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Tea drinking habits

(49 Posts)
Katek Thu 14-Jul-16 15:07:04

Does anybody else leave half an inch of tea at the bottom of the mug/cup? I was brought up to believe that this was the 'polite' thing to do as it indicated to your hostess that she had provided an ample sufficiency. I presume it may also have originated from drinking leaf tea and there always being a little in the bottom of the cup - even when strained. I still leave a little in the bottom of the cup - as does DH - but it drives our DS mad!!

rosesarered Thu 14-Jul-16 15:11:26

Yes Katek I do this, and it drives my DH spare! mind you, you would think after 47 years together he would be used to it.
No idea why I do it, but it may well be, that after drinking a cup of tea ( as a child)I got some tea-leaves on my tongue.?

Marmight Thu 14-Jul-16 15:13:06

I always do. It was the done thing. Probably a throw back to when, in the Middle East, if you emptied your cup/plate they just kept replenishing. I get told off too wink

Kateykrunch Thu 14-Jul-16 15:40:25

I always do it, I remember getting a mouth full of tea leaves when I was a kid!! Bonkers to do it still as we use tea bags, but I not risking it, it was yuk! Lol.

breeze Thu 14-Jul-16 16:08:46

I have to tell visitors not to drain their cups in this house, as we live in a hard water area and even though we've got a filter kettle, there is always a tiny little bit of silt in the bottom. If I forget, I've seen people wince, as they slug back the last dregs. Yuk. I know you can buy kettles with Britta (sp?) filters, but my OH drinks tea like, erm, something that drinks a lot, so I hate to think what it would cost for all those filters. I can't keep a filter jug in the fridge either, as I have no space. So that's why we never drain a cup.

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 14-Jul-16 16:13:58

Pointless to do it nowadays when using teabags. Don't think it was ever anything to do with manners. Just commonsense unless you like swallowing tea leaves.

ninathenana Thu 14-Jul-16 16:29:09

I use Tbags but still find fine grains in the bottom. I never drain my cup

Mumsy Thu 14-Jul-16 17:05:54

I drink every last drop, never noticed any debris in the bottom of my mug.

thatbags Thu 14-Jul-16 17:08:52

I use a tea strainer when pouring loose leaf tea. Not rocket science.

kittylester Thu 14-Jul-16 17:25:08

You stole my line bags. grin

Tea leaves, in a pot, leave to brew, pour into mug/china cup through tea strainer, drink down. brew

Katek Thu 14-Jul-16 18:09:25

You still get the tea dust through a strainer though. I leave my half inch even using tea bags!!

thatbags Thu 14-Jul-16 19:10:49

You don't get dust from posh large leaf tea wink

ninathenana Thu 14-Jul-16 19:13:43

Ah, so that's the secret thatbags grin
I must stop buy cheap old PG.

ninathenana Thu 14-Jul-16 19:15:26

I never drain my coffee cup either, so ner !
grin

Nandalot Thu 14-Jul-16 19:17:06

Breeze, we use an ordinary water filter rather than a filter kettle. The tea tastes so much better with filtered water. None of that chemical taste.

thatbags Thu 14-Jul-16 19:18:08

Funny you should mention PG, nina. That and Typhoo always remind me of my mother-in-law who often said how nice the tea was that I served when she visited. She would ask what it was. It was usually PG or Typhoo, and teabags at that. Must've been the way I poured it grin

millymouge Thu 14-Jul-16 19:23:32

I can now tell DH that I am not the only person to do it I always leave a little tea and coffee in the bottom of my mug. Dont know why it's just habit I suppose, but DH says no one else does, glad to know I am not alone.

Jalima Thu 14-Jul-16 19:40:33

You can't tell anyone's fortune if you use a tea strainer grin

Seriously, I do drink all the tea nowadays as we we mainly tea bags, but I do leave some in the bottom if we use loose leaf tea, even with a strainer.

My Great-Aunt (by marriage) always left a morsel of food on her plate, a tiny bit of each food in fact, which astonished me when I was a child. DM said it was polite in the olden days to show your hostess that she had given you plenty of food.

hildajenniJ Fri 15-Jul-16 09:16:59

I always drink all my tea. I use tea bags these days too. The only time I leave any is if it's gone cold. Yucky.

Lupatria Sat 16-Jul-16 10:01:35

if i was given a cup/mug of tea i'd probably leave the whole thing!!! i HATE tea.
however i do always drain my coffee mug - blow "mr manners" i like my coffee too much!

missdeke Sat 16-Jul-16 10:04:16

I haven't drunk tea since I was 10 and I persuaded my mum that I really didn't like it. I only drink black coffee (instant as the posh stuff give me belly ache now) but I still leave half inch or so in the bottom, how weird is that.

pollyperkins Sat 16-Jul-16 10:18:20

I remember in the days of loose tea and s trainers there used to be a 'slop basin' to pour the dregs from cups into before pouring the next one. I too leave a bit in the bottom. Never noticed what our adult offspring do - must find out!

Diddy1 Sat 16-Jul-16 10:26:48

I leave a drop of tea at the bottom of my mug/cup and yes it drives DH mad. Even some tea bags leave a little "dust" at the bottom of the mug, I like to be on the safe side.

peaceatlast Sat 16-Jul-16 10:39:59

My mother always left some tea in the cup, probably a throwback from using tea leaves. Nothing as posh as a strainer in our house. I still do the same even though I use tea bags. I often think on how I continue my mother's habits and traditions. On a daily basis I do things just as she did. The only thing I don't do is put a capful of Detol in the bath. We were all bathed in Detol. No wonder my skin is sensitive, lol.

hulahoop Sat 16-Jul-16 11:04:53

We both leave some tea in bottom of cup sometimes I do it with coffee as well with tea it's a throw back re tea leaves with coffee I like coffee really hot so leave dregs as their usually cold adult offspring don't leave any .