I flew HKG-JNB recently and requested tea a few times. It always came as it should in a cup without a tea bag.
I was surprised that FTers didn't think it was a major service failure to be served tea with the tea bag still in the cup, so I decided to ask the purser about my earlier experience flying JFK-HKG.
She (and her colleagues) said from the first day of training, FAs are told to take the tea bag out of the cup. And it is left in only when requested by the passenger. The purser then went on to say that my flight was probably staffed by a less experienced NY-based crew.
I should mention that this was probably one of my best flights in C in a long time. There were some minor issues with the seat and catering, but the service was top notch.