Clearly people who enjoy tea, would not dream of putting milk in it. Never mind milk or water first, there simply should not be any milk. I watch my son-in-law pour the tea in ore, water in one hand, tea in other hand, poured together to get the concentration required, loads of sugar, and no milk.
However, I when I drank tea in the main did add milk, but to brown tea not green tea, I like green tea with mint, not milk, and I hate Earl Grey, like drinking scent, I have bought tea bags of English Breakfast, but in the main tea bags are for making a thirst quenching drink, not for sitting back and enjoying the finer attributes of the tea. I normally drink it hot, yes I know cold tea is more expensive, and is the way it is drunk in Hong Kong, they also sold cans of tea.
But in the main, adding milk was to cool the tea, to a temperature one can drink, within the time allowed for a tea break. The Turkish get around the problem by using small glasses for the tea, which clearly cool quicker. Same with Algeria, small glasses and tea pot filled with mint.
Chernobyl nuclear disaster changed the tea drinking habits in Turkey, the tea had to be destroyed in some regions, and Lipton tea replaced it.
I have looked out for the Yorkshire tea plantations, but as yet not found them, sure they must exist, as they do it proper! But like other drinks, I know there is a vineyard just outside Newtown, Mid Wales, but there are not very many in the UK, but I always keep my eye open for them.
Anyway, time for another cup of instant coffee, which does not taste anything like proper blue mountain coffee. But again I put milk in coffee too, know I should not really add milk, but I do, know with tea adding milk removes the goodness from it, but I still add it.