back to article Time for another cuppa then? Tea-drinkers have better brains, say boffins with even better brains

Researchers from the National University of Singapore have found that drinking tea regularly really is good for you, especially your brain. They say they have also discovered why. Previous studies on tea-drinking have revealed such positive effects as helping prevent cardiovascular disease, as well as confirming Dr Johnson's …

  1. b0llchit Silver badge
    Childcatcher

    Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

    Do "smart" people drink tea or does drinking tea make you "smart"? The ever recurring discussion with this type of study. If tea really makes you "smart", then we should be making drinking tea mandatory. The less "smart" are forced to drink more tea. How else can be improve "smart"s in the general population. We all need "smart" and very "smart" must be better than not "smart". So, while we're becoming "smart", can we then start to make "smart" decisions or is that a dumb request (yes, yes, I haven't had my cuppa for the day)?

    1. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

      I'm wondering if collective "smartness" has declined since we lost all those 'greasy spoons' and transport cafes. Truckers didn't just "drink tea"; they "downed it by the pint".

      A follow-on study of how two tablespoons of sugar in each mug affects things might be in order.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

        "two tablespoons of sugar in each mug"

        What's this? Measuring spoons? In Blighty? Didn't we just have a big long thread, explaining how such things don't exist over there?

        1. John 110

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          Translation difficulties there I think.

          A tablespoon isn't for measuring with, it's for putting sugar in your tea and eating cornflakes (other cereals are available) with...

          1. Cederic Silver badge

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            Translation difficulties indeed.

            A tablespoon is too big to eat with, as it won't fit comfortably in your mouth. You add sugar with a teaspoon, eat breakfast with a dessert spoon and serve the food with a tablespoon.

            Wooden spoons are for cooking and/or spanking.

            1. John Bailey

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              After even more translation difficulties. The previous translator has been fired, and replaced with a moose.

              A tablespoon, commonly found in recipe ingredient sections abbreviated as "Tbsp". As a unit of measure. Is approximately equivalent to 3 teaspoons in capacity. So two tablespoons would equal 6 teaspoons of sugar. Not impossible to dissolve, but a great way to end life with diabetes.

              A tablespoon and a dessert spoon as cutlery formats, are the same thing. The tablespoon in the previous post possibly refers to a serving spoon, which is indeed too big to practically eat with.

              1. Cederic Silver badge

                Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

                No Sir, a tablespoon is not the same size as a dessert spoon.

                Similarly a tablespoon is more than three times the size of a teaspoon, if you're using a proper legitimate tablespoon handed down from your great-grandmother through successive generations of your family.

                https://www.cookingconversions.org/spoonmeasurements.htm supports me entirely and is thus indubitably reliable.

              2. jake Silver badge

                Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

                "The previous translator has been fired, and replaced with a moose."

                So that's where Banana Vac wound up ...

                Note to the Brits in the audience: Don't pursue this any further if you are a fan of The Dickies.

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              > Wooden spoons are for cooking and/or spanking

              fnaar.

            3. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              In Blighty, when forced to eat cereal*, men do so using a tablespoon. Not a measuring spoon - a tablespoon. Ladies and small children probably use a teaspoon.

              Here is a picture of a tablespoon and a teaspoon:

              https://res.cloudinary.com/yuppiechef/image/upload/v1464637411/blog/yuppiechef/tabe-versus-tapoon_t9howy.jpg

              * when there is a bacon/barmcake shortage.

        2. DuncanLarge Silver badge

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          I think you mean teaspoon.

          I doubt that a mug of tea could dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar and youd really have to have a sweet tooth to want that much sugar!

          Also think of the amount of tax on it :D

          1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            "I doubt that a mug of tea could dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar"

            Of course it could.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              Dont be ridiculous.

              So putting 6 or more cubes of sugar into a single mug is normal is it? No wonder diabetes soared.

              Evolution at work

              1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

                Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

                No wonder diabetes soared

                I doubt whether that has had a significant impact. However, the amount of added sugar in everything from breakfast cereal[1] to bread and fast foods (and the vast increase in consumption of said fast or convenience foods) has a lot more to do with it.

                As does the decrease in exercise.

                [1] When some kids cerals are 40% suger you know you have a problem.

          2. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            I think you mean teaspoon.

            Definitely tablespoons - and heaped. Deftly excavated from a huge mixing bowl full of sugar by an expert whose forty-plus years in the trade was evidenced by every proud stain on an apron which had seemingly been with him from day one.

            At least the one I frequented. Mere mortals never made the mistake of ordering "NATO Standard" - milk and two sugars - a second time.

            Nor the mistake of ordering the Shepard's Pie in the evening just before closing. The bonus reward for being late in was extra large servings but that was just too much. That didn't need a doggy-bag for a carry-out, but a gallon bucket.

            Best food I've ever eaten.

          3. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            I assume he means a SportsDirect mug.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

        "A follow-on study of how two tablespoons of sugar in each mug affects things might be in order."

        And why you shouldn't put milk in it.

      3. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Devil

        Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

        "Truckers didn't just "drink tea"; they 'downed it by the pint'."

        Not surprising. Those with non-linear minds tend to crave stimulants like caffeine, and also go for careers that are either creative (engineering), high risk (fire, police, military), or require fast thinking for rapidly changing 'never the same' situations (like truck driving).

        I get a lot of this from the 'Hunter/Farmer' theory, the idea that linear minded farmers have brains that work much differently from non-linear minded hunter/gatherers, as far as human evolution goes. Hunting is less efficient than farming, and so most people are linear minded 'farmer' types who work well according to schedules, times, seasons, and regular patterns. Non-linear minded people, however, don't. In fact, they (or 'we') usually HATE such things. There are varied degrees of linearity and non-linearity, though but one thing is common among non-linear minded people: heavy use of stimulants LIKE CAFFEINE.

        One nice thing about the computer revolution: The geeks (aka the non-linear minded, in a lot of ways) WILL inherit the earth, at least for now, for natural selection in a modern world actually DOES favor the non-linear minded over the linear minded, for the highest dollar careers, and for excelling in your field...

        And keep that coffee, and especially the BLACK TEA, coming.

        1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          "Hunting is less efficient than farming"

          Define "efficient".

          AFAIK hunter-gatherers are generally reckoned to need to spend less time in getting enough food to sustain themselves than farmers. That means they're more efficient in terms of their own time. Farmers, however, require less land to get enough food so they're more efficient in terms of land.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            Some of us both farm and forage. Best of both worlds.

        2. veti Silver badge

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          And there was I suspecting that the truckers' traditional love of caffeine had more to do with not being allowed to sleep more than about three hours a day...

          Things are somewhat different now - but that's quite a recent change, and old habits die hard.

        3. phuzz Silver badge

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          "The geeks (aka the non-linear minded, in a lot of ways)"

          I dunno, I know a lot of geeks (myself included), who react poorly at any attempt of disrupt their routine, or to doing things the 'wrong' way.

          After all, you can't write a program without knowing how to stick to rules very precisely.

      4. Charlie Clark Silver badge
        Coffee/keyboard

        Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

        I can't drink tea with sugar: it's revolting. Ditto for if it's made with sterilised milk.

        1. phuzz Silver badge

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          By sterilised milk, do you mean condensed milk? Or pasteurised?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            I presume they mean that UHT long-life rubbish...

            1. Dabooka

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              I presume they meant sterilised milk.

              UHT is not the same stuff (if memory serves), as it involves a different process and timer at temperature. As a kid, sterilised was also a crown cap bottle rather than foil lid or carton. If I could be bothered I'd link to it, suffice to say that they taste totally different from proper milk.

              Which is semi skimmed.

              1. J.G.Harston Silver badge

                Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

                Argh! no no no no! Proper milk is green top.

                1. jake Silver badge

                  Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

                  Green top? That's for city folks ...

                  Soon after we moved in here, my brother-in-law +wife&kids came to visit for a couple days. On the third morning at about 5:30, he opened the fridge & noted that we were out of milk. I said "no we aren't", and told him to follow me. Down to the barn, where Dorrie, my little Jersey, was waiting for her 6AM milking. The poor guy freaked out. I guess he never really thought about what we did with our dairy cow ... A year later we invited them over for a hog harvest. He declined. His wife & kids enjoyed the party, though :-)

          2. jake Silver badge

            Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

            If you truly don't know the difference, you might want to educate yourself on the many ways to extend the shelf life of milk. Going to the store to purchase evaporated milk for your nearest & dearest's baking needs, but instead coming home with condensed milk (or worse, sterilized milk) is not conducive to a happy relationship ...

            But no, not condensed milk. That stuff contains sugar. Lots of sugar. To see how much, throw an unopened can of condensed milk into a pot of water. Bring to a simmer, and allow to continue simmering for an hour or so. Top it up with boiling water as needed to maintain over half an inch of water above the can (I usually use a deepish pot and fill it to five or six inches over the top so I don't have to watch it) After an hour, pull the can and allow to cool. When cool, open and enjoy anywhere you would like caramel sauce. (Note! I have heard of the "pop top" cans cracking open doing this ... try to use a can that requires a conventional can opener. With that disclaimer typed, I have simmered pop=top cans without incident.)

            1. phuzz Silver badge

              Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

              I know people who used condensed milk in coffee. I am in no way condoning this practise.

              And yes, I know that's how to make toffee, and I also know the importance of not letting the pan boil dry, especially when it's a very large pan with about twenty/thirty cans in it, in order to make a pub sized batch of banoffee pie.

              I managed to get the gas off, but there was stains on the ceiling for years.

    2. Grikath

      Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

      Well, judging by the language used the doctor is suffering from a case of cultural bias. "Strong stable connections" in the brain are, as far as I can remember from my lectures in brain physiology way back when, more a result of regular reinforcement than imbibing magic potions.

      But there's an easy control... Someone in the UK pick this up...

      As pointed out in the comments, tea is a staple beverage in the UK. As a nation it has both people who live their life as regular and "healthy" as clockwork asians, and people who live their lives less ...regulated. It also has the NHS and, at least in theory, a shedload of brain scans ( with casus/anamnesis) of people who fall in either category ( or any other control you'd like to apply).

      It's almost a given that the UK being the UK a hefty portion of those scans fit the "must drink at least 4 cuppas a week for 25 years" criterium mentioned in the article. So there should be no problem getting a large enough sample to test pro/con the doctor's statement.

      This, and a couple of other issues re: brains, could keep an entire department happy for years. With pretty decent IgNobel potential as well..

      Someone has a cousin looking for a dissertation subject?

      1. Rol

        Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

        If I drank just four mugs of tea in a week, I'd wager I was knocked unconscious on the way to work on a Monday morning, and have spent the rest of the week in a coma.

        If you're drinking just 4 cups a week you are most definitely not a tea drinker.

        1. PBXTech

          Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

          I'm a coffee drinker. The coffee pot makes 72 oz. of coffee and shuts off automatically after two hours. Is it a bad thing if I have to turn if off then back on in order for it to brew my second morning pot?

          Is it a bad thing that I generally go through 3-4 pots per day, more if performing work requiring thought?

          My brain is non-linear and very ADHD. This is a positive thing. 10 linear thinkers with similar training and background will generally give you the same answer to a given question. I probably won't.

          I've finally got my managers trained on how to "manage" my tasks. Tell me what the problem is, tell me what the desired end result is, give me all available information, then leave me alone.

    3. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

      well, I started drinking a lot of iced tea in the mid 80's, and black teas like Earl Grey in the very early 90's [easier on my stomach than coffee]. Keep them caffeine levels maxed out!

      But, in general, those who have non-linear creative minds also crave caffeine. it stimulates the slower parts of the brain so everything is working at maximum speed. Gotta have MAXIMUM BRAIN SPEED.

      So it is a bit like 'brain fuel'. (I saw that as a T shirt for the 'Girl Genius' comic, something like "You call it coffee, I call it BRAIN FUEL" - except in my case, it's black tea).

    4. Muscleguy

      Re: Smarts drink tea or Drink tea makes smarts

      Hence the search for those mentioned ‘Bioactive compounds’.

      Just don’t give up your twice daily mindfulness sessions for a cuppa just yet, ok?

      You do practice mindfulness?

  2. Jonathan Richards 1

    Nah, that can't be right...

    Four cups a week? The Brits drink a hundred million cups of tea each day, we should all be bloody geniuses. And yet from the front pages of the newspapers [2], that would seem not to be the case.

    [1] https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-faqs

    [2] And most of the ones inside, too.

    1. K
      Angel

      Re: Nah, that can't be right...

      Needs far more - I drink at least 4-5 cups a day, with at least 2 cups of coffee in the mix...

      But I can confirm it does work - I'm 70**, look like a 40 year old, work full time, in a highly technical and evolving field (Security), and I'm very active.

      (** according to my wife, based upon my desire NOT to socialise..)

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: Nah, that can't be right...

        University of Singapore should have just asked. We’ve known ever since discovering tea in the distant east that a cup of tea fixes anything.

        If ever I am up against a seemingly impossible problem, a few minutes to brew the. Sit and meditate over a cup of tea and the answer will appear.

        1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: a cup of tea fixes anything

          I dispute that. I'm pretty sure that a cup of tea doesn't hold a candle to a shot of whiskey as far as "fixing" goes.

          1. werdsmith Silver badge

            Re: a cup of tea fixes anything

            Nah, tea for fixing stuff, whisk(e)y for avoiding/forgetting stuff.

            1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

              Re: a cup of tea fixes anything

              "Nah, tea for fixing stuff, whisk(e)y for avoiding/forgetting stuff."

              Tea with a shot of whiskey in it?

              1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

                Re: a cup of tea fixes anything

                Tea with a shot of whiskey in it?

                Heathen. Whisky shouldn't be mixed with *anything* (except maybe a touch of water to bring out the volatiles).

        2. bombastic bob Silver badge
          Devil

          Re: Nah, that can't be right...

          "Sit and meditate over a cup of tea and the answer will appear."

          More like "increase caffeine levels, taking shorty breaks to make more when the cup goes empty" and the answer will appear, because your BRAIN is operating on all cylinders now...

    2. Alister

      Re: Nah, that can't be right...

      Four cups a week

      I drink on average 12 mugs of tea a day. that's more than 84 cups a week... I think there must be an upper limit to their research.

    3. J.G.Harston Silver badge

      Re: Nah, that can't be right...

      Leavers drink tea, Remainers drink coffee. Nuff Said. ;)

  3. chuckufarley Silver badge

    If 36 people is...

    ...A quantitative sample then cow farts will raise sea level by 12 meters within 50 years.

    1. chuckufarley Silver badge

      Re: If 36 people is...

      A down vote and no reply? I name thee COWARD! I name thee USELESS!

      I

      NAME

      THEE

      TRUMP!

      1. Mark 85

        Re: If 36 people is...

        Calling someone a Trump is rather harsh isn't it?

        1. Sgt_Oddball
          Trollface

          Re: If 36 people is...

          An obnoxious noise followed by an offensive smell? Sounds fine to me...

      2. BobProton

        Re: If 36 people is...

        Behave.

        Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they are useless.

        Ps wasn't me btw

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: If 36 people is...

          "Behave"

          New here?

  4. Mike 140

    PEBKAC

    "Green tea, oolong or good old black tea; fruit infusions and tisanes are not on the list" -El Reg.

    On the contrary.

    "... those who consumed either green tea, oolong tea or black tea at least four times a week for about 25 years had brain regions that were connected more efficient" - from the study

    1. chuckufarley Silver badge

      Re: Bubble Busted, soz Mate...

      Each of the 36 *individuals* that partook in this study represents at least ---==>>208 MILLION<<<==--- people. That is like have having 1.5 people in the United States House of Representatives. Do the Maths. Don't make me do it in front of God and Everybody. I will, if you don't STFU.

      1. bombastic bob Silver badge
        Meh

        Re: Bubble Busted, soz Mate...

        @chuckufarley

        uh, telling people to STFU just because you don't agree might be popular among the "silence the opposition" crowd, but it makes for poor discussions. Obviously you missed debate class.

        /me holds up a mirror. 'why' do you ask? well, that's the problem, now isn't it?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: PEBKAC

      Did you miss the semi-colon? Or did I misread your intent?

      If the former, then, to make it clearer:

      "So what kind of tea should you be drinking to ensure a long life with all your marbles intact by the end of it? Green tea, oolong or good old black tea.

      Fruit infusions and tisanes are not on the list."

      1. Nuno trancoso

        Re: PEBKAC

        Right. And previous studies on coffee showed the same relation to improved brain function or at least less degeneration. Caffeine on both. Nough said ;)

        OTOH, "fruity people" ... Not that that's any news, and correlates quite nicely with real-world empirical experience regarding their cognitive abilities...

        1. bombastic bob Silver badge
          Trollface

          Re: PEBKAC

          "fruity people"

          People from Silicon Valley? [many probably work for Apple]

        2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

          Re: PEBKAC

          Caffeine on both

          Different forms though. Tea does also contain a small amount of various theobromines (as does chocolate) which has a similar effect.

          Cats and dogs can't directly metabolise theobromine so you should limit their intake of tea or chocolate. It also helps moderate TNF [1] responses and so is good in helping to suppress the inflammatory response. So, if you fall over and hurt your knee, have a big mug of strong tea :-)

          [1] One of the stages in how your body manages inflammation. Modern biological treatments for various sorts of arthritis depress production of TNF. And, trust me, it works even though using the self-injector once a week is a tad painful.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: PEBKAC

        "Did you miss the semi-colon?"

        Not a tea drinker.

    3. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: PEBKAC

      I'm not sure how those 2 statements are in any way 'contrary'. can you explain what you mean?

      /me going for more caffeine now, helping my brain to work better. Mmmm... iced tea! I make it with Twining's English Breakfast tea and consume it by the GALLON!

      1. Sgt_Oddball

        Re: PEBKAC

        Imperial or American?

        1. Fungus Bob

          Re: PEBKAC

          Queen Anne's gallon.

  5. Nick Kew

    Where's the original?

    This raises more questions than it answers. Not just the chicken-or-egg of the first comment above, but others like whether the comparison might be to a population encompassing some altogether less wholesome alternatives, whether the tea is associated with something social, or indeed whether the role of the tea is anything more than avoiding dehydration or providing necessary breaks.

    If the study addresses these questions, what does it find? If not, I don't think you can really claim it tells us anything.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah, that explains British ingenuity then ;-)

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Aye, like encouraging opium addiction in China in order to be able to pay for all the tea we were importing!

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        encouraging opium addiction in China in order to be able to pay for all the tea we were importing

        And then going to war when the Chinese started running out of silver to pay for the opium (they didn't really do gold - their money was based on silver) and they started refusing to pay.

        So we stole the tea plants and took them to various parts of the Empire (India, Sri Lanka, Cornwall) in order to grow our own.

  7. David Robinson 1

    Cup of Brown Joy

    When I say "Herbal," you say "No, thanks!"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA

    1. hplasm
      Thumb Up

      Re: Cup of Brown Joy

      I say "Oo!"

      1. TomPhan

        Re: Cup of Brown Joy

        Makes sure you're wearing your tea trousers, not your fighting trousers or your time travel trousers

      2. David Robinson 1

        Re: Cup of Brown Joy

        "Long!"

  8. jake Silver badge

    I wonder if ...

    ... the simple act of getting off one's duff, trundling to the kitchen, and fumbling around with tea making bits & bobs is enough to keep pathways in the brain active? If so, getting addicted to tea, and thus forcing the aged to keep moving in order to feed their jones would show these results. Presumably the effect is greater if one makes tea (coffee, fresh squeezed juice, whatever) by the cup/glass instead of by the pot?

    1. Chris G

      Re: I wonder if ...

      You may be right there, but by the mug, multiple times a day, keeps the brain active , the joints at least moving. Can't be bothered with a pot and if you drink tea out of a glass, you are probably some kind of furriner.

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: I wonder if ...

        A tea pot with a cosy is the best way for a consistent brew. It's also the quickest way for multiple cups and less faffing around with tea bags that inevitably drip where they shouldn't.

        1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

          Re: I wonder if ...

          A tea pot with a cosy is the best way for a consistent brew

          We've got a metal mesh cylinder that sits in the top of the tea pot (the tea pot lid then sits over it) and the tea leaves go into the mesh cylinder.

          Which means disposing of the tea leaves into the compost bin is a whole lot easier. And, as a bonus, said cylinder sits neatly into the top of my favourite tea mugs [1], thus making it easy to make a single mug of tea without having to resort to the bags of floor sweepings.

          [1] Holds about 1/2 litre.

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: I wonder if ...

      "tea making bits & bobs"

      ???

      The multiplicity of gadgets for making coffee (other than instant) is bewildering to this non-coffee drinker. And let's not go into the mystifying world of lattes, esspressos, americanos and goddness knows what else.

      Bagged tea, however, needs mug, spoon and kettle, nothing more.

  9. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    four times a week for about 25 years

    And if that doesn't work, make another appointment to see me. Next!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re. Four times a week for about 25 years

    Probably psychosomatic, but still relevant: coffee helps me focus in the morning.

    Tea less so but still works. Maybe IOP related, or some other factor?

    Someone who knows about eye health could probably tell what is going on.

    Seems that when affected, I can see most "normal" details but not very small things, optician reckons slight variation

    but unsure how much is due to computer use versus just old age.

    Fortunately most of the components now are so small you can't do anything with them by hand anyway, unless changing

    a CMOS battery or something.

    1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Re. Four times a week for about 25 years

      Someone who knows about eye health could probably tell what is going on

      Have you been tested for T2 diabetes? One of the symptoms of hyperglycaemia is blurred vision..

  11. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Angel

    I've rather lost the thread now

    I think I'll go and have a cup of tea.

    1. jake Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: I've rather lost the thread now

      At this time of day, on a Sunday? Beer, Shirley!

  12. DasWezel
    Unhappy

    Pretty low bar

    I mean, really? Four times a week for 25 years? That's 5200 cups of tea. I'm on at /least/ 12-15 on a slow day, at which rate I'd hit that figure within a year.

    I can only assume there is some kind of tea-based variant of the Ballmer peak at work here.

    What a depressing thought. Might as well have a brew-up.

  13. Erroneous Howard

    And of course....

    …..we all know what happens if you give a fresh cup of really hot tea to a finite improbability generator.

  14. MJI Silver badge

    Tea

    A very important drink.

    I need it, not want but need.

    Why?

    I could drink a litre of water in the morning but still feel a little thirsty, but one mug of tea and I am fine.

    Weird!

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Tea

      Not weird at all. You are addicted to caffeine. Once you have fed your jones, your body is happy.

  15. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
    Trollface

    Yes until

    everyone starts having an internet argument over how you make your cup of tea (Tea bag poor in hot water, stir pour in milk, squeese bag and place in food waste bin and then stir).

    1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Yes until

      Tea bag poor in hot water

      And pretty poor elsewhere too. And doesn't break down in the compost due to the amount of plasticiser used.

      Use leaf tea.

  16. J.G.Harston Silver badge

    Four times a week? Good god, lightweight! Sometimes it's four cups between falling out of bed and waking up.

    1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge

      Switch to mugs, same amount of teas in less cups.

      Less washing up and more tea!

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