I'm an American. I drink a lot of tea throughout the day. Different kinds for breakfast, midmorning, lunch and mid afternoon. I've never had a tea I thought would be improved with milk. I just don't get it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's because you're American. Don't feel bad.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

I don't even know what some people call "tea" in this context sometimes. It could be they're having Ceylon in the morning and Earl Gray in the afternoon, but sometimes what they mean is they're soaking some weeds in the morning and some dry fruits in the afternoon and calling it tea. I lived in a place for a while where all infusions are referred to with the word for "tea", so you'd ask for cup of tea, be given a camomile infusion and be expected not to murder your host.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

"Improved" is the wrong word, in my opinion. It's not that the tea is made better with the addition of milk, it's just that it's good in a different way. I drink my tea straight at work, no additions. But on a Saturday morning, with flapjacks and bacon, a lavender earl grey with a hint of sugar and a small splash of cream is just. Mmm. The cream can mute some of the stronger flavor profiles and allow some of the more subtle ones to shine. I love it both ways, neither is better than the other. They're just different good.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Oh, yeah, I know. Brits will just throw a bag of the crappiest tea they have around in a teapot and move on with their day.

Which is a luxury you can afford when even middling supermarket tea is drinkable. Over where I am if you're doing tea you have an... affectation. Plus even if you don't want to, finding drinkable tea is hard enough that you end up going to the fancy stuff by default.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago

Yeah I literally take tea bags on holiday haha just not the same elsewhere