Emily Blunt on living in NY: ‘Nobody in this town knows how to make a proper tea’

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Emily Blunt covers the November issue of InStyle. It’s a pretty good interview, actually. Did you know that she had a serious stutter when she was kid? I didn’t know that. I also didn’t know that she’s actually wearing prosthetics on her face for The Girl on the Train – she’s basically wearing fake cheeks so she will look more bloated and alcoholic-puffy. But I already know what the big quote is from this InStyle piece: she says no one in New York can make a proper cup of tea!!! True or false?!

She wore prosthetics on her face to look puffy & alcoholic: “The prosthetic people created these molds that clipped onto my teeth to make my face seem puffy. When we were filming, we were very specific about where she was during the day: how drunk she was, whether or not she was hungover. Kyra [the makeup artist] is so talented. She used gray eye shadow under my eyes to bring out the circles and a little brush to paint spider veins all over my face.”

She’s always hungry: “I’m still breast-feeding, so I am hungry all the time.”

Her personal style: “I love a high-waist slouchy trouser. I’m off jeans at the moment. For the red carpet, I like formfitting clothes. I’m not so good with the sort of ethereal, girlie, whimsical things. I tend to go for dresses that have bold cuts and strong colors.”

How she chose her daughter’s names, Hazel and Violet: They chose them because they liked their “antique” British vibe. “They sound like two little old ladies. They should be playing bridge or something.”

Life with a newborn: “After we got home from the hospital, I didn’t shower for a week, and then John and I were like, ‘Let’s go out for dinner.’ I could last only about an hour because my boobs were exploding. When the milk first comes in, it’s like a tsunami. But we went, just to prove to ourselves that we could feel normal for a second.”

She used to have a stutter: “I think whatever you have to overcome in life ultimately paves the way [for whom you become as an adult]. I got teased a lot, and to this day, I hate unkindness in people and bullies… Names are always tricky because you can’t substitute a different word and there’s so much pressure attached to it. Even nowadays, when I’m tired or I feel put on the spot, I still sometimes struggle to get the words out. When I make a phone call—especially if I’m calling someone I don’t know—I have to mentally prepare myself. There’s always a big pause between when they ask ‘Who’s calling?’ and when I say ‘Emily Blunt.’ ”

Life in Brooklyn: “Most people who live in Brooklyn are very respectful of our privacy, so I feel protected here. You don’t get screamed at in the street. If anything, people are like, ‘Oh, I love your movie,’ and that’s it.”

Life in LA: “Famous people are everywhere, so there’s a more cavalier attitude toward celebrities. There’s an expectation. ‘You’re going to take a picture with me’ is a phrase I’d hear a lot.”

No one in NYC can make tea: “Nobody in this town knows how to make a proper tea,” she jokes, ripping open the tiny sealed pouch and dunking her tea bag into the cup of lukewarm water in front of her.

[From InStyle]

I do think the tea thing is quite common when you go to any restaurant in America which is, you know, run and operated by Americans. They’ll just give you a mug of warm water and a tea bag. The exceptions to that in America are the Chinese restaurants: if you order tea, they’ll usually give a full pot of steaming, proper tea. So I’m sorry British people that we don’t know how to serve tea properly. We mostly drink coffee. I bet our coffee is better than your coffee.

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Photos courtesy of InStyle, WENN.

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172 Responses to “Emily Blunt on living in NY: ‘Nobody in this town knows how to make a proper tea’”

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  1. Megan says:

    Ugh. I am so tired of hearing her complain about what a burden it is to live in America.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      I kinda like it. Brits who go abroad usually shit all over their own country, so this is refreshing.

    • ell says:

      it’s done in a jokey way. gosh, you people are so sensitive.

    • Shay says:

      It’s a JOKE. Come on. Warm water in a mug and a tea bag on the side sucks for anyone.

      • Timbuktu says:

        Absolutely, but it’s freaking New York! I’m sure there are British tea rooms, British restaurants that make “proper” tea, as well as awesome Chinese and Thai restaurants, Japanese restaurants, Russian restaurants – all those being cultures that are obsessed with tea. So, while I understand that finding good tea may not be as automatic as going into a restaurant, I still think that “no one in this town can make good tea” is a HUGE and unnecessary exaggeration!

      • Ames says:

        Seriously. People are so sensitive to everything this woman says. It’s bizarre. If you’re a tea drinker a terrible cup of tea is a disappointment. That’s all she said. Lord knows people complain when they travel overseas and their beverage of choice isn’t presented as desired. It’s what people do. We all have our comfort item – usually a hot beverage – that is primarily used as a psychological booster not fluid replacer.

      • Marie says:

        A joke, huh? Well, she seems very tea-dious. *Ba-dum Tschh*

      • Bread and Circuses says:

        My aunt and uncle are Canadian. When they stopped by on their way home from a trip to the States, and I made them tea, my aunt took one sip then gave me a huge smile and a hearty, “Aaaaaaaah, finally. GOOD tea!”

        So it’s not just Brits. If you’re from somewhere tea-drinking is ubiquitous, then going for an extended period of time where the servers don’t really know how to make it will leave you pining for the stuff that tastes right.

    • OhDear says:

      She wasn’t being serious. In the quoted excerpt, she also notes that people in the US (Brooklyn, at least) are respectful of their privacy and that she feels protected there.

    • Tiny Martian says:

      Where did she say that it’s a burden to live in America? Those are your words, not hers.

    • ravensdaughter says:

      Standard Brit complaint, tongue in cheek or not.

    • KB says:

      I don’t mind her complaining or comparing England to the US, but TEA?! The jokes have all been covered…it’s a topic that has been beaten to death, set on fire, the ashes were buried and the grave was peed on. But SO many British celebrities still discuss it all the time! There was a whole rant about it in that movie with Maggie Smith about, I wanna say, a hotel of some kind?

      Americans, in general, don’t give a s*** about the “proper” way to make hot tea. We never will. We’re coffee drinkers and where I’m from, iced tea drinkers.

      Telling us we don’t make it properly is like me finding some place in the U.K. that claims it has good BBQ and then getting mad when it’s not the perfectly smoked brisket or ribs or pulled pork sandwich I can get in Texas, Kansas City, etc. It’s not offensive, it’s just silly to expect something to be done the same way on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean.

      • JenniferJustice says:

        agreed. that’s what they all say when they come over here. The repetition of this particular complaint is beyond lame at this point. I wouldn’t expect coffee the way I’m used to if I were in England.

      • Tina says:

        I know, it’s ridiculous. I think there are two reasons why British celebs keep bringing it up. First, it is not possible to overstate the centrality of tea to British life – we all drink it, and most of us drink it every day. Everyone of every social class drinks tea. And second, it costs very little and is not difficult to make to a certain minimum standard, so it’s bewildering that there is this whole enormous country where you can get hot tea in most places, but it’s rubbish. Don’t think of it like a local speciality, think of it like ice, maybe. Ice is readily available all the time in the USA, everywhere. Elsewhere, it’s just not that common and a lot of American visitors to Europe are perplexed by this.

      • sienna says:

        Its the lack of kettles. I find it so odd that it’s hard to find an electric kettle in the US.

      • PCruz says:

        Haha right on.

        British actors very much play to the American audience’s expectations of what it means to be British. It can be a bit cringey. Hence this constant complaining about tea. Oh you Brits, with your cute obsession with tea, etc. It’s pandering, pure and simple.

        It’s always been hilarious to me how British people act like they came up with tea. They didn’t. Not by a long shot.

        Although I do realise tea is pretty central to British life. And it IS hard sometimes to get basic “proper tea” in non-tea cultures like the US and many parts of Europe. But, you know, it is what it is.

        Signed,

        A Person who has lived in the US and lives in the UK now (without being either American or British)

      • ladysussex says:

        And the thing is, they aren’t even “making” a cup of tea, they are simply delivering to the table a mug or pot of hot water and the tea bag is still in the packaging on the side. So I just don’t understand this constant complaint “no one knows how to make a proper cup of tea.” I mean, you could say, “no one brings hot-enough water” and that would make sense.

    • Kath says:

      The US has inflicted Donald Trump on the world and you think she’s stepped over the line by complaining about TEA?

  2. Nicole says:

    So cool that she lives in Brooklyn but yea we don’t attack celebs here. The most I do is a head nod unless I happen to be right next to someone then it’s “I love _______”
    The only place to get proper tea here is an actual tea house. But we are more of a coffee place esp NYC.

  3. Bex says:

    I was slightly startled the first time I went to America and asked for tea. We take tea very seriously. You do have excellent coffee though, it’s true!

    This is mainly just an excuse for me to link to this clip of Maggie Smith being fabulously cutting about tea: https://youtu.be/rG-rMpQT-GQ

  4. lisa says:

    whispers, i bet they still do in london

    although to be totally fair, when im not in the US, i get really thirsty for ice t and can never find it

  5. Cool Character says:

    Coffee is so gross in the States.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      Yeah, from the people I know whove been to America, they dont have nice thigs to say about coffee there. But I have no idea what British coffee is like either.
      The biggest complaint was that drinking coffee isn’t really a social actovity there. They dont drink a tiny cuo of coffee for 2 hours.

      • Samtha says:

        Drinking coffee is very definitely a social activity in the States. The people you know probably just visited a generic Starbucks where people are in and out, rather than a true coffeehouse or even a diner.

      • AG-UK says:

        Coffee in the UK isn’t that great, all Starbucks, Café Nero or whatever.. I don’t drink it past 11a so what do I know. I know they love tea here and me just no, I laugh as I tell the people I work with you guys think a cup of tea will cure all the problems in the world, they laugh and agreed. Can’t you ask for Americano or whatever at most places and it’s done individually?

      • Ignatius J. Reilly says:

        It varies according to region, in my experience. I grew up in the Ybor City part of Tampa, Florida, where drinking cafe con leche with hot, buttered Cuban bread is a social norm. I now live in south Louisiana where good coffee and conversation is just as requisite.
        Now I want cafe con leche and Cuban bread 🙂

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        @Ignatius J.-

        How is your valve???
        That was such a wonderful novel! Laughing to myself just thinking about it. It’s going on the re-read list!

    • Hannah says:

      Coffee in USA is awful.

      • HeidiM says:

        Yeah it is! I thought Americans were mostly pop and Lipton’s Ice T drinkers anyway?

      • Sunshine Gold says:

        There are 300 million people in America. No, they don’t all drink 2 drinks. Open your mind a bit.

    • Esmom says:

      If you’re referring to Starbucks or — shudder — Dunkin Donuts, you would be right. But you can find good coffee in the US. Good tea, too, although that’s not as easy.

      My 15 year old son and I went to Europe this past summer for his first time and he was astonished by how great the coffee was. It was so nice to get each cup individually brewed rather than poured from a big pot.

      • TeamAwesome says:

        Yes, this! Please don’t judge American coffee based solely on over roasted cigarette ash-Bucks.

      • Lightpurple says:

        Finding good tea in the US is not easy and, if you just want a cup of tea with or after your meal in a restaurant, it can be like hurling yourself into an abyss

    • Wilma says:

      I think it depends on the place you go, same as in Europe. There is no national standard anywhere, but you need to try a couple of places. I found that when in the US when I explained how I’d like my tea I would get a good cup of tea.

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Ah! The voice of reason! Thank you!

      • siri says:

        That’s my experience, too. And even in the UK, you can find this lukewarm water and a tea bag next to it. Blunt lives in NY, so she should be able to find good tea there, like at the Bosie Tea Parlor on Morton St., at The Russian Tea Room, or Alice’s Tea Cup. She’s wrong about this.

    • ncboudicca says:

      There is fantastic coffee here in the States, you just have to find a place run by someone who cares. Don’t go to McStarbucks, for chrissakes!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Yes, this! You can’t go to one place for coffee, think it is bad, and then apply that to the entire massive country. There are so many places that do amazing coffee (and tea). It just depends on where you go.

    • pbi says:

      I agree. Whenever I’m in the States I’ll just go for a Starbucks coffee so I know it’s a safe bet more or less. But living in Switzerland and close to the italian border I know better coffee for sure. But no offense please… the States are ahead in many different areas to European countries… like organic Food, or vegan and vegetarian alternatives 🙂

      • Lena says:

        Well Swiss regulations concerning organic are a lot more strict than those in the states. And vegetarian/vegan depends where you are. Sure, in Brooklyn or Portland there is a lot, but in some other places….

      • Mel says:

        “the States are ahead in many different areas to European countries… like organic Food, or vegan and vegetarian alternatives”

        Huh? As far as I know, the USA allow – and food producers commonly use – genetically engineered foodstuffs, like corn. In the EU this is strictly prohibited; recently Hershey’s bars were banned because they contained genetically modified stuff.
        No offense indeed, but I’d never trust an American food product as I trust our EU products.

      • colleen says:

        @Mel: I’d have to agree with you… And I’m American. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      • Nympha says:

        There is nothing wrong with “genetically engineered stuff”. The fact that is is banned in EU is a shame. Seriously, google it. Google the studies. There is exactly one that claims GMO to be harmful and it was retracted some time ago (basically because the guy manipulated the statistics in his favor).
        If anything, genetic engineering seems TAME compared to how the selection process looked like in the first half of the century (radiation was applied to seeds to initiate mutation. True story. Some of the seeds even survived. Some of them even acquired some desired changes, but nobody cared to make sure they didn’t accidentally acquire some undesired ones, too). Compared to that, the sophisticated process of applying exactly the desired improvements using modern technology should not be scary to people at all. It is really sad when governments pass laws like that in order to appeal to the mass hysteria and to satisfy corporations’ greed who profit on status quo of the argiculture market.

        Sorry for the rant.

    • lisa says:

      while i know from experience that much of the coffee in the US is disgusting and appears to have no coffee in it, i have no trouble finding great coffee. otherwise i’d never get out of bed. but i live in a large metro area and that might be the difference.

    • K says:

      No no no sorry coffee is only drinkable in the states, if you’re not getting a cappuccino or something abroad it’s dreadful. Just dreadful.

      I like the tea in America but we do make it wrong so she is right. But my god at least we make coffee correctly.

      • styloroc says:

        There are loads of great coffee places in the UK, Europe, and particularly Australia. If you’re going to a bog-standard caff or diner in the UK, yeah, you’re probably going to get a mug of piss, and Starbucks et al are the same shit as else where.

        However, there are fantastic independent coffee shops all over the place, and not just in America. Australia is renowned for being amazing for coffee (particularly flat whites), so I’d definitely disagree that the States is the Only Place Ever that does good coffee.

      • teacakes says:

        “No no no sorry coffee is only drinkable in the states”

        Maybe you should take a moment out as Italy, Turkey, Australia and India, among others, finish laughing in your face for that statement.

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      Guessing your point of reference is Starbucks, and I’d have to agree- BUT! Get a great, aromatic dark bean, grind it yourself, and brew in a French press? I’m not going to get a better cup anywhere than in my own kitchen.

      Sweeping generalities aren’t usually accurate. Detail is much better for communication.

    • KB says:

      Where did you drink coffee in the US? A Starbucks? A hotel or restaurant? You’ve got to go to a real coffee place, one that isn’t a chain. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to find the best coffee shop(s) in that area and order whatever their specialty is. American coffee is fantastic.

  6. lightpurple says:

    Arrrggghh! I hate the teabag and luke warm water thing. Especially when you’re in a place that takes great pride in its coffee. It’s like tea drinkers don’t matter. Even worse when you’re at an event and there are only coffee urns. OR they have a basket of tea bags and a plastic urn full of hot water but the urn was previously used for coffee, a lot, so the luke warm water that you’re tipping the tea bag in tastes like coffee. And the tea bags in the basket are usually camomile, apple spice and lipton.

    • CharlotteCharlotte says:

      Your description is spot on. I laughed out loud because of how accurate it is.

      Australia and New Zealand do the best coffee. New Zealand, Wellington and Cuba Mall specifically, have the best coffee houses ever. Ever.

  7. freebunny says:

    American coffee has the worst reputation, sorry.

    • Sabrine says:

      American coffee is not that great, mediocre for the most part. When you get good coffee, you know it because It’s like nectar of the gods. The tea is even worse.

  8. Liberty says:

    Is Tea & Sympathy still open on Greenwich? Haven’t even thought to drop in there in over a year.

    • t.fanty says:

      That was my first thought,too. But if she goes in there, Nikki will probably slap her for that comment.

      Do you remember when they had a chip shop? That was fantastic.

    • bonzo says:

      I was about the write the same thing… I’ve always had a good cuppa at Tea & Sympathy on my NYC visits, when I’m not stuffing my face on the Jabberwocky at Alice’s Tea Cup. My sense of the amount of food served for “afternoon tea” was greatly skewed by the portions at that place. Those itty bitty sandwiches & cakes are cute and all, but not filling.

      • t.fanty says:

        Alice’s Tea Cup is okay, but so overpriced and such a pain in the butt to make a reservation for.

        What I find difficult in most places, is getting a decaf breakfast tea. Most non-specialist places only carry Lipton as their decaf option, and that sucks.

  9. Missalena says:

    Coffee in the USA is quite possibly the worst on the planet. And in the UK, we have some of the best, proper genuine Italian cafes this side of Milan. Please.

    • David says:

      UK coffee is total crap. Outside of London is also the worst food ever!

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      You have a readily apparent habit of troll-like opinion dropping, without contributing anything of substance. Are you getting paid to troll?

    • What was that says:

      Italian coffee is a serious business!
      I embarrassed my cousin for asking for a cuppucino in the afternoon!
      Apparently it’s morning only,,,espresso in the p.m.!

  10. Sixer says:

    “Nobody can make a proper cup of tea except me, regardless of nationality.”

    Said every Britisher that ever lived.

    Or, as I put it, because I like to be childish:

    “My tea is better than your tea. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Swivel on it, camel breath. Ner ner di ner ner.”

    • Ninks says:

      As an Irish person, I always find it hilarious when the British get superior about tea – we drink more of it than they do and we think British tea tastes like piss.

      • Sixer says:

        My tea is perfect, thankyouverymuch. Also strong. Also better than any other cup of tea on the planet.

        I repeat: said every Britisher that ever lived.

        I’m the only one who is actually correct in this, of course.

      • Guesto says:

        @Ninks – tea and so many other things taste so much better in Ireland. 🙂

      • What was that says:

        I am of Scots heritage but live in England…so what you describe is what I call “Celtic brew”.. As opposed to the weaker drink where your teaspoon does not stand up on the cup but can be refreshing nonetheless….
        You must remember that it depends on the water..I live in London which is hard water and the tea is different than up North..so there are differences but that makes life interesting doesn’t it?

      • Sixer says:

        What was that – it took me forever to get used to the changed taste of tea when I moved from London (hard water) to Devon (soft water). Also, to be careful of the amount of detergent or bubble bath I used – after a couple of Doris Day and the overflowing bubbles incidents!

      • Guesto says:

        @What was that – water is everything. I live in London (with a Scottish Mr Guesto) and when we go ‘home’ (Scotland and Ireland), the water quality/taste is a tangible and beautiful thing, not just to tea, but to everything (hair, skin, etc).

        Oh, and my (Irish) Dad makes the best tea in the known universe because he serves it up as soon as we arrive with his warm, spicy, home-baked, butter-laden barmbrack.

        Beat that. 🙂

    • lightpurple says:

      But my grandmother was the Britisher who made the best cup of tea on the planet to infinity and beyond. Forever and ever. Or so she said.

    • LinaLamont says:

      Hah.
      And, every Asian tea house in NYC will tell you to put a sock in it, Emily.
      Although, I’m a coffee fiend (mine is the best!; Starbucks is vile), I love going to tea houses. Now, stop being a snob about something your people co-opted and bastardized. 🙂
      Best coffee I ever had was in Spain.

      • PCruz says:

        yes THANK YOU!

        I always laugh when Brits act like they invented tea.

        “Now, stop being a snob about something your people co-opted and bastardized.” Couldn’t have put it any better!

    • bonzo says:

      Nope, the best cuppa — kid you not — I ever did have was at Miss Mable’s Tearoom in Dickson, TN. Who’d a thunk that a podunk town in rural TN would serve up the best I’d ever drank. Great food and atmosphere too.

      I had it at Harrods years later and wasn’t impressed. Miss Mable FTW!

      ETA: I see your pound took a plunge today… wondering how long until I can pull the trigger on a mortgage refi. Gotta find some silver lining in the Brexit madness.

      • Sixer says:

        Dollar/pound parity by next Tuesday or something! But don’t worry: Brexit is great cos the FTSE is up. Or something.

        I do keep telling you that I’m crying into my (perfectly made) cup of tea!

      • Bonzo says:

        You just need to open Miss Sixer’s Tearoom in a repurposed, antiquated house with a claw foot tub filled with multicolored glass balls in the upstairs bathroom. We can judge for ourselves if it’s the best.

        My new favorite tea is a Lavender Earl Grey. Do they have anything like that over there or is that an American invention?

        ETA: the last episode of Cleverman was intense! I want to hear your thoughts after you’ve seen it.

      • G says:

        Harrods tea was godawful. That tea is the reason I refuse to drink British tea. It was…blegh.
        The best tea I have ever had was at an Arabic bathhouse in Spain. It was divine. Some Chinese places here in the States have some pretty good tea too. I’m a big green tea fan.

      • Sixer says:

        Bonzo – “tea” to a Britisher is bog standard black tea with milk. I’m considered exotic (well, more like weird than exotic) cos I often have mine with a slice of lemon instead. But yes, you can buy all sorts of varieties. I like lapsang souchong but I wouldn’t drink it every day. Fruit infusions, however, do not count as tea!

        I’m still on the BBC schedule with Cleverman as I don’t think it’s on Netflix UK. Gah!

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      lol!

  11. Elizabeth says:

    And no one in London knows how to make a decent bagel. What’s your point?

    • Flora says:

      Might I suggest Beigel Bake on Brick Lane for the next time you visit? Most traditional Jewish bakeries In London have lovely bagels.

      With the exception of Oslo Coffee, most of the coffee I had in NY was very weak. Iced Tea on the other hand was gorgeous and so cheap.

      • Amelia says:

        I don’t actually know what the shop is called (I know it by the red and white sign) but holy crap, whenever I go to Brick Lane I have to stop myself coming home with a rucksack full of bagels. SO. GOOD.
        And they’re so cheap, too!

        As an aside, I’m really enjoying the ‘I found my best cup of tea *here*’ threads 😀

        For the record; the best tea is made using Fortnum’s breakfast blend, steeped in filtered London water (the hard stuff destroys it for me), served piping hot, with semi-skimmed milk, sugar and lemon *on the side* for the recipient to add according to taste.

        If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, never presume to know a person’s tea preferences.
        But, yeah. Anything more than a pinch of sugar and a cm of milk and you’re dead to me.

      • Elizabeth says:

        I’ll do that! Thanks.

      • Flora says:

        That’s the one Amelia! Some people swear by their salt beef beigels. Preferrably after a night out. I prefer the plain ones. I burned my mouth once on the hot mustard.

        My fave tea is Twinings Earl Grey with some honey. 😀

    • PCruz says:

      Nice comeback. 🙂

      I used to live in NYC and and now in London, so I feel the pain. Rinkoff’s in Whitechapel do almost-there bagels, but nope it’s still not the same as the NYC version.

    • ladysussex says:

      Yeah! No one in the UK knows how to make a proper margarita either! Or chile relleno! Morons! (I’m not really calling anyone a moron. Just making a point about cultural differences in food.)

  12. ell says:

    i like emily a lot, but sometimes i get the ‘i’m so normal’ kate winslet vibe from her. does she really expect me to believe she doesn’t have help with childcare?

    • HappyMom says:

      Where did she say she doesn’t have childcare?

      • ell says:

        she said she didn’t shower for a week, so it’s implied she was doing it herself. which i doubt.

      • Esmom says:

        I believe that they were on their own for the first week. Most people don’t hire childcare until they’re ready to go back to work.

      • ell says:

        most people are not incredibly rich actors.

    • HappyMom says:

      @eli-I barely showered the first few weeks too-and I also had help from family. When you’re breastfeeding you end up with the baby attached to you at the beginning-and barely doing anything but nursing and napping.

  13. Alex says:

    America has some of the best coffee shops out there, plus a super vibrant coffee culture. And I am from we’re-coffeehouse-snobs Vienna. It’s not all Starbucks and bad drip. I’ve had my best cups in places like San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago.

    Also, you have to lighten up, people and know how to take a British tea joke.

  14. Jennifer says:

    How are we supposed to be making tea? I’m intrigued…

    • Lex says:

      Well I’ve ordered a “cup of tea” in the US and have been asked “sweet or hot?” That’s a bad sign.

    • What was that says:

      First boil your kettle..then warm the teapot with some of the water and slosh out..then add your tea ..loose or bags and freshly boiled water..wait for tea to brew and pour….Next the debate on milk in cup before or after tea!!!
      That’s why tea on airplanes is no good as you cannot get the water to boil it is only ever hot so can be used for coffee but tea never really works!

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Would it be considered crass to take my tea with nothing? I prefer it so, unless it is a quite strong breakfast tea- then a splash of milk is required.

      • What was that says:

        @Notso
        Well I think that some would consider you very ‘posh’ with black tea..as I believe some teas such as earl grey blend and others are considered better without the milk
        I am just boring so I go for English Breakfast blend and milk!

      • Jennifer says:

        Thank you. I’m in the south and we almost exclusively serve iced tea (no sweet for me, but still iced) so I don’t think I’ve ever learned how to brew a cup of hot tea. I…. I don’t even own a kettle. 😉

  15. LAK says:

    Tea in America??!!! LOL.

  16. Lex says:

    Um OMG LOL AMERICAN COFFEE ISN’T BETTER THAN ANYONE’S ANYWHERE. It’s literally atrocious.

    • LinaLamont says:

      Ameruca’s a pretty big country. Fairly certain you can find a cup of coffee somewhere that isn’t atrocious. But, yeah, so many restaurants and chain coffee houses are pretty bad.

    • LinaLamont says:

      Oh, I forgot Greek and Turkish coffee. Even though I take my coffee/espresso straight up (I firmly believe that anyone who puts milk/sugar in their coffee/tea doesn’t really like or know good coffee/tea… how’s that for being a snob for you? ), I love good Greek or Turkish coffee as dessert.
      There are good little places in the city to get it.

      • sanders says:

        I had the best coffee in LA at this place below.
        http://documentcoffeebar.com/
        It has a very nice aesthetic as it’s owned by artists and they’ve incorporated their work into the decor. Also incredible service. I believe it’s in Korea town.

      • Karina says:

        It isn’t chai without milk.
        🙂

      • LinaLamont says:

        @Karina
        Masala chai is froufrou tea. But, it is delicious…. especially, cold. 🙂

      • Karina says:

        Eww…I don’t like masala chai.

        I like Assam tea brewed with freshly ground cardamom. Bring it to a full boil on the stove and then add milk. Brew. Pour chai into a cup or mug. Enjoy teatime with family or while reading Celebitchy/News. ☕

        Tea bags are a nice option to make a quick cup of chai by boiling the water and milk in the microwave.

        🙂

      • ls_boston says:

        Ow! Boil the tea, not just the water? No. Sorry. No. That’s not tea, that’s some bilious brew but it ain’t tea. Even builder’s brew is not that vile.

        I don’t like masala chai or actually most teas not made by moi. Emily’s right, you don’t get good tea here outside the house. I go home to England to enjoy the right stuff (outside the house).

    • sanders says:

      When I’m in Toronto, I go here
      http://jetfuelcoffee.com/
      Good and reasonably priced coffee. I’ve seen Michael Ondaatje here. I like to imagine him knocking back espressos or americanos and hammering out one of my favourite books, the English Patient.
      This is another coffee shop owned by an artist. Every month he displays the work of local artist.

  17. Amanda says:

    I love her! I also love how CB gets really easily offended by her comments about being a Brit in America. It’s quite entertaining how the British humour is completely misinterpreted. We expect Americans to be uber-patriotic but to hear a Brit be even remotely proud of their background, god no! I do have to say that in my experience London coffee is better than what I’ve had in the States. Monmouth coffee is the best and on par with Europe.

    • styloroc says:

      Monmouth is absolutely delightful! There’s a reason the queue at Borough Market always extends out and around the side of the building.

      Outside of London (but still within the UK) , some of the best coffee I’ve ever had came from a small little place in Dorchester, Dorset – Number 35 Coffee House & Kitchen.

  18. Manjit says:

    EB has been very open about her stutter and how it affected her growing up,
    http://stutteringtreatment.org/portfolio-items/emily-blunt-speaks/

  19. Cee says:

    These comparisons are ridiculous! Our cultures and habits are a bit different. For example American coffee, to me, an argentinian with a strong italian culture in Buenos Aires, is sh!t. It’s watery and tasteless, but that’s how you guys drink it in caffes and such. I never had a house brewed coffee, so that might be different.

    Our tea is OK but not as great as in other countries. You order tea and you have a wide selection of it, but some places will just give you a tea bag and a cup of hot water, while others will bring you a full pot of brewed tea leaves which will transport you to heaven.

    However your iced tea is amazing and I’m so jealous of it,

  20. Tig says:

    Meh- I love coffee, but different times of day warrant different approaches- early am, lots and strong, for ex. To catch up with friends, that’s relaxing, so go to a place that can take its time. But I get it- it’s possible in very small states in US to have serious debates over the “best” BBQ and which approach is “best”. Re the tea comments- she’s clearly joking. And I almost starting leaking in sympathy to the tsunami of milk comment- so true!!

  21. Mel says:

    Why do people only read the first one of every two sentences? Is it the influence of FB?
    THIS is what it actually says:

    “Nobody in this town knows how to make a proper tea,” she jokes, ripping open the tiny sealed pouch and dunking her tea bag into the cup of lukewarm water in front of her.

    It was clearly a joke.

  22. ds says:

    I’ll be going to NYC soon and I just hope there’s good coffee everywhere. I can’t live without a macchiato cup in the morning. New Yorkers please give hints; I’ll go amywhere for a proper cup. I remember how every city in Germany drove me crazy cause I couldn’t get my coffee dose.

  23. Juluho says:

    It reminds me of a meme; how do Americans like their tea? In a habor.
    It’s hard to be in a different country, sometimes it’s hard to be in different parts of our country. It’s so large and different. I don’t know why anyone would give her a hard time.

    I’ve only been to Canada and Argentina but I remember being so frustrated that the ketchup tastes so different!

    • Cee says:

      Which brand of ketchup were you using? Because I’ve lived both in Argentina and the US and never noticed a difference? We have Hellmann’s and Heinz’s which are international brands.
      Yes with mayo, ours is yellow and america’s is white which freaks me out tbh

      • Juluho says:

        It was Heinz! It was sweeter than normal, our tour guide told me that Heinz has different ketchup for different markets. I don’t know how true that is though.

  24. Hollie says:

    She should go to tea and sympathy. It’s a British owned and run authentic tea shop in the west village. Best tea and scones of my life.

  25. Abbess Tansy says:

    I don’t know, I’m American and I do love tea. Can’t stand coffee. Don’t know if I do it right or not. I boil fresh water in a kettle (on the stove or use electric one), then pour over teabag. Or if I feel really fancy that day, I’ll pour the boiled water in a fancy teapot and serve myself from there.

  26. Asiyah says:

    I disagree. Lots of Asians and Middle Easterners here in NYC who make very good tea. I don’t even like tea but I recognize a good chai when I have one. Get out more, Ms. Blunt.

  27. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    Brooklyn. And the gentrification rolls along.

  28. Lambda says:

    The joke’s getting stale, though. You know why you can’t find good tea everywhere? Because it’s different than your native culture, and you have only that much room to harp on the difference. It’s like living for a decade in a Gulf state and still complaining that good bourbon is not readily available at every corner.

  29. colleen says:

    I’ve never been to Europe so I know nothing about European tea and coffee, but I often wonder if Starbucks is what comes to mind when American coffee is mentioned. If so…. Ugh. Yuck! If I can’t drink it black, then it isn’t good coffee (to my taste) and Starbucks just tastes too burnt and bitter for me, and with a bit of a fishy aftertaste (strange, I know.) My husband can down it if it’s mixed with cream and syrups to make those specialty drinks, but even then, there’s not really much coffee in those.

    Dunkin’ is weak and watery tasting, McDonald’s puts MSG into their crummy coffee… It really is hard to find a good coffee when you’re out running errands (At least where I live).

    I tend to shop around (usually online) for beans from various small companies and mix them until I have something somewhere between medium roast and dark and then I grind the beans and run through my french press. The grind is important, too. Too fine, and there’s something acrid in the oil.

    In the end, though, everyone’s tastes are different and Starbucks is raking in the money, so there’s that.

    • imqrious2 says:

      Try “Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf” (Costa Rica blend is nice). Also *really* good is “Peets”. It started up in Seattle, and made its way down and out on the West Coast, and now it’s even in supermarkets (whole and ground beans). 😊 Hearty drinking!

      • misery chick says:

        @ IMQRIOUS2-this probably won’t post in the right place, but I tried!

        For me, Peets tasted more burned than SB. Which is a shame, I’d rather go to Peets 😉

        Y’all are TRULY giving me LIFE with your coffee/tea talk! I’ve been off caffeine for 2 months (officially tomorrow, but who is counting, lol) but it seems like 2 YEARS. My body doesn’t miss it, but my soul does…bit of an identity crisis 😆

    • Jennifer says:

      Starbucks is truly horrible.

    • Dorky says:

      OMG, that fishy taste, I sometimes get with regular Lipton tea bags! When I steep it too long in boiling water. I’m like, Why in the world would tea taste fishy. So strange. But yeah. And ALSO yeah re: Starbucks tastes BURNT all the time. Yuk. I’m a tea drinker, but while in Jackson Hole Wyoming, I had coffee – yes, basically a hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, but anyway… it was AWESOME. It was at a family-owned coffee shop where I believe everything (or at least the coffee) was organic, and it was the best damn cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Yum. #Dessert

  30. MellyMel says:

    So many butt hurt comments today jeez! Lighten up people it’s Friday!

  31. sabstar says:

    It’s such a strange thing, I find it so silly how we treasure our tea. However the first thing I do when I get back from abroad anywhere is make a cup a tea. I literally cannot wait that and my own bed I miss so much. Crazy!

  32. uninspired username says:

    I know she was being joke-y here, but it reminds me of how much I hate when people act like Brits invented tea instead of stealing it.

    • squeezeo'lime says:

      +198342948724

    • Tina says:

      Y’all stole coffee from the Italians, burgers and hot dogs from the Germans, and fries from the French. Get off your high horse.

      • PCruz says:

        And Italians got coffee from the Middle East and North Africans, who originally got it from…was it Yemen? Ethiopia? 🙂
        Everyone needs to get off their high horse IMO lol.

      • delorb says:

        WRONG! The people from those countries IMMIGRATED here and brought those items with them or modified them when they got here. We didn’t colonize those countries and bring back their food as our own. See the difference?

      • squeezeo'lime says:

        @delorb yes to all this!

      • Tina says:

        Tea first came to Britain from China and was first popularised by Princess Catherine of Braganza of Portugal, who married Charles II. We didn’t colonise either of those places (they don’t grow tea in Hong Kong). And no one pretends that tea is “British” in that we grow it or originated it in some way. We just like it.

    • PCruz says:

      Yass!

  33. J.Mo says:

    No one else thinks she really looks like Kate Winslet these days?

  34. squeezeo'lime says:

    I just can’t with the English complaining non stop about tea.. Bish it doesn’t even grow in your country, y’all stole it from your colonies and to this day still try to pass it off as an English thing. Ughhhhhhhh

  35. Kath says:

    I guess Australia wins this p!ssing contest. We have British tea from our colonial (convict) heritage, plus awesome coffee from waves of post-war Italian migrants. AND bagels!

    They tried to launch Starbucks in Australia and it was a monumental failure, with losses of around $143 million since 2000.

    And we’re only a 25-hour flight away from the UK and 20 hours from New York, if you feel like visiting!

    • PCruz says:

      I can confirm that many of the best coffee places in London are run by Australians!

    • Hummos says:

      Haha I was just about to post something dimilar! Didn’t Melbourne win awards recently for having the best coffee in the world? Seriously I’ve travelled all over and nothing is as good as Our tea and coffee. And I love how snobby we are about it, like we’re supposed to be this country of outback larrikins but don’t effing mess with our tea or coffee

  36. Dorky says:

    Is that Kate Winslet?

  37. Andrea says:

    I am an American and I didn’t understand good tea until I moved to Canada. Americans are all about soda and/or coffee. End of.

  38. Sid says:

    Barry’s tea. Lovely stuff.

  39. Capepopsie says:

    About the tea, I’m sorry, but you’ve all got it wrong!
    Proper tea is Rooi bos, made the english way, leaves in
    The pot, and definitely NOT SCENTED, served with milk and
    sugar. That is the real cup of Tea!! Thankyouverymuch,
    😁

  40. TheOriginalMe says:

    Dunno. Had plenty o’ nice cup o’ teas in NYC. I go to London at least once a month. Can’t say I’m impressed with their tea making…

    In general I’ve spent a lot of time with Brits, was engaged to one, my current boss And tech teams are Brits. And I have to say their disdain for everything American gets boring after a while. Get over it. I politely ask you to focus your attention on something more worthwhile than why we drive on the right-hand side of the road or why we have power outlets in bathrooms (which they don’t because apparently it’s mega dangerous as humans can’t handle electricity and water in the same vicinity) or why we spell color without a u (originally Latin, spelled without a u). Anyhoo… And so on and so forth… I’ve gotten great tea in NYC.

  41. Steph says:

    I can’t get a real bagel in Atlanta, or a decent cheesesteak in Phoenix. Tempest in a you know what, y’all!

  42. Jenny says:

    I’m Swedish and really have no beef in this matter but I watched a couple of interviews with Blunt over the weekend where she was selling girl/train and I started really disliking her and previously I really liked her, as an actress. But maybe she’s like HRC, the more she talks the more you dislike her? Blunt exudes this thing that is all too common among the English although most of them nowadays at least try to hide it a little better, of feeling superior to the rest of the world just because she’s English and they think they are still a super-power when in fact they haven’t been for over a century. When her husband complained about feeling so mistreated as an American in London she had no understanding for him at all, just stop acting so bloody American you twat! (I’m paraphasing a tiny bit). It just gets so tiresome. Listen up, Blunt, your empire died a 150 years ago, since then the world have lived through another (the USA) and now that empire is dying too and it’s unfortunately probably time for China to take over. So maybe it’s time for you to come off your national ego-trip and join the rest of us. I know it hurts, but I think you can rebuild your sense of self on worthier merits.

  43. KellzBellz says:

    Never heard of her, but what kind of janky restaurants does she go to? I’m a poor and I have a few fave cafes with amazing looseleaf teas. English Breakfast and Earl Grey from Rishi or Remedy teas!