I’m working at this massive old manor house at the moment. It’s converted into apartments.

I’m doing some repairs and renovation to the old Oak ‘porch’ for want of a better word. It’s posher than that.

The other day this dude from one of the apartments randomly bought me a hot drink.
How nice I thought as I chatted to him gratefully, catching sight of the unsolicited beverage from the corner of my eye.

Thing is, and at the risk of sounding ungrateful, it’s instant coffee (I’m a member of STW ffs), in a Styrofoam cup, with milk in it, and sweetner too! Do you even artisan roast bro? 😉

Customers making you drinks is great, but…

Where he got this idea of what combo I’d drink I don’t know. I mean my company is actually called Blackteaonesugar, and it’s written all over my van parked yonder 😂

Needless to say, a bit after he went away I tipped it away and carried on working. I mean, is that actually classed as a drink?

Trouble is, he’s now bringing me more. I don’t want to seem ungrateful or hurt his feelings so obviously I can’t say anything now. It’s gone too far. I should have said something right away.
I’ll have to just keep pouring it away discreetly this whole week.

No real point to this, except, have you ever persisted pretending to be grateful for something which you don’t like, and it’s gone too far to change?…and, does instant coffee kill grass?

It’s posher than that.

Portico innit.

unless you can drive through it, in which case it’s a porte-cochère

Cafetiere coffee minimum standard irrespective of how scratchy arse you look (although one geezer clearly turned his nose up at anything other than nescafe instant – I nearly bought him some Mellow Birds). But you’ll still get it in a shitty cup

“Cheers mate, that was lovely, but i’m more of a tea man meself, See? It’s on me van. Tea daft, I am.”

😂
It’s got to be the right tea though..

I honestly don’t know how you can work for these people

Sister-in-law (who hates fish) went ‘ooo lovely’ when her mother in law served up smoked salmon – she now has to “enjoy” it every christmas morning. 😀

I presume he’s both astounded by and testing your capacity for rohypnol at the same time, be afraid, be very…

At work I’m often bought a bacon and egg sandwich by a chap who lives on the estate, haven’t the heart to tell him I’m a veggie (I give it to whichever member of staff I see first) I’m also offered plenty of hot drinks by others, but I turn these down due to covid, not wanting to stop and chat, most taste like crap, one person puts booze in it, and I only drink decaf tea now.

I do happily take any chocolate bars I’m offered

Needless to say, a bit after he went away I tipped it away and carried on working. I mean, is that actually classed as a drink?

Bit rich coming from someone who adds sugar to their tea.

I presume he’s both astounded by and testing your capacity for rohypnol at the same time, be afraid, be very

Aye, he’ll have you in a heap at the bottom of those ladders, hammering his frozen sausage into your portico quicker than you can say ‘but I’m a barista’…

hammering his frozen sausage into your portico

After a few sausages it’s a porte-cochère

Bring a stove along and a hand grinder etc and have it neatly placed out and waiting, he might get the gist

My Nan got the idea that Bakewell tart is my favourite pudding (I do love it but it’s not my favourite and don’t remember telling her that), what this meant was every time I saw her she had specially made me one. Needless to say I didn’t put her straight.

Where he got this idea of what combo I’d drink I don’t know. I mean my company is actually called Blackteaonesugar, and it’s written all over my van parked yonder 😂

Well you are bored during lockdown, you see a van with “Black Tea One Sugar” written on it and you think – I wonder what that guy would do if I brought him cheap white coffee with sweetener… …its the simple things in life.

Blackcurrant cheesecake!
I absolutely hate blackcurrants, but for some reason when my grandad served me one once I didn’t say a thing. Over 10 years later he would still proudly present a blackcurrant cheesecake for desert and proclaim, “look, I got your favourite” 😂

I was a very picky eater as a child and I only just manage as an adult, a lot of things are very difficult for me. This makes for some fun times when I travel for work and my host takes me to the place where the locals go for a local delicacy. So far I’ve managed, the worst I had to deal with was a fried pancake thing in Tunisia with unknown sauce, veggies and a fried egg (I don’t like fried eggs) but I managed it, wasn’t actually that bad apart from the egg. I haven’t been sent anywhere in Asia yet.

I am also teetotal which confuses and offends a lot of people.

Bit rich coming from someone who adds sugar to their tea.

Fair point.
I actually started taking sugar in black tea as I find that folks who take milk tend to make it stronger than I like, so having a sugar takes the edge off. Got used to it now. Pretty sure I’m coming across as a right ungrateful bugger now, but it’s not the case. I’m very grateful but happen to be quite particular about tea is all 😂

Well you are bored during lockdown, you see a van with “Black Tea One Sugar” written on it and you think – I wonder what that guy would do if I brought him cheap white coffee with sweetener… …its the simple things in life.

Good call. Why I oughta!

It’s got to be the right tea though..

No, as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon said in 1840 – Proper Tea is Theft

You do realise this shouldn’t be about you? He sounds like he is probably lonely and you might be the only person he speaks to all day? Just tell him what you like to drink, I reckon you will be surprised at how receptive he is if you are polite about it. He’s not going to get upset and ruin the relationship. You get a drink you actually want and he continues to have a bit of human contact. Everyone wins.

Give him one of your fancy corporate mugs, logo on the side. Say better for the environment, keeps warmer etc
If he still maked manky coffee them mayne a coaster with black tea on it.
Still get a manky coffee… Kill him and move into his apartment and assume his identity obvs

I can make you a coaster for the mug if you want 🙂

😂👌

I can make you a coaster for the mug if you want

“White Nescafe, Two sweeteners”

I know it sounds like a Vicar of Dibley episode but I once had to eat three Christmas dinners out of a combination of politeness, bad planning and getting caught up in a complicated lie. None of the dinners were small.

I just want to say that your business name is genius!

I just want to say that your business name is genius!

Can’t be that clever if a man who’s seeing all day every day still hasn’t worked it out.

I’m very grateful but happen to be quite particular about tea is all 😂

I saw your van, presumably with you in it, at the roundabout by Morrisons last week. If you were ever to do any work here you would get served a cup of Margarets Hope Darjeeling (from Golden Monkey at the bottom of Smith Street). It wouldn’t have milk in because I never put milk in tea.

Actually, you couldn’t do any work here, because today I’ve been making a stand for a tablet or laptop to use for Zwifting (not paying £100 for a TacX one) and the standard of carpentry is so embarrassing I wouldn’t be able to let you in in case you saw it.

< No, as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon said in 1840 – Proper Tea is Theft>

@WorldClassAccident I really think you deserve more credit for this – chapeau sir!

As the old joke goes, why do Marxists drink coffee?

Not quite hot beverages but I undeniably like giraffes, I guess most women have an animal of preference but perhaps not a male thing. I even have a tattoo of one such is my appreciation. However, every gift I generally now receive has a giraffe on it, quite frankly its getting absurd now and everywhere you look in my flat you can see a giraffe. Yes I like them but stop!!!!

However, every gift I generally now receive has a giraffe on it

My other half collects sheep (not real ones). She’s never consciously decided to do this, but it’s become something of a vicious cycle.

I undeniably like giraffes

As an enthusiast, where do you stand on the bow tie issue?

If a giraffe were to wear a bow tie, would it be at the top of it’s neck or at the bottom?

She’s never consciously decided to do this, but it’s become something of a vicious cycle.

I bought my wife a Steiff teddy in 2001.
I’m currently sitting in a room with about 60 of them.

Anyone who comes to our house gets full bean-to-cup or cafetiere coffee. No exceptions. Next time ask for tea.

No exceptions

Even if they don’t drink coffee? Do you force it down them like some twisted foie gras ceremony?

He’s being kind – the styrofoam cups because it won’t give you covid and it won’t give him covid because you won’t give it back. The instant coffee because instant coffee kills everything it touches – taste buds included.

Yes I like them but stop!!!!

How do you feel about Naked Mole Rats?

I saw your van, presumably with you in it, at the roundabout by Morrisons last week.

Ah yes. I saw you too….maybe. 🖐

I just want to say that your business name is genius!

Thanks. It kind of morphed into a business name from a previous job. I go from casually not minding it, to being extremely embarrassed when I have to repeat it loudly in builders merchants 😬
‘You what mate, Black tea one sugar? Really?’…’ere’s your 2 be 4 bud…’

In fact, it’s kind of like the instant coffee issue. I would probably change it so that it at least gives a passing indication of what I do, but oh my, bank accounts, HMRC, van graphics, website, email, business cards etc, etc!
😳

OP you should have taken a sip asked ‘Nescafé?’ and given him the Gareth Hunt handshake

given him the Gareth Hunt handshake

Think that’s what the coffee bearer was after!