Calling all Sidmouth tea drinkers - top tips for tea making etiquette

Officer workers have put their heads together and come up with a set of tea-making tips of dos and don’ts to making your colleagues the perfect cuppa.

As a nation of tea drinkers, office rental firm LondonOffices.com has compiled a top ten list of tea-making etiquette in a bid to avoid any tea-induced office feuds.

Do you agree – or maybe you have one of your own to share?

1. DO make a round of tea, not just a cup for yourself

Don’t deny your colleagues their caffeinated nectar. Not only is it rude to just consider your own refreshment needs, but you will turn your whole office off the idea of making tea for you too.

2. DO remember your colleagues’ tea order.

Strong, black with two sugars or weak, milky with no sugar….whatever the case, wise up to your colleagues’ tea preferences as there’s nothing worse than a mismatched brew.

3. DO make sure de-caff options are available

Believe it or not, some people do prefer their tea de-caffeinated, so try not to alienate them from the tea-making rituals in the office. It’s just not nice.

4. DON’T queue jump to the kettle

Have you got up to make a round of brews to find that the kettle is already boiling away with an array of mugs neatly lined up beside it? Just pop your own mugs to the side and come back in a few minutes, no matter how much your tea cravings are telling you to do otherwise. There is simply nothing worse than a boiling water thief.

5. DON’T put a wet teaspoon back into the sugar pot

Another office tea-making crime is being the person that causes those horrible, discoloured clumps of semi-dissolved sugar to form in the jar. They look ugly and it wastes one of the precious ingredients that a mug of tea often relies on, so just don’t do it.

6. DON’T use someone else’s mug

In case you’ve not already figured out, Brits can be extremely territorial over their mugs and cups. Chances are each person in your office has spent years searching high and low for their ideal brew holder, so don’t take it away from them.

7. DON’T stir cups of tea with anything other than a teaspoon

Knives, forks, and pens simply won’t do. You need the correct equipment to create the perfect brew, so make sure a clean, dry teaspoon is always to hand.

8. DON’T try to carry multiple mugs at once

Not only will you be wasting precious tea as it inevitably splashes over the sides of the mug and onto the floor, you’re also running the risk of dropping the whole lot altogether, which would be catastrophic.

9. DON’T hand over a mug of tea that’s dripping at the base

Avoid the unsightly mug stains on your desk and take the time to quick wipe the bottom of each mug before handing it over. Your colleagues will thank you in the long run.

10. DON’T cough or sneeze into the mug

If you’re suffering from a nasty autumn/winter cold, just temporarily hand over the tea-making responsibilities to a colleague. There’s simply nothing worse than seeing someone cough and sneeze over the mug you’re about to drink from.