An American scientist gives Britain tea-making advice, sparking a storm 'inside the teapot'

[New Sancai Compilation First Release] An American scientist has sparked a transatlantic storm in the "teapot" by offering advice on Britain's favorite hot drink.

One of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt, says Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College. This technique is included in Frankl's new book, Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, published January 24 by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Not since the Boston Tea Incident of 1773 had tea mixed with brine caused such a disruption in British-American relations.

The suggestion to add salt has sparked outrage among tea drinkers in the UK, where Americans are widely seen as coffee-drinking rubes, who say they make their tea in a microwave (if at all).

"Don't even say the word 'salt' to us..." etiquette director Debrett wrote on the X.

The U.S. Embassy in London weighed in on the brewing storm, posting on social media to assure "the good people of Britain that the unthinkable idea of ​​adding salt to Britain's national drink is not official U.S. policy." "

“Let’s unite and show the world that we are in this together when it comes to tea,” the tongue-in-cheek post read. “The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea the right way — in the microwave.”

The embassy later clarified that its statement was a "lighthearted joke about our shared cultural ties" and not an official press release.

By comparison, the book "Soaking" is no joke. The book, the result of three years of research and experimentation, explores more than 100 compounds found in tea leaves and "uses chemical components to provide suggestions on how to brew a better cup of tea," according to its publisher.

Adding a small amount of salt (not enough to taste it) can make tea taste less bitter, Frankl says, because "the sodium ions in the salt block the bitter taste receptors in our mouths."

She also advocates brewing tea in a preheated teapot, stirring the tea bags briefly but vigorously, and serving the tea in short, thick cups to conserve heat. She also said milk should be added to the cup after the tea is brewed, not before - another issue that often divides tea lovers.

Frankel was surprised by the level of response to her book in the UK.

"I kind of get it, and hopefully a lot of people will be interested," she said. "I don't know that we will have a diplomatic dialogue with the U.S. Embassy."

It got her thinking about the coffee-tea divide between America and Britain.

“I wonder if we’re just a caffeinated society — coffee has more caffeine,” she said. "Or maybe we just want to rebel against our homeland."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)