What are office workers looking for in a cup of tea?

As you might expect, the team at FreshGround are big coffee drinkers, for our tea lovers out there, what does the perfect cup of tea look like? If you’re responsible for running an office, along with a bean-to-cup coffee machine, you also should ensure you’re catering to those who prefer tea. We Brits have long been associated with our love of tea and as a nation, we consume a staggering 100 million cups of tea every single day. In a recent report, 29% of UK office workers drink at least two cups of tea during their working hours and 24% drink three cups of tea. 6% said they drink more than five cups a day at work.

Tea has a rich international history and was originally brought here from China back in the 16th century. However, it was when Charles II married the Portuguese princess (and tea lover), Catherine of Braganza, that tea’s popularity grew in the UK. Most notably in 1664, the East India Company imported its first order of tea into Britain where our love affair with tea would flourish to what it is today.

So what are your office team looking for in a cup of tea? And how can you make sure that as an office or facilities manager, you can give them the best tea to keep them happy and hydrated at work?

How to make the perfect cup of tea

There are now hundreds if not thousands of different teas on the market today. There are lots of blends available that use black tea, green tea, white tea and so on. Plus you’ve got lots of fruit and herbal teas too which are growing in popularity. However, when considering how to make the perfect cup of tea in the office, we’re going to focus on classic black tea, like you’d have at home or in a cafe – brands like PG Tips, Twinings, Newby, Tetley and so on. Let’s go!

1) Use fresh, preferably filtered, boiling water poured from an undercounter water tap. Filtered water will give you a fresher and tastier brew as the filtration process removes any contaminants or nasties in your water. This is especially important if you live in an area with hard water, like 60% of the UK does, as hard water can make your tea taste bitter.

2) Next pop your tea bag in your favourite mug and pour your filtered boiling water over. Leave it to brew for a few minutes – we recommend between 2 – 3 minutes, but it depends on how strong you and your team like it. If you like it to taste stronger still, you can give your tea bag a little squeeze to release extra flavour.

3) And then next, you make your tea your own. So add a splash of your favourite dairy or plant-based milk and some sugar or sweetener to taste. Stir and enjoy!

Variety

In finding out what YOUR office workers are looking for in a cup of tea, we recommend asking your team directly. Have a quick meeting or send out a questionnaire so as a manager, you fully understand the needs of your team. Having your team’s favourite tea and coffee in the office may seem like a small gesture but it has many positive consequences. We know that teams value having quality perks at work like tea, coffee and refreshments and that can help to boost productivity, increase loyalty and even support you in attracting and retaining talent. The gesture shows you care about your team and their happiness so it’s important to have a variety on offer so there’s something for everyone.

Beans

When it comes to coffee, we recommend having a few types of beans. Some bean-to-cup machines come with multiple hoppers so you can choose to have different coffee beans and even offer a decaf version.

Tea

For tea, along with your traditional English Breakfast style tea, it’s a good idea to offer a range of fruit and herbal teas along with a decaf version. Popular fruit and herbal teas include camomile, lemon and ginger, mint, redbush and green tea.

Milk

And finally, when it comes to milk, again, it’s good to give your team a choice. A few years ago, most offices would provide one type of milk – typically semi-skimmed dairy milk. Fast forward to today and one in three of us is drinking plant-based milk regularly. That means that in your team, you’ve likely got some dairy-free fans. People are moving away from dairy due to ethical, health, sustainable, and animal welfare reasons, plus more people are opting for a vegan lifestyle. You can also factor in that we’re now more aware of intolerances, and there are people who are allergic to dairy and lactose for example. With this in mind, you should provide a dairy milk and at least one plant-based milk. One of the best plant-based milks in tea and coffee is oat milk. Oat milk has a smooth flavour similar to dairy milk, it doesn’t curdle with hot water, it’s affordable and sustainable and the taste won’t overpower your drink. Just like regular dairy milk, it comes in granulated and liquid form and you can use both in tea and in your bean-to-cup coffee machine.

Get in touch

Of course, like everything, the perfect cup of tea or coffee comes down to personal preference. That’s why it’s important you cater to different preferences in the office. If you’re looking for any advice on your office refreshment set-up, please do get in touch with our team.

We offer a wide range of undercounter water taps that provide filtered boiling water and a selection of bean to cup coffee machines. We’ve also got you covered when it comes to tea, coffee and snacks and if you sign up for a minimum order on consumables, you can get your water tap or coffee machine on a free loan agreement. Contact us to find out more.