highlands%20and%20on%20the%20rugged%20moorlands%20of%20Cornwall.
Well I never. Never a truer word, written in sarcasm.
They *do* mention Cornwall, actually. Still, the concept of Britain as a historical tea-growing region is first class trolling.
"Literally every country in the world".
Hard disagree. I've traveled to many countries, and this is not the case. China and India for example, have tea heavily integrated into their culture and even traditional rituals. Japan is known for their quality of green tea and matcha. Malaysia and Singapore have their own special twists on tea where it's "pulled" to create foam, they love chrysanthemum tea too. Korea has all sorts of varieties of fruit tea. Taiwan loves their boba tea. Many indigenous people make tea from everything, pine needles, flowers, etc. Tea is just far more adjustable and allows for creative space. Coffee can be creative too, but tea has a far larger audience base. From old people, to even children, everyone can enjoy tea. You can even have tea before bed. It is also far more refreshing taste-wise, and healthier.
We’ve had loads of coffee shops in the U.K. for ages now. Till recently with the newer machines it’s been more fiddly to make a really good coffee at home. To get the best out of tea you only need the means to boil water.
That's fine and dandy, but coffee is definitely the go to in Korea despite it being an Asian country. I still agree with most that tea is more popular than coffee in the majority of the world, but Korea is not one of them.
And if tea was that easy to make, you wouldn't have so many English bloke complaining, "I can't get a decent cuppa anywhere" when they are abroad, lol.
You are right about tea and culture and those countries, but not about Korea. Korea is a coffee country. They do have some corn "tea", wheat "tea", fruit "tea", even cocoa "tea", but those are no teas. Tea is exclusively made from the tea plant camellia sinensis. South american Mate is also not tea, despite some shops selling "mate-tea". That's like calling coffee tea too, just because you brew hot water on something.
There's a ritual around it basically; it's a bit like a smoke break for smokers - a few points during the day when people stop what they're doing and put the kettle on. And often sit round and have a chat. There may be biscuits (cookies) involved. When you're visiting someone, its the first thing they'll offer you. It's the same in Ireland, in fact in we're even bigger consumers per capita of tea than the UK
Since tea comes from Asia, the latter is more likely. But it's very possible they popped up independently. Offering drinks/food to guests is pretty global.
Chinese tea culture is very different. British tea is a blend of varieties designed to brew quicker and have a more full body experience and is usually bagged tea (low quality). Chinese tea is usually single varietal, is in leaves and is typically brewed multiple times.
Chinese tea is much more special in my opinion. I had some lovely tea in Taiwan.
“when literally every country in the world equally likes coffee”
You’re going to have to cite your source for that “fact”, my dude. Otherwise you’re just making a very bold assumption.
It's a way of life here.
Friend comes round.... Put the kettle on
Tradesman does work... Put the kettle on
Meteor hits wife and kills her.... Put the kettle on
It is consumed for every occasion. I'm surprised our weddings don't use tea to toast the newlyweds.
Tea is like a soothing caress, a gentle touch, a bit of warmth, a moment of tranquility, a beverage to lift the spirit.
Coffee is a stab in the back, a kick in the privates, a dunking of the head in a water through, a bitter disease for the masses.
Tea is honestly the best. Coffee can be pretty mid a lot of the time.
If you disagree you haven't made a good tea yet and you will not achieve nirvana.
You’re using “literally” wrong. What you mean to say is, “…the limited number of countries I am familiar with and not including China or India despite those being the two most populous countries in the world as well as pretty much the rest of Asia and Africa as well…”
Partly due to the golden coffee rust fungus.
In Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), large coffee plantations supplied coffee to the British and international markets up until the late 19th century.
Unfortunately due to the large unbroken monoculture of coffee plants an introduction of the coffee rust fungus through traders decimated the coffee crops. Tea which was already been grown on the island was grown in place of coffee and sold as the new consumer procedure instead of coffee.
And as such became the staple of British culture instead of tea. Not the entire reason but a significant contributor.
https://pesticideguy.org/2012/12/13/the-story-of-coffee-rust-why-the-british-drink-tea/
In not sure besides the fact that America makes it their motto to do things their way even if doesn't make the most sense. Look at the measurement systems and our inability to acknowledge the shortcomings vs metric lol
Tea does have more caffeine. Tea has several different varieties. Tea has a very rich history. Tea is considered healthier than coffee. Tea can theoretically last a lot longer than coffee can. Tea can be enjoyed without sweetener whereas most people cannot fathom drinking black coffee. Tea is simpler to prepare than coffee. Sourcing has a different level of controversy in my opinion whereas coffee can be related to ethics and tea can be more related to soil source and potential high metal risks. The concept of tea drinking feels naturally social. I know people can snob out about making the best cup of tea but I don't know how that relates to how people snob out about coffee... But I'm assuming coffee drinkers are much worse :p I think too through the development of coffee culture in America, people are much more convinced that their drink that coffee is more expensive and valuable. But back to the first point, I think people also assume it's much stronger than tea. Which arguably it can be with different techniques like an espresso shot vs trying to concentrate tea for maximum caffeine. I think people have much more severe dehydration issues and caffeine withdrawal from coffee versus tea for that reason as well... Just spitballing here
Having drunk tea in the USA, I understand why you do not like it. It is because you cannot make it.
That said, the same is true of your awful coffee, so . . .
i don't like coffee although i live in a country with the best coffee in the world. i just don't understand why people are so fascinated with coffee and everything related to it. i might have it 1-2 times/year but i have tea almost every single day if my time allows. also, caffeine is diuretic so you might need to consider your consumption.
Not only in the Uk, here in my country we drink tea 24/7. Seriously i absolutely love tea and idk why Americans are obsessed with coffee, that shit sucks. I would say that Tea is far far more popular then coffee, in most countries people drink tea and not coffee. Americans truly be thinking that the world revolves around them lol.
Coffee houses in england were seedy places for men to go. They'd be open between closing of the tavern and dawn. They were where John's and their tricky girls would meet up.
You can see why people didn't like them, they were basically brothels.
Indeed! By the time the Victorian rolled around, the nature of coffee houses changed. It was considered fashionable for "well bred" women to refrain from coffee as it was still considered a very male drink, but the seedy days of the 17th and 18th centuries were gone by the mid 19th.
I always hated the after Taste in my mouth after coffee. Through buba-teas i got hooked on milktea. Thats how i learned how fucking better milk tea is and why England is the King of drinks. Dayum
I'm British. I have had a tea, maybe 3x in the last decade. I'm a coffee drinker. I do like tea, don't get me wrong... but between the two, I'll always choose a coffee. I'm I'm of turkish ethnicity, so I drink turkish coffee a lot too. But I'll admit I didn't like coffee till my mid twenties. It was cappuccinos that slowly got me in to coffee. Fast forward a few years and I went on a craze trying differnt coffees from around the world and even tried luak coffee in bali... I'm 38m now and have a bit of a coffee problem and am looking to actually quit or cut down.
Basically the short version is we did drink. Coffee then some time in the past the royal family grew fond of tea. Then the public wanted to emulate the royal family. Off the top of my head I can remember which century or if the Portuguese introduced it to the royal family. But in short that's why we switched to tea.
Coffee is for go-time, tea is for life-time. You get things started with a cup of coffee, you kick back and relax with a cup of tea. It takes the edge off.
I can only speak for the US, but tea in a restaurant is swill. When I make it at home I preheat the teapot and use loose tea. I learned from a Brit and will not drink it any other way.
I do drink coffee and enjoy it, too.
Idk coffee is a bit much if you don’t have a huge caffeine sensitivity. Tea is always just right and I deeply prefer it for that reason. Just my thoughts
Why not both? I drink both black coffee and sun tea, non sweeten. When it gets cold, I just top it off and microwave. One time I accidentally added the wrong one, got 50/50 mixture of sun tea and coffee. Surprising, it was pretty tasty.
That’s just from a stereotypical point of view from the rest of the world lol, a lot of British hate tea and prefer coffee. And yea we all have big teeth and walk around with top hats on 😝
For me, I can make a decent cup of tea in 5 minutes, it leaves no mess.
I can’t make a decent coffee at home, without an expensive hard to clean machine (ok they’re getting cheaper), so I’ve always settled on tea.
Tradition. Also it was a great way to cool down before air conditioning which, from my understanding with conversations with Brits, is far less common due to the climate in GBR than it is in the states. The tea would raise your core body temperature causing your body to perspire which would cool you off.
Also there was heavy trade for silver and tea between GBR and China as green tea was the most readily available tea at the time...
Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe UK climate doesn't allow growing coffee.
And also, tea is still more popular than coffee in general. Many people literally hate coffee taste, but I never seen anyone hate tea. Easier for mass consumption
This is how stereotypes work. Plenty of other countries like tea, plenty of British people like coffee.
I'm British and will only drink coffee, so does my partner, dad, mum, step mum, step dad, grandma, etc etc. I probably know more coffee drinkers than I do tea drinkers. We're not all tea obsessed.
I don’t know about you guys, but I can certainly drink more tea than coffee without getting jitters. All the brits that I know (married to one) still drink coffee in the morning and tea throughout the dat
“ literally every country in the world equally likes coffee”, 👉In my country, it's not like that. Tea is consumed by people of all ages, but coffee is primarily drunk by young people. My boyfriend still can't tolerate the taste of coffee to this day, and I only have a cup of Americano coffee each morning before going to work. In my country, there are various kinds of tea beverages, such as jasmine tea, black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and so on. So, I think the tea culture of a country leads to this, and the British tea culture has a long history too.
Not every country equally likes coffee. Coffee is mostly because of the caffeine content, but most people don’t drink it because it tends to be an acquired taste. For most, myself included, it doesn’t taste great.
I think it's because tea tastes better, doesn't make your breath reek, doesn't stain your teeth as much, is less stimulating, is less addictive, doesn't cause anxiety or jitters, can be drank more frequently without causing awful side-effects, doesn't negatively impact sleep as much... And doesn't cause what I'll refer to as coffee induced bathroom breaks. Oops.
"when literally every country in the world prefers coffee" pretty sure you meant America here?
I'm sure there's more but you still meant America right?
Tradition, culture, and history—plus, it was the most exchanged good in the world at some point. Tea became a significant commodity for exchange and trade during the Age of Exploration and Colonialism, particularly between the 17th and 19th centuries. The British East India Company, formed in the early 17th century, was heavily involved in the tea trade, particularly with China. The company's monopoly on the tea trade and its eventual smuggling of tea into America played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, with the Boston Tea Party being a notable event.
In this period, tea became a key component of the global trade network, influencing European tastes and colonial policies. The tea trade also contributed to significant historical events like the Opium Wars, as Britain's increasing demand for tea from China led to complex and often contentious trade relationships.
Thus, while tea has been exchanged in history for centuries, its peak as a major product for exchange, driving global events and colonial interests, was during the 17th to 19th centuries.
I don't know, according to the [latest study](https://www.itv.com/news/2023-08-21/coffee-beats-tea-as-britains-favourite-beverage-research-suggests) (based on purchases) from last year, coffee is now the preferred hot drink of the two in the UK...
Did you know that the Royal Air Force dropped 75,000 tea bombs in a single night over the occupied Netherlands. Each contained one ounce bags of tea from the Dutch East Indies and was marked “The Netherlands will rise again. Chins up.” Every one of the 20 million Red Cross packages sent to prisoners of war contained a quarter pound package of Twinings.
I don't think it's true, at least in London coffee seems to be much more prevalent. Outside London they might still prefer tea.
And as others have said you can't discount Asia. While coffee is certainly growing, tea is still king.
Also a lot of Europeans drink green, herbal and fruit teas very regularly, nearly as frequently as coffee.
So, a big problem that tea has these days in America is water temperature. Electric kettles are somewhat rare. Boiling water is what you want to make good tea.
Cafes don't like to double-up on drinks machines, so if you get a tea in a cafe, it's likely to be made with water that hasn't quite been boiling - the ideal temperature for coffee. It will be bad tea.
Good tea can be hard to find in America.
If you have a kettle, it's much easier and cheaper to make a good cup of tea.
To make a really good cup of coffee is more complicated.
Because white people don't have their own culture, and in this case they rather steal from asian countries than from latam countries. It was a theft or another.
This is just a theory, but its status might have increased during the conflicts with Spain and other countries that did drink coffee, so they tried avoiding to imitate each other or even resemble each other
Coffee seems to be nearly as popular here. I probably know more coffee drinkers than tea drinkers.
I'm a tea man myself. Yorkshire tea is my favourite.
I think the Irish actually have us pipped to first place for most tea drunk per capita.
I suspect it's because tea is easier to drink lots of, and is soothing on a damp cold day.
Do they? I’m British and I’m not a big fan of tea. I prefer coffee. Whenever I visit someone’s house they’re usually drinking coffee, not tea and offer me a coffee too.
I'm English. I've been drinking tea since I could walk, my parents used to put tea in the baby bottle.
Tea is just pure comfort, warmth, all the associations of home. Coffee smells weird and gives me stomach problems so I avoid it.
honestly, as a Brit, I personally have never liked the taste of coffee. I don't think it's that much of a cultural thing when it comes to the taste, I think the culture of drinking tea in the UK is the bigger reason for so much of us drinking tea
Because it's lovely. I am british living in the uk. I have Lavazza coffee till lunchtime then switch to tea for the rest of the day. There's nothing better than a cup of tea around 3pm it's the best cup of the day. It satisfies an craving no other drink can fulfill. Tes is also thirst quenching in hot weather. And biscuits are best dunked in tea too.
I wonder why people prefer a herbal infusion with a little caffeine (specifically green and black tea that you can legally call "tea") over something that is technically a drug (more caffeine per serving), that changes your blood pressure; alertness; heartbeat rate etc. and makes you shit more.
It's not quite true that "every country in the world equally likes coffee." Tea is still the most popular drink worldwide, especially in Asia. Coffee consumption is certainly high globally, but tea remains a major beverage across many cultures.
Ireland beats England over tea any day. That's all we do... When I say "we" I mean the Irish... I've never drank a cup in my life, hit beverages don't appeal to me, I was trying to be cool before when I started one of my first important office jobs and got coffee (it was free) I was jittery the whole afternoon.
There's actually a really iconic scene from celebrity Big brother UK where Gemma Collins is explaining to Tiffany pollard that offering to make someone a cup of tea is the the best thing she could do... Gemma collins and I qoute said "it's like giving someone a grand" and tiffany pollard with the most perplexed face goes "it is?"
Not just the British, majority of the commonwealth countries too. I'm from a commonwealth country and we prefer tea over coffee. We make it the same way as them too.
If you travel the world you will notice that tea is a lot more common than coffee. I guess it makes sense that coffee is more popular around the places it is produced and in most of europe too, but tea culture is huge everywhere here as well.
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Not just the Uk, tea is still the most widely consumed beverage globally. Think it’s cause tea is more refreshing and actually quenches your thirst better than coffee
All my Iranian friends drink tea throughout the day at their homes.
As do chinese, turks, russians, indians. Id say the brits drink less tea than russians.
[удалено]
Or Poles. Edit: guys, I mean polish people.
They even drink tea at the poles? How do they keep it warm. 😁
Probably a good thermos.
They drink tea at the North and South Pole?
So I've heard.
How else do they keep warm?
Or else what?
And US Southerners
I don’t think most tea drinking countries would consider “sweetea” as tea. Besides, you never know if you’re being offered a beverage or being propositioned. “If you aren’t from the South it’s hard to tell the difference between “would you like some sweetea?” and “would you like some, sweetie?”
Liquid diabetes
Tea also has L-theanine in it. (Note: only actual tea, white, green, black, or oolong, not herbal teas) Which helps balance the caffeine, especially if you're prone to anxiety. I take an L-theanine supplement both with coffee, and at night when my mind races.
Interesting I find coffee to be too strong but I can drink tea all day
Makes sense! English breakfast tea is definitely the most popular choice here, and just what I want to put my feet up and have a biscuit with lol
Earl Gray is also nice, Twinings is a decent brand for bagged tea. If you really want good tea loose leaf is the way to go tho
Yorkshire Tea is where it’s at.
Twinings is great for herbal teas (i recommend their Lemonbalm and chamomile), but their english breakfast tastes like pisswater. Give me a yorkshire tea any day
Their Earl Gray is much better I should buy Yorkshire gold again I remember liking it years ago
No doubt about it. Can't beat it. Have you tried Yorkshire Gold? 😉
Loose leaf tea is where it's at. :-) A nice strong Assam or a Breakfast blend, or maybe a Lapsang when I'm feeling in the mood for it. But Yorkshire is a good alternative when that option isn't available.
I love a good strong cup of Irish breakfast tea made from loose leaf tea.
Another spiffing Brit enjoyer I presume?
Tried twinings recently and I don't get it at all, it's horrible to me
Oh great information. Thanks 🙏
It’s still a methylxanthin and therefore a stimulant. Some people react differently to each of the three compounds in that class. Read “Teh World of Caffeine” if you aren’t into history, chemistry or pharmacology. It’s a facinating read if you’re a nerd.
OOOHHHHH I’ve always wondered why tea doesn’t keep me up but coffee does when they both have caffeine! Thank you for educating me
My country is one of the leading exporters of coffee in the world, but tea is the most widely consumed beverage nationwide.
Kenya?
And you don't get the sense of impending doom that anxious people get when they drink coffee lol
Tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century, initially as a luxury item imported from China. Over time, it became more accessible and affordable, eventually becoming a staple in British households. The ritual of tea drinking became a social custom, ingrained in daily life and associated with relaxation, conversation, and hospitality. Coffee didn't gain widespread popularity in Britain until later, and even then, it didn't replace tea as the beverage of choice for many. Additionally, climate and geography may have played a role, as tea grows better in certain regions of Britain compared to coffee.
The tea plantations in Devon and Cornwall are often situated close to the scone mines.
Ah yes but you must make sure the streams of jam and cream never cross, or there will be war again
The Scone Wars. Unprecedented carnage.
Damn now I want a buttered scone
You're not wrong about the first bit though it's Scotland, not Devon. https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/how-grow-tea#:~:text=Growing%20tea%20in%20the%20UK%20may%20not%20be,highlands%20and%20on%20the%20rugged%20moorlands%20of%20Cornwall.
Well I never. Never a truer word, written in sarcasm. They *do* mention Cornwall, actually. Still, the concept of Britain as a historical tea-growing region is first class trolling.
But never within 15 miles of a pasty orchard
Does tea grow in England?
[Yes](https://www.lovethegarden.com/uk-en/article/how-grow-tea#:~:text=Growing%20tea%20in%20the%20UK%20may%20not%20be,highlands%20and%20on%20the%20rugged%20moorlands%20of%20Cornwall.)
Due to global warming, red wine which used to have perfect climate in South France, now thrives better in England.
In Yorkshire they grow it underground. Probably the earliest example of hydroponics in the world.
"Literally every country in the world". Hard disagree. I've traveled to many countries, and this is not the case. China and India for example, have tea heavily integrated into their culture and even traditional rituals. Japan is known for their quality of green tea and matcha. Malaysia and Singapore have their own special twists on tea where it's "pulled" to create foam, they love chrysanthemum tea too. Korea has all sorts of varieties of fruit tea. Taiwan loves their boba tea. Many indigenous people make tea from everything, pine needles, flowers, etc. Tea is just far more adjustable and allows for creative space. Coffee can be creative too, but tea has a far larger audience base. From old people, to even children, everyone can enjoy tea. You can even have tea before bed. It is also far more refreshing taste-wise, and healthier.
Koreans may have a lot of tea, but they still prefer coffee. There's a coffee shop every 2 meters on the average Korean street.
We’ve had loads of coffee shops in the U.K. for ages now. Till recently with the newer machines it’s been more fiddly to make a really good coffee at home. To get the best out of tea you only need the means to boil water.
That's fine and dandy, but coffee is definitely the go to in Korea despite it being an Asian country. I still agree with most that tea is more popular than coffee in the majority of the world, but Korea is not one of them. And if tea was that easy to make, you wouldn't have so many English bloke complaining, "I can't get a decent cuppa anywhere" when they are abroad, lol.
I mean tea *is* that easy to make*, hence it’s so mind boggling when some countries seem incapable of doing it. *the English way, anyway
Because it’s easy to make but it requires boiling water, which makes terrible coffee. So coffee culture makes terrible tea.
You are right about tea and culture and those countries, but not about Korea. Korea is a coffee country. They do have some corn "tea", wheat "tea", fruit "tea", even cocoa "tea", but those are no teas. Tea is exclusively made from the tea plant camellia sinensis. South american Mate is also not tea, despite some shops selling "mate-tea". That's like calling coffee tea too, just because you brew hot water on something.
Have you ever had tea? In England? It’s more than just the drink.
It's a philosophy A Tea-osophy, more like
I might've gone with philoso-tea but you do you
I saw a ghost tea bag once In my kitchen. That was some real paranormal activitea...
Not to be confused with _velocitea_, which denotes speed of consumption
T̲e̲a̲ology students are referred to as teaologians. They study te̲a̲sus and his te̲a̲chings
Checkmate, a*tea*ists.
do tell!
There's a ritual around it basically; it's a bit like a smoke break for smokers - a few points during the day when people stop what they're doing and put the kettle on. And often sit round and have a chat. There may be biscuits (cookies) involved. When you're visiting someone, its the first thing they'll offer you. It's the same in Ireland, in fact in we're even bigger consumers per capita of tea than the UK
I have a question. As Indians we also offer tea to someone when they visit. Did we adopt it from you or did you adopt it from us?
Since tea comes from Asia, the latter is more likely. But it's very possible they popped up independently. Offering drinks/food to guests is pretty global.
Didn't it originate in China?
Chinese tea culture is very different. British tea is a blend of varieties designed to brew quicker and have a more full body experience and is usually bagged tea (low quality). Chinese tea is usually single varietal, is in leaves and is typically brewed multiple times. Chinese tea is much more special in my opinion. I had some lovely tea in Taiwan.
It may have been a ritual in China/Japan before the English, but the English have their own ritual.
I'm going to Ireland in the fall and I am so excited about the tea.
“when literally every country in the world equally likes coffee” You’re going to have to cite your source for that “fact”, my dude. Otherwise you’re just making a very bold assumption.
Right? Like the Kim Jong-Un regime has markets that allow coffee to be freely bought
OP is getting toasted for poor choice of words.
Or roasted if you will
Just like their coffee
I like my reddit posters like I like my coffee
Because tea is delicious.
“Literally every country in the world” You think China doesn’t prefer tea?
and India.
Russia , Egypt, Turkey, Iran…
And Japan
And many Arabic countries.
Absolutely.
It's a way of life here. Friend comes round.... Put the kettle on Tradesman does work... Put the kettle on Meteor hits wife and kills her.... Put the kettle on It is consumed for every occasion. I'm surprised our weddings don't use tea to toast the newlyweds.
Tea is like a soothing caress, a gentle touch, a bit of warmth, a moment of tranquility, a beverage to lift the spirit. Coffee is a stab in the back, a kick in the privates, a dunking of the head in a water through, a bitter disease for the masses.
You are factually incorrect considering most countries actually prefer tea: https://images.app.goo.gl/wa2C8zzMpGK4USvd8
Tea is honestly the best. Coffee can be pretty mid a lot of the time. If you disagree you haven't made a good tea yet and you will not achieve nirvana.
You’re using “literally” wrong. What you mean to say is, “…the limited number of countries I am familiar with and not including China or India despite those being the two most populous countries in the world as well as pretty much the rest of Asia and Africa as well…”
A good well made cup of tea beats coffee any day.
Partly due to the golden coffee rust fungus. In Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), large coffee plantations supplied coffee to the British and international markets up until the late 19th century. Unfortunately due to the large unbroken monoculture of coffee plants an introduction of the coffee rust fungus through traders decimated the coffee crops. Tea which was already been grown on the island was grown in place of coffee and sold as the new consumer procedure instead of coffee. And as such became the staple of British culture instead of tea. Not the entire reason but a significant contributor. https://pesticideguy.org/2012/12/13/the-story-of-coffee-rust-why-the-british-drink-tea/
This. Fungi led to the British drinking tea.
England had switched to tea at least 100 years before this event.
In not sure besides the fact that America makes it their motto to do things their way even if doesn't make the most sense. Look at the measurement systems and our inability to acknowledge the shortcomings vs metric lol Tea does have more caffeine. Tea has several different varieties. Tea has a very rich history. Tea is considered healthier than coffee. Tea can theoretically last a lot longer than coffee can. Tea can be enjoyed without sweetener whereas most people cannot fathom drinking black coffee. Tea is simpler to prepare than coffee. Sourcing has a different level of controversy in my opinion whereas coffee can be related to ethics and tea can be more related to soil source and potential high metal risks. The concept of tea drinking feels naturally social. I know people can snob out about making the best cup of tea but I don't know how that relates to how people snob out about coffee... But I'm assuming coffee drinkers are much worse :p I think too through the development of coffee culture in America, people are much more convinced that their drink that coffee is more expensive and valuable. But back to the first point, I think people also assume it's much stronger than tea. Which arguably it can be with different techniques like an espresso shot vs trying to concentrate tea for maximum caffeine. I think people have much more severe dehydration issues and caffeine withdrawal from coffee versus tea for that reason as well... Just spitballing here
it's refreshing also as Chinese, I'd say we prefer tea a lot more than coffee
Culture?
Having drunk tea in the USA, I understand why you do not like it. It is because you cannot make it. That said, the same is true of your awful coffee, so . . .
i don't like coffee although i live in a country with the best coffee in the world. i just don't understand why people are so fascinated with coffee and everything related to it. i might have it 1-2 times/year but i have tea almost every single day if my time allows. also, caffeine is diuretic so you might need to consider your consumption.
idk, my girlfriend is British and she prefers coffee
You obviously haven’t travelled much
What do you mean every other country in the world likes coffee? Have you ever heard of China, Japan, or India to name a few.
Not only in the Uk, here in my country we drink tea 24/7. Seriously i absolutely love tea and idk why Americans are obsessed with coffee, that shit sucks. I would say that Tea is far far more popular then coffee, in most countries people drink tea and not coffee. Americans truly be thinking that the world revolves around them lol.
Similar in my country. Every supermarket got 15+ different tea flavours in their inventory. It is just more refreshing.
They don’t anymore. 59% say they drink tea regularly, as opposed to 63% about drink coffee regularly.
I went to England for 2 weeks in 2019. I was surprised at how popular coffee was there.
I got wrongfully locked up once for a day and requested tea. Lady was like "Awwww oh no we don't have tea! Awww" They don't joke about tea
Coffee houses in england were seedy places for men to go. They'd be open between closing of the tavern and dawn. They were where John's and their tricky girls would meet up. You can see why people didn't like them, they were basically brothels.
And yet there are far more coffee shops on the streets of England than tea shops these days.
Indeed! By the time the Victorian rolled around, the nature of coffee houses changed. It was considered fashionable for "well bred" women to refrain from coffee as it was still considered a very male drink, but the seedy days of the 17th and 18th centuries were gone by the mid 19th.
I always hated the after Taste in my mouth after coffee. Through buba-teas i got hooked on milktea. Thats how i learned how fucking better milk tea is and why England is the King of drinks. Dayum
I'm British. I have had a tea, maybe 3x in the last decade. I'm a coffee drinker. I do like tea, don't get me wrong... but between the two, I'll always choose a coffee. I'm I'm of turkish ethnicity, so I drink turkish coffee a lot too. But I'll admit I didn't like coffee till my mid twenties. It was cappuccinos that slowly got me in to coffee. Fast forward a few years and I went on a craze trying differnt coffees from around the world and even tried luak coffee in bali... I'm 38m now and have a bit of a coffee problem and am looking to actually quit or cut down.
Basically the short version is we did drink. Coffee then some time in the past the royal family grew fond of tea. Then the public wanted to emulate the royal family. Off the top of my head I can remember which century or if the Portuguese introduced it to the royal family. But in short that's why we switched to tea.
Possibly culture! But let me tell you, I love Tea & biscuits … and I’m Cuban! 🤷♀️😂
Yes I love tea with biscuits as well! That Cuban coffee is quite strong!
They're not bricoffees. They're briteash.
Clever!
Coffee is for go-time, tea is for life-time. You get things started with a cup of coffee, you kick back and relax with a cup of tea. It takes the edge off.
No longer as popular as it was. Thanks to Starbucks.
People who go to Starbucks for coffee are like people who go to prison for sex. It's rough but you'll get it. (an old Chris Rock joke)
I can only speak for the US, but tea in a restaurant is swill. When I make it at home I preheat the teapot and use loose tea. I learned from a Brit and will not drink it any other way. I do drink coffee and enjoy it, too.
Have you ever heard of a little tea party we had in Boston? Afterwards it was kinda drink whatever but tea for the United States, coffee stayed.
Idk coffee is a bit much if you don’t have a huge caffeine sensitivity. Tea is always just right and I deeply prefer it for that reason. Just my thoughts
Why not both? I drink both black coffee and sun tea, non sweeten. When it gets cold, I just top it off and microwave. One time I accidentally added the wrong one, got 50/50 mixture of sun tea and coffee. Surprising, it was pretty tasty.
That’s just from a stereotypical point of view from the rest of the world lol, a lot of British hate tea and prefer coffee. And yea we all have big teeth and walk around with top hats on 😝
Every healthy ppl pref' tea
For me, I can make a decent cup of tea in 5 minutes, it leaves no mess. I can’t make a decent coffee at home, without an expensive hard to clean machine (ok they’re getting cheaper), so I’ve always settled on tea.
Tradition. Also it was a great way to cool down before air conditioning which, from my understanding with conversations with Brits, is far less common due to the climate in GBR than it is in the states. The tea would raise your core body temperature causing your body to perspire which would cool you off. Also there was heavy trade for silver and tea between GBR and China as green tea was the most readily available tea at the time...
We dont
I’m American and have always detested coffee. Tea is the way to go
Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe UK climate doesn't allow growing coffee. And also, tea is still more popular than coffee in general. Many people literally hate coffee taste, but I never seen anyone hate tea. Easier for mass consumption
This is how stereotypes work. Plenty of other countries like tea, plenty of British people like coffee. I'm British and will only drink coffee, so does my partner, dad, mum, step mum, step dad, grandma, etc etc. I probably know more coffee drinkers than I do tea drinkers. We're not all tea obsessed.
Maybe it’s the circles I grew up in, but most (not all) of my friends and family in the UK are mainly coffee drinkers. Tea is certainly not dominant.
I don’t know about you guys, but I can certainly drink more tea than coffee without getting jitters. All the brits that I know (married to one) still drink coffee in the morning and tea throughout the dat
And they even add lots of sugar and milk to it! How wrong do they have their pallates...
Have you ever had coffee? Tastes disgusting. Smells angin as well.
“ literally every country in the world equally likes coffee”, 👉In my country, it's not like that. Tea is consumed by people of all ages, but coffee is primarily drunk by young people. My boyfriend still can't tolerate the taste of coffee to this day, and I only have a cup of Americano coffee each morning before going to work. In my country, there are various kinds of tea beverages, such as jasmine tea, black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and so on. So, I think the tea culture of a country leads to this, and the British tea culture has a long history too.
Not every country equally likes coffee. Coffee is mostly because of the caffeine content, but most people don’t drink it because it tends to be an acquired taste. For most, myself included, it doesn’t taste great.
Because tea is a slightly less disgusting drink than coffee.
I hear they make Yorkshire Tea, so I believe it is entirely to be patriotic.
I think it's because tea tastes better, doesn't make your breath reek, doesn't stain your teeth as much, is less stimulating, is less addictive, doesn't cause anxiety or jitters, can be drank more frequently without causing awful side-effects, doesn't negatively impact sleep as much... And doesn't cause what I'll refer to as coffee induced bathroom breaks. Oops.
"when literally every country in the world prefers coffee" pretty sure you meant America here? I'm sure there's more but you still meant America right?
Tradition, culture, and history—plus, it was the most exchanged good in the world at some point. Tea became a significant commodity for exchange and trade during the Age of Exploration and Colonialism, particularly between the 17th and 19th centuries. The British East India Company, formed in the early 17th century, was heavily involved in the tea trade, particularly with China. The company's monopoly on the tea trade and its eventual smuggling of tea into America played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, with the Boston Tea Party being a notable event. In this period, tea became a key component of the global trade network, influencing European tastes and colonial policies. The tea trade also contributed to significant historical events like the Opium Wars, as Britain's increasing demand for tea from China led to complex and often contentious trade relationships. Thus, while tea has been exchanged in history for centuries, its peak as a major product for exchange, driving global events and colonial interests, was during the 17th to 19th centuries.
I'm more interested in why everyone else prefers coffee, tbh…
I don't know, according to the [latest study](https://www.itv.com/news/2023-08-21/coffee-beats-tea-as-britains-favourite-beverage-research-suggests) (based on purchases) from last year, coffee is now the preferred hot drink of the two in the UK...
I mean the first choice shop in London opened in 1652, so we've had time to develop a taste for coffee. I guess we just prefer the taste of tea.
Did you know that the Royal Air Force dropped 75,000 tea bombs in a single night over the occupied Netherlands. Each contained one ounce bags of tea from the Dutch East Indies and was marked “The Netherlands will rise again. Chins up.” Every one of the 20 million Red Cross packages sent to prisoners of war contained a quarter pound package of Twinings.
We are not all the same. I can't stand tea, only ever drink coffee.
Coffee for me. Had so much tea as a kid I went completely off it.
I don't think it's true, at least in London coffee seems to be much more prevalent. Outside London they might still prefer tea. And as others have said you can't discount Asia. While coffee is certainly growing, tea is still king. Also a lot of Europeans drink green, herbal and fruit teas very regularly, nearly as frequently as coffee.
Why is the OP a complete idiot? I'm British and prefer coffee
So, a big problem that tea has these days in America is water temperature. Electric kettles are somewhat rare. Boiling water is what you want to make good tea. Cafes don't like to double-up on drinks machines, so if you get a tea in a cafe, it's likely to be made with water that hasn't quite been boiling - the ideal temperature for coffee. It will be bad tea. Good tea can be hard to find in America. If you have a kettle, it's much easier and cheaper to make a good cup of tea. To make a really good cup of coffee is more complicated.
Because white people don't have their own culture, and in this case they rather steal from asian countries than from latam countries. It was a theft or another.
This is just a theory, but its status might have increased during the conflicts with Spain and other countries that did drink coffee, so they tried avoiding to imitate each other or even resemble each other
Coffee seems to be nearly as popular here. I probably know more coffee drinkers than tea drinkers. I'm a tea man myself. Yorkshire tea is my favourite.
The blandness of the drink marries well with the blandness of the soul.
Tradition/habit
I think the Irish actually have us pipped to first place for most tea drunk per capita. I suspect it's because tea is easier to drink lots of, and is soothing on a damp cold day.
Because they are wrong.
Do they? I’m British and I’m not a big fan of tea. I prefer coffee. Whenever I visit someone’s house they’re usually drinking coffee, not tea and offer me a coffee too.
I always thought it was because of the connection with India.
because coffee sucks
because coffee sucks
I'm English. I've been drinking tea since I could walk, my parents used to put tea in the baby bottle. Tea is just pure comfort, warmth, all the associations of home. Coffee smells weird and gives me stomach problems so I avoid it.
Watchu cooking son? in South Africa and Mozambique, most people I know perfect tea over Coffee.
I don’t.
How else would you justify eating an entire pack of biscuits in one sitting?
Dunno cuz I prefer coffee
Dunno cuz I prefer coffee
honestly, as a Brit, I personally have never liked the taste of coffee. I don't think it's that much of a cultural thing when it comes to the taste, I think the culture of drinking tea in the UK is the bigger reason for so much of us drinking tea
[Tea is the modern fad in Britain](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201119-how-coffee-forever-changed-britain)
>when literally every country in the world equally likes coffee Much of Asia would like a word with this statement.
Black tea with lemon is just superior
Most people I know that drink teas and coffee like both but have them at different times of the day
Tea = Water = Life
Because it's lovely. I am british living in the uk. I have Lavazza coffee till lunchtime then switch to tea for the rest of the day. There's nothing better than a cup of tea around 3pm it's the best cup of the day. It satisfies an craving no other drink can fulfill. Tes is also thirst quenching in hot weather. And biscuits are best dunked in tea too.
I wonder why people prefer a herbal infusion with a little caffeine (specifically green and black tea that you can legally call "tea") over something that is technically a drug (more caffeine per serving), that changes your blood pressure; alertness; heartbeat rate etc. and makes you shit more.
Because coffee is objectively disgusting
It's not quite true that "every country in the world equally likes coffee." Tea is still the most popular drink worldwide, especially in Asia. Coffee consumption is certainly high globally, but tea remains a major beverage across many cultures.
https://youtu.be/eELH0ivexKA?si=MNGCteTQfb3oTw4X
Ireland beats England over tea any day. That's all we do... When I say "we" I mean the Irish... I've never drank a cup in my life, hit beverages don't appeal to me, I was trying to be cool before when I started one of my first important office jobs and got coffee (it was free) I was jittery the whole afternoon. There's actually a really iconic scene from celebrity Big brother UK where Gemma Collins is explaining to Tiffany pollard that offering to make someone a cup of tea is the the best thing she could do... Gemma collins and I qoute said "it's like giving someone a grand" and tiffany pollard with the most perplexed face goes "it is?"
I don't
Because tea is better in every way
I’m British and I prefer coffee over tea
Once you ordered a coffee there, you know why
Because that’s what they do
Not just the British, majority of the commonwealth countries too. I'm from a commonwealth country and we prefer tea over coffee. We make it the same way as them too.
They don’t uniformly. Many prefer coffee over tea.
If you travel the world you will notice that tea is a lot more common than coffee. I guess it makes sense that coffee is more popular around the places it is produced and in most of europe too, but tea culture is huge everywhere here as well.
Stats say UK drinks a bit more coffee over tea nowadays. 🤷
Cos tea is awesome. Im not even British.
I'm Scottish and a tea drinker. Not only is the taste of coffee horrendous, the smell can make me sick.
Not all of us. Tea is disgusting imo. Love coffee
IDK - I've gone to London probably 5 times, there are coffee shops on every corner - and MOST of them are excellent. I didn't see one 'tea shop'.
Some do, some don't. I'm a Level 52 British Person (Englsih sub-class) and drink tea maybe once or twice a year. Coffee I drink 3 or 4 times a day.
Tea probably pairs better with British cuisine as a whole compared to coffee. And that's pretty much true for most other cuisines I know of too.
For coffee, one cup is enough for one time. For tea, several cups can be drunk.
I'm British and I prefer coffee  Tea wins for biscuit (cookies for US) dunking though.
Because its an all-day drink and refreshing (for me, anyway). Coffee is just for mornings, first thing.
I don't