History Main / SpotOfTea

* CalmingTea: Characters drink tea after experiencing shock, trauma or stress.

* SpotOfTea: Drinking tea signifies a character's wealth and prestige.

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* DrinkBasedCharacterization: Beverages used to represent a character's personality.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: A certain food or drink that a character loves to have all the time.

[[redirect:BritsLoveTea]]

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1642679870067211300 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]
[[quoteright:182:[[Webcomic/ElGoonishShive https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ElGoonishShiveTea.PNG]]]]
[[caption-width-right:182:How [[{{Pun}} stereo-tea-pical]].]]

->''Tea is still believed, by English people of all classes, to have miraculous properties. A cup of tea can cure, or at least significantly alleviate, almost all minor physical ailments and indispositions, from a headache to a scraped knee. Tea is also an essential remedy for all social and psychological ills, from a bruised ego to the trauma of a divorce or bereavement. This magical drink can be used equally effectively as a sedative or stimulant, to calm and soothe or to revive and invigorate. Whatever your mental or physical state, what you need is a nice cup of tea.''
-->-- ''Watching the English'' by Kate Fox

Tea. Today, it is one of the most, if not ''the'' most, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_in_the_United_Kingdom popular drinks in the UK]], and this has obviously not been lost on TV writers. To an American, it may seem like massive quantities of tea are consumed in the average BritishSeries. In fact, the number of cups of tea drunk is often quite normal in Britain, though even the Brits can exaggerate.

Whenever a British character appears in an American series, they will invariably a) drink tea, and b) describe at great length how wonderful it is compared to coffee - that is, if the character has heard of coffee before coming to the United States. In fact, the mere act of drinking tea [[IAmVeryBritish automatically marks one as British]]. In real life, coffee is quite popular in the U.K., with tea consumption [[https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/great-britain-tea-decline/463452/ declining in favour of coffee]].

However, these characters typically drink tea from an ornate china set, whereas in Real Life, such things are reserved for special occasions. Most Brits will typically make their tea using a tea bag in a mug. In fact, there's a dying tradition of keeping a set of "best china" that's ''never'' to be used unless the Queen should suddenly turn up for a visit.

Incidentally, a telling but confusing detail about the importance of tea in the UK is that the evening meal is called "tea" in some dialects. So if someone spends almost an hour in the kitchen making tea and the result is pork chops, it isn't a case of confusion on their part.

The great British author Creator/GeorgeOrwell (''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', ''Literature/HomageToCatalonia'') was an avid tea drinker, even going so far as to write an article on how to make [[http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm "A Nice Cup Of Tea"]]; Creator/DouglasAdams [[http://www.h-tea-o.net/newsletter/G001DouglasAdams/teatalk/ also wrote one]]. In general, the typical British attitude to tea is nicely summed up [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA here]].

Compare with MustHaveCaffeine. See UsefulNotes/TeaAndTeaCulture for info about tea and the world's RealLife tea drinking habits, including proof that the British love for tea is FreakierThanFiction.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* Quintessential Englishman Creator/StephenFry brings his sheer... [[ShapedLikeItself Stephen Fryness]]... to Twinings advertisements, which is often sent up on ''Series/{{QI}}''.
* Johnny Vegas and his woolly monkey (previously the mascots for the failed ITV Digital service) show how most British people drink tea – i.e. without pomp and ceremony – in commercials for PG Tips teabags.
* PG Tips' adverts used a family of chimpanzees (using actual trained chimps dressed in clothes) from 1956 onwards, in the longest-running advertising campaign in history, lasting until the late '90s. That was, until MoralGuardians stepped in complaining it was cruel.
* The other major "everyday" brand of British tea is Tetley. Who recently resurrected their [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetley_Tea_Folk "Tetley Tea Folk"]] advertising campaign, another good example (albeit in animated form).
* Snapple began making cold Earl Grey Tea and ran [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkne9wlu_3k this commercial]] to connect their tea to Queen and Country "like it [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch bloody well should be]]."
* There's a bingo advert that features the patron visiting the winners. Cue montage of doorbell->tea->doorbell->tea->...
* In Jaguar's 2014 Super Bowl commercial [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bls1KKDwmo "British Rendezvous"]] (an extended LampshadeHanging of EvilBrit), Creator/TomHiddleston says "We're more focused... more precise," while lifting a cup filled to the brim with tea as he's sitting in a flying helicopter with the door open.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'':
** Negi Springfield likes tea, being Welsh and everything. He likes it so much that [[SeriousBusiness he and Fate almost came to blows over how tea ought to be served,]] with Fate calling Negi "A Tasteless Englishman".
** Fate has a tea party. ''In the middle of a high-stakes battle''. He [[RealityWarper warps reality]] so that [[BoisterousBruiser Jack Rakan]] joins him. One minute Rakan is topless and punching, the next, he's holding a hot cuppa and wearing white formalwear.
** Evangeline is (probably) British, judging by her name and age, she's almost certainly Scottish and from the era before Scotland came under English dominion, and Scotland is technically in Britain, and one of two members of the Tea Ceremony Society (the other being [[RobotGirl Chachamaru]].) By her clan name Evangeline would be a Scot from the area now known as Dumfries, interestingly she would also have been born well before the popularising of tea.
* Thanks to Mugi's splendid tea set (a present from the Royal Family of Finland) and her family's near endless surplus of cakes from friends and well wishers, the ''Afternoon Teatime'' school-band of ''Manga/KOn'' binds their friendship through a spot of afternoon tea before and after practice.
* Lindy Harlaown of ''[[Franchise/LyricalNanoha Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' loves her tea, and has the [[FeeFiFauxPas quirk]] of drinking her Japanese green tea British style (adding two lumps of sugar and milk to it). According to {{Fanon}}, she picked up the habit from Gil Graham (who was born in England).
* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', tea is one the very few foodstuffs that England doesn't [[LethalChef screw up]].
* ''Anime/StrikeWitches'':
** Subverted by the [[IstanbulNotConstantinople Britannian]] Beurling, who prefers coffee to tea because of its stronger taste.
** Played straight by Britannian Lynette Bishop, who offers tea almost every other episode, usually before they're about to go on a sortie.
* While she is not a Brit, Mint Aizawa of ''Manga/TokyoMewMew'' is fond of her tea. In fact she is so fond of it that she drinks it at the same time every day. Also fitting in with her massive wealth and personality, even after she joins the team and shows up to work early every day (or so she says) the only thing she's ever seen doing is DRINKING TEA! IN THE WORKPLACE! WHERE SHE SHOULD BE WORKING!
* In ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' it's stated that Tenchi prefers tea over coffee. In ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo'' he's often seen drinking tea when his classmates order coffee.
* In the ''Anime/ReadOrDie'' OVA, the preparations for the British Library's "[[OperationBlank Operation Exterminate All I-Jin]]" cannot be complete untill The Joker and his staff have been brought their tea. He and Gentleman are frequently seen drinking it throughout the series.
* In ''Manga/KuroganePukapukaTai'', the first thing we see of the HMS ''Cutlass'' is a cup of tea; on the next page, the characters of Captain Ann and Commander Mary are established through their tea-drinking. Captain Ann grasps her teacup firmly in her fist, showing her earthy, aggressive nature, while prissy, ladylike Commander Mary grasps her cup daintily in her fingertips, pinky finger raised high. And then tea spills, nakedness ensues, and sex follows -- it's [[GirlsLove That Kind Of Series]].
* ''Manga/BlackButler'' is set in England, so you expect it. Unfortunately, Ciel's love of sweet demands that his butler stave off a diabetic coma in some cases, with tea. EVERY MEAL has tea. Even when his host, his family, and Sebastian were drinking wine, guess what Ciel was drinking?
** On the other hand, he's 13, so him not partaking in the wine drinking makes somewhat sense (in the 1800 they were not that strict with kids having a sip). It actually gives a nice characterization of Ciel; he knows his boundaries as a child (no wine) but he is more mature than his 13 years... also he's very conscious and proud of his status as nobleman and head of his family, speaking of a good chunk of traditionalism, thus him drinking tea (instead of some sweet juice) when others drink wine makes suddenly a lot sense.
* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' is... Europeanish. Sharon and Break are often seen having tea and sweets. Sharon, in particular, is often shown drinking tea. Break is eating the sweets. Everyone's sweets.
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', when Ichigo and his friends break into Hueco Mundo, Aizen says to the Espada:
-->''"Good morning. We are under attack, but first... we will make some tea."''
** This has reached memetic levels. In the anime, Ulquiorra sits down and drinks tea. Ichigo has just finished assisting the plot of a filler arc, and is told he is too quick to restart the battle. In hardly any time at all, tea time has ended, and Ulquiorra tells Ichigo that he is too slow.
* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', L's tea habit and frequently elaborate tea sets make a lot more sense when you realise that, regardless of his real nationality, the extent of his time at Wammy's House or the number of years he ''really'' lived in England, he's been kept by the definitely-English Watari since he was very small.
* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', Reichwein - conscious that Roberto is about to kill him - offers him tea and begins boiling water. The tea never ends up being made, but there's boiling water on Roberto's face.
* Shows up among all the FoodPorn in ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'' from time to time.
* Every episode in ''Manga/EmmaAVictorianRomance'' features the main character (she's a maid) making tea or people sitting down to have tea.
* ''Manga/RozenMaiden'': Each and every episode Shinku demands that Jun make her tea. She does this so often that she is referred to as "Tea Bitch" by Website/FourChan.
* When the embodiment of the Gate to Heaven (looking like a early-teens girl) showed up in ''Manga/AhMyGoddess!'', she asked to try tea. Unfortunately, she'd heard about adding milk and sugar but '''not''' that it wasn't appropriate with Japanese green tea. Her facial expression on tasting it ranks among the funniest in the series.
* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', both the Ushiromiya family and the witches really like their tea, and the things that happen in the 'tea party' segment of each Episode are often very important to the plot.
* Averted in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. Despite the painstakingly detailed British setting there isn't a cup of tea to be seen - even in a scene taking place at a cafe the characters don't drink or eat a thing.
* ''Anime/ExcelSaga'': In the anime Pedro and Gomez sustain a round of quips while drinking tea, until Iz-chan admonishes them to begin actually fighting.
* ''Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica'': A [[MonsterOfTheWeek witch]] appears at Oriko's house. What does she do? Make tea while Kirika fights it.
** [[CoolBigSis Mami]] [[YamatoNadeshiko Tomoe]] in the [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica original]] counts too. She even stops for a cup right after a battle!
* The St. Gloriana Girls Academy in ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' who run on British tanks (one Churchill and four Matilda II). The girls are all named after different tea brands, and they never lose their style, wearing immaculate red uniforms and drinking tea on fine porcelain crockery in the midst of the combat. They give tea sets as gifts for teams deemed as WorthyOpponent.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': WordOfGod says that if Brook was from the real world, he would be from England, and he drinks tea frequently.
* British [[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion EVA-Pilot]] Mari Makinami enjoys her tea enough to have bottles of it lying around in EVA 08's Entry Plug. This being [[CloudCuckooLander Mari]], [[DissonantSerenity she is seen taking a sip of it during]] [[spoiler: [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Fourth Impact]].]]
* In ''LightNovel/GJBu'', English tea is always served in the clubroom, courtesy of Megumi.
* Teleconference-esque meetings amongst the Fleet of Fog (especially with Kongou) in ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'' are held in a white virtual room, complete with an elegant garden table and cups of tea. Possibly a subversion since nobody on the fleet (save for those who interacted with humans before or defected) had ''actually'' tasted real tea, a fact that Kongou mentioned in the anime adaptation.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' is set in a nation that is heavily Germanic, and tea is a prized commodity outside the wealthy districts of Wall Sina. [[TheAce Levi]] is shown to be fond of it, and actually lists access to the rationed tea supplies as one of his terms while making AnOfferYouCantRefuse to a merchant. [[BigEater Sasha]] immediately praises his wisdom, stating this is a ''fantastic'' demand.
* Cinque from ''Anime/DogDays'' is [[ButNotTooForeign half-British]] and is shown enjoying some tea in the manga.
-->'''Millhiore:''' I want to try Earth's tea someday.\\
'''Cinque:''' I'm sorry, [[LampshadeHanging even if we British love tea]], I didn't bring some.
* Gowasu, TopGod of [[TheMultiverse Universe 10]] in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', loves tea like an addiction. In his introductory scene, he describes how the quality of tea indicates the moral purity of the one making it, and his assistant, Zamasu's main job seems to involve making it for him. In fact, in literally every appearance he is either drinking tea, preparing to drink tea, or has just finished his tea and is thinking about getting more.
* ''Anime/AgathaChristiesGreatDetectivesPoirotAndMarple'': Pretty much every episode will include characters having tea together, which is something common to both Japanese and British culture.
* Anime-only character Saiko Intelli from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' activates her SuperIntelligence quirk by drinking tea.
** Main manga villain Gentle Criminal is a tea connoisseur and fan as part of his QuintessentialBritishGentleman shtick. But he holds the tea pot so high when dramatically pours that he spills tea everywhere.
* [[https://i.imgur.com/yFvvdEk.jpg Waver Velvet]] from ''LightNovel/LordElMelloiIICaseFiles'' is fond of tea, as shown in Episode 3 when his work is interrupted because [[https://pm1.narvii.com/7260/f46bb566f18b93a9e74be94545a6b53fa1af58b1r1-1280-720v2_hq.jpg his favourite Tea Room was forced to close down]]. This has the effect of making him less tolerant of mistakes from his students. Naturally, when it turns out the cause of the electrical problems is due to Magecraft, Waver takes the case. In addition when he has to meet someone outside, his location of choice is a [[https://cdn.episode.ninja/file/episodeninja/7358812.jpg tearoom]], well they were sat at a table outside one.
* The [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Navy]] in ''[[Anime/AzurLane Azur Lane the Animation]]'' are frequently seen having tea while discussing matters of the plot. Enhanced in the English dub, where they are [[IAmVeryBritish very British]].
* British Richard from ''LightNovel/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'' is ''exceptionally'' picky about his tea, importing the leaves from Sri Lanka and teaching Seigi how to make his preferred royal milk tea before literally anything else after hiring him. He also refers to bottled tea as "dead" tea and won't drink it, ever.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatFunClass: Travel Around the World'' episode 16, the goats travel to the UK to search for a treasure with the help of Literature/SherlockHolmes. The treasure, located in Big Ben, turns out to be a bunch of teabags, which Sherlock Holmes immediately takes a fancy to. The gang then has tea with him, which is followed by a new segment where Tibbie explains to Paddi the significance of tea to the British.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} In Britain'' reveals that tea was actually brought to the British Isles in 50 BC, by Asterix. Before that, the Britons are shown [[MidBattleTeaBreak interrupting their battles]] to take their customary mid-afternoon ''hot water'' break (with milk and sugar). Asterix used tea as BottledHeroicResolve when he couldn't supply the Britons with genuine [[SuperSerum magic potion]], and Chief [[PunnyName Mykingdomforanos]] had it declared the national drink.
* The AffablyEvil Devil in ''ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan'' always drinking tea while smoking his pipe, and offered Shade some ([[FoodChains with no other consequence]].) After their [[DealWithTheDevil deal]] went sour and Shade removed the source of his power, Shade punished him by banishing him to part of the Area of Madness where they only drank strong black coffee.
* During the [[EnemyCivilWar Cobra Civil War]] in the Marvel [[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe]] comics, Destro's Iron Grenadiers arrived on Cobra Island, took over the airfield... and promptly broke for lunch and tea. They actually stayed out of the conflict until the end, as all Destro wanted was the Baroness.
* One arc of ''ComicStrip/PrinceValiant'' has a FeudalOverlord trying to cultivate tea on his lands, in Northern Europe, in the Middle Ages. Much to the detriment of his peasants whom Valiant and co. decide to help.
* Digby in ''ComicStrip/DanDare'' is notably fond of tea. In ''Project Nimbus'' he is particularly disappointed by a new star drive which means that interstellar journeys will now be over before he's had time to make any.
* In ''[[ComicBook/AthenaVoltaire Athena Voltaire and the Brotherhood of Shambalha]]'', Desmond Forsyth, a British secret agent, is surprised to find a fine cup of tea in Tibet, and asks his host whether he was an Englishman in a previous life.
* ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015:'' On Battleworld, there's no tea. This causes a minor problem in ''Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders'' when the heroes try to recreate the stuff for an amnesiac Fazia Hussein.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* One ''ComicStrip/PrinceValiant'' arc involves an English noble attempting to cultivate tea in Northern Europe, and driving his peasants to starvation as a result.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/JonathanJoestarTheFirstJoJo'', Jonathan is definitely an example of this, being from England.
* In ''Fanfic/WinterWar'', an obsession with tea is one of the few things that Aizen shares with LaResistance against him. The latter always serve it at their meetings, and Isane even takes the time before a battle to brew one last pot of tea. While in Karakura on the Resistance's business, Lt. Hinamori also makes a point of getting some Earl Grey tea for Lt. Sasakibe, since it's his favourite and he hasn't been able to get any for some time because of the war.
* In ''Fanfic/AhArchfall'', Jago is not only British but likes tea enough to have a bivie (a giant kettle otherwise found in British tanks) fitted to his Unimog.
* In ''Fanfic/TheDesertStorm'', most Jedi have a fondness for particular kinds of tea, of varying degrees of palatability. Ben (a temporally displaced Obi-Wan) has a particularly experienced palate, which is noted with mild approval from time to time, as it's also depicted as a potent diplomatic tool - one which he uses himself. He also reminisces of how the Padme of his timeline used to use different kinds of tea as a Senator to shape how she wanted a meeting to go.
* In ''Fanfic/MegaManReawakened'', Wily enjoys drinking tea, as does Glyde.
* In ''Fanfic/TealovesSteamyAdventure'', Tealove (true to her name) takes tea very seriously. She kicks off the entire plot by suggesting Pinkie Pie drink a specific blend of tea to feel better. At several points in her quest, she responds to stress by brewing a pot. It becomes a RantInducingSlight when someone serves her ''bad'' tea. And in the final fight, [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower she uses tea as a weapon]].
* [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in ''Fanfic/ProjectBluefield'' with OriginalCharacter Vespyr, who really hates tea.
* in the ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'' comtinuation fics of Creator/AAPessimal, Assassin Johanna Smith-Rhodes comes from [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]]. One of the UpToEleven markers Pessimal uses to denote [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondalandian-ness]] is an excessive fondness for rooibos tea - a South African variant on the theme. Johanna is therefore inclined to always have some nearby and to fret if she looks like running out. A colleague who covers her duties as a Resident Housemistress at the Assassins' School is heard to remark that all there is in the housemistress's apartment kitchen is half a packet of biscuits and lots of that interestingly strange-tasting tea. And a lemon. ''And no milk''. [[note]]Opinion is divided as to whether rooibuis, or rooibos (spelling varies) should be taken with or without milk. One opinion is that you are [[NoTrueScotsman No True South African]] if you add milk. [[/note]]
** In any gathering of Witches from [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Rodinia]], it is the defined role of the ''devyuschka'', the youngest Witch, to tend the samovar, whilst the Literature/BabaYaga, the oldest and most senior, presides. A Rodinian Witch working in Ankh-Morpork is also seen to school her devyushka-pupil in ''all'' aspects of making tea the Rodinian way, considering this the single most important part of the teaching.
* A side story of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has Drake, the Orange League Head Leader, visiting the Tower of Mastery in Shalour City. As soon as Gurkinn is available, he invites him to have some tea while they chat.
* In ''Fanfic/SeanBeanSavesWesteros'', Sean Bean's Englishness is showing. Sean as Ned demands to have some tea very often, and it's noted by other characters as one of the differences from the real Ned.
* Dumbledore is, in ''Fanfic/ThirtyHs'', observed having tea and "chumpits" with the President of Pangea. He offers some to Harry, who declines because he hates chumpits.
* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': Chapter 6 opens with the original pilots visiting Mari Makinami at home, and naturally enough this entails her making everyone some tea. In her own words:
--> "Our tea ceremony isn't as elaborate as the Japanese one, but we still take it seriously."
** An astute reader can also pick up quite a bit about Mari's upbringing and personality from the way she serves it, in plain mugs rather than fancy china and brewed quite strong, marking her as a down-to-earth sort from a modest background.
* ''Fanfic/TheMLPLoops:'' One snip has Nightmare Moon stopped in her tracks by a passing old man kindly offering her a nice cup of calming tea. It works... possibly a little ''too'' well. It not only instantly de-Nightmares Luna, but renders her completely stunned, save for going on about how perfect the tea is. [[spoiler:The old man, by the way, is Iroh of the Fire Nation, Looping in as a pony.]]
* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm,'' Phil Coulson and Nick Fury are interrogating the captured Narcissa Malfoy. Coulson plays "good cop" by discussing their favourite kinds of tea. Since the author is very British, this is perhaps unsurprising.
* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'', Chloe -- being a huge fan of ''Alice in Wonderland'' -- gets to celebrate her Unbirthday that has her being served plenty of tea. A later car consists of living elephant teapots who stuff tea leaves and other ingredients into their bodies and spray hot water into their mouths to make tea.
* In ''Fanfic/FreedomDiesWithMe'', it's Traveller [[note]]technically British, though in-universe he calls himself a United Islander, in the same style as the continents in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''[[/note]] who enjoys a spot of tea. He even carries a bag of Earl Grey teabags on his person, and shares a cup with Torque. The reason given as to ''why'' is because, as a traveller of universes, tea he likes is sometimes hard to come by, and some of the teas in other universes get...weird. Such as teas in every colour of the rainbow, including ''blue''. The local tea, Red Leaf tea, is said to repulse him.
-->'''Traveller:''' I'm a United Islander. I kinda have to. Fills people with a sense of comfort to see someone of my...position drink tea instead of water.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12985490/7/Harry-Potter-and-the-Call-of-Magic Harry Potter and the Call of Magic]]'':
-->It was at that moment that a flustered [=McGonagall=] realized that the kettle had gone cold, practically a capital offense. A quick flick of her wand was enough to bring it back to a boil, and the whistle was like a call to attention for the others in the room. They were, after all, British.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' the world suffers a worldwide food storm, giant sandwiches fall in Paris, doughnuts and hot dog mustard falls in New York; and London gets a rain of hot tea. The Londoners start to run around with cups held to the air collecting it, even if they do sound and look as afraid as everyone else.
* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'', Merlin offers Wart (Arthur) a cup of tea, complete with magically animated sugar bowl. (It's just one of many anachronisms in the movie; [[MST3KMantra not to worry]] - if the book's anything to go by, it's intentional)
* The ''[[Literature/TheWindInTheWillows Wind in the Willows]]'' segment of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad'' opens with Mole arriving at Ratty's house, late for tea again.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/TheIronLady'', the US Secretary of State rather patronisingly attempts to talk Margaret Thatcher out of sending her task force to liberate the Falkland Islands from the Argentine invasion. True to character she immediately gives him a sublime ArmorPiercingResponse, with this the cherry on the cake:
---> '''Margaret:''' Now, shall I be mother? ''(stunned silence)'' How do you take your tea Al, black or white?
* In ''Film/{{Dunkirk}}'', it's seen pretty constantly. When rescued soldiers are taken aboard "official" ships they're given tea (and sometimes bread and jam). When they're pulled from the sea by the "little ships", they're given tea. When a rescued soldier with PTSD is dangerously close to becoming violent he's given... tea. It's not especially lampshaded, it's just... there.
* A pretty grim example in ''Film/TenRillingtonPlace''. John Christie, who masquerades as a BackAlleyDoctor but who is really a SerialKiller, always offers a spot of tea to the women who come to him, to put them at ease.
* ''Film/IntoTheArmsOfStrangersStoriesOfTheKindertransport'': In this documentary about child refugees who emigrated from UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to England, one woman recalls how she was shocked to find out her parents survived the war. Too nervous to meet them at the train station, she went back home to fix some tea. Then she observes, "How English was that?"
* ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'' (based on RealLife anecdotes from the Arnhem landings):
** Major General Urquhart and Corporal Hancock's dialogue:
---> '''Corporal Hancock:''' Sir.
---> [Offers mug of tea]
---> '''Major General Urquhart:''' Hancock. I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods. My original plan has been scuppered now that the jeeps haven't arrived. My communications are completely broken down. Do you really believe any of that can be helped by a cup of tea?
---> '''Corporal Hancock:''' Couldn't hurt, sir.
---> [Urquhart accepts his mug of tea]
** Subverted when it's used to show the CultureClash between the gung-ho Americans and the restrained British. Major Cook's paratroopers take the Nijmegen bridge against impossible odds, only to find the British tanks aren't pushing on because their infantry support is held up.
-->'''Major Cook:''' We busted our asses to get you across that bridge. And now you're just going to sit here and...''drink tea?''
* In ''Film/DogSoldiers'', after the soldiers have barricaded themselves into the farmhouse and fought off the pack of werewolves (for now), Coop orders one of the lads to put the kettle on. "We could all do with a brew."
* In ''How I Won the War'' a British patrol crossing the North African desert stops for a brew-up. Their foppish lieutenant starts talking about how incredible it is that sand always ends up in one's cup -- and the camera pans down the line of soldiers, each of whom dump another spoonful of sand into the lieutenant's cup before handing it to him.
* In ''Film/TheQueen'', Prime Minister UsefulNotes/TonyBlair calls Her Majesty away from afternoon tea to [[IncrediblyLamePun serve her a hot dose of reality]] about the public's reaction to the death of Princess Diana. Prince Philip proceeds to flip out at the impertinence.
-->"Bloody fool! And now your tea's gone cold!"
* In ''Film/TimeAfterTime'', H.G. Wells time-travels to modern-day America. He eats at a [=McDonald's=], parroting the incomprehensible order of the guy in front of him until, to his surprise and relief, he sees tea on the menu board.
* ''Film/MaryPoppins'' has the famous scene where Mary, Burt, Uncle Albert, and the children have a tea party on the ceiling. It came about because Mary was annoyed Uncle Albert's contagious laughing disease might make them miss tea time, and thus just made the tea set and table float. You can't stop these people from enjoying tea!
* In ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'', Eddie fortifies himself with a cuppa before the big heist.
-->'''Eddie:''' The entire [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire British Empire]] was built on cups of tea, and if you think I'm going to war without one you're mistaken!
* In ''Film/{{Snatch}}'', villain Brick Top is an avid tea drinker, and frequently has cups delivered to him. When Turkish asks if he wants sugar, Brick Top quips, "No thanks, Turkish. I'm sweet enough!"
* In ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', Shaun and Ed's perfectly understandable reaction to encountering (and killing) zombies in their garden for the first time is to have a bit of a sit down and a cup of tea.
* In ''Film/IceColdInAlex'' the [[TheMole Mole]] is discovered due to their inability to make tea in the desert.
* ''Film/CarryOnCleo'' contains this line:
-->'''Mark Antony:''' You know I just don't get these Britons; every time we get a good punch up going, someone behind the line yells "Tea's up!" and they all disappear!
* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'', the hobbits (being essentially British everymen) drink tea when they can get away with it. E.g. Bilbo offers Gandalf tea at his home, and brews it while they're catching up on news.
* ''Film/NottingHill'' has tea as TheAllSolvingHammer and YourAnswerToEverything. "Have a cup of tea!" -- "I don't want a goddamn cup of tea."
* Near the end of the film ''Film/TheOthers2001'', Ms Mills offers Grace a cup of tea after Grace has just realised that [[spoiler:she murdered her own children and that the three of them are now ghosts]]. But tea will make her feel better!
* In ''Film/CradleOfFear'', Melissa spends the day seeing demonic faces all over the streets. She visits her friend Nikki, and explains the story, who then offers her a cup of tea to calm down.
-->[[http://youtu.be/DK7CbiiDSdY NSFW AT ALL]], scene at 5:50 (seriously, clip starts with nudity)
* The stokers and engineers on the Titanic in ''Film/ANightToRemember'' are seen drinking one last cup of tea as they find out they need to remain below decks and help isn't coming.
* Deconstructed in ''An Ungentlemanly Act'' (1992). Three Royal Marines take up position in the yard of a house in Port Stanley. They can hear the rumble of approaching Argentinian [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier APC]]'s. A woman comes out in her nightgown.
-->"Do you boys want a cup of tea?"
-->"Get down, you silly bitch! Can't you see there's an invasion on?!"
* In ''Film/{{Murder}}'', a woman is sitting on her couch in a state of near-catatonia, with the corpse of a murder victim lying in front of her on a rug. The landlady decides to fix her a cup of tea, of course. The cops take the woman away, reassuring the landlady that the woman will get tea at the police station.
* ''Film/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays1956'', while Inspector Fix is discussing the Bank of England robbery with a consulate official when the man insists on stopping for tea time, Inspector Fix says that they are involved in an emergency but the other man insists that is no excuse for skipping tea.
* Averted in the ''Film/HarryPalmer'' films starring Creator/MichaelCaine; in ''Film/TheIpcressFile'', Harry starts his day with [[MustHaveCaffeine fresh-ground coffee beans run through a French press]].
* In ''Film/RehearsalForMurder'', British actress Monica made herself a cup of tea every night before retiring. Finding the cold cup of tea is one of the things that convinces her fiancé Alex that [[NeverSuicide she did not commit suicide]].
* In ''Film/DeathLine'', Inspector Calhoun's reaction to almost any situation is to demand tea from his secretary. He is infuriated to learn that he is being served tea made from tea bags (in line with new police policy) but continues to drink it by the gallon anyway.
* ''Film/TheYoungPoisonersHandbook'': In a terribly British fashion, Graham attempts to murder his workmates by poisoning their tea mugs during the factory tea breaks.
* ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'': Alfred Pennyworth gets to teach [[Franchise/WonderWoman Diana/Wonder Woman]] how to properly make tea.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''[[http://www.george-orwell.org/A_Nice_Cup_of_Tea/0.html A Nice Cup Of Tea]]'' by Creator/GeorgeOrwell, as mentioned in the article. He also mentions some SeriousBusiness debates popular in England; tea in bag, in a sieve, or freely floating in the tea? Milk in tea or tea in milk? Sugar or no sugar?
* In ''Literature/{{Johannes Cabal|TheNecromancer}}'' and its sequels, tea is drunk quite a bit, as Cabal is English and not much for alcohol. In the fourth book he is nursed back to health with soup and beef tea.
* Creator/DouglasAdams rather liked tea.
** A RunningGag through all incarnations of ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' is Arthur's inability to get anything resembling tea anywhere in the galaxy, no matter how carefully he describes it to the ship's computer, getting something "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea".
** Adams wrote instructions to Americans on how to make a proper pot of tea (explaining that most of the reason Americans don't like it is that they've never had decent stuff), and these appear in ''The Salmon Of Doubt''.
*** It's even a plot point in [[Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy the film]]. After pining for tea for an entire adventure, he's treated to a massive smorgasbord by the interdimensional mice, and has eyes only for the cup of tea. The food turns out to be heavily drugged, but if there was anything in the tea it isn't strong enough to put Arthur out of action.
** The Infinite Improbability Drive was created with a cup of tea.
** Arthur ''did'' get a pot of "the best tea he'd ever tasted" in a silver teapot with a cup of fine bone china after he took quite some time telling the computer about what exactly he wanted, courtesy of Zaphod Beeblebrox IV. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, the actual request put the computer offline for some time, just as a Vogon ship came passing by. The rest of the crew of the ''Heart of Gold'' were not amused and Ford sarcastically joked about whether Arthur was "dying" for a cup of tea.]]
** The video game continues the joke. Throughout the whole game, you have an item in your inventory called "no tea". Until you figure out how to get tea -- then you "drop" no tea.
* It comes up a bit in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series. The trio usually have tea when they visit Hagrid. Dumbledore's drink of choice, however, seems to be hot chocolate. The trio drink tea more and more as they get older (when they're kids they drink pumpkin juice), and [[SadistTeacher Professor Umbridge]] even attempts to feed Harry truth serum using tea. Harry winces at how much milk Umbridge puts in her tea. Dudley at one point leaves a cup of tea for Harry as a peace offering. Harry and Cho go to a tea house on their first (only) date. Ron mentions that his mother offers to make tea when someone's upset. (She is shown later serving tea to an unhappy Tonks.) When it looks like Mrs. Weasley is about to become very angry, Harry suggests to his friends that maybe they should go out for tea. Also, tea and tea leaves feature prominently in Professor Trelawney's Divination lessons.
* Tea is drunk relatively frequently in ''Literature/MixBeerWithLiquorAndYouWillGetSicker''. Most significantly when Lauchlan starts losing control of his emotions, the first thing Corbin does is to go and make him a strong cup of tea. Lauchlan still has his breakdown, but the tea is much appreciated.
* Very frequently used in the ''Literature/AuntDimity'' series. Despite being born and raised in Chicago, Lori is a firm believer in the restorative effects of tea. Thanks to this and the general setting, tea consumption is quite high in the series.
* In ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'', "The first part of the Ordeal of the Key is the nice cup of tea." It's said that if you knew what the Ordeals consisted of, you'd want a good cup of tea inside you before facing them. When Richard emerges, he asks for the tea.
* Creator/NeilGaiman wrote an entry about making good cups of tea.
* In ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Johnny and the Bomb]]'' ThereAreNoTherapists for bombing survivors, but there is tea.
* The most high-profile subversion of "the British drink tea" is Literature/JamesBond, who (in the books) repeatedly states that he dislikes tea and prefers Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee (a high-quality coffee that he drinks when martinis are not available). He has mentioned that he favours Yin Hao (the highest traditional grade of Jasmine Tea which fits his character of preferring the finer things in life).
* ''Literature/CiaphasCain'':
** As a habit picked up from the Valhallans, Ciaphas Cain ('''[[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!]]''') has developed a strong taste for tanna tea ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifir chifir]], Russian prison tea), and is often seen drinking it during meetings and when in his quarters. It is no surprise that the people recognise this habit of his and therefore bring tanna tea to meetings just because of this.
** Valhallans themselves surely count as well, being [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_tea_culture space Russians]]. In Death or Glory, the first Imperial Guard unit that managed to join with the Liberator was Valhallans. Cain's guess that they should have some flasks with tanna was proven correct. And the latest book casually mentions that "samovar in the corner is a common modification for Valhallan vehicles".
* It isn't Camellia sinensis, but in Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/{{Foreigner}}'' series, the alien atevi drink a lot of different herbal infusions. Unfortunately, most varieties contain toxins which are fatal to humans.
* In the Literature/LiadenUniverse, Liadens usually drink tea, while Terrans prefer coffee.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** In ''Literature/InterestingTimes'' with the Agatean (FantasyCounterpartCulture of China and Japan) tea ceremony -- "it takes three hours, but you can't hurry a good cuppa". Towards the end of the book, Cohen suggests a quicker and more British ceremony. "It goes 'Tea up, luv. Milk? Sugar? Doughnut? Want another one?'" [[http://pics.mdfs.net/2012/03/120301.htm]]
** There's a great exchange in ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'' where Granny Weatherwax, having just been [[spoiler:bitten by vampires]], is tied to a bed and severely feverish. Hodgesaargh the falconer's optimistic response: "Best to face her with a cup of tea inside you, then." (He then uses Granny's fever to ''boil the tea''.) A cup of tea is instrumental in defeating the book's vampires.
*** Tea is a fundamental part of witch culture, with the roles of TheHecateSisters being defined by it: the Maiden makes the tea, the Mother pours it (as in the British phrase "I'll be mother") and the Other One drinks it.
** In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', Juliet is apparently [[LethalChef not very good]] at making tea (or at most housework in general, except standing around and looking pretty). "The tea was a brown colour characteristic of tea, and usually the ''only'' tea-like characteristic of tea made by Juliet."
** The Ankh-Morpork City Watch apparently favour a brew akin to British "builder's tea" (strong, cheap and in large quantities), and Sam is horrified when his wife, Lady Sybil, ignorantly but well-meaningly cleans out years of built-up residue from the Watch-house tea urn -- apparently an act of sacrilege. The subtleties of that are probably not apparent to a non-British readership. According to stereotype, the upper class version of tea is a fairly insipid, pale brew made in a silver teapot which is kept scrupulously clean, whereas lower-class tea is a powerful, strongly-flavoured, strongly-coloured drink with hair on its chest, made in a pot which is never, ever cleaned out (used tea leaves are rinsed out, but that is all) and contains years' worth of encrusted tannin deposits, which are left in there on purpose because it makes the tea taste better than a shiny clean pot. The debate over whether one should maintain the pot in a pristine or an encrusted state is another British tea-drinking controversy. (Proponents of the latter will sometimes say you should be able to get a reasonable brew ''without adding tea leaves at all''.)
** Comes up in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'', which is set in Borogravia, a country ruled by a [[spoiler: now dead]] duchess, who has some aspects which mirror Queen Victoria, and the army dresses in uniforms very much like British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.
** In ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'' one of the things Lu-Tze learned when he left Enlightenment Country (FantasyCounterpartCulture Tibet) to discover the ways of Ankh-Morpork (i.e. the West) is that he much prefers his tea without yak butter in it.
* In ''Literature/GoodOmens'', Mr. Young, a quintessential mild-mannered middle-class Brit, is offered coffee by a nurse who has mistaken him for the American cultural attache. When he insists on tea instead, the nurse is impressed by the extent to which Mr. Young has "gone native."
* Literature/SpaceCaptainSmith and his crew are often found drinking tea. The second novel, God Emperor of Didcot elevates tea to SpiceOfLife status, being what gives the British Space Empire an edge over its enemies by improving moral fibre.
* Although he's [[{{Oireland}} Irish]] instead of British, Literature/ArtemisFowl likes his Earl Grey tea. And he's [[TeenGenius twelve]] when the series starts. Since Ireland is one of only two countries (the other being Turkey) that actually drinks more tea than Britain, this is not entirely surprising.
* Tea is common in Creator/DerekRobinson's novels, only fitting since they're about British fighter pilots. What else would they drink? Besides gallons of Guinness. Tea is drunk before and after patrols and air battles, and the commandos crossing the Sahara also stop for tea whenever they have to.
** In one memorable scene, a JerkAss pilot gets a spot of tea thrown in his face. "Can't he take a joke?"
** Once a man leaves a bomb shelter in the middle of an air raid for his regular cup of mid-morning coffee.
* The pilots of the instant-response nuclear deterrent jets in ''Literature/HulloRussiaGoodbyeEngland'' joke that if the Russians were gentlemen, they wouldn't launch their nukes whilst the British were having tea, they'd let us finish the cup first. The nuclear pilots know that they'd be going on a one-way suicide mission. But the in-flight rations served to the Vulcan bomber crews on every flight ''always'' include several Thermoses of hot tea.
* Literature/JudgeDee downs ''gallons'' of tea in the course of his cases. In fact he hits the teapot the way Sam Spade hits the bottle. This being ImperialChina [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_tea_culture everybody else is equally addicted]] (except for his faithful Lieutenants Ma Joon and Chiao Tai who prefer 'the amber liquid', i.e. wine). A cuppa is even offered to witnesses and criminals in court, to revive them after a round of beating or being overpowered by emotion.
** In ''Poets and Murders'' the Judge goes to the tea cozy in his room for a cuppa only to find the pot empty. He then goes off on a round of visits expecting his hosts to offer him a cup of tea but they don't. By the time the Judge reaches his colleague Magistrate Lo's office he is desperate and rapidly downs two cups in quick succession.
* ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'':
** Bertie Wooster can get pretty cranky if deprived of his tea, which he refers to as "the life-saving" or "the vital oolong".
** The stereotype gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the story "The Aunt and the Sluggard" when Bertie, who's staying in New York, serves tea to his friend's visiting aunt. She's disgusted by it and can't comprehend his enthusiasm: "I don't understand a word you say. You're English, aren't you?"
* ''Bravo Two Zero'': Stuck behind enemy lines with no working radio with what looks like half the Iraqi army after you, in a freak snowstorm so cold Diesel starts to freeze, and you can’t possibly risk giving away your positions with a fire? [[CombatPragmatist Sod it]]: stick a brew on before you freeze to death.
* Tea is quite important for Hobbits in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Since Sam is a lower-class hobbit, it is probable that he is referring to high tea rather than the traditionally upper-class afternoon tea:
-->''"It isn't time yet. It can't be tea-time even, leastways not in decent places where there is tea-time." '''Sam''' in The Return of the King.''
* In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Bilbo offers his unexpected dwarf guests tea, only to find that they'd rather drink up all his wine instead.
* Important to the good creatures of Literature/{{Redwall}}, particularly the BigEater hares. Technically it's peppermint tea, since they're in MedievalStasis, but it's close enough. Basil Stag Hare actually disappears shortly before an important skirmish to set the tea brewing for when the captives are rescued, much to Matthias' annoyance. It could be real tea anyway; the Redwallers have been seen to use potatoes, sugar, nutmeg, and a few other things that aren't native to medieval Europe.
* Subverted in the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' series. Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin are both inveterate coffee drinkers, and Maturin goes so far as to describe tea as "that insipid wash." Given that the only tea they would have had at sea would have been already soggy, salty, Royal Navy issue leaves, then they were probably right. Coffee beans last longer, and the Royal Navy could also make a substitute by burning bread and then pouring hot water on the ash.
** They have been seen enjoying tea while ashore, however--in the first book Maturin even says, "Tea would make me very happy."
* ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' has the infamous Mad Tea Party chapter, which is about Mad Tea Party and Alice gets unsettled... again.
* ''Literature/AmeliaPeabody'', being a British archeologist in turn-of-the-century Egypt, quite frequently discusses the plot with other characters while passing out "the genial beverage," as she often call tea (though sometimes, after tense moments, "the genial beverage" is whiskey and soda).
* The very colonial Eugene in ''Literature/PurpleHibiscus'' drinks tea from a china tea set every day.
* In Creator/RobertWestall's Sci-fi novel ''Literature/FuturetrackFive'', making a perfect cup of tea from a bone china set without spilling a single tea leaf is part of the testing process for a senior position in the Technician career path.
* In Katherine Mansfield's short story "A Cup of Tea," well-to-do housewife Rosemary, out to prove that she is not selfish or superficial, brings home a young woman in distressed circumstances, vowing to do more than just give her the requested title beverage, but transform her life. When Rosemary's husband returns home and notes that the girl is 'rather pretty', said young lady is quickly dispatched with a little money, and equilibrium seems to be restored.
* Mma Ramotswe of ''Literature/TheNo1LadiesDetectiveAgency'' loves redbush tea (rooibos). Her assistant Mma Makutse prefers regular tea, which causes a lot of unnecessary angst until people are frank about their preferences, after which we always have two different teapots going.
* A one-off joke in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'' has the narrator mention an officer in Wellington's army teaching some recently recruited Native Americans to drink tea, and remarks that he was apparently under the impression that once one learned to take tea properly, all other customs of Britishness would come naturally.
* Literature/LightAndDarkTheAwakeningOfTheMageknight: Elves like their tea. The older generation likes it bland to the point it's hard to find any kind of flavouring in their capital. Briza's generation likes it sweeter. In any case, a guest must accept the tea as it is brewed or give great offence.
* In Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels, the detectives are nearly always offered a cup of tea when they go to someone's house to interview them. On one occasion, Annie Cabbot is offered tea by a shop owner and she thinks to herself that if accepting free cups of tea counted as corruption, every police officer in England would be up on charges.
* In the Literature/PhryneFisher novels, Mr Butler regards a cup of tea as the panacea for every female problem.
* In ''Literature/TenSixtySixAndAllThat'', the Boston Tea Party is started by George III as an attempt to force Americans to observe the English custom of afternoon tea.
* Tea is the standard drink of choice in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' for all cultures on the main continent. The Seanchan, by contrast, prefer [[{{Uncoffee}} Kaf]].
%%* Liz Penny[[MeaningfulName kettle]] from ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles''.
* Tea is SeriousBusiness for the Elves of ''Literature/TheObsidianTrilogy''. There is a different brew for every season and occasion, and the art of tea-making is considered essential for a warrior to know. Every Elf the protagonist Kellen Knight-Mage meets is disappointed that the great hero has not had time to learn it.
* Mary Higgins Clark's recurring character Alvirah Meehan (cleaning woman turned millionaire lottery winner/amateur sleuth/crime reporter) will always make herself a cup of tea when she wants to either relax or sit down and figure out a solution to a difficult problem. And if anyone around her is sick, hurt, or upset in any way, and she wants to help, her first step is always to give them a cup of tea.
* Due to being set in London, this trope appears in ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo''. The three main characters have tea before their [[ParanormalInvestigation investigations]], or sometimes during, while they wait.
* In the ''Literature/ImperialRadch'' series, tea is the Radchaai GalacticSuperpower's drink of choice, and Radchaai are seen to complain about places outside the empire that don't have tea or have a different drink of the same name. A major part of ''Ancillary Sword'' involves a tea growing family and their plantation on Athoek.
-->''[Tea] wasn't really a luxury. Not by Seivarden's standards, anyway. Likely not by any Radchaai's standards.''
* As goes ''Series/DoctorWho'' below, so goes the [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]:
** In one of the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'', there's a part where the TARDIS has been lost and the Doctor's companion Fitz is reminiscing about how they used to drink tea together when they did have the TARDIS. He goes on at quite some length about their little rituals and favourite types of tea.
** In one [[Franchise/BerniceSummerfield novel]], a planetoid has just been invaded by [[ANaziByAnyOtherName the Fifth Axis]]. The aliens are being deported or put in concentration camps. Some of the good guys seemed to have turned traitor. The main character's half-alien son is in hiding, and the planetoid's omniscient chess master, Braxiatel, is unable to figure out how this happened. So this conversation happens between them:
--->"Bernice," he said. "This can't be happening."\\
"No," she shook her head. "It's not."\\
"In that case," he said, gesturing to two armchairs. "Let's have tea."
* ''Literature/YoungWizards'': When Nita goes to Ireland in ''A Wizard Abroad'' she's astounded by the amount of tea her aunt, friends, and guests drink; after that book, she becomes something of a tea person herself. (Ireland spent several centuries under British rule and now drink more tea per capita than even the Brits do.)
* In the ''A World of Wonder'' series, since the setting is a FantasyCounterpartCulture to the UK and a portrayal of [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Wonderland]] as a society, tea is ''everywhere'', usually going by creative names like "Vernesscence," "Pennynettle," or "Zing."
* ''A History of the World in 100 Objects'' by Neil [=MacGregor=], director of The British Museum. Object number 92 is an "Early Victorian Tea Set". Getting the tea from the Far East and the sugar from the Caribbean required international trade networks, imperialism in the East and slavery in the Caribbean (Britain abolished slavery in the 1830s, but slave sugar was cheaper, and Cuba had slavery until the 1880s). That refreshing drink had a lot going on behind it.
* When Rosemary discovers the true purpose of the cultists in ''Literature/RosemarysBaby'', what's the first thing Minnie gives her? No witch herbs, just plain ordinary Lipton's tea with sugar and lemon. Rosemary does feel better after drinking it.
* In ''It All Started With Columbus'', the mad George III's "diabolical scheme of forcing the Americans to drink tea instead of coffee" spurred violent protests from Bostonians, many of whom "actually preferred tea, but they objected to being told what to drink, especially by a King three thousand miles away who had never gone to Harvard."
* ''Literature/RaiKirah'': "Nazrheel" tea is the signature drink of the Derzhi [[TheEmpire Empire]], and Prince Aleksander even brings a supply when he's [[KingIncognito traveling cross-country on the run]]. The Derzhi {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} are alone in their taste for it; it's made from a particular wood bark and smells like a hay fire.
* ''Literature/AshesOfEmpire'': The vast majority of spacers drink tea. This may be for pragmatic reasons; tea plants can be grown on a wide range of planets, coffee is far pickier about growing conditions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** Wesley also likes his tea:
--->'''Cordelia:''' "I thought you were gonna be a man and talk to him about this!"\\
'''Wesley:''' "I was a man! I said... things."\\
'''Cordelia:''' "Like what?"\\
'''Wesley:''' "Like... did he prefer milk or sugar in his tea. ''(Pause)'' It's how men talk about things in England."
** Wesley: "You know, there's something about brewed tea you simply cannot replicate with a bag."
* Almost every episode of ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'' had some sort of reference to tea - tea breaks, putting the kettle on, tea at meetings, and a tea trolley at one point.
* In the prank-show ''Beadle's About'', after a housewife discovered an alien spaceship in her garden with it's otherworldly occupant emerging out of it, her first thought was to ask if it wanted a cup of tea? When asked later why she asked ''that'' of all things, she replied that he'd clearly had a long trip and it was good manners to offer him a drink!
* In ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'', it is mentioned that Annie has an annoying habit of fixing tea purely out of habit - she can't drink it so cups of the stuff are just left sitting around, so George can never find any empty mugs when he needs them. She does make coffee and other drinks though.
* Dr. Wyatt in ''Series/{{Bones}}'' is stereotyped as a tea-drinking Englishman.
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': In "Blackadder the Third", Prince George takes far too long to bring the Duke of Wellington's tea; and in "Blackadder Goes Forth", Baldrick's coffee tastes like mud; because it ''is'' mud, with milk added; well, saliva.
* ''Series/{{Bottom}}'': In "[[Recap/BottomGas Gas]]", having told the gasman that they don't use gas, Richie and Eddie offer him a cup of tea to delay him; then realise they cannot heat the water for it, so they make him drink cold tea.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Giles is fairly fond of tea, but has been known to violate people's expectations and drink coffee instead. Xander accuses him of destroying a perfectly good stereotype. "Tea is soothing. I wish to be tense." Highlighting Giles drinking coffee is an in-joke. Before Creator/AnthonyStewartHead played Giles, he was widely recognised in Britain as "The guy from the Gold Blend coffee adverts." He also appeared in America in ads for Taster's Choice instant coffee.
** Spike, also British, still manages to mock Giles about tea after a vicious fight with vampires: "Oh, poor Watcher, did your life flash before your eyes? Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea?"
* ''Series/CoronationStreet'': One of the most common phrases uttered on the show (other than [[MyLocal "a pint of bitter please"]]) is "I'll make tea then." It's practically Eileen Grimshaw's catchphrase.
* ''Series/DeadLikeMe'' has a scene where British expat Mason goes to great lengths to mooch off a dead old lady's tea while he's supposed to be reaping her soul.
* ''Series/DirkGently'': The pilot episode features the camera regularly hovering over the cup of tea. [[spoiler:Like everything else in the series, it becomes significant later on - a) Dirk missed an important clue because he dropped a biscuit into his cup and was busy fishing it out, and b) the old lady whose cat disappearing drove the plot claimed to have poisoned the tea of all the other characters so they'll run to the hospital and she can die in peace.]] In a later episode, after Dirk and Macduff have had a falling out, Dirk's first "gesture of forgiveness" is to accept Macduff's apology and demand he make the tea.
-->'''Macduff:''' Two things. One, I never apologised, and two... I'll make your tea, but only because I want one too.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** When the Doctor was UNIT's scientific advisor, no one was allowed in his personal laboratory unescorted except for the Brigadier's personal staff... and the tea lady.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E5TheTimeMonster "The Time Monster"]]: The Doctor manages to jam the Master's evil invention (called TOMTIT) with a machine made from a variety of objects including a cup of hot tea that uses Brownian Motion as a random number generator.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang "The Talons of Weng-Chiang"]]: Professor Litefoot attempts to example the complex Victorian/Edwardian rules of etiquette surrounding tea drinking to Leela, who gets terribly confused.
** Tea also gets an end-of-story thumbs-up from the 5th Doctor in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E2TheAwakening The Awakening]]".
--->'''Turlough:''' I quite miss that brown liquid they drink here.\\
'''Will:''' Ale?\\
'''Turlough:''' No, tea.\\
'''Will:''' What be tea?\\
'''The Doctor:''' Oh, a noxious infusion of Oriental leaves containing a high percentage of toxic acid.\\
'''Will:''' Sounds an evil brew, don't it?\\
'''The Doctor:''' True. ''[{{beat}}]'' Personally, I rather like it.
** Tea is mentioned in the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E4Survival final lines]] of the series' original run:
--->'''The Doctor:''' There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace — we’ve got work to do!
** In the opening shot of [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV Movie]], Seven is stating his OpeningNarration while enjoying some tea from a fine china cup.
** [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]]:
*** Jackie decides that hiding in the TARDIS from the current alien invasion is an excellent time and place for a "nice cup of tea", prompting Rose to mutter sarcastically about tea being "the solution to everything".
*** The Doctor is revived from his post-regeneration coma by the smell of spilled tea. Or possibly, the tea was being evaporated against a piece of hot metal in the TARDIS, and was being breathed into his lungs.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E12TheSoundOfDrums "The Sound of Drums"]]: When our heroes get to Martha's flat, Jack makes everyone tea while they discuss their next move.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]]: The British Army has a force of Daleks in World War II, and what use do they find for them? Serve the tea, of course (alright, and to use as an unstoppable superweapon, which is almost as useful).
--->[[AC:Would you care for some ''teeea?!'']] ''[the Doctor promptly begins to beat it around the head dome with a VERY large wrench]'' [[AC:You do not care for tea?]]
** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E11TheLodger The Lodger]]", the Doctor proceeds to cure Craig of an alien poison with tea. Kind of, anyway. There's tea in it, but nobody in their right mind would ever call it tea.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E11TheGodComplex "The God Complex"]]: Rita jokes about it, stating that the British deal with trauma by drinking tea and tutting.
** In Series 8, several deceased characters find themselves in what appears to be a [[FluffyCloudHeaven peaceful heaven]] with an oddly dressed Literature/MaryPoppins {{Expy}} offering them a cup of tea and calming advice. [[spoiler:The odd woman in the Mary Poppins getup is the Mistress, and the "heaven" turns out to be a particularly twisted scheme to get her favourite frenemy's attention.]]
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]]: The Doctor steals Davros' chair and is shot by dozens of Daleks. When the flash subsides, he is unharmed and drinking a cup of tea.
--->'''The Doctor:''' Now, the real question is: Where did he get the cup of tea? Answer: I'm the Doctor. Just accept it.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E11WorldEnoughAndTime "World Enough and Time"]] the first thing Mr Razor does on meeting Bill is offer tea.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E4ArachnidsInTheUK "Arachnids in the UK"]]: The Doctor is downbeat about having to say goodbye to her accidental companions... until Yaz invites her to tea at her place, whereupon she instantly perks up.
* Adelle [=DeWitt=] on ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', although she tends to drink green tea. She's also just as if not more partial to vodka.
* ''Series/EastEnders''. It's often offered when someone visits, when a character enters the kitchen in the morning, when someone's upset, when someone dies, when they're depressed... All the time.
* ''Series/FatherTed'' is a rare television example of the Irish fondness for tea, Ireland being the country with the second highest per capita consumption (after only Turkey). Mrs. Doyle has the famous catchphrase 'will you have a cup of tea father', always ''insists'' (even to the point of threatening) that said person should have a cup, and almost has a breakdown when Ted buys her a tea making machine. That's not so much the tea itself as the making of the tea. Including but not limited to "sheep tea" (That is, tea made for sheep, not made from or using sheep) for the burping sheep who was living in the parish after being scared by stories of the Beast. Her desire to make tea is often quite alarming. Once, Father Ted politely declined another cup of tea and moved his hand over the top of the cup, and she proceeded to pour fresh hot tea into it anyway. She stays up all night every night at the bottom of the stairs in case anyone happens to wake up and want tea.
** In one episode, a decorator comes to the house and Mrs. Doyle offers him tea. The decorator says that he is highly allergic to tea and if he drinks it, there is a 70% chance he will die. She tells him she'll make him a cup anyway "just in case [he] change[s his] mind".
** Another episode sees [[TheAlcoholic seedy inebriate]] Father Jack replaced by an obnoxious young priest with a fondness for [[IncessantMusicMadness EXTREMELY LOUD DANCE MUSIC]]. Undeterred by her inability to be heard over the racket, Mrs. Doyle shows up to offer him tea armed with a set of [[http://wifflegif.com/gifs/273530-father-ted-mrs-doyle-gif flash cards]].
** Father Jack himself is ''not'' fond of tea:
--->'''Mrs. Doyle:''' And what would you say to a cup, Father?\\
'''Jack:''' FECK OFF, CUP!
* In the ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode "Travels With Martin", the Cranes accidentally take the (British) Daphne into Canada, which since she hasn't got her Green Card yet means trouble. Martin asks if Daphne can pretend to be American at the border, which naturally she can't:
-->'''Daphne:''' Oh, I need a cup of tea!\\
'''Frasier:''' [[LargeHam TEA!]] Why don't you just wave a crumpet in the air and start singing "''[[NationalAnthem God Save The Queen]]''"!!
* In ''Series/GoodWitch'', it's a minor point of contention between Cassie Nightingale (who is a big fan of herbal tea) and Sam Radford (who MustHaveCaffeine).
* On ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' Noah Bennet is trying to get information out of an English guy named Edgar. When he tries the Good Cop routine, he asks Edgar if he'd like some tea, then immediately remarks that, Edgar being English, there was really no need to ask.
* In ''Series/HogansHeroes'', one of the main characters, who is British, is drinking tea while the others are using a radio to contact a British submarine which is transferring the message to England. Both the captain of the submarine and the commander of the base in England were also drinking tea at the same time.
* Subverted in ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances'', where Hyacinth regularly invites her neighbours for a cup of coffee. Members of her sister's family prefer tea but they usually drink it from the old chipped mugs (much to Hyacinth's chagrin) and generally don't make much fuss about the way they prepare it.
* The kettle's never off for long no matter what new personal crisis might be erupting between the characters in ''Series/LastTangoInHalifax''.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', Hawkeye gets upset that the British give their wounded tea...even when they have abdominal wounds, as this increases the chances of infection and death. Upon finding out, the British officer promises to stop the custom in his unit, though he adds that he would have had an easier time revoking anything other than the tea ration.
* On ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', Merlin and Gaius drink tea, which many claimed was an anachronism; however, the word 'tea' can be applied to infusions which aren't made with tea leaves, so it's best to assume that what they're drinking is made with some other herb. Arguably acceptable as a TranslationConvention, but for the record there is an English word (tisane) that more properly means "herbal infusion beverage of any source".
* Mentioned briefly by the Hitcher in ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'' during his titular song, while listing off all things British/Cockney:
-->'''The Hitcher''': Trapped in a box by a Cockney nutjob. Have a cup of tea, have a cup of tea! I'm the Hitcher!
* In ''Series/MurdochMysteries'', set back when Canadians were still technically British, many of the characters are fond of tea. In one episode Detective Murdoch declares coffee [[ItWillNeverCatchOn will never catch on]] because it's no substitute for tea.
** In "The Curse Of Beaton Manor", Dr. Ogden gets annoyed with Murdoch for asking her a tough question before she's had her morning tea.
* A [[IAmVeryBritish British guest character]] on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' has a very low opinion of American tea, compared to what he's used to.
* In ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'', the team's boss Hetty Lange loves tea so much that when Callen and Sam wanted to do an op in Afghanistan, they convinced her to sign off on it by promising to bring back a bag of tea.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'':
** Number Six demonstrates the proper way to make tea as an excuse to empty his drugged cup, and to pull a switcheroo on the Village operative trying to drug him.
** In several of the early episodes Number Two or one of his minions offers tea to Number Six in an interrogation scene. "How many sugars do you take?" is one of the questions they want answered, as a running theme. It is possible that Irish American actor Patrick [=McGoohan=] was having a joke at the expense of the British and their Civil Service.
* ''Series/{{QI}}''
** Stephen says that washing the teapot takes away the "character" of the flavor. Creator/{{David Mitchell|Actor}}, as always, pokes a hole in this by pointing out that most people only ever use their teapot once a month when they want to feel civilised and if they didn't wash it out, it would go disgustingly moldy.
--->'''Alan Davies:''' And it's talking to you.\\
'''David:''' At that point, I think the flavour you'd get would be, if anything. ''too characterful.''
** They again comment on this when they're discussing using the boiling point of water to determine your altitude:
--->'''Sandi Toksvig''': It's such a British notion, isn't it. I wonder how tall it is; let's make tea. ... We couldn't live in [the Mariana] Trench, you can't make tea!
* In the pilot episode for ''Series/TheRatPatrol'', "The Chase of Fire Raid", Jack Moffitt, the British sergeant who has just been reassigned to the Rat Patrol, asks permission of the squad's American leader, Sgt. Sam Troy, to "brew up" tea for himself. Troy tells him to go ahead, and to shave off some of the TNT to start the fire with as it burns so hot. Moffitt says diffidently, "Great booster for the morale, tea--even under the most difficult circumstances," and offers to make a cup for Troy as sort of an olive branch to smooth over an earlier disagreement. Troy politely declines (in a tone that implies he can't stand the stuff, but he's not saying so).
* Referenced in ''Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn'' in an episode where Creator/PeterSellers guest-starred:
-->''"People in America have asked me, how long does it take to brew a proper cup of tea? Let me put it to you this way; [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the stuff you dumped in Boston Harbor]] should be ready about now."''
* Anthony is forever being asked to "make a brew" in ''Series/TheRoyleFamily''.
* Magnus of ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' refuses to drink coffee; it's how she solves one of their cases.
-->'''Magnus:''' I have standards, Will, and drinking coffee? ''Far'' below them.
* ''Series/{{Sharpe}}'': Richard Sharpe, in spite of being a ranker at heart, drinks more tea than liquor on-screen, and complains about his subordinates' inability to make a decent brew. Granted, this is the ''British'' army.
-->'''Harris''': Come now, sir! Have some soup.\\
'''Sharpe''': Soup... if Harper were here, he'd have the tea ready, ''and'' he'd have my tent up...
* Tea makes several prominent appearances in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'', although Sherlock does drink coffee in [[Recap/SherlockS01E01AStudyInPink his first appearance]]. Like most Brits, John has a favourite mug, with the Royal Army Medical Corps logo on it. In the "[[Recap/SherlockS01E02TheBlindBanker The Blind Banker]]" episode, a client makes Chinese tea with hundred-year-old tea pots, and it becomes an important plot point that the antique pots have to be used regularly. In "[[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal in Belgravia]]", John and Sherlock drink tea at Buckingham Palace with Mycroft and a client he is introducing to them. Mycroft is "mother", and Sherlock makes a joke about Mycroft's [[PromotionToParent Self-Promotion To Parent]]. In "[[Recap/SherlockS02E02TheHoundsOfBaskerville The Hounds of Baskerville]]", John sardonically suggests that he and Sherlock can arrive at a top-secret military base and be greeted with "Come on in, kettle's just boiled." In "[[Recap/SherlockS02E03TheReichenbachFall The Reichenbach Fall]]", Moriarty and Sherlock drink tea while discussing crime and genius. Notably, this is the only time they're seen using "the best china" - getting it out of the cupboard is incredibly dramatic.
* In ''Series/{{Spaced}}'', Tim and Daisy are drinking tea having just moved into the flat. Daisy offers another cup: Tim responds, "Nah, twelve's my limit."
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Captain Jean-Luc Picard likes his "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot". A strange choice considering he's French. But he is played by the second most British actor in the world: Creator/PatrickStewart. Funnily enough, in the finale he gets called out on his ordering style by Data's British maid. "Well of course it's hot! What do you want in it?" The maid, unlike a replicator, does not need to be told what temperature to properly serve tea at, thank you very much.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
** English doctor Julian Bashir seems to be rather fond of the stuff, which he likes to have with scones and jam for breakfast. He also frequently orders Tarkalean tea from the Replimat. Unlike ''TNG'', however, most characters drink a Klingon coffee drink called a raktajino.
** In "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E13FarBeyondTheStars}} Far Beyond the Stars]]," Julian is a [[AndYouWereThere science fiction writer in]] TheFifties, and is unimpressed when (recently invented) iced tea powder is demonstrated for him.
--->"White Rose Redi-Tea. What an appalling concept."\\
"Well I'm sure Creator/HGWells would have liked it."\\
"I doubt it. [[ItWillNeverCatchOn No self-respecting Englishman would]]."
** In one episode, the Cardassian resident Garak had the ''audacity'' to criticise Earl Grey tea, saying "I'd like to meet that fellow Earl Grey and tell him a thing or two about tea leaves." Cardassians seem to prefer red leaf tea and Cardassian characters are seen drinking it in different episodes.
* In the episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekEnterpriseS03E13ProvingGround}} Proving Ground]]" from ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' [[MrFixit Trip]] [[LampshadedTrope lampshades]] it when Malcolm orders [[MustHaveCaffeine black coffee]] instead.
-->'''Trip:''' No tea? \\
'''[[DeadpanSnarker Malcolm:]]''' No crumpets, either, thank you.
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Picard's tea order has changed from "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot" to "Tea. Earl Gey. Decaf" as he's gotten older.
* In the ''Series/SteptoeAndSon'' episode "Wallah-Wallah Catsmeat", Harold has an epic rant about how a HeroicBSOD ''can't'' be solved with tea:
-->'''Harold''': Oh, ain't it pathetic? Your faith in the healing powers of a cup of tea! That's your answer to everything, ain't it? A nice cup of tea. The Englishman's panacea! "Mother just died? Oh, what a shame! Have a cup of tea" "Just been run over? Never mind, have a cup of tea". I have been offered tea for disasters, funerals, operations, floods, [[UsefulNotes/TheHomeFront war, Dunkirk, the Blitz]], [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning coronations]], piles, [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan hysteria]], hunger marches and insomnia. Nice mug of tea in one hand and thumbs up for the camera with the other. [[StiffUpperLip Britain can take it]]! Well, they can have it. I'm sick and tired of being a cheerful, chirpy Cockney sparrow. I am as entitled to be as miserable and as depressed as anybody else. So you can stick your cup of tea [[UnusualEuphemism right back down the spout]]!
* ''Series/TheSupersizersEat'': In the World War II episode, Sue and Giles playing an English couple, have American soldiers visiting. The show mentions some real life advice Americans were given, for instance that they shouldn't complain about coffee, even though it really might be inferior due to war rations. And likewise, British people wouldn't be satisfied with tea made by Americans.
* ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'': Presumably Inspector Fowler drinks a lot of tea, because he owes four pounds when Constable Gladstone collects "tea and bicky money".
* ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'': In Lady Penelope's house, everything stops for tea. She also has a [[ShoePhone teapot phone]].
* The UK car show ''Series/TopGear'' often shows its presenters making or having cups of tea, usually in bizarre situations for the sake of comedy. For example, when their amphibious car began to sink whilst they were in the middle of the English Channel, [[GilliganCut cut to a few minutes later]], revealing James and Richard are now nonchalantly drinking tea whilst treading water.
-->'''May:''' Sorry, mate, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the cup's just sank]].
** James May, of ''Series/TopGear'' fame but co-presenting another show in which he joins Oz Clarke on a drinking holiday thinly disguised as a factual miniseries about wine in France, spends about 15 minutes of one episode looking for a British expat just to get his fix of a good cup of tea, and several minutes explaining exactly how to make it. Then in the followup series ''Drink To Britain'', in which he and Oz search for the drink that stands for modern Britain, they conclude after a month of touring Britain and liberally sampling everything alcoholic it has to offer, that the drink is in fact... tea. He also spent a good bit of time arguing with the crew of ''Series/JamesMaysManLab'' about whether the milk should be added before or after the tea.
* You know [[TheDragon Bilis Manger]] from ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' is bad news from the way he can make even the offer of a "''nice'' cup of tea" sound ominous.
* A RunningGag in ''Series/TheTwoRonnies'' sketch "Tinker, Tailor, Smiley, Doyle" involves George Smiley's fondness for tea.
* Subverted in ''An Ungentlemanly Act''. Two Royal Marines are watching Argentine troops advancing towards them through the streets of Port Stanley when an old lady comes out with a tea tray and asks if they'd like some. She's rudely informed that there's a bl--dy war on and to get under cover.
* ''Series/UpstairsDownstairs'' has this more than a few times (it comes with the territory).
* In ''Series/TheYoungOnes'', after Neil [[ItMakesSenseInContext kills the kettle]], Vyvyan comments "Looks like we're having raw tea again." and proceeds to eat a tea-bag.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fl7GLoqrQU ''Everything Stops for Tea'']] was written by an American for the musical comedy film ''Come Out of the Pantry'' as a cheerful ribbing of how much British people love their tea. It was [[InsultBackfire subsequently adopted by the UK Ministry of Food for their 1940s exhibition]] and has [[IResembleThatRemark been a solid favourite of the British ever since]].
** Music/ProfessorElemental has made his own version featuring the lyrics "Oh the soldiers may be fighting, in the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Trenches]] or a Battleship at sea, but there isn't any war when the clock strikes four, everything stops for tea."
* Ray Davies of Music/TheKinks has written a few songs on the subject of tea and tea-drinking (but then, what else would you expect from ''the'' quintessentially British band?). Examples include "Afternoon Tea" from ''Something Else by the Kinks'' and "Have a Cuppa Tea" from ''Music/MuswellHillbillies''.
-->Tea in the morning, tea in the evening, tea at supper time,\\
You get tea when it's raining, tea when it's snowing,\\
Tea when the weather is fine.\\
You get tea as a mid-day stimulant,\\
You get tea with your afternoon tea,\\
For any old ailment or disease,\\
For Christ's sake have a cuppa tea.
* One of songs by The Kings praising the drink, "Have A Cuppa Tea", has been covered by Music/GreatBigSea.
* Music/PaulMcCartney has a song called "English Tea."
* Music/MitchBenn, on ''Radio/TheNowShow'', singing about the crew of an RAF aircraft who used a teapot in an improvised repair:
-->''No, we never fly without our teapot.\\
It's the most important item in our kit.\\
And if we ever find we've left the bally thing behind,\\
Then we abort the job and fly right back for it.''
* Music/EmilieAutumn, an ''American'' musician, employs a lot of Victorian aspects into her image, tea being probably the most important part after the asylum chic. To wit; she has a song called [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbAQak0xyE&feature=related ''Medicate With Tea'']] about how she doesn't need drugs, she has tea, and also a cover of Music/{{Queen}}'s ''We Will Rock You'' called - you guessed it - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06XCrKZn_ks&feature=related ''Tea Will Rock You'']] And it's fab.
* Mr. Scruff. He doesn't sing about tea, but he loves it so much that, upset that there weren't any non-alcoholic options (bar soft drinks) at clubs and DJ sets for people who needed to drive or didn't want to drink, Mr. Scruff started setting up a stall selling tea at his DJ sets. Now he has his own fair trade tea business, ''[[http://www.makeusabrew.com/showscreen.php?site_id=20&screentype=site&screenid=20 Make Us A Brew]]''
* The classic Kula Shaker track, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5jTXdiBwas Drink Tea For The Love Of God]]''.
* Music/MrBTheGentlemanRhymer, being a chap-hop artist, is a great enthusiast for a spot of tea and a slice of cake. One of his videos features Mr B getting kidnapped, only to persuade the {{mooks}} to let him go by sharing a cuppa.
* Fellow chap-hopper Music/ProfessorElemental:
** He has ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA Cup of Brown Joy]]'', in which he raps about his insane love of tea. "I'd sell my own grandmother for a cup. Well, I'd sell ''your'' grandmother."
* In Music/TheBeatles song "It's All Too Much," Music/GeorgeHarrison lightens up the psychedelic exploration theme with the line "Show me that I'm everywhere, / And get me home for tea."
* Music/{{Sting}}, "Englishman In New York":
--> "I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear"
* Music/TheKLF's ''The Manual'' (which instructs the users on how to create a #1 charting single the easy way) includes dozens of references to tea. "Put a kettle on" is Rockman Rock and Kingboy D's default response to any situation where the reader has to wait for someone.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5XX9LX2es4 Right, Said Fred]]", a comedy song from the the 1960s sung by Creator/BernardCribbins, featured no fewer than six tea breaks.
* "A Nice Cup of Tea", from the 1937 musical ''Home and Beauty''.
* Music/RoyWood has the song ''Jolly Cup of Tea'', sung by a military regiment.
-->Ordinance boys should check out their toys
-->'Cause we're going for a jolly cup of tea!
-->Cheer up lads, don't forget your bags
-->'Cause we're going for a jolly cup of tea!
-->You can drink away your cares!
-->If you see the sergeant, tell him I'll be there!
-->March along looking proud and strong
-->'Cause we're going for a jolly cup of tea!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* In the British ''Series/SesameStreet'' spin-off ''Series/TheFurchesterHotel'', nothing will stop the tea-time monsters from getting their tea. Whatever else is going on, OnceAnEpisode the gong will sound and they'll all barge through the reception area in a rush to get to the dining room.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Kremmen of the Star Corp'' by Kenny Everett. Captain Kremmen is surprised when the evil Thargoids drink tea as well. Apparently it's due to them having [[BizarreAlienBiology three lips]]. "You try asking for llllager and llllime with llllips llllike these!"
* [[Radio/TheGoonShow Ned Seagoon]], in the Indian quarter of Bombay, is offered "all the sensuous drinks of the Orient". His response?
-->''[[DrinkBasedCharacterization Pot of tea, please]].''
* In ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'' with our main characters being the [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman Quintessential British Gentlemen]] they are, naturally love tea.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
* Creator/PeterKay has a routine about the different dunking properties of biscuits, another about how "Wanna brew?" is invariably accompanied by a hand gesture, and a third about his dad attempting to smuggle tea along with other British products through Spanish customs.
* Creator/JohnOliver has a bit about the Boston Tea Party, complaining about dumping so much tea into the water without first bringing the water to the proper temperature. He then claims that Americans owe the British one massive cup of tea in return.
* Creator/EddieIzzard in his skit about the Death Star being filled with British actors.
-->'''Sebastian:''' It's the Rebels, sir. They're here.
-->'''Captain:''' Good Lord, man! Do they want tea?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* After [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney Mastema]] was sent to the 11th circle of Hell in Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars, YHWH offered the group some tea.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Tea making makes several appearances in the Austrian opera ''Theatre/DieFledermaus''.
* Tea, its implications, and the snacks eaten with it are discussed in great detail in ''Theatre/TheImportanceOfBeingEarnest'', Creator/OscarWilde's frothy comedy.
* In ''Johnny Johnson'', Johnny uses tea to defuse a conflict between an English sergeant and an Irish-American soldier. The English soldiers then spontaneously burst out in a chorus praising "England and her tea."
* A persistent motif in the Theatre/{{Mrs Hawking}} play series. Mrs. Hawking may not like many things, but tea does make that very short list. Also, when struggling to think of what use she can put Mary to when she first comes to work for her as a maid, the one thing she manages to come up with is seeing to afternoon tea.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Madeline Hatter from ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'', being the daughter of [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Wonderland's Hatter]], and having a [[RealityWarper Wonderlandian relationship with reality]], is always ready and able to set up a tea party in seconds. Two tea-party doll lines pertaining to her have been made.
* Toys/LivingDeadDolls Series 23 is based on a twisted dolls' tea party.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'':
** Invoked by Morgan when she mentions that she drinks tea.
--->'''Morgan:''' I come from two tea-drinking cultures.
** When the protagonist finally meets Uncle Tommy, he discovers that Morgan’s uncle takes tea ''very'' seriously. In fact, he takes it as an insult to refuse tea when he offers it.
* Many of the endings for ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' games feature its protagonist Reimu Hakurei having tea parties with other characters, especially those who were [[DefeatMeansFriendship her enemies in the game]].
** The FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Remilia Scarlet is also quite fond of her tea, which may or may not contain blood. (Like in many other areas, the canon is inconsistent on this detail.)
* In the ending of each level in ''VideoGame/EightEyes'', Orin shares tea (served by a skeletal waiter) with his opponent after beating them in a BossBattle/[[SwordFight sword duel]].
* ''VideoGame/HenryHatsworthInThePuzzlingAdventure'': Henry Hatsworth, the most well-dressed gentleman in Tealand, can expend his Super Meter with [[LimitBreak full SP]] to take a MidBattleTeaBreak and summon a giant {{steampunk}} [[HumongousMecha robot]] to obliterate everything in sight with pure, unadulterated Englishness. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU4OXTt3Nsk "Good Show", indeed!]]
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'':
** Giles from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' can often be seen drinking tea or referring to drinking tea. He is, to no one's surprise, the British CO in the Allied army.
** The Soviet ending from the first ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert'' game has Nadia serve Stalin a cup of tea in London, to which he replies "When in Rome!". [[spoiler: [[DidntSeeThatComing Turns out the tea is poisoned]].]]
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue's'' [[ElegantGothicLolita Elegant Gothic]] [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampire]] Rachel practically obsesses over tea. Her most common entrance has her enjoying a cup before battle. She belittles Hakumen by ordering tea at the start of their BossBattle. Her console story mode begins with a cup of tea, and ends with [[spoiler:the same]] one in her Ragna Ending.
** Also, [[TheOjou Trinity Glassfille]] can apparently summon a whole tea party spread out of nowhere, and often does so to [[MidBattleTeaBreak calm down]] the more hotheaded characters around her.
** In Arc System Works' other mainstay ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', Ky Kiske is shown to greatly enjoy tea. However, he's not shown to be British and is in fact, French.
* ''VideoGame/ArmedAndDangerous'' has Q, a robot that achieved sentience though his love of tea, tea can also be used to restore health.
* The European-raised Edgeworth in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' enjoys tea so much he's even got a tea-drinking sprite in ''Investigations''.
** He also owns an expensive tea set and a large collection of tea leaves in his office. Curiously, in the original Japanese version of the games Edgeworth was actually raised in ''America''. The world might never know where he picked up his tea drinking habits from.
** The spin off game ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' largely takes place in Victorian London and so features a ''lot'' of tea drinking. Teacups are even used as evidence in one case.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', Ana Amari has a "Spot of Tea" emote that has her taking a mid battle break, a victory pose as well as a Play of the Game highlight intro. Roadhog also has one as a victory pose as well.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' enjoys his tea.
** In fact, one of the minigames in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox'' involves brewing up different blends of tea using herbs found in certain puzzles and helping several people you come across by serving them their preferred tea. Finish this sidequest, and Layton receives the title of [[SupremeChef Tea Master]]. Said tea is given to people suffering from things like the chills, mild anxiety, forgetfulness, and in at least one case, thirst.
** This receives some [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney''. In the first special episode, the five main characters all reunite and end up getting through a lot of tea. The last couple of times, Phoenix and Maya start to become uncomfortable with the amount of tea that they've had and end up counting 17 cups of tea altogether. This prompts Maya to reference [[VisualNovel/AceAttorney the two's home series]] and Phoenix to [[BreakingTheFourthWall caution Maya against the use of the reference]].
* With the introduction of Royal Navy ships in ''VideoGame/KanColle'', many of the shipgirls' hourly lines talk of serving tea to the admiral, from battleship Warspite to destroyer Janus.
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'':
** Referenced by Cammy in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV''; in her win quote against Guile, she asks if what she heard about the American military is true, that they don't allow breaks for tea.
** Dudley in ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' begins his story and ends his story drinking tea. With boxing gloves.
* ''[[Creator/{{Nitrome}} Dirk Valentine]]'' treats tea as a HealingPotion. The love for it is described as one of the few things the hero has in common with the "ungodly rotters" he fights.
* Major Zero in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' insists on having his tea and scones, even while in the middle of a mission and cruising at high altitude in soviet airspace.
--> '''Snake:''' Makes sense. [[ItMakesSenseInContext But why'd you call it chocolate chip?]]
--> '''Sigint:''' 'Cause that's what it reminds me of.
--> '''Snake:''' What?
--> '''Sigint:''' Those little round cookies the major is always snackin' on.
--> '''[[TheMeanBrit Major Zero:]]''' [[InsistentTerminology They're not cookies. They're scones.]]
--> '''Sigint:''' Major!
--> '''Major Zero:''' And it's not a snack. It's afternoon tea.
--> '''Sigint:''' Snack, tea, same thing.
--> '''Major Zero:''' No, it's not! Look here, afternoon tea is a fine old English tradition.
--> '''Sigint:''' [[OhCrap Uh oh, here we ago again.]] Talk to you later, Snake.
--> '''Major Zero:''' The origins of afternoon tea go back to the Victorian Era. Anna Maria, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, was...
* While it can hardly be called British in nature, it otherwise fits the trope: in the Subspace Emissary portion of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl,'' [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Princess Peach]] decides to stop a fight (that is just beginning) between [[VideoGame/StarFox Fox]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Sheik]] [[MidBattleTeaBreak by offering them each a cup of tea.]] On top of the enemy's airship. ''And it works.'' (Or rather she offers one to Fox who, along with the camera, looks over to Sheik, who somehow already has a cup and is drinking it though her mask)
* Vice President Richard Hawk from ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'' may be devious (and very American), but he still loves his tea.
-->''Ah, [[MidBattleTeaBreak time for my afternoon tea]]. Nothing like sipping some '''[[ChewingTheScenery DELICIOUS]]''' Darjeeling tea... and watching you getting your clock cleaned!''
* In ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'', recruiting [[CulturedBadass Gar]] as a follower requires you to start a debate with him regarding the merits of green tea over Earl Grey.
* Lilly Satou from ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' is particularly fond of French Vanilla tea. [[spoiler:This is maybe unsurprising given her Scottish heritage.]]
* In ''VideoGame/UnchartedWatersNewHorizons'', the English player character Otto Baynes marks himself as unmistakably English in his first line of dialogue by ordering a cup of tea in the cafe (and addressing the owner as "[[StockBritishPhrases old chap]]") - even though tea didn't arrive in England until about 150 years after the game is set.
* A level in ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' is set in a Chinese tea house, the tea getting spilled sets off the ensuing VirtualTrainingSimulation.
* The German GothicLolita Lieselotte Achenbach from ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' whips out a teacup when hitting with her Critical Heart and starts drinking tea as she watches her marionette ruthlessly maul her opponent to death or while looking at her opponent's unconscious body.
* ''Deflektor'', the LightAndMirrorsPuzzle classic from the 80s, ends with the reveal that sixty levels of optical gymnastics to complete circuits was all done in order to power a kettle. For tea.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' has Crawford Starrick, Grand Master of the English Rite of the Templar Order, who gives [[MundaneMadeAwesome an entire speech about this trope]].
-->'''Crawford Starrick''': Gentlemen. This tea was brought to me from India by a ship, then, up from the harbor to a factory, where it was packaged and ferried by carriage to my door, unpacked in the larder and brought upstairs to me. All by men and women who work for me. Who are indebted to me, Crawford Starrick, for their jobs, their time, the very lives they lead. They will work in my factories and so too shall their children. And you come to me with talk of this Jacob Frye? This insignificant blemish who calls himself Assassin? You disrespect the very city that works day and night so that we may drink this. This miracle. This tea.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'', "Pudding and Tea" is a consumable item that grants a British tank crew +10% to all skills for one battle when equipped. Other countries have alternate items that provide the same effect, like Case of Cola (America) or Extra Rations (Soviet Union).
* ''VideoGame/FantasticNightDreamsCotton'' has its "Tea Time" {{Bonus Stage}}s.
* Flasks of tea are a vitality-restoring item in ''VideoGame/SirYouAreBeingHunted''. The game even keeps track of how many flasks of tea you've consumed.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', [[spoiler:Asgore]] apparently enjoys making tea. However, unlike his other hobby of gardening, this plays no significant part in the plot; it's just to show how much of a NiceGuy he normally is.
* Not only does your ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' character announce their love of a nice cup, tea made in a player owned house can temporarily boost your construction level.
* The Princesses in ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'' can have a tea party with a teammate in the middle of ''any battle'' to restore some magic points to both of them.
* In ''VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance'', Maids can ''serve tea as a battle skill''. Or rather, they ''try'' to, cheerfully running down the battlefield towards their recipient, [[CuteClumsyGirl only to trip and spill the tea on the target]], granting them an ExtraTurn.
* Erebonian nobles in VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel are characterized for their fondness of tea. Jusis Albarea, being a member of one of Erebonia's Four Great Houses, is sometimes seen drinking tea during free time. This is partially translated to his recipe skill where he has "Great" for Savory Herb Tea.[[note]]the one with "excellet" skill is Gaius, hence the partial part.[[/note]]
* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', one of Camille's last remaining human quirks is her love of tea.
* ''VideoGame/OhSirTheInsultSimulator'' uses tea-sipping as a ''gameplay mechanic''; each player has a tiny pool of phrases (in addition to the main community pool of hamsters and elderberries) to add some spice in their insult. And by tiny we mean two. But each turn you can sip one cup of tea to re-roll your pool, even if you've picked insults from it already.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', being set in a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Great Britain, introduces the Pokémon line consisting of Sinistea and Polteageist, which are ghostly tea haunting an old teacup and teapot, respectively.
* If the intro for the "Seeing Double" level as well as one of his [[IdleAnimation Idle Animations]] are any indication, then ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' establishes that Dr. Neo Cortex likes to take a tea break every now and then, complete with extended pinky.
* After completing a quest in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', you can invite people to tea at the cost of your activity points if you're exploring the monastery, or for their birthdays when it comes up. Successfully have three impactful conversations and respond appropriately to theirs and you can spend some extra time with them.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': One of the Counts of Uptaten's favorite pastimes in life was drinking out of the Toff's Tea Set. The Hero can eventually return it to them in exchange for a reward, though it takes several years before Uptaten happens to ask.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* The trope picture is of Adrian Raven of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', who is certainly British-themed if not actually British [[spoiler:(he's half-immortal, making him an elf and possibly older than the modern state of the United Kingdom itself)]].
* The ''yetis'' in ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' enjoys this, and also speak with British accent.
* Most of the cast of ''Jayden and Crusader'' drink tea as shown [[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com/2008/08/25/page-87/ here]], [[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com/2010/01/11/page-145/ here]] and [[http://www.jaydenandcrusader.com/2010/02/08/page-147/ here]] Interestingly the most British, Sir Reginald 'Smic' Derby III, has never been shown drinking tea. Jayden, the American, drinks coffee. A point explicitly made.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', tea is all over the place, probably as a case of AuthorAppeal.
** Despite being (presumably) German or Austrian (going by the names), Gil built a construct when he was eight that makes tea (and is very concerned about Agatha stealing his job).
** Ardsley Wooster, Gil's British manservant[[spoiler: and the 'verse's version of Franchise/JamesBond]] knows how Gil takes his tea.
** Baron Wulfenbach's second-in-command/administrative assistant/personal secretary Boris Dolokhov has proven himself to be fond of tea and doughnuts, and has learned how to make a decent cuppa. Then again, his name indicates he is Russian, and Russians love tea too.
** The [[SuperSoldier Jägergenerals]], in their first appearance, share a large and elaborate afternoon tea with Agatha.
** [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20150629 TEA: It keeps]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20160422 things civilised]].
** At the same time, coffee is still a popular drink, especially in Spark-heavy locales like Mechanicsburg and Paris.
* The Monster in the Darkness from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' enjoys having tea parties, though it doesn't seem to notice if its guests are unconscious or dead.
* Cited in [[http://www.dorktower.com/2005/07/12/comics-archive-697/ this]] ''Webcomic/DorkTower'' strip as the secret of the famous English StiffUpperLip.
* In ''Neko the Kitty'', the extremely ineffective superhero Hubris [[http://nekothekitty.smackjeeves.com/comics/1012981/762-fearsome/ wants to go home and have a cup of tea]]. That's ''all'' he wants.
* While Phix of ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' is not actually British (she predates modern Britain), she does fit the theme, using British slang, an speaking with a British accent according to the author, and she usually seems to have some tea on hand. She apparently prefers Earl Grey.
* Occasionally referenced on ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'', in particular a T-shirt bearing the slogan ''Tea, tea, the musical drink, the more you sup the more you THINK''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Zoophobia}}'''s Winston is ''never'' seen without a cup of tea in [[http://zoophobiacomic.com/?p=484 his]] [[http://zoophobiacomic.com/?p=277 hands.]]
* In ''Webcomic/DelilahDirkAndTheTurkishLieutenant'', Delilah (who is English) rescues an enemy from certain death because he makes excellent tea.
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt''--English author, set in England--has a character ''named'' Tea, who acts as a somewhat LemonyNarrator between chapters. The actual trope is averted; tea-the-beverage has yet to make an appearance, if only because characters are almost never shown eating or drinking.
* In ''[[{{Webcomic/morphe}} morphE]]'' Amical's attempt to defuse situations always involves drinking and offering tea. He has an entire sprite set dedicated to him holding his tea tea cup. Significant as the only other prop sprites in the entire cast are a gun, a cellphone and a notepad.
* In the RegencyEngland-inspired ''Webcomic/TheWolfAtWestonCourt'':
** The police officer who is [[PoliceAreUseless supposed to be guarding]] Loup [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy leaves to make him a cup of tea]], since he's TryingNotToCry.
** At the end of Chapter 2, Bernard makes Neville a cup of tea without even asking.
* England in ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'' is fond of tea, although he's taken aback by [[http://satwcomic.com/cuppa how much Ireland drinks]].
* In ''Webcomic/{{Moxie}}'', the drink of choice is tea. Mari can't get over how delicious the [[http://www.moxiecomic.com/comic/p18 oaken tea was]]on her way to Hyveil.
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Several {{Artificial Intelligence}}s, most particularly Bubbles, enjoy tea blends from Coffee of Doom -- not to drink, but because their neural nets interpret the scent as [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3147 peaceful hallucinations]]. Or [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3427 not-so-peaceful]] ones. Bottom-shelf store-bought tea is a [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3332 starkly inadequate]] substitute.
* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': The rogue angel [[TheHeavy Juggernaut Star]] is an expert on tea and tea services. It's not a humanizing trait; Juggernaut Star [[MisanthropeSupreme despises humans]] and thinks it pathetic that they waste their lives on such meaningless diversions. Juggernaut Star's {{Foil}}, meanwhile, keeps coffee specifically to serve to friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* British [=YouTuber=] WebVideo/StuartAshen is an aversion, stating that he preferred coffee and hated tea, as he pointed out in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4kkF2WJa5g this video]] when trying a grass jelly beverage.
* In webseries ''WebVideo/TheAutobiographyOfJaneEyre'', a Setting Update of the Gothic novel, set in Vancouver in the new tens, Jane mentions in her very first video that she drinks tea a lot. She says she's probably made of Earl Grey, camomile and mint. Possibly nod back to the original novel where Jane Eyre is a proper English governess.
* The narrator in ''Blog/CrossingKevinsCrossing'' orders an Earl Grey tea at the local coffee shop.
* ''Elemental'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA an entire song]] as a wonderful celebration of tea..
* ''WebVideo/LeftPOORDead'': During Tippy's dream sequence
* WebVideo/MikeJ of ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses'' has a slight breakdown when trying to review ''Jaws: the Revenge'' without his customary cup of tea. In fact he almost fails to complete the review without one, but thankfully [[BigDamnHeroes Film Brain shows up just in time to give him some.]]
* [=NTom64=] of ''LetsPlay/HellfireCommentaries'' always drinks tea whilst recording commentaries.
* In Website/YouTube webseries ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries'' (an adaptation of ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' in video-blog form, [[SettingUpdate set in the modern-day United States]]), Lizzie’s sisters keep bringing her cups of tea as she’s recovering from her fallout with [[spoiler:Charlotte]]. This prompts Lizzie to [[LampshadeHanging wonder aloud]], "Have we turned British?"
* Every character in ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' drinks coffee like it's going out of style, mostly because [[Creator/MontyOum the guy who created it]] [[AuthorAppeal did as well]]. The sole exception is [[BadassBookworm Blake]], who prefers tea. A later scene in Volume 8 shows Blake sharing tea with Ruby and Weiss [[spoiler:[[WhileRomeBurns as they look outside to see the Grimm invade Atlas]].]]
* ''Literature/SkiesUnbroken'' Chantil comes from a tea-culture and knows a lot about it, although she also likes coffee.
* WebVideo/TheSpiffingBrit invites his viewers to have a nice, warm cup of tea in every video. However, in his ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' video, he remarked that for the hot 30°C summer he would permit cold iced tea just this once.
* Exception: Quincy Archer, a ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' character who often tries to emphasize his Britishness, "fucking hate[s] tea."
* ''WebVideo/TheVictorianWay'': Mrs Crocombe works as a cook/chef at the estate of Lord and Lady Braybrooke called Audley End House in Essex in the 1880s. In "How to Make a Cup of Tea - The Victorian Way", Mrs Crocombe says that everyone at Audley End enjoys a good cup of tea and that even Lady Braybrooke makes her own tea. She then presents the most proper way of brewing a pot of tea, served in a cup with milk and sugar. This way it is prepared for her and other servants, so it was served in less expensive china and from cheaper Indian tea leaves.
* In the obligatory ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' example, all the East Asian characters (even those who only ''look'' Asian as a result of their mutation or magical transformation) love their tea.
** Team Kimba now has a weekly tea party every Sunday, where they relax, drink tea, and just chat about stuff. It seems to be proving quite therapeutic, which isn't terribly surprising considering the wringers they all regularly get put through.
* Bakura of ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' is here to [[ChewBubblegum kick ass and drink cups of tea]]. [[LampshadeHanging Because he's British]].
* In the ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'' setting, [[https://orionsarm.com/eg-article/59b13cc337e93 tea has remained popular thousands of years into the future]]. New varieties of tea have been developed using techniques such as genetic engineering, to suit the needs of all sorts of consumers, even aliens.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3jIoSp0V8Q How British People Shower]]:
->''"The same as you, you idiot! First we get nice and wet, then we get the tea bags..."''
* Averted with British [=YouTuber=] Creator/TomScott, who, at the end of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAsrsMPftOI a video]] explaining in detail how to make an International Standard cup of tea, nonchalantly mentions that he doesn't even like tea.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Robotnik from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''.
--> ''[[WebAnimation/YouTubePoop I just love sharing a cosy hot cup of lapsang souchong tea.]]''
* Iroh of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', whose passion for drinking tea reaches an almost obssessive level, risks personal health and safety for the sake of a good cup of tea. Naturally, his greatest dream is to open his own tea shop. Of course, the cultures of A:TLA are an amalgam of several different East Asian cultures, so it's only natural.
-->'''Iroh''': Bah! This tea is nothing but hot leaf juice!\\
'''Zuko''': Uncle. That's what ''all'' tea is.\\
'''Iroh''': How could a member of my own family say something so ''horrible''?
** Or:
--> '''Zuko:''' We’ve been working in a tea shop all day. I’m sick of tea!
--> '''Iroh:''' Sick of tea? That’s like being sick of ''breathing''!
* In ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'', Muriel has a constant love for tea. At one point, Courage actually fixes her some ''while he's carrying her and running away from the MonsterOfTheWeek''. "The things I do for love!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/IvorTheEngine'', Jones the Steam routinely makes tea using the water from Ivor's boiler.
* On ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', one of Brain's schemes is to freeze Big Ben at teatime, thus forcing the entire United Kingdom into inaction as they enjoy a teatime without end.
** If only...
* In ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'''s "Peabody's Improbable History" segment about Lawrence of Arabia, he dresses up in standard Bedouin garb, but then manages to expose himself as a British spy just by saying:
-->Teatime, chaps! Anyone for crumpets?
** Peabody's used this one a few times; when helping the Marquis of Queensberry get into an actual fight so he could understand it well enough to create his set of rules for modern boxing, Peabody, at tea time, orders a cup of tea for himself and Sherman and a cup of coffee for the Marquis, which sends the waiter into an uncontrollable fit of rage. Apparently calling it a matter of national pride is a considerable understatement.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E2LisasRival Lisa's Rival]]", when part of Homer's sugar pile was stolen by a stereotypical Englishman.
--> '''Homer''': All right pal, where did you get the sugar for that tea?
--> '''British Man''': I nicked it when you let your guard down for that split second and I'd do it again. ''(sips tea)'' Goodbye.
* The WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon "Porky's Road Race" (1937, Tashlin) has three British figures (caricatures of actors George Arliss, Leslie Howard and Freddie Bartholomew) in a car labeled "Cheerio Special". When they notice it's 4:00, they each down a cup of tea, then turn to us and say "Pip-pip cheerio!"
* Ollie, the possum henchman in ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'', is often seen carrying a teacup.
* The WesternAnimation/DangerMouse episode "Ee-Tea!" practically revolves around this. Baron Greenback steals all the tea in the world from a teapot-shaped spaceship, bringing world economies to a grinding halt.
** This exchange in "'Cor! What A Picture" after Greenback turns Penfold into a kung fu assassin and DM sends him to get him some tea:
-->'''DM:''' What about that tea, Penfold? Am I going to get it or not?\\
'''Penfold:''' (''fractured Japanese'') You gonna get it, all right! (''more fractured Japanese'')\\
'''DM:''' No, I'll just have the Darjeeling as usual.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHectorHeathcoteShow'' cartoon "The Famous Ride" has Hector squaring off with a British soldier who is never seen without his cuppa.
* The WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}} cartoon "Out-Foxed" is set in a very English fox hunt. The phlegmatic quarry is constantly sipping a cup.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'', Hal is knocked into an alternate dimension where he lands on a SteamPunk version of Victorian England. Naturally, there is lots of tea.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyGrandmotherIronedTheKingsShirts'': To emphasize that Queen Maud of Norway is actually English, she's shown sipping a cup of tea.
* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', being Japanese, drinks green tea every chance he gets. In the Adult Swim revival he also performs a tea ceremony while trying to regain his lost sword.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' cartoon "Robin Hoodlum", Robin Hood's Merry Men are StiffUpperLip types who spend the whole time drinking tea. When Robin is kidnapped by Prince John, they don't seem that concerned, until they realise he's late for tea. They go to the castle and give Robin his cup, which has the same effect as spinach has on WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MikeLuAndOg'', the Albonquetinians, who are descended from Brits, have a traditional afternoon tea time. In one episode, their prized teacup goes missing and spend all day sitting at the table while Mike goes out to find it.
* Discord of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' frequently has tea time with Fluttershy after his HeelFaceTurn.
* [[BattleButler Mrs. Beakley]] quietly sips tea while watching Donald's houseboat burn in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''.
* In the animated ''Around the World in 80 Days,'' one of Fix's tricks is to set up a tea service along Fogg's path. Naturally the British gentleman stops in the middle of the race for tea-time (to the astonishment of his French sidekick). [[InvincibleHero Fogg]] ends up arriving on time anyway.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* It should be noted that, despite the stereotype, [[https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-10-tea-loving-countries-in-the-world.html the British are not the ones who consume the most tea per capita, but the Turkish]]. They are, in fact, in third place, with second place awarded to the Irish.
* Tea was similarly popular in British North America until the events of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution. Taxes on tea prompted colonial boycotts and protests, mostly famously the Boston Tea Party, causing the popularity of tea in America to nosedive. While tea lost its unpatriotic stigma after independence, the beverage's popularity in the United States has never returned to British levels.
* When a far-right group held a demonstration outside a Mosque in York, the Muslim congregation defused the situation by [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-22689552 offering them tea and biscuits and inviting them to join in a game of football]].
* The British Army actually ''train'' their infantry to take advantage of any opportunity for a brew up and preferably some hot food as well, because you never know how long it'll be before you have another if there's a war going on. It's also as good a way as any to keep hydrated in the field when you've got to boil your water anyway, and in the infamous British weather it can mean the difference between completing a training exercise and being evacuated as an exposure casualty. Taken to the point where every British Armoured Vehicle comes equipped with a boiling vessel - an oversized water heater which will boil water for tea, heat boil in the bag ration packs, and of course sterilise the water. The boiling vessel was also developed as a protective measure. In World War 2, tank crews had to exit their vehicles when it came to tea time utilizing improvised burners out of used petrol cans, which caused all manner of safety concerns. So after the war (starting with the production of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion_(tank) Centurion]] in 1945) the boiling vessel was added to all armored vehicle designs, which not only protects the crew by keeping them inside the tank, but also reduces the amount of time needed for a tea break.
* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: Mix the hell of trench warfare and cold, wet conditions with massive, water-cooled machine guns. Guns would fire, water keeps them from overheating, water gets nice and hot in the process. Leave it to the British Army to figure out that firing off a few rounds to make tea was a valid MundaneUtility.
* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the British Army in North Africa found that, because of the poor quality of metal used in the cans transporting their drinking water, it had an unfortunate tendency to taste metallic and bitter, not to mention tepid due to the desert heat. The only way to make it palatable was to add tea. Recognizing the importance of tea to her fighting forces, in 1942 Britain decided to buy it all. As in, all the tea in the world: that's right, the British government bought ''the '''entire world's''' tea crop'' in 1942. Presumably just because it could, and because they had to do it once.[[note]]The main concern was probably strategic. The Germans managed to bomb Mincing Lane in London, the hub of British tea trading, during the Blitz, causing the records of where all the tea was being stored and how much to go up in smoke and forcing the government to take time to figure out their inventory again--and drastically reduce tea rations for everyone in the meanwhile. To meet the gap in supply (and perhaps fearful of both lost productivity and the thought of troops and civilians alike coming down cranky from lack of caffeine), the world's entire tea crop was bought up. It was also a potent lever on the Irish Republic, who had no mercantile marine of their own and were therefore reliant on the British to sell them tea. Neutral Ireland, a nation that per capita drinks more tea than the British, saw its imports of tea dwindling to nothing - until they agreed concessions the British, who held the monopoly, wanted. [[/note]]
** By weight, Britain shipped to its troops in the field more tea than ''anything else'' except bullets during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
* Infamously, during D-Day, where the Americans at Omaha Beach, the Canadians at Juno Beach, and the British at Gold Beach were met with fierce resistance, the British at Sword Beach were faced with perhaps the lightest resistance (possible tie with the Americans at Utah Beach), and the German panzer divisions were yet to arrive. Caen was as good as theirs. That is, if they didn't ''take a tea break as soon as they'd got across the beach'', giving German forces enough time to reinforce the entirety of their route forwards.
* Similarly during WWI the British landings at Suvla Bay resulted in British troops making tea while only a few miles away other units, British and Australian were fighting to reach them. The failure to advance though was the result of incompetent leadership; since the troops weren't free to advance making tea was the logical thing to do.
* Tea was also used as an instrument of wartime diplomacy. The Irish Free State had no merchant marine of its own and was utterly dependent on re-importing exotic foreign goods (just about everything it couldn't produce itself) through Britain. The Irish were one of a handful of European states to remain neutral and relatively untouched by the war, despite heavy pressure and downright intimidation from both Britain (to join the war) and the Axis (to remain neutral). The Irish also drink ''even more'' tea than the British, per capita[[note]] And still do. Ireland’s tea consumption per person is behind only Turkey’s[[/note]]. There was a lively cross-border smuggling trade, bartering luxuries like stockings still available in Dublin for Belfast’s more generous tea ration (which was ''four times'' as much as the Republic’s, even rationed). Britain won several grudging concessions from Ireland during the war years by 1) threatening to vastly increase export tariffs on tea; and 2) cutting off the supply completely to force Taoiseach[[note]]pronounced tea-shock, incidentally[[/note]] (prime minister) Éamon de Valera to comply. It was still preferable to the German idea of "persuasion" - after the Free State violated neutrality by sending all available medical personnel North as a humanitarian gesture, and opened its hospitals to treat victims of German bombing in Northern Ireland, Dublin was bombed "by accident" for three straight nights. The Luftwaffe claimed it had been aiming at Liverpool. Hmm..
* According to ''[[http://www.wired.com/2012/02/ff_jerusalemsyndrome/ Wired,]]'' an Englishwoman displaying symptoms of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_syndrome Jerusalem Syndrome]] believed a spot of tea was the best way to greet the Second Coming of the Lord, climbing Mt. Scopus every morning with a cup to offer Him.
* The late, great Creator/AlanRickman managed to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eob7V_WtAVg make it sound epic in slow-motion]].
* On the downside of this trope, British fondness for tea (specifically, Green Tea imported from China) was what set the first Opium War into motion - because of how much tea Britain was importing each year, it left them in a massive trade deficit with no viable goods that the Chinese wanted in a large enough quantity to offset it, except for opium.
* The Opium War also led to the British colony of UsefulNotes/HongKong, where tea-drinking remains popular, especially with older people. Both British and Chinese style of tea are common - with or without milk being a primary difference (Hongkongers also put their own spin on it, and sweet, cold Taiwanese bubble tea is more popular with young people). Hongkongers are primarily southern Chinese, and overwhelmingly lactose intolerant. British milk tea in Hong Kong is not to be confused with northern Chinese milk tea, from regions where herding was more historically common. To add to the confusion, "tea" in Hong Kong can also refer to the fancier British-inspired afternoon snacks, or the brunch-esque and more "street" meals in Cantonese tea restaurants.
* Creator/DouglasAdams once opined in an essay that the reason non-British people don't understand the British obsession with tea is that most non-British people have never actually had a ''good'' cup of tea. He helpfully added a detailed description of how to brew such a necessity.
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->I'll just put the kettle on, shall I?

* Anime-only character Saiko Intelli from ''Anime/MyHeroAcademia'' activates her SuperIntelligence quirk by drinking tea.

** In Arc System Works' other mainstay VideoGame/GuiltyGear Ky Kiske is shown to greatly enjoy tea. However, he's not shown to be British and is in fact, French.

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': In ''Pleasant Goat Fun Class: Travel Around the World'' episode 16, the goats travel to the UK to search for a treasure with the help of Literature/SherlockHolmes. The treasure, located in Big Ben, turns out to be a bunch of teabags, which Sherlock Holmes immediately takes a fancy to. The gang then has tea with him, which is followed by a new segment where Tibbie explains to Paddi the significance of tea to the British.

* Johnny Vegas and his woolly [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys monkey]] (previously the mascots for the failed ITV Digital service) show how most British people drink tea – i.e. without pomp and ceremony – in commercials for PG Tips teabags.

* Taxes on tea imposed by the British were what drove what is now the United States of America (then just 13 states) to rebel against and seek independence from the British in the late 1700's (see the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party Boston Tea Party]]).