Tea-time in the UK – Reading Comprehension Exercise

Is it tea-time yet?

How many coffees do you have each day? Having coffee in Italy is a part of most people’s daily ritual, and tea performs the same role in the UK.

A cup of tea (a ‘cuppa’ in British English) is most often enjoyed with breakfast, as a mid-morning break and at ‘tea-time’ – about 5pm. A tea-time cuppa usually also involves a small snack (biscuits/cake etc.). The elegant “Afternoon Tea” or “Cream Tea” with lots of sandwiches, scones and cakes is only for special occasions.
N.B. Working-class Brits sometimes use the phrase ‘tea-time’ to mean dinner, if they eat their meal at about 6pm. This is usually builders, plumbers, gardeners.

A typical ‘cuppa’ is strong tea with milk and sugar. This is usually called “builders’ tea”.
Earl Grey tea is also quite popular, while Darjeeling/Mint/Green/Chamomile tea etc. are not standard.

The UK market is dominated by five brands – PG Tips, Tetley, Typhoo, Twinings and Yorkshire Tea.

The UK population is around 65 million people, so how many of cups of tea do they drink each day? About 165 million cups daily or 60.2 billion per year!
Tea became incredibly popular in Britain because of the British Empire. Tea-drinking was encouraged by the British government because of the money from tea tax.

How to Make British Tea
• Choose your tea. This is by far the most important step to making perfect British tea….
• Boil the water….
• Put your teabag(s) in the pot or mugs….
• Pour boiling water over the teabag, and stir….
• Wait!…
• Remove the teabag….
• Add milk and sugar to taste….
• Enjoy your tea!