Whether you're a PG Tips, Tetleys or Yorkshire Tea lover, there's nothing more British than sitting down to enjoy a steaming hot brew.
And, as every Brit will tell you, there's only one way to make a cup of tea, and that's by boiling a kettle - although we won't go into the whole milk or water first debate.
So you can understand just how horrified people have been after an American woman went viral for making her boyfriend a cup of tea "the American way" - and it really is quite disturbing.
Alex Murphy, who is from the US but currently lives in London, filmed herself making a cuppa' for boyfriend Paul Klein, before sharing it to TikTok.
In the clip, the 34-year-old can be seen putting cold tap water into a mug with a teabag inside, before adding milk and sugar, and sticking it in the microwave to heat.
Alex then removes the teabag, gives it a final stir and presents it to 30-year-old Paul, who was just as horrified as us.
Paul took one sip on the cup of tea and immediately put the mug down, with a look of repulsion on his face.
"What is that? That is disgusting. Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude – but that is not a cup of tea," he told her.
He is left horrified when she reveals she microwaved it, and throws the mug on the ground.
Alex, who previously appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2020 with Joe Swash, shared the video on TikTok, where it has since been viewed more than 10 million times.
"That was an appropriate response. The real red flag is how you made that tea," one Reddit user commented, while another added: "No way he should leave you at once."
A third commented: "That was so painful to watch, you make me sick," and a fourth added: "Throwing the cup was justified. If you say otherwise clearly you're not British."
Another critic said: "When she used tap water I SCREAMED."
Despite the controversy, Alex insists it was the way she was taught to make tea – and she hopes the British public will forgive her.
"This is how I grew up making it. It was a one-off – Paul usually makes the tea," she said. "He hated it. Everyone hated it. I never expected how many people would be so triggered."
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