Tea

Tea is an ancient and enduringly popular beverage in the Real World and many fictional continua. It is a mild stimulant widely believed to have restorative, healthful properties, and in some continua, such as Doctor Who, this is literally true. Tea is brewed by steeping the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, in boiled water, or in the case of matcha, grinding dried tea leaves into powder which is then dissolved in water. The resulting infusion is caffeinated, but not as much as coffee. It may be served hot or iced, with milk or lemon, with or without sweetening.

More broadly, "tea" may refer to any hot or cold drink made by brewing herbs and spices in hot water. An infusion that doesn't contain Camellia sinensis is usually called an herbal tea. Herbals tend to be caffeine-free, but not always: yerba maté, for instance, is a tea-like, caffeinated beverage made with the leaves of Ilex paraguariensis.

"Tea" may also refer to a light meal served with its namesake beverage, especially in the UK. Teatime is traditionally about four o'clock in the afternoon, between lunch (noon) and dinner (eight o'clock). One should not confuse teatime with Mister Teatime, because the gentleman's name is pronounced differently and he may stab you if you get it wrong.

Tea and the PPC

Some PPC agents (and their authors) known to be extremely fond of tea are Desdendelle (and Boarder!Desdendelle), Jennifer Robinson, Neshomeh (and Boarder!Neshomeh), and Paddlebrains (and Boarder!Paddlebrains, also known as tea_fiend on LJ). Des and Pads are tea purists who believe in drinking only unadulterated Camellia sinensis brews, whereas Jenni and Neshomeh believe that everyone should enjoy tea in whatever way they please. They have miraculously avoided coming to blows over this deep philosophical divide. Agent Kaguya Hazama (tea name Munehisa) is a Japanese tea ceremonist. The Shallot, head of the Non-Propaganda Communications Division, is also fond of tea, and the division's flash patch is in fact a tea stain, though the Shallot might be the only one who doesn't realize it.

Bleeptea is not Bleeprin mixed with tea, as you might expect, but rather Bleeprin mixed with tea made from carnivorous tea leaves from Desdendelle's home universe. Be careful: it may bite. Bleepkass is Bleeprin mixed with kass, a tea-like beverage from the Firebird series.

In PPC Headquarters, tea may primarily be found in the Coffee Lounge and the Cafeteria. There are also cafés that serve tea in New Caledonia.

The entire Continuity Council of Gallifrey-in-Exile is known to have traveled to an alternate, Time Lord–themed PPC specifically to visit their Tea Cafeteria, which of course serves excellent tea of all sorts. There may be one in HQ Prime, too, but this is unconfirmed.