An American scientist claims she’s found the components that make for the perfect cup of tea, including using loose leaf tea and adding a pinch of salt in some instances, but that assertion is now steeped in some controversy after the U.S. Embassy in London described her ideas as “outrageous.”
After an American chemist published a book about what makes the perfect cup of tea, officials in the ... [+]
The perfect cup of tea includes using loose leaf tea, agitating the tea bag by dunking it up and down in the cup of hot water and using short mugs to keep the tea hotter, Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College told Forbes Wednesday.
The findings come from Francl’s book, released Wednesday, entitled “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” in which she explains how certain components such as milk or lemon change the properties of the popular drink.
Francl recommended adding a pinch of salt to over brewed teas—an idea she traced back to 8th century manuscripts from China—and using lemon to get rid of the white film that comes from boiling water in the microwave.
Francl, a tea drinker herself, noted that pre-heating a mug or teapot is essential to maximizing the amount of caffeine and antioxidants released.
The chemist recommended using loose leaf tea but regardless suggested that tea bags only be used once, as the second time around there’s no caffeine left in the bag.
The U.S. embassy in the U.K. released a satirical statement Wednesday criticizing Francl’s findings. The embassy said Francl’s findings put the bond between the two countries in “hot water.” The statement went on to say the embassy could not “stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our Special Relationship.” The idea of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official U.S. policy, the embassy joked, adding it “never will be.”
“The British take their tea really seriously as we’ve now discovered,” Francl told Forbes, responding to the online uproar that’s ensued since the publication of her book Wednesday. “In the U.S. if you get tea in a restaurant it can be really awful because the water can be too cold to make a good cup of tea. I've had better cups of tea in gas stations in Ireland than very nice restaurants in the U.S.”
Francl said the use of milk in tea, a common practice among Brits, should also be done in a particular way. She said milk should be warmed and should be added to the tea after it has been poured in the cup, not before.
The idea for Francl’s research started with a 2020 tweet from a fellow chemist who was curious whether the shape of a tea bag mattered. That question sent Francl digging through chemistry literature. After publishing a short essay about tea in the Royal Society for Chemistry she began researching and writing a full book on the topic. Francl said the idea was to explain the chemistry to non-chemists “without having their eyes glaze over.”
Tea is the second most popular drink worldwide after water, Francl said, noting it’s more popular than coffee.
Perfect Cup Of Tea Needs A Pinch Of Salt And Squeeze Of Lemon, Says US Chemist (The Guardian)