I'm in the same boat; I can pretend with tea but it's not really the same experience.

Diet soda sometimes works, but often isn't provided as easily.

You need to go all-in on tea and make your own mark. Get a fancy Chinese teapot with holes in the spout to use loose leaf tea, and start getting snobby about traditional vs modern techniques of Pu'er tea, and you'll get your own brand of respect!