Tea alone or with buddies/family? Which do you enjoy more?

Both? I like to drink tea with close family and friends, and people who really enjoy tea. But it’s also fun to settle in for a quiet night with a nice cup of tea. My least favorite is drinking a cup at work when I’m stressed out and can’t really enjoy the tea. The tea does make the situation better, but it’s still not as good as just being able to relax with a nice mug of tea.

Agree with Katiek 100%. Having company is nice, but alone is good, too. I drink mostly cold brew at work. Gives me a nice pick-me-up for the afternoon slump!

Alone. When I drink with company it must be EG. My friends are not going to drink anything else. It comes with lotsa pastry and cheese. I like to drink alone, take notes, not to be judged how many teas, or teaware I have. And I love share my notes on Steepster.

I like to drink alone too. It’s relaxing ME+TEA time. I get to think and act and do whatever I want, however I want. If I’m with company it’s more about the food or the conversation than the tea. That isn’t bad, but I like to have moments where simple things that make me happy get their own little highlight without the other stresses of life.

Both. If the tea is new to me I like to drink it alone at least once so I can think about it and take notes. Otherwise I love being with friends and family, and if there’s good tea there then that’s even better.

Both! Tea has an amazing power to bring people together… its almost like we need an excuse to do so sometimes with our fast paced lives. Alone is nice too; I make it a point not to think any negative thoughts when I am drinking tea. Tea time = happy time. :)

Usually alone, or with meals. I will drink it with family/ friends sometimes.

I mostly drink tea by myself in the day which is very pleasant but not as special as when I share it with my husband in the evening. He favours black teas, mature Oolong and strong greens so I save those teas to share with him. Also to make it that much more special I bought two Japanese Hagi-ware bowls that are for when we drink tea together, no one else may drink from them, like a his and hers bowl set. :)

I mostly drink it alone as I drink many cups daily and live alone, but I happily drink it with others too. None of my friends are into it as much as me, so I prefer the tea I drink when I make it (or when they are over at my place drinking it with me).

Hm. Going to get a bit spiritual here. I think the ideal is a mix of both, which I’ve felt when drinking tea with other devotees, including the Steepster meetups. When you’re alone, you can take your time with the cup, experiencing the tea in your own way; it’s a conversation you have with your senses, so it’s essentially private, even meditative. When you’re in a group, the social dynamics usually overshadow this experience. But if you go with a group of cognoscenti to have some truly good tea together, this is the best of all, since you all agree, tacitly or not, to take the moments you need to fully appreciate the tea. And those moments are cherishable, since there you are, involved in your own experience, while kindred souls next to you experience the tea their own way. It’s sort of like visiting Crater Lake or the Grand Canyon or some other amazing outdoor landscape with friends: you stand there in silence, drinking it in, and it’s extra special to feel that this wonderfulness permeates the company around you.