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Tea is part of our cultural identity and as such, it provides comfort and routine in times of crisis. As the Chinese proverb goes: 'A day without tea is a day without joy.' Here, here. Here are ten giveaway signs that you might be obsessed with tea.
1. You can't start the day in the office without a cuppa.
And why should you have to? A good cuppa first thing sets you up for the day and gets you ready to face the tourists on the Piccadilly line. Stand. On. The. Right!
2. You guard your favourite tea mug with your life.
Because you like to have about ten cups of tea throughout the working day, you will no doubt have your favourite mug. And god help anyone else who uses it.
3. The utter devastation when a colleague (who should know you better) makes your tea the wrong colour.
What do you do? You politely drink it all, albeit through gritted teeth. Or if you're really brazen, you might pour it down the sink when no-one is watching.
4. You've had to make your own 'tea chart' for the office, so this never happens again.
What’s so hard to understand about 'Brown but not too brown, a burnt caramel colour... but not too burnt'?
5. You believe tea is so much better from a pot.
You can instantly tell if your tea has been brewed in a pot by a fellow tea lover, or if someone has dunked a tea bag in your mug like an amateur. And you secretly judge that person for it forever more.
6. You have had to clear out an entire cupboard to house your tea collection/addiction.
7. The first thing you do after making a cup of tea is put the kettle back on for the next one.
8. Your tea choices mature as you get older.
You used to have milky tea with two sugars when you were a foolish, uneducated fool. Now, you prefer your tea in loose leaf form and you have special tea pots and strainers to accompany the tea-making ceremony.