[rahimnathwani]

I was born in London. I'm surprised to hear English people were confused (or pedantic?) about the use of the word tea to describe an infusion.

It's common to hear the phrase 'herbal tea', referring to things that have no tea leaves.

Without it this joke wouldn't be possible: "Why do anarchists drink herbal tea?"

[globular-toast]

It is quite common to refer to any infusion, apart from coffee, as "tea", but you do have to be aware of context. A "cup of tea" is always English black tea, possibly with milk and/or sugar. But when offered a tea it's acceptable to question whether any infusions are available (often caffeine free) and this then may be referred to as "your tea". It is not acceptable to ask about coffee, which is not considered an infusion, unless explicitly offered, but even so, be prepared to get instant coffee unless you happened to spy a coffee machine or some beans.

[lostlogin]

I had to Google it. It’s a goodie.

‘Proper tea is theft’

[rahimnathwani]

Please delete this if you can. I think people need at least 5 seconds between seeing the joke and the punchline reveal.

[lostlogin]

Sorry, I only just saw this and it’s been too long and I can’t.