Builder's tea is the nickname for strong, cheap tea, as is often drunk by builders when taking a break. The tea variety used is typically Assam tea, usually served in a mug with milk and, often, one or more sugars.[1] Back in 1916, the ministry of Munitions' health committee wrote in a publication called 'Hours of Work', 'an opportunity for tea is regarded as beneficial both to health and output'.[2] It is a staple of greasy spoon restaurants. The name is derived from the quick, strong cuppa most often drunk by construction workers or builders as their tea break never lasted more than five minutes. The term "Builder's Tea", although in some respects directly describing the habit of builders to drink a particular type of tea, is also a method employed by many in the British aristocracy to differentiate themselves from their lower class counterparts.
These days "Builder's tea" can be used on many building sites as slang which means strong, milky and with two sugars. This saves the time of the tea boy/labourer when he asks everyone how they would like their tea. Usually the ratio of water to milk is about 4:1. The tea is mainly brewed in the mugs on site rather than in a teapot.
Builder’s tea is typically robust and flavourful with a brisk character and a rich brown colour. The leaves are often brewed for a longer period than would normally expected allowing for greater extraction of flavours and tanins, as such the tanin rich brew can have a slight dryness to it which is usually countered by the addition of sugar. Cafes would keep a large teapot (holding upwards of a gallon of tea) with many bags of tea constantly topped up with boiling water which allows for a deeper and stronger flavoured tea than would normally be obtained by standard tea brewing methods. The mug is made of ceramic so as to withstand the hot tea. There is no officially recognised "Builder's Tea" brand as such (although in 2007 a tea marketed as "Make Mine a Builders" was marketed in the UK), rather it is a method of tea preparation and serving. However some commercial teas are better suited to Builder's Tea due to higher tannin and caffeine contents, tea varieties with high amounts of Assam leaves are ideal for Builder's Tea: PG Tips, "Red Label" (Brooke Bond, Tesco), Tetley, Lyon's Quickbrew are best suited for making Builder's Tea.