The tea goes lukewarm between calls

Elena Voss makes black tea with a little milk and toast between calls when she works from home. She takes both back to her desk, where the tea often sits until it is lukewarm.

Eight members told Bonzai what they make for an afternoon break at home, at least occasionally. Most reach for tea or coffee; one makes seltzer with lime. Their pauses are brief, but making the drink gives them a reason to stop working, even when they stay at the desk or return to it right away.

Denise Baptiste puts a plain black tea bag in hot water, without sugar. Between customer calls, she sometimes uses the quiet to check whether Sunday’s cooking will cover dinner for her mother and the boys. “I can sit there, drink it hot, and see what needs doing for dinner before I log back in,” she said.

For Aisha Karim, black tea with a little milk means stepping away from code reviews while it brews. “Usually I just stand by the counter and let my eyes focus on something that isn’t code,” she said. She returns to the review feeling a little less impatient.

Marcus Hale has black tea and a few crackers, often between calls. He may stay at his desk, but the five minutes making tea help him return to reading pitches: “The tea doesn’t change the pitch. It helps me read it with a clearer head.”

Sasha Lindqvist makes black tea and peanut-butter toast between investor calls. “I’d make the tea, put peanut butter on the toast, then check the next investor’s name and mute my laptop so I could actually chew,” they said. The break left them feeling a little steadier, though they were back at the laptop before the kettle cooled.

Around 3, Ben Takahashi makes drip coffee with a splash of milk and a piece of toast. He spends a few minutes in the kitchen, looking out the window while the coffee brews. “No email, no demo deck,” he said. He returns to his desk better able to listen on the next call.

Jeff Tannenbaum makes coffee with Illy pods or drinks tea, usually lemon ginger and sometimes Earl Grey. When he needs a bigger break, he goes out for coffee. Stretching his legs and sometimes seeing a friend make the trip feel like a reset.

Tomás Reyes works on a menu at home only occasionally. On those afternoons, he makes seltzer with lots of ice, lime and a pinch of salt, tasting it before he sits down. “It’s the cold glass and the fizz, mostly. I’m not trying to solve the menu for five minutes,” he said.

The breaks do not all take people far: Marcus stays at his desk, Elena returns to hers, and Jeff sometimes goes out. In their accounts, making something simple gives them a few minutes apart from the call, pitch, review or menu in front of them.

For Elena, that time at the kettle counts even if she does not finish the tea hot. “The toast gets eaten; the tea gives me a reason to stand up for two minutes. Hot tea is apparently an optional feature.”