U.S. scientist brews up a storm by offering Britain advice on making tea

That is the most miserable looking cup of black tea with a spoon and tea leaves in London I have ever seen.

I'm going to have to try this. I always thought it would be great to have coffee without the bitterness and without having to resort to loads of cream.

Daft. Tea is the ultimate beverage without adding salt.

So, she just wrote a book (who could have seen that one coming). Published last month by the Royal Society of Chemistry?

Nice. Well, humm . . . it has a disclaimer? That the Society “is not responsible for individual opinions expressed in this work and does not endorse or recommend the products mentioned herein. Other products are also available. Products should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”

I’ve got to go back through some of my old chemistry books, to see if any of them have this kind of inside the first several pages.

And that advice from a country that can't even make a decent cup of coffee!

The song and dance it takes to make a cup of coffee thesedays has made peope think that tea also needs to be an expensive and complex process.

It doesn't.

Put a decent bag of tea in a mug, add scalding water and then a minute later add some full-fat milk. You can even leave the teabag in there. Done.

The song and dance it takes to make a cup of coffee thesedays has made peope think that tea also needs to be an expensive and complex process.

I had to buy and old 1940s-50s Nicro vacuum siphon coffee maker to re-discover what a great cup of coffee tastes like.

Her advice is crap, the tea would be undrinkable but as a marketing ploy it’s brilliant.

From a country that wouldn’t know a decent cup of tea from dish water and whose coffee is execrable (ask any European) the entire idea of one of them wasting money, sorry, researching how to make tea is a farce worthy of Monty Python.

A friend who worked part-time at IHOP back in the day said they added a pinch of salt to the coffee to smooth it.

With tea, I like the bitterness and that's why it's a good thirst quencher.

And all this noise for some salt in the tea. I wonder if this will escalate in WW3 with total destruction of the world. Let's get ready to rumble in the left corner salt and in the right corner tea. Let's the fight begin.

It's quite funny how the US embassy statement is a bit of a wind-up here, yet the British pride themselves on winding up others and excuse themselves with, "Can't you take a joke?" when others get offended. British wailing on after being advised on how to make tea by Americans? Why not? They cannot even agree among themselves (milk? sugar? Tea bags? Leaf tea? Which variety? Hard water? Soft water? etc). And the whole tea thing is not even their own. I never understand why any people get all precious about their diet. Many of us would be eating and stewing tree bark without imported ingredients and methods.

We use many kinds of leaves, yes we prefer leaves in a teapot. Green tea, black tea, ginger and honey tea, mint tea, and Oolong tea. With milk without milk. We drink tea three times a day. I won't be trying a pinch of salt though.

I drink tea continuously through out the day. I don't need salt.

Agitating the bag.

If she is using tea bags instead of loose tea, she is not very knowledgeable about tea.

If the tea bag has that yellow and red tag that we see all over Japan, she is absolutely clueless. I never saw that when I lived in the UK, and I believe all my British friends would aggree it is absolute rubbish.

I am quite willing to believe salt would improve the taste of that Liptons, but it would still be undrinkable rubbish.

I live with my girlfriends British parents and have come to love their tea. Never add salt....what ever...Ugh!!! And tea should always be served in a Tea cup(with saucer) not a mug, I add milk after the tea so I can judge the colour and strength of it...........and if you must, always raise your little finger when holding the cup whilst drinking, it is a sign of real class....................LOL!!!...........ps. I do not raise my finger because I have no class whatever.

The usual debate is whether milk or tea goes into the cup first. Now we need a salt cellar too. Is the salt added at the beginning or the end, before the milk? Sea salt or others.

BertieWoosterToday 08:37 am JST

And that advice from a country that can't even make a decent cup of coffee!

Not everything reflects your anti-americanism. She actually is quite the scholar.

Drink tea as you like. But stronger the better in my house.

When I lived with Khampas,got a taste for the yak salt butter tea.

But whatever floats your boat.

It's a storm etc etc.

She also advocates making tea in a pre-warmed pot, agitating the bag briefly

I read on another article that she advocated using loose tea leaves, but if using tea bags, they should be big so the leaves can move around more.

I think most in the UK appreciated the humour of the U.S. Embassy comment.

As a dedicated instant coffee drinker, I have little else to say.

Well, it wasn't invented in either country and neither should be acting like a snob.

TaiwanIsNotChina

BertieWoosterToday 08:37 am JST

And that advice from a country that can't even make a decent cup of coffee!

Not everything reflects your anti-americanism. She actually is quite the scholar

Not in the slightest anti-American, just taking the p*ss if you know that British expression.

Some people on this thread, unlike the US Embassy in London are lacking a sense of humour. Rather appreciated the last line of their statement, made me chuckle I think someone there has been infected with our sense of humour!

Mocheake

Well, it wasn't invented in either country and neither should be acting like a snob

Very true we didn’t invent it, we just discovered the proper and best way to make it

Just some Americans having a little fun with the Brits. Kind of like an Aussie suggesting to America that hot dogs taste better with some Vegemite on it. Who can take it seriously?

Ruddy hell is this woman extracting the urine or has she flipped her lid? Saw a pic of her, looks like Timmy Mallet, can you believe it? Looks like she’s an attention seeker like him too

What a load of cobblers, add salt to tea, never heard anything so daft in my life.

I drink lots of Tea and there never has been and never will be a time when I add salt, mark my words.

This women should stuck to the stuff she knows better and judging by her photo that would be cakes or something like that.

Timmy Mallet

Must be possessed by demonic forces to want to put salt in tea, or a mentalist. Utterly brilliant idea it's not. "Blah" to salt in tea!

To be fair, they say salt is a "flavor enhancer". So a tiny bit of salt, like a few grains, is it supposed to intensify the flavor? I think I'll stick with cream and sugar in my Earl Gray.

And that advice from a country that can't even make a decent cup of coffee!

Yeah--which is why the world is flooded with British-style tea shops.

What a load of cobblers, add salt to tea, never heard anything so daft in my life.

That's why it's news; because it's something the Brits never thought of.

Put a decent bag of tea in a mug, add scalding water and then a minute later add some full-fat milk. You can even leave the teabag in there. Done.

Not done because if you read the article you need to add salt.

 I think I'll stick with cream and sugar in my Earl Gray.

Just grape jelly for me.

Peter14

To be fair, they say salt is a "flavor enhancer". So a tiny bit of salt, like a few grains, is it supposed to intensify the flavor? I think I'll stick with cream and sugar in my Earl Gray.

Dear god I think I am going to faint, cream and sugar in Earl Grey! Anathema, burn this heretic! :)

Earl grey should be served with lemon only.