Is there anything better than a hot cup of tea? Probably the greatest of British traditions, there are plenty of nuances around the humble cuppa that can leave non-Brits baffled
11:50, 12 Apr 2026Updated 11:50, 12 Apr 2026
Is there anything better than a nice hot cup of tea? (No, there isn’t). (Stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
If there’s one thing we Brits take very, very seriously, it’s a cup of tea. It’s a very simple combination – tea bag, hot water, milk, and sugar if you like – but it never fails to hit the spot.
Feeling under the weather? A cuppa will make you feel better. Need something to warm you up? A nice hot mug of tea is just the job. It’s been an entire hour since you last had a cup? Pop the kettle on, we’re having tea.
People from outside the UK sometimes struggle with our national obsession and all the little nuances involved which are second nature to Brits, but completely foreign to our overseas friends. One Canadian woman came across one common expression related to making a cup of tea which left her completely baffled.
TikTok user ellayyayy, who regularly posts content about her life as a Canadian now living in Wales, explained the story on a video on the social media platform. She said: “I don’t know if this is a Britishism, or an autistic thing, but I was making a cup of tea for my husband’s friend the other day and I asked him how he would like it, and he said ‘oh, as it comes’.
“What does that mean? So I said ‘oh sorry, what do you mean?’ ‘Oh, no, as it comes’. And I’m thinking mate, it comes however I prepare it and give it to you, so how do you want me to do that?”
Commenters explained what they understood the phrase to mean. One said: “It’s a Britishism. It’s a way of saying ‘just make it how you like it because I’m waaaaay too polite to give you orders in your own home and I like all variations of tea anyway’.”
Another wrote: “If you say ‘as it comes’ I’m making it medium strength, splash of milk, no sugar.” And someone else said: “It means they don’t mind if it is strong or weak. And hasn’t specifically said sugar, so no sugar. In UK milk is seen as standard.”
Someone else joked: “That’s an open invitation to freestyle it, serve it with a tiny umbrella and an olive.”
In a follow-up video, ellayyayy explained what happened next. She posted the video in response to a comment which said: “I hate when people say that. Just give me instructions.”
She explained she had asked her husband’s friend to explain what he meant, and he said he wanted milk and no sugar, but also repeated “as it comes”, continuing her confusion. “So, ‘as it comes’ referred basically to the strength,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with that so I thought, I’m gonna play it safe.” But it was then that she made a controversial decision.
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She continued: “I left the tea bag in. Milk, no sugar, left the tea bag in, brought him the cup of tea, milk, no sugar, tea bag in, and a little ramekin and a spoon just in case he wanted to take it out.
“And Mr ‘as it comes’, as soon as I hand him the mug, goes ‘oh, you left the tea bag in’.” Making a baffled expression, she continued: “Now I know. ‘As it comes’ just means ‘do whatever the f*** you want, I’ll drink it’.”
People in the comments had a range of views. One said: “No one leaves a teabag in for black tea… Peppermint, fruit infusions etc, maybe, but not black tea…. But I understand that that could be seen as the lowest risk option.”
Another said: “As it comes normally means ‘I’m not really really fussy about the colour/strength of the tea but it shouldn’t be very strong or very weak’. Pour boiling water over teabag, squeeze bag with back of spoon and remove. Add splash of milk and stir.”
And someone else said: “As a Brit I’d never leave a plain teabag in, only herbal ones, but you’re right, ‘as it comes’ means ‘just give me a tea’.”
But other people had different views. One said: “Call me crazy, I leave my teabag in till cup is empty. Yes, even black tea. I just love strong flavour. Same with the tea leaves in the teapot. I don’t remove them. they soak till the end.”