My neighbor came over recently, and she's a tea drinker. I've only recently gotten back into drinking tea (Earl Grey!); I was a coffee fiend for years. But, I decided a cup of tea would be a good idea, so I plugged in the kettle, grabbed some tea bags, and proceeded to make some.

My friend flipped her shit when she saw what I was doing. Apparently, to her, 'tea' is a beverage that's made by pouring hot water into a dainty little cup, then dipping the tea bag into the hot water two or three times, then adding cream and sugar.

To me, that creates slightly discolored water with no discernible taste (until you add the cream and sugar). I honestly don't see the point.

When I make tea, I use a large mug, with two teabags. I pour the water over the teabags, let it all sit for a minute or two, then smoosh the living crap out of the teabags with a spoon to make sure every last molecule of tea has been wrung out. My rule is, if you can still see the bag sitting on the bottom of the mug, it's too weak.

As a kid, I used to live in an area where tea was the drink of choice (hardly anyone drank coffee), and everyone made it strong. Most people used to have a heavy glass teapot they'd use on the stove - they'd fill the pot up with water, throw in five or six teabags, and literally cook it.

According to my friend, 'no one makes tea like that', or at least, not that she's ever heard of. She was almost offended when I told her that's what I was used to.

In my opinion, only dipping the teabag twice is a waste of a perfectly good teabag. :p

So, questions for all the Subetan tea drinkers out there...

How do you make your tea? How strong or weak do you like it? Do you dip the teabag, or do you pour the water over it, and let it sit??

PFFFFFT DIPPING IT? You DUMP it in, let is soak for like 1-2 minutes then you drink. THEN you make another. xD

I like my tea strong too~ I'm more into mint tea so if I can, I just use loose mint leaves. I dump quite a lot of leaves into a big mug, let them soak then drink. Yes I leave the leaves inside. I strain them from my tea with my teeth as I drink xD Or I chew on them after. Yes I LOVE mint.

So yeah, I'm not a fan of weak tea. Everyone in my family LOVES strong tea. 4-6 cups a day~

[edit] OH and If I'm using tea bags, I usually take 2 bags. Unless I'm running out and trying to save some for the rest of the week. :]

OOR I just boil a whole pot (huge tea pot) and drink it throughout the day.

[LAST EDIT I PROMISE] Also, I don't add sugar to my mint tea because I just don't. I prefer it unsweetened. Unless it's other flavours xD

I typically fill a pot with water, add two or three tea bags, let it sit on the stove and heat, stir it a little so the tea gets a little spread, take it off the heat right before it boils (usually whenever the little bubbles on the sides start), then pour it into a mug and squish the teabags over it. I try to get my tea strong.

I usually add a little milk and honey or just honey afterwards. :P

I usually make tea in mugs when I'm going some where because I obviously can't bring a whole pot with me everywhere. Doubt they'd let me bring one to school. Ms, would you like some tea?

I put the tea bag (Scottish Blend Pyramid - pyramid shaped bags are better than the little flat round ones because the shape gives the tea leaves more room to move about and gives a better flavour) in my mug then add 1 teaspoonful of unrefined cane sugar (any sugar will do, but I like that one best). I then add boiling water from the kettle and stir the tea bag round till the water goes dark brown, but not so dark the tea will taste like tar, which, in my opinion, is just a waste of good tea. I then remove the tea bag, because adding milk whilst the tea bag is still in the mug is just plain wrong. I then add lots of semi-skimmed milk, because I like baby tea.

And if I'm lucky, there will be some McVities Rich Tea biscuits in the cupboard to dunk in my tea. :D

i usually just put 1 or 2 bags at the bottom of a cup and let the faucet water run until its hot and put the cup under it.

i'm drinking green tea right now

i also like it really strong :D but i usually put 2 packs of equal in it.

I HATE FRUITY TEA if its some dumb shit like blueberry lemongrass tea... IT ISNT TEA. god i hate that stuff so much.

Okay, I don't feel like an idiot anymore. Coffee is the drink of choice where I live (western Canada), and I don't know a lot of people who drink tea. Those who do, however, make it the same way I do.

I just couldn't figure out why my neighbor was so horrified.

As for why I make it individually, in a mug - I don't have a teapot, and have no plans to buy one. I don't drink it often enough to justify the purchase. One cup is enough for me, usually (although it's a BIG cup).

I actually have a hot water lever on my water dispenser, and I just use that. I don't even bother with a kettle anymore.

@ teaparty

I'm a European living in the north xD Yeah I think it's common European thing to drink your tea hot. My grandmother won't drink tea that's cold or even cool. Hot is yes yes. Cold is distress.

I don't drink tea at home cuz it means there's not any sugar added after making it by letting a tea ball with leaves sit in the cup. And I'd probably be laughed at for adding sugar, lol

But I do drink tea at my friend's house, and they make it the same way as everyone else has already said. and man they don't skimp on the sugar

@ Teaparty - I'm Canadian, and I never drink cold tea. For me, it's only ever a hot beverage.

I never even thought of cold or iced tea when I initially posted. :)

@ Talyn YAY FOR CANADIANS ! The only cold tea I ever drink is Nestea. Which isn't really tea. WHATEVER. Yes I like my tea hot. Even in the summer. :]

@ DESZCZ

Yes! Nestea! You buy it in a bottle! :D

Real tea is HOT.

@ Talyn

Yes, Nestea BELONGS in a glass bottle or a can. Not a mug. Now that I think of it, I'm like the only one in my family who drinks tea in a mug. Everyone else drinks it in a glass. Another common European habit (Iguess) I just like drinking my tea in a mug so I can hold it by the handle to avoid burning~

I've made tea very few times in my life... but from what I remember, it goes something like: turn on kettle, put teabag in mug, pour in boiling water, add milk/sugar. I don't like tea an awful lot, but I prefer it strong, with lots of milk.

@ DESZCZ

I just learned something new. I've never heard of people drinking hot liquids in a glass (not counting the handle-less 'cups' you get from the local coffee places).

Like you, I'd be afraid I'd burn my hand.

But, drinking hot tea out of a glass just seems really... weird. :D

Dipping the tea bag... twice? lmao, what a waste!

I use my kettle to heat the water and pour it over two bags in my teapot and let it steep for about 3-5 minutes, pour into a teacup that already has my milk in it. And yes, it is drank hot.

I am southern Californian.

lol, your friend is a freak. thats either really potent stuff to only dip it twice, or shes just drinking bland water with cream and sugar. im going to assume its the latter.

ideally, i would bring filtered water just before a boil, add loose leaf tea in a strainer. let it steep for 3 minutes. or 1 if its green tea.

but when i want it fast, which is most of the time, i just microwave a cup of filtered water for 2 minutes, add the teabag for about 5 minutes (3 for green). i add more time since its in a tea bag, and i dont have the effort to move it around for that long.

i NEVER add milk/cream. idk, im asian, thats always been weird to me. i just add a ton of honey to mine (i LOVE it super sweet). sugar if its persian tea. the only time i drink tea with any milk product is if its actually milk tea, or thai tea. or if someone is just serving it for me and thats how they make it. for me, tea is definitely not so bitter that you need to dilute it with milk or cream. its a pretty delicate taste to begin with anyway.

hello ppl!! :D

i HAVE to drink my tea in a glass. they dont make mugs big enough. i'd keep a pitcher by my side but that seems a little excessive...

Man, fail on your friend's part. I don't know where she goes that she's never heard of making tea that way. Steeping it for a bit is how everyone I know (and apparently everyone on this board) makes tea.

They even tell you to do so on the backs of the tea packets.