Adele is still breaking records and surpassing already elevated expectations. Her new album, 25, is the fastest-selling album of all time. Her NBC concert special this week had amazing ratings. I also found this E! News story fascinating, because they talk about her now-extensive real estate holdings in England (she apparently owns four properties, three of them quite big). While she’s not nominated for any 2016 Grammys – her album was released too late for that – I think we can safely say that she’ll be nominated across the board next year.
Meanwhile, with all of her success and accomplishments, Adele still gets questions about her weight. I think that fact bugs me a lot more than it bugs her – she always answers body image/weight questions with a lot of grace and humor, and you get the feeling that she accepts who she is. Well, The Sun asked her how she lost weight this year, and her answer was sort of interesting:
She’s marked her comeback with not only a chart-topping new single but also a trim new figure. And singing sensation Adele has revealed her tremendous weight loss is the result of giving up tea drinking, revealing she used to drink around 10 cups of the hot beverage a day.
Speaking to The Sun about getting into shape, the 27-year-old dished: ‘I used to drink 10 cups a day with two sugars in each so I was on 20 sugars a day.’
The Hello hitmaker also admitted that her lessening sugar intake – which was formerly treble the women’s recommended daily added sugar limit – has also seen given her a surge of vitality: ‘Now I don’t drink it and I have more energy than ever.’
TEN CUPS?! Ten cups of tea a day? I realize that she’s a singer and she probably loves tea for her throat, but even then… ten cups seems excessive, especially with “two sugars” in each cup. I’ll admit that much of English obsession with tea is a mystery to me – I’m sure I’m quite out of touch, but I thought the “English way” of tea-drinking was with a bit of milk, not sugar? And if you do use sugar, only a touch? Am I completely making that up? To me, milky tea is gross, and if I’m going to drink hot tea, I need a little sugar. Like, one sugar per cup. Even then, if I have the option of NutraSweet, I’ll take that instead of sugar. But my new thing is this – Lipton Diet Green Citrus Tea. I know it sounds gross but it is SO GOOD and light.
I wonder what Adele drinks now? Water?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
My tea is Pepsi Max. I’m trying to give it up. It’s hard because I already drink over two litres of water a day so I always looked forward to the Pepsi Max.
Unrelated but I’m loving Adele’s fashion this album promo.
I drink 4 cans of diet coke a day 🙁
I’m trying to quit but I don’t know what to replace it with. I only like cold drinks ugh
I’ve found drinking carbonated spring water with a dash of lime (or whatever diluted drink you prefer) has helped me. I didn’t drink a huge amount and I find drinking still water SO BORING
Lindy -that’s what I have to do. It’s a fizz addiction for me, so whenever I get groceries I try to just find some carbonated water and either toss a couple of drops of the liquid crystal lite into it, or some lemon. I do however drink a coke in the morning because I’m not much of a coffee person, but need a bit of a caffeine kick. I might try to switch to an iced coffee or tea… I only like hot drinks when I don’t feel well.
Have you tried Kombucha? It’s slightly carbonated, hella good for you, and very few calories. And it comes in all kinds of fruit flavors, ginger, etc.
I gave up soda by replacing 1/2 of my intake with carbonated water. Eventually, I was able to replace it completely. It’s really the bubbles that I seem to miss. Sometimes I have an organic natural sugar soda though. I just can’t quit it forever! 😉
I drink a mixture of white grape juice, pomegranate juice and club soda with a slice of lime if I get tired of plain water. It has about 100 calories, but it’s good for you, or better than soda, anyway, and relieves the boredom since I try never to drink soda.
I also have a Diet Coke habit. I’ve been considering getting a Soda Stream, as I think for me the appeal is fizzy and cold rather than the caffeine or the sweet taste.
A cardiac surgery PA I used to work with stepped onto the unit with two diet cokes in both lab coat pockets every morning.
Coffee’s my thang- cream, please and thank you. As for tea- as is please- no milk, lemon or sugar.
I love iced tea, made with Earl Grey and Black Tea combo. It is so good and has no sugar or sugar substitutes.
Kaiser, beware the artificial sweeteners! They can actually increase your cravings for sugar later and might have harmful long term effects.
Stop! In all seriousness, I have suffered severe hearing loss from drinking that much diet pop Ver a period of five or so years. It is dangerous!
i can drink 2 liters of coke a day. 🙁
i’ve quit several times only to start again weeks later.
This time i’m drinking matcha tea. sometimes i put it in a bottle of cold water for my drive.
However, if it drink a big gulp of coke on top of the morning matcha, the next day the matcha doesn’t give me enough energy, so i need to stop the coke!!! By the way, matcha gives you energy without the usual caffeine jitters. I like it.
I do want to get genmatcha. the toasted rice green tea they serve in japanese restaurants. yum.
There’s a great product called Soda Stream that carbonates plain water in seconds, so you can make your own carbonated drinks. We started doing half fruit juice to half carbonated water, but now carbonated water with a tad of lemon or lime is great. But I heard carbonated drinks leach calcium from your body; has anyone heard this?
@ALIGOAT
Not to scare BUT…
I too am a Pop/soda junkie. Diet Pepsi and diet coke has been my drug of choice. Nothing has really been successful scaring me off it….UNTIL —
I was watching a show which appears lightweight, but thru watching I’ve realized they are as informative as some news programs – it’s called ‘The List.’
Anyway- they say AMERICAN soda can contain a cancer causing ingredient that OTHER COUNTRIES WON’T EVEN ALLOW:
BROMATED VEGETABLE OIL.
I WAS SHOCKED that this was the FIRST I was hearing of it. I’ve heard the other detracting things, like the aspartame and sweetener subs were bad for you, and how low calorie and no calorie can actually make you eat more and spike your blood sugar worse and blah blah blah….but THIS bromated vegetable thing??
They say bromated vegetable oil’s sole reason as an ingredient is to keep the ingredients in the soda from separating and looking gross, in other words, mere aesthetics! Wtf?! I’m being sickened for pretty pop?!
Since that report I’ve cut way back on sodas, and tried to look for natural sodas or better yet more natural drinks period. Drinks made elsewhere than the usa too or, at least ones without ingredients I can’t pronounce or figure out why they’re in there to begin with.
I gave up diet soda a few years ago. My bladder is still not great due to the coffee I still have but it’s better than it was when I was on the sodas. I cannot and will not give up coffee. My stomach doesn’t seem to mind coffee but I would get sharp nasty pains when I took in aspartame.
Soda is really bad for teeth and stomach as well.
It is very hard to give something up. An easier way is to find a replacement.
I drink tea so for me it is not an issue at all. But for those who don’t like tea I don’t see easy replacements as a sugar free juice hasn’t been invented and if it will be, it will contain all kinds of chemicals too. There are some flavor infused water drinks, I don’t know how healthy are those.
My latest thing is tart cherry juice concentrate (which has amazing health benefits) I squeeze it into water, with ice and add a splenda or stevia packet. It’s really good.
This slightly carbonated beverage called Mash is amazing. Comes in like 4 or 5 flavors. Pretty sure it doesn’t have bromated veg oil but don’t quote me on that. Also bai drinks which are widlely available are delicious and natural.
I love tart cherry juice – I put a splash into a big glass of water and that’s it.
I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke in high school, but now avoid soda, except the occasional ginger ale when I don’t feel well. And anything with artificial sweeteners gives me a MASSIVE headache now and tastes like chemicals, so I avoid that at all costs.
Soda and fruit juices are the worst. I have a tea box that holds 12 different kinds of teas; ginger, mint, matte, green, chamomile, chai, several types of black, throat coats, etc and plow through the many kinds throughout the day. No added sugar but I do a splash of milk to the chai or black teas. Delicious! I grew up with my mom as a Diet Coke addict, still growing strong, and saw her with horrible withdrawals every time she attempted to quit. The worst!
I have a friend who suffers from fibromyalgia, and takes massive amounts of morphine, dilaudid and gabapentin. She also downs a pair of 2-litres of Pepsi everyday. She has for years. Her kids have begged her to stop, but she insists she is fine. I worry about her.
@BossyKat —
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/bvo.asp
BVO – it can definitely be dangerous, but there has been a lot of changes to the amounts used since the ’70s. Most sodas – if they contain it – are WELL beneath the legal amount. Still – better to avoid if you can, but not as dangerous as it could be, by any means – especially if you’re just having the occasional soda.
LaCroix sparkling water.
It will change your LIFE!!
Thanks everyone! looks like I’ll be trying some new drinks! : )
Yes, ooh, the Pomme Baya is sooo yum ( and the coconut, the peach -pear, the mango- oh heck, they are all really good)!!!!
I love LaCroix, bit if you want to get away from carbonation altogether (bad for teeth and bones) try Bai5 antioxidant infusions. They have natural fruit sweeteners and are only 5 calories each. The flavoring is light, but that’s how natural juice flavored drinks should be minus all the chemicals. I couldn’t find a low calorie drink I liked until I stumbled across Bai5. I quit drinking Coke, lost 8 lbs and get Bai5 cheap by the case at Costco. All the flavors are great. Not a coconut fan so I donate those to my local food pantry.
I like the Bai also, but like the cherry juice, just a splash in water. Straight out of the bottle it’s way too sweet for me.
I drink Diet Arizona Green Tea which is AWESOME, hot or cold. I also drink a lot of coffee, 3-5 cups a day (definitely keeps me from snacking!). As for hot tea, I like it with fat free half and half and Splenda. It’s weird: I can drink coffee black, but I like my hot tea sweet. Go figure! 😛
On another note: I SCORED ADELE TICKETS FOR HER 1ST SHOW IN LOS ANGELES…WOOHOO!
I literally cannot wait until August!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that’s awesome! congrats! you literally the first I’ve seen that actually was able to buy them directly! well done!
I like Adele, but why is she so popular? It’s completely a mystery to me.
As for the weight, of course she’s asked about that. She will be aksed it for eternety unless she becomes a twig, and then she will be asked how she lost the weight.
When you are overweight – you are fat first and foremost. Every characteristc is secondary in society’s eyes. It is what it is.
Because in an industry full of just average talent Adele is a diamond in the rough. A true talent with a beautiful and powerful voice.
I love coffee, especially Starbucks’ Flat White with three equal. I also love Coke Zero which has equal. So I have a lot of equal a day which is probably why my brain is going to sh*t.
@Locke: Because she has a gorgeous voice and because the Universe has favorites, which is the same thing.
@Mgsota: the industry is not entirely full of average talent. I don’t think we should exaggerate.
I love Florence Welch, her composition is amazing, her voice is out of this world, I think she even has some acting skills, but she is not a phenomenon. Adele is a phenomenon and it’s only normal for people to ask themselves what makes the difference between people with talent that enjoy success and people with talent that become phenomenon. My answer would be: the Universe has favorites.
I think JLaw’s situation is the same. She is talented but so is Emma Stone for example. However, the former is a megastar, the latter is a star.
@ALS – I didn’t use the word “entirely,” you used that word.
Adele is not the only talented singer in the industry. But in an industry that is full of overrated, auto tuned average singers, we are starving for something more.
She sings better than Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, and even Ariana Grande (who was hailed as being the next Mariah Carey for reasons that are unclear to me).
Yeah, her voice is great , but her music is nothing spectacular. They’re average, run-of-the-mill love songs. She’s decent, but record breaking? I’d get it if she was bringing something new to the table, but she really isn’t. And Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez are not the only singers out there.
Yeah, there are other singers out there, but from what I can tell most of the ones aspiring for mass popularity sing the the same way Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez do and run around in little clothes. A lot of them are following the Britney Spears template, and not doing much of anything else.
Adele’s music is run-of-the mill, but so is Celine Dion’s, and she’s always sold a lot too. It’s the voice that makes all the difference. It’s not shocking to me why Adele, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and anyone with that kind of natural singing talent would be this successful, even singing average love songs, in POP music. In another genre (i.e jazz, opera, folk music, even rock, etc.), questioning why she’s successful would make some sense, but in pop music? — people with her voice are destined to be successful in that genre. I don’t even like all of her songs, but I get why other people would buy her music if pop music is what they’re looking for. And pop music generally sells on a mass scale anyway in a way other genres don’t. The record Adele broke was held by N’Sync, and what were they doing that was musically unique? — not much.
Yeah, I know. I do feel this is a double standard at work though. Truly, is weight the first thing that we remember about men? For example, Henry Kissinger. His weight is never mentioned in an interview, though it has changed massively. so maybe Henry Kissinger=/ Adele.
But The Rock, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Hugh Jackman- if Adele’s interview questions are only about weight loss/gain, so theirs should be too. They change for roles all the time. Asking women ALL THE TIME about how they lost or gained weight is the equivalent of assuming male actors =meatheads and wondering about their protein shakes, weights, and exercises their trainers design for them. We assume they have more interesting things to talk about, so why don’t we assume the same for women (even OMG big women)?
I’m not sure if Kissinger is the right example, but I do remember peole like John Goodman being asked about their weight. The Rock and Wahlberg changed their appearance but never in a way hat wasn’t acceptable in what society deems as attractive.
People usually feel perfectly fine to talk about other people’s weight, especially if it0s an overweight woman. It’s like if you gain weight you magically lose feelings.
about men and weight and size, didn’t Adele herself muse about it in her Australia interview?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHiY59tqgSY
but then she also wondered whether it was her size that endears her to people?
anyhow. about why she’s so popular… i dunno. her songs are harmless, but what won, really won her over, in my family are her interviews 🙂
and those interviews make members of my family go out and buy her album as though they’re supporting their own daughter/granddaughter/niece’s first recital cassette 😀
the number of times my granny told me to go out and by CDs of her for her friends? “oh! i need to get A, or B, to listen! quick go buy it before they come over for lunch”. i feel like a CD mule.
meanwhile, the one interview that won my brother over was that one where she made a casual shout-out to all the stay-at-home fathers raising their children. he was really touched by that. 😀 i can’t remember which interview now. but it was when she was asked about raising her child and she said something about even though she does feel guilty she had greater privilege than most “mothers, or fathers for that matter,” to find her balance between work and stay at home right. i think she said unlike most mothers or fathers she didn’t really have to go out to work to raise her family. anyone remember that one?
but yeah, more than her music videos, i think my facebook feed is littered with Adele interview snippets. or her Jenny skit. EVEN TODAY. like how many months now? but it was lovely lovely prank. so i don’t mind.
Maybe because she does relatable music?
And despite that she doesn’t have the most amazing range, people love her vocals. (Me included.)
She has a beautiful voice, though I don’t like what she does with it but other people do.
Does she write the words and music as well for her songs?
I think way too much is made of her weight. She said maybe it made people relate to her more easily. But I don’t know why. She’s an absolutely beautiful woman with an exceptional voice. I don’t find Adele somehow more relatable than, I don’t know, Gwen Stefani just because she’s x lbs heavier or whatever.
I swear, people are just straight up weird about weight all around.
As someone who used to be overweight, I’m not sure if I find her more relatable, but it’s extremely rare that someone, especially a woman who is everweight gets to be decribed as beautiful by the media. There was no one like that when I was a teenager.
Adele is actually very beautiful, Hollywood level beautiful. We just don’t notice it as readily because she is overweight.
There was a recent photo shoot of her with slicked hair and she looked like a more beautiful version of Emily Blunt.
Her face really is quite beautiful. I saw her on Jimmy Fallon and she was sitting next to Kelly Ripa. Granted, Adele is younger, and I guess that might grant her a bit of an advantage in terms of complexion, but I was struck by the fact that I thought Adele was the prettier one, even though Kelly Ripa has a beach body and was wearing a short skirt. Does the media describe Adele as beautiful? — I figured it was just those of us commenting on boards that thought so. Sometimes I wonder if she even realizes that she’s beautiful — it doesn’t seem like it, and I’m not sure if that’s because the media insists only thin people with average faces can be pretty.
First off I really doubt Adele spoke to The Sun tabloid.It would be comparable to Taylor Swift doing an interview with In Touch Weekly.Adele is popular because she has a very good voice,she writes songs that people can to relate to.Her being white is a factor just like it is for Sam Smith.A black artist with a similar voice and appearance wouldn’t get the same radio airplay on pop stations.Lastly I think her size has been a factor because it allows her to stand out from the crowd.Also being overweight and dowdy made her more believable as someone who is unlucky in love,she fit the narrative.BTW I know plenty of attractive people have been dumped ,rejected,cheated on,etc .I also know I feel less empathy when the popular prom queen has been dumped as opposed to the funny ,fat girl.
@Colette I agree with you. If Adele was Black she probably wouldn’t be as popular on pop stations. Adele can sing but there are so many other people out there that can sing but haven’t been given the same opportunity as Adele who seems like Amy Winehouse replacement. I love European singer Emeli Sande who has an amazing voice and better song lyrics than Adele but she hasn’t been packaged and promoted the way Adele has.
I also think her previous size played a part in her believability as an artist. When she was heavier people would describe her as an amazing singer. Now that she has lost some weight people are saying the beautiful Adele. I think she looks good now that she has lost the weight, her facial features did change a lot. But it’s good to know that she was able to get a recording contract despite her size. It’s so hard for female artist who are a bit heavier to get contracts because they are not considered eye candy or marketable. I remember R&B singer Kelly Price was turned down by Puff Daddy because he told her she was too fat.
yeah. it was an interview with Swedish tv show. they got to talk about kids and health and they all shared tidbits, Adele was about the tea… i know because jamie oliver and a princess was on and found it because of the princess…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U8UZuTHY0M
I think a lot of it has to do with her personality as well. She is very funny in interviews and comes across as quite down to earth. Plus, she plays it smart. She hits the scene HARD, does great live interviews, promotes like a pro, stays off of social media, and then hangs it up for a few years. She knows when to quietly exit stage left for a bit, so that when she does return, we are so excited to welcome her back… So I tried to get tickets in two different cities and failed. I was on Ticketmaster at 10 am for my first choice city. I know this makes me an F’in Granny, but I really wanted to see her. I just don’t know how to buy concert tickets for these really popular arena tours. And I refuse to pay 500 dollars a ticket to see anyone. I refuse to pay 200 dollars a ticket to see anyone for that matter, but I was willing to go 160 a ticket which is a lot of for me especially this time of year… Did any of you bitches (use the term lovingly) try to get tickets and succeed?
I’m so sorry, Rhiely. I know it can be really hard to get tickets because of the massive operations like Ticketmaster. I remember one concert I tried to get tickets for at Universal Amphitheater (years ago); there were dozens of people who were paid to stand in line and buy as many tickets as they could for one of those companies. They had *wads* of cash and bought it out. I couldn’t believe I couldn’t get tickets at the box office after waiting hrs. in line!
But to answer your question: I DID!! I scored tickets for her opening show in L.A. Tickets started at about $145. Because the cost of concerts has skyrocketed, I only go to shows I *really* want to see, and I am SOOOOO excited I got these! I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL AUGUST!
Her voice is great, and she’s connecting with lots of people on some level with her music.
She also doesn’t pull any of the childish tantrums or attention deprived nonsense that some other music stars do, and seems like a fun, sweet person.
I got 8th row! My friends and I all got our presale code from the site and kept trying til one got in. We were all giddy like teenagers!
They are scalping for thousands of dollars… Crazy.
I totally agree with you. I don’t know why she’s all that. We have singers here in America who can sing just as good as Adele. Plus she had the stomach bypass surgery. I don’t know why celebrities won’t say how they lost all there weight. They usually use one thing that they stop earing and that did it for them.
What proof is there that she has had any bariatric procedure done?
She loss the weight very fast. There’s nothing wrong w/ having the surgery
I probably drink ten cups of tea per day. Seriously. I like lemon tea but am unusual in that.
Standard tea sugarings: 0 sugars; 1 teaspoon; 2 teaspoons.
I think more than two sugars would generally be considered gauche!
The only time I take sugar is if I’m hungover. I also take milk then, not lemon. Hangover cure chez Sixer: tea with two sugars plus toast and Marmite. Electrolyte balancer, dontchaknow. Salt and sugar.
mmm sounds good! what about the bangers and mash?
+ onion gravy + frozen peas + carrots!
I’m craving British food so badly right now. I want a proper British breakfast with potato waffles, beans, toast, egg ! Would also love some fish n chips, or a packet of cheese and onion crisps (so good !). The cakes, cookies, and chocolate in U.K. are divine !
i love builders tea. i probably drink ten cups a day.
with one sugar.
the only time i take tea with no milk is when i have an upset stomach. a black, sugarless tea settles it.
and of all the trendy coffee shops, only pret has proper tea. i don’t know what that stuff in starbucks, cafe nero, costas etc is.
I drink coffee or hot chocolate if I’m out and the only option is a chain. The horrid possibility of non-boiling water, as someone mentions below!
But imagine if you were Adele, who sounds like she was a two sugar person. At ten cups of tea per day, that’s more than 300 calories. If you wanted to lose weight, it sounds like a painless way to do it.
i can’t drink coffee. it gives me sweats, shakes, headaches and i become manic. it’s an instant reaction. so i’f i’m out and can’t find a tea shop, i wait it out until i can.
where chocolate is concerned, i’m addicted to it in all forms except as hot chocolate or mousse.
LAK, does the same thing happen with decaf? Coffee tends to affect me the same way you describe, especially Peet’s, but if I drink decaf I’m usually ok.
Esmom: i’m ok with decaf, but it tastes funny to me. can’t put my finger on the taste.
I also probably drink ten cups of tea a day. I find it both calming and energizing. No sugar, though, straight black and strong for me. And as an American, I have never even thought about trying it with milk, it seems bizarre to me to add milk to tea, lol.
I also drink a lot of tea daily. But no sugar. That’s never appealed to me. I do put just a little bit of milk in my tea because it takes the edge off the acidity. But that’s for black tea only. I never add anything to any green or oolong tea.
I drink 10-12 large cups of tea a day. I use about 10 grains of sugar per cup and I go through a litre of milk daily.
Same here, I drink mostly tea, and lots of it. All day long actually, and it has to be strong. A good Gold Leaf Assam, an Earl Grey…No sugar, or any sweetener. For black tea, sometimes a bit of milk, or a splash of lemon juice. I also like Japanese green tea, and Oolong. there are so many wonderful teas out there. If I don’t drink tea, it’s water, no fizz. Luckily, I don’t like sodas, coke, or juices.
What’s marmite?
A salty, yeast-based spread.
yum!
on toast.
LAK – you may think this is heresy, but sometimes I melt a teaspoon of Marmite over roast potatoes. After parboiling and shaking and before putting them in the pan and basting. Good results, honest!
Not to cause a storm here, but Marmite is a poor imitation of Vegemite. Having said that, I get Mr Antipodean to bring back Marmite from Tescos when he travels. To my shame Antipodean minor prefers it to Vegemite. Mr Antipodean is a Bovril man, so we are an interesting blend of yeasty spreads. Toast anyone?
sixer: oh no i don’t!!!
i do that too.
delicious
antipodean: i use vegemite and marmite interchangeably. love them both.
LAK – yay! It’s good, innit?
Antipodean – harumph. Marmite FTW. Although, Mr Sixer is also a Bovril man.
Earl Grey. Black. No Sugar. I’m a purist.
Vegemite > Marmite.
I must drink 10 cups of tea a day, strong Yorkshire tea milk no sugar with an occasional Earl Grey or Camomile for variety.
I could easily do 6 cups, but 10 seems like it’s pushing it. Milk and one sugar is my standard, but if I’m having more than a couple I switch to milk and no sugar. God, I miss my days in England when my office mates would take turns collecting up mugs and bringing back tea with milk to everyone. I’m on my own now!
Ditto. 6-10 cups (actual cups – I drink mugs so it’s 4-5 mugs), milky tea, no sugar. How I was raised. My mom is the same. I’d be lost without my tea. My mom will text me to out on the kettle when she’s on her way to visit. Brits. Some stereotypes ring true.
I love tea and could drink ten cups a day, but limit it to two because otherwise I , well, it’s inconvenient.
I love tea, and my favorite is Assam with a dollop of milk, no sugar. Neck in neck with that is lapsang souchong with no sugar or milk. Maybe a slice of lemon though.
I switch to herbal teas in the afternoon though– my sleep cycle has thanked me for that. Seriously though, I could easily drink tea all day.
I do a pot of tea every day with four bags or five spoonfuls of loose tea and I usually just drink four cups’ worth of the brew in cups of varying sizes, so my intake is never the same. I have some sugar in it, using a small, almost salt cellar type spoon, and since I’m lactose intolerant I have a blend of Flax/Coconut/Almond milk for my cream. And some sort of baked goodness, usually home made cream scones – two moderate sized ones with strawberry jam or a blueberry muffin cut into quarters.
I can’t imagine drinking 10 cups. How big are those cups anyway?
Here in Britain taking sugar in tea is considered “common” but no one except the upper classes (or more likely, Hyacinth Bucket-type aspiring upper middles) cares about that or probably even knows. It’s one of those weird posho rules, like passing the port clockwise.
For the masses, milky sugary tea is IT. And definitely if you had a shock or anything bad happens, the default response is to put the kettle on for a sugary tea.
Not milky! Not milky! Or at least, in my family the tea must be “brown Windsor” – ie very strong, not much milk. My lot think I am weird for having lemon tea though. 😉
I want to know what is the first thing Americans say to visitors, if it isn’t, “Shall I put the kettle on?”
or when major life events or sadness occurs, isn’t a cup of tea the most comforting thing?
Hi, Sixer!
“Want a beer?”
It really isn’t a myth or even a stereotype that tea is the go-to panacea for EVERYTHING, is it?
“Sorry about the mess”. That’s how we roll in Minnesota, anyway.
Then, “Can I get you anything to drink?” and list some options (we are a tea-drinking house so it’s always an option).
@jugstorecowboy that made me laugh because “sorry about the mess” would usually be the second thing I say!
@EsCon – it would have to be after 9pm to move straight to alcohol in these ‘ere parts!
In Canada it would be “What would you like to drink” or if it is really early in the day “Would you like a cup of coffee”?
Oh Sixer, your comment made me homesick for my English relatives!
“Shall I put the kettle on?” is such a comforting question. And they do ask every time you re-enter the house, it’s just lovely! My mother was never without a cup of tea if she was at home, and I was weaned on the stuff.
Running to put the kettle on right now!
One gulp or two? I am always polite when I have people over. They get to drink from the bottle first!! :0
In ours it’s “tea?” followed by “sorry about the cat hair, we have lint rollers at each emergency exit..”
LOL Lindy79. Me too.
Usually here when you offer tea, as it was where I was raised in the desert southwest, it’s of the iced variety – lipton’s orange pekoe, either plain or with sugar or lemon. My Grandma made sun tea all the time, especially in the summer. Big glass jug of water, six bags of lipton tea, set it out in the sun for a couple of hours and we’d guzzle it down.
I’d say milk 2 sugars is the standard tea drinking way here in the UK
I know how to say “tea with milk” in like six languages.
One of my dearest friends is a Brit and he and his family always put milk in their tea (and they do drink a lot of it!). I can’t stand milk in my tea – I find the taste just too strange – but I don’t mind sugar. I suppose I’m horribly gauche, lol.
Only when i venture into exotic teas as opposed to proper tea do i forgo milk and sugar. then a slice of lemon is the thing.
when i visit America, i end up drinking lots of Earl grey or Jasmine Grey because i can’t find proper tea. lipton is not proper tea. sorry.
LOL @LAK…I don’t consider Lipton to be proper tea either. When I do buy tea for myself it’s generally mint (in my family, we often wrap up a big meal with a cup of mint tea). I try to keep some Orange Pekoe in the house, along with some chai tea as well, just to have a bit of variety.
Tetley FTW. And because they are round.
I’m partial to Tetley’s British blend, because it’s strong…and Bewley’s Afternoon Tea, the one that kicked off my afternoon tea habit when I brought home a box of the loose stuff from a Dublin visit back in the 90s.
I used to think milk in tea was gross, until I tried it in black tea, now I love it, sugar or not.
A cup of very strong Assam with milk and sugar is simply yum…..definitely worth a try for those who haven’t had it!
Assam and Ceylon are my favorite types.
Normally I don’t put milk in it, but if I go somewhere with a tea service, I will if it’s there.
I LOVE Assam, it’s a rather strong one, and then it’s good with milk. I also like the Indian version of Chai, with all the spices, but no sugar for me.
It’s Bouquet!
“The lady of the house speaking!”
Oh nice!
Beaker or my Royal Doulton with the hand painted periwinkles?
i too grew up drinking loads of tea. i drink at five cups a day when stressed
I switched from sugar to Stevia and it changed my life. I must drink too much tea because weight just feel off me.
Anyone interested I would recommend Organic Stevia because now of course companies are adding cr@p to their product as fillers, etc. (Trader Joe’s has a good Organic 100% Stevia product that lasts forever.)
It’s visible how much weight she’s lost, since she suddenly looks 10 older than in 2010, 2011. And I feel really shallow with this comment.
Yeah, a thin(ner) face makes you look older but I think she looks better, more mature beautiful if you will.
Im with ya on that Tea Thing Is a Mystery to me…then Again though I hate hot drinks I dont do coffee or tea or Hot Chocolate (this one and soup I Might mess around with if I’m sick or extremely cold)
Yes, soup is the most warming thing for me. In fact if I eat it and I’m not cold, I end up sweating in a way that other hot liquids don’t elicit.
Yup I don’t drink hot drinks either. I feel left out sometimes when everyone has their morning coffee or tea in hand. I just can’t do it…and I’m glad I don’t have that habit. Usually tea comes with biscuits (cookies), so factor in that added sugar as well.
Kaiser, I’m with you on the Lipton diet citrus green tea!!! When it’s on sale at the local supermarket, I snatch all I can.
I’m sick of people asking Adele about her weight too. We are a society driven by how people look. She doesn’t owe anyone an explanation about here weight.
Yay! Isn’t that diet green tea the best?! It’s so refreshing and it has Vitamin C.
OMG!! Yes! It’s tastes so clean and refreshing!!! Love it!!!! I want to swim in it!!!!!!
I’m wondering what is the correct weight that would make some people happy. Adele’s weight is a problem to some because they thought she was too fat. She appears quite happy to me in her skin. Angelina’s weight is a problem for some for the last 10 years because she is considered too skinny and “looks sick” to some. IMO, some people just can’t win. I like both of them whatever they weigh.
I’m all about Costa’s chai lattes with extra cinnamon. I’d wear a perfume that smells exactly like that if I could find one.
Hey Fluff,
Philip B. makes a chai body wash that is scrumptious….!
Err… what exactly is “diet” tea? Tea should be calorie free. This sounds unhealthy…
It has the artificial sweetener aspartame in it, to make it sweet without the calories of sugar. There’s a lot of conflicting opinions on it. For myself, I avoid it like the plague because it gives me horrible headaches and has a chemical taste. Some people have no issues with it and like the taste.
To answer your question on English tea, we usually drink it with a little milk, sugar is optional. The tea has to be black tea, we don’t put milk in green, white or herbal teas. And we drink tea morning noon and night, so ten cups may be a little on the high side, but it isn’t that unusual.
We also make tea differently in the UK than you do in the US. The primary difference is to add the near boiling water to the tea leaves or bag – not to dunk a tea bag into a tepid cup of what purports to be hot water. The English way results in a stronger ‘brew’, and that more dominant tea taste goes well with milk.
Do Americans put a tea bag into tepid water? I thought tea is made the same way everyehere. Guess not.
Yes. Even restaurants will give you a cup/kettle of hot water and tea bags on the side to dunk.
About the water temperature, to be fair, we’ve had our share of frivolous lawsuits here over beverage temperature (the most infamous being the woman who sue McDonald’s because her coffee was too hot), so most places will not serve “boiling” water.
huh? I’m American and use water fresh off the stove (boiling). That said, my husband likes his lukewarm and it’s gross. But I consider it a person-by-person thing, not an American thing.
One thing of note – never order tea at an American restaurant. They will bring you warm water in a small coffee cup and a tea bag.
The only place you can order tea in the US is a Chinese or Japanese restaurant.
I order tea often in American restaurants, and it’s always hot water. If someone brings you warm water, you send it back and kindly ask for hot.
I’m an American (of Irish extraction – yes milk and sugar and a pot of tea to cure all ailments and troubles), and I would never order tea in a restaurant in the United States. Always the hot water brought to the table and a tea bag on the side – yeccch! My sister once asked a waitress at a diner – “could you just put the tea bag in the cup and pour the boiling water over it?” The waitress said that was impossible. So my sister ordered coffee.
“Always the hot water brought to the table and a tea bag on the side – yeccch! My sister once asked a waitress at a diner – “could you just put the tea bag in the cup and pour the boiling water over it?” The waitress said that was impossible. So my sister ordered coffee.”
LOL, WHAT?!
Did your sister have two broken arms or something? How hard is it to put a teabag into the water by yourself?
Wait a minute, is your sister Anne Hathaway?
doesn’t the caffeine get to you if you drink it at night? I make tea the way you guys do, because it tastes nasty if you use even slightly lukewarm water.
I think British people are probably genetically immune.
Fluff: IKR!!! LOL
I’m American but grew up with summers in Ireland. People in the U.S. Simply don’t understand the culture around drinking tea. When people come to my house for tea, they think I’m pouring coffee because it’s so dark and hot. They leave telling me they’ve never had better tea.
What is the exact culture around drinking tea?
We have a similar tradition of drinking coffee every afternoon, socially of course. And we drink turkish coffee which tends to be quite strong.
I think that tea is just such an ingrained part of everyday life. It’s the first thing you offer a visitor. Everyone thinks their way of making tea is the only proper way (as if how you like your tea matters even one iota on a cosmic scale). Tea is for crisis. Tea is for comfort. Tea is for breakfast. Tea is for lunch. Tea is for dinner (which we even call tea most of the time). Yadda ad infinitum.
Tea is a kind of social glue. And it is easy to make unlike coffee. Good coffee takes forever because you have to make it individually for each person. It is just less suitable for social occasions.
Agree with Sixer. “This is how we do it and it’s the only right way.” I’ve seen the same arguments about what is “authentic” chili or barbecue. Anyway, I take my Earl Grey hot, like Captain Jean-Luc Picard takes his.
@Farhi – it depends how you make the coffee.
As I said, we drink turkish coffe here ( or our, slightly modified version). You boil water and sugar in a džezva ( a pot-type thing) and when the water boils add grounded coffee and let it settle. We drink it every afternoon, at parties, at weddings, at funerals. At every social occasion coffee will appear at some point. Whenever 2 people spend more than 3 minutes in eachother’s company they will drink coffee.
And here, you have to make tea individually for each person if you use tea bags. Oh, and we drink coffee from small cups and tea from big mugs.
Anyhow, coffee over tea any day.
@Sixer – it’s the same in India – it’s the first thing people across the country offer a guest. And ours is the strong, sweet and milky kind too – no fancy Earl Greys and whatnot (I think people don’t go for milk with Darjeeling tea either, and that’s the fanciest we have here).
“You boil water and sugar in a džezva ( a pot-type thing)”
Locke, I believe I know what you are describing. I’ve used those myself to make Turkish coffee but mine were small for 1-2 people. How big are the ones you are using at a party?
I do prefer the Turkish method because the coffee is less strong than the one you get from espresso machines, and the whole process is more fun.
This is how I do it as well! I pour boiling water over the bag, let it sit 3 minutes (I put the timer on, I’m weird), splash of milk and 1 sugar. I’m drinking it right now, as I usually am everytime I sit down to read this site 🙂 I have Tetley, but prefer PG Tips, or Yorkshire (Canadian here)
Canadian here too. As far as I know, this is how most of us drink tea here. Maybe it’s the colonial roots? Even restaurants (most) bring just boiled water in little pots with the bags in it. Them little metal pots some places use are practically nuclear when you get ’em.
Boiling hot water over tea leaves (I don’t use bagged tea unless I am out somewhere). Steep for at least 3-5 minutes.
Best way to go.
Hi Eden! I wish we could have a huge tea party 🙂 We Canadians wouldn’t sue over too-hot water, I think 🙂
I agree the root thing. Grandparents English, trust me get the kettle going for a good cup of tea. 2 cups of coffee in morning, tea in afternoon, Earl Grey , black no sugar. And hell bells, I drink well water, yes plain old water. Very rare I drink pop.
I’m a 6-cups-of-tea a day girl, with Silk coconut milk. I don’t do sugar in it; it just tasty nasty that way to me.
Drinking it reminds me of my mom.
I don’t give a rat’s hiney what she weighs. She’s gorgeous, talented and a class act. I wish we as a society could get past appearance and value people for their contributions and what is in their soul. In that world there would be no Biebers. Kardashians or Cyruses. Just imagine.
YES! Well said!
I would rather give up food than tea. I am very clear about the priorities in life.
Though I drink my tea with milk only and without sugar.
Same, only I add 10 grains of sugar, just the tip of the spoon has sugar, but it makes a diff to me. I’m also positive I was British (a bobby, actually) in my previous life with tea instead of blood in my veins.
My husband is Irish, and when his mother would come to visit us here in the states from Ireland, I was literally floored at the mount of tea she drank every single time – and when we went to visit her there. She probably had at least 4 cups on the morning and then more throughout the day – easily 10 cups a day. Milk and some sugar in every one. I thought it was mind boggling, but she was constantly saying, “Put the kettle on love – I’ll have one more cup of cha.” I do think maybe it’s a UK/Ireland thing.
My father’s side of the family is Irish-American and I swear drinking tea with milk and sugar is the only tradition from the old country that’s been handed down. I could drink it all day, no problem. Reading about Adele’s weight loss has convinced me to try giving up Coke and paring back the sugar in my tea and coffee again…
Is the tea caffeinated? You’d have try pry me off the ceiling if I had that much caffeine in one day.
My sister-in-law only drinks decaf tea and the older generations in my family look very askance on this tea wimpishness!
decaf tea exists?!
Yes. It is evil. It actually makes me feel a bit sick!
Yes, definitely. But it is probably 3-4 times less caffeine than a cup of coffee the same size.
I can’t do regular coffee at all, it makes me super hyper, I only drink decaf. But I easily drink 10 cups of regular black tea a day .
I’m writing this even before I’ve had my first morning cup of tea!
I can hardly drink any caffeinated coffee, but I have probably been drinking ~10 cups of tea for a while now, in California. I caught the tea bug when I was 18, with a bad cold in London. Family friends dosed me with milky sugar tea and thick slices of white bread toast with jam and butter. Mmmmmmmmmm. I drink PG Tips regular and decaf tea at home with milk, herbal Numi tea at work (poor access to milk and boiling water), and decaf coffee at restaurants unless I’m sick, then it’s tea there too. The boyfriend talks about how he has three cups of (mint) tea when he gets home from work as his “beer.”
What is the rep of PG Tips in the UK/Ireland?
PG Tips is a good, everyday brand. I drink Yorkshire cos I like tea to be quite strong. Lapsang Souchong if I’m being posh – but that is not tea as Brits know it. Nor are any of the other non-standard infusions “proper tea”!
Tea: 34 mg/cup.
Coffee: 99 mg/cup.
Whatever she’s doing, it works. She looks fantastic.
I wasn’t much of an Adele fan til I saw her interview on 60 minutes. Her talent is average among truly talented vocalists but she is so real. She doesn’t care for fame and she disappeared from the music scene to be a Mother first. She said we will never see her with her own perfume line or any of those money making adventures. Her music actually kind of depresses me but I love her!
Like hell it only took that, let’s be real.
….u dont get to be large by drinking tea…but her liver will be grateful if she truely has cut down on the sugar intake…& not replaced it with another source…like ice cream…greetings from a sugar addict…its very hard work not to succumb….
Ten cups of tea is not anything unusual for us Brits!!
For my pop (cola) habit I now drink Zevia. And in tea I had a few drops of liquid stevia. A shame she thinks she needs to give up tea completely!
I’m an American-Brit (grew up in the US with a British mum) and I love a strong milky tea with one Splenda, but not as much as I like coffee. I went to a “tea salon” the other day and they didn’t have milk, only soy or half and half! My mother would sooner die than put half and half in her tea. I also have a confession- I do like the Twinings English Breakfast Keurig pods. Don’t tell my British relatives!
Look up “builder’s tea” sometime. Tea with milk AND sugar is definitely a thing. My extended family (all Irish) are huge tea drinkers. When I was a kid and would visit them, the tea always came with tons of sugar. It’s totally sensible to drink if you are doing a lot of manual labor and aren’t necessarily getting a ton of real food, because otherwise you’d be starving. But it’s definitely not healthy, and for people who aren’t construction workers, a recipe for weight gain. At some point, most of my family dropped the sugar and the tea add-in was milk only. And yes, they would drink a LOT of tea. You have a cup or two at breakfast, then a mid-morning tea break, then another cup or two with lunch, then at least one tea break sometime in the afternoon, if you have your main evening meal relatively early you’ll probably have tea with that too. Ten cups may be on the higher end of normal but it’s not outrageous.
I do love a really strong cup of black tea with a splash of milk, but I rarely drink more than maybe 3 cups a day, and that’s on the weekend when I have time for a nice leisurely breakfast. During the week it’s one cup in the morning and one as an afternoon pick-me-up!
I come from an Indian family and let me tell you tea with milk and sugar is all Indians drink. They also add cardamon and fennel. It’s basically what Starbucks now calls “Chai”. Indians have been drinking it for centuries. I don’t drink tea, in fact I don’t drink anything hot. I don’t know why.
I found an awesome Indian Rail Chai recipe online once. It was AMAZINGLY GOOD.
Has anyone else had Russian Earl Grey? I’ve had it while traveling and love it, but the only way to get it here is to import it from England, which between the currency exchange and shipping gets to be insanely expensive.
Next time I get to England, I’m stocking up.
My husband and I gave up artificial sweeteners and all sodas (diet and regular) about two months ago and both of us have far less joint pain and inflammation. It’s honestly amazing how much better we both feel (and I also quit smoking). We drink coffee, water and unsweetened tea, along with almond milk for green smoothies. I feel like I’m 30, through well over 20 years past that age.
yep. we’re in our mid 40s and gave up soft drink 1 year ago and have never added sugar to tea or coffee. taste buds adapt.
on the very very odd occasions we drink soft drink we find it tastes awful. artificial sweeteners are just chemicals and are to be avoided as much as possible, including Diet Coke/Pepsi Max etc.
A good cup of tea is a wonderful thing. There’s that moment of sipping the first sip and you just go “ahhhh” 🙂
My ex used to have all kinds of headaches(daily), stomach problems(threw up a lot), and drank diet coke constantly…We used to get into so many nasty arguments because he insisted that zero calories meant it wasn’t that bad for him. Now that he has a girlfriend 10 years younger he snarkily messaged me to tell me he gave it up; enjoy his jerkiness young one! LOL
Dude…. Every time with the ex.
LOL, right? Even I remember her because of her crazy ex-boyfriend cheating story.
My husband is Chinese and I am Eastern European. The women in his family — specifically his Mom and Sister-in-Law, drink tea like it’s air not water but air; 10 cups is like their first two hours of waking. HOWEVER, there is no milk or sugar involved; just straight up.
I grew up in the South and raised on Cold Sweet Tea with supper but I drank A LOT of Unsweetened Tea throughout the day. Oh and Panera Bread has the absolute BEST unsweetened iced tea flavors available. I get all coo coo when I see they have their floral herbal hibiscus tea…so good — straight up.
Me, too: grew up with iced tea out there in New Mexico and Arizona. Don’t know where Grandma got that habit, but she’s the reason why I become such an utter tea fiend as an adult. I have it cold, in restaurants with lunch or dinner, and hot in the teapot with scones at home. Tea!
Thoroughly enjoyed all the comments! Got here a bit late today. You all made me crave a spot of tea and it’s perfect for a rainy late afternoon! Cheers
She will, unfortunately, always be asked about her weight. Most people, for some reason, love to talk about other people’s weight gain or loss, and she’s a famous female entertainer to boot.
I will, however, say, that making a small change in your daily habit, can have a huge effect on one’s weight, so I can absolutely believe that cutting her cuppa x 10 daily helped her to lose weight. And if she’s anything like me and a lot of others, that cuppa might have included a biscuit or two 🙂
I love how the comments section is like 10% Adele, 90% beverages.
OMG, sugar. The English are addicted to it. Where do you think “English teeth” come from?
I spent the summer of 1992 at University of Exeter, and my tea intake tripled (coffee went intake went to zero), and my tsp/cup went from two to four teaspoons.
Now I’m at 3 tsp/cup.
Guess you need to spend more time in England, Kaiser.
Adele is surely talented, but I don’t get the hype. I find her music pretty boring. Don’t care how much she weighs in the least.
In answer to your question about English tea drinking habits, I think a “standard” (whatever that means) middle class English/Irish cuppa is one with a little milk and two sugars. Obviously, YMMV and some people like more or less milk or little to no sugar. But milk with no sugar is definitely LESS common, not more.
I’m a Londoner and I have two large mugs (like one of those huge Disney mugs) of tea before I leave the house. Then I have a black coffee on the way to work. Then I might have 2 cups of tea at work, and then another 3 of the giant mugs when I go home. If I imagine that each big mug is worth 2 normal sized cups, I’m easily hitting 10 a day. Lots of people do have sugar though I don’t or otherwise I’d be diabetic right now. I use stevia and almond milk. TEA IS LIFE.
Ummm…all I can think about is running to pee every second if I would be drinking 10 cups of it, tea has caffeine in it . Kinda making me smile mentally seeing Adele run to the loo