Glasseye Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 This Yank Bitch as got here had shoved way up her ass. WTF is talking about ? https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/24/tea-salt-how-to-brew/ Salt in tea? U.S. chemist’s recipe brews controversy in U.K. By Karla Adam Updated January 25, 2024 at 4:55 a.m. EST|Published January 24, 2024 at 7:09 p.m. EST Britain got defensive about its tea-making practices Wednesday. (Alastair Grant/AP) Listen 3 min Share Comment808 Add to your saved stories Save LONDON — An American chemist caused a stir here on Wednesday with her suggestion that the humble cup of tea could be improved with salt, prompting shocked headlines from British news outlets and an intervention by the U.S. Embassy in London. Drinking tea in Britain, of course, is almost mandatory — the first thing that most reasonable Brits do when they come home is to fire up the kettle. Making a good cuppa is something that many here believe they do very well, thank you very much. But Michelle Francl, a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania with a new book on tea, has suggested techniques for making a perfect brew that are unfamiliar to many Brits. She advised that adding a dash of salt could help the tea to taste less bitter. She went further, recommending a squeeze of lemon, which helps to remove the “scum” that can sit on the surface of the water. She is also a fan of vigorous dunking and squeezing of the tea bag. Tea-loving Brits were notably distressed. “American scientist reveals her secret to the perfect cup of tea … but adding hot milk and SALT risks leaving Brits at boiling point,” a headline in the Daily Mail said. Sensing a potential diplomatic incident, the U.S. Embassy in London issued “an important statement on the latest tea controversy.” “Tea is the elixir of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites our nations. We cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our special relationship,” the embassy said on X, formerly Twitter. “Therefore we want to assure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.” Share this articleNo subscription required to readShare But the country that once upon a time threw British tea overboard couldn’t resist stirring up a little trouble. The embassy added that its staff would “continue to make tea in the proper way — by microwaving it.” The British government joined in on the fun, writing in a post, “We appreciate our Special Relationship, however, we must disagree wholeheartedly. … Tea can only be made using a kettle.” On Wednesday evening, “microwave” was trending on British Twitter. Some noted that this wasn’t the first time Americans have trolled Britain by suggesting it is acceptable to microwave a cup of tea. And after an American TikTok parody about making tea with powdered lemonade, cinnamon, the soft drink Tang, British officials called out the military to clarify the situation. Francl seems to be serious about her tea advice. In her new book, “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” she documents tea-making practices that date back more than 1,000 years. She advises using short mugs, with less surface area, to help keep the tea warm, and she says warming up the cup beforehand is important as it increases the amount of caffeine and antioxidants released. Throwing caution to the wind, Francl bravely weighs in on the Great Milk Debate and concludes that it’s better to use warm milk and to pour milk in after the tea. This, she says, will reduce the chances of it curdling. Francl has suggested that practices on both sides of the Atlantic could improve. “You get some awful cups of tea in the U.S.,” she told the Daily Mail. “People here often use lukewarm water straight from a tap. It’s horrific.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britain got defensive about its tea-making practices Wednesday. (Alastair Grant/AP) Listen 3 min Share Comment808 Add to your saved stories Save LONDON — An American chemist caused a stir here on Wednesday with her suggestion that the humble cup of tea could be improved with salt, prompting shocked headlines from British news outlets and an intervention by the U.S. Embassy in London. Drinking tea in Britain, of course, is almost mandatory — the first thing that most reasonable Brits do when they come home is to fire up the kettle. Making a good cuppa is something that many here believe they do very well, thank you very much. But Michelle Francl, a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania with a new book on tea, has suggested techniques for making a perfect brew that are unfamiliar to many Brits. She advised that adding a dash of salt could help the tea to taste less bitter. She went further, recommending a squeeze of lemon, which helps to remove the “scum” that can sit on the surface of the water. She is also a fan of vigorous dunking and squeezing of the tea bag. Tea-loving Brits were notably distressed. “American scientist reveals her secret to the perfect cup of tea … but adding hot milk and SALT risks leaving Brits at boiling point,” a headline in the Daily Mail said. Sensing a potential diplomatic incident, the U.S. Embassy in London issued “an important statement on the latest tea controversy.” “Tea is the elixir of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites our nations. We cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our special relationship,” the embassy said on X, formerly Twitter. “Therefore we want to assure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.” Share this articleNo subscription required to readShare But the country that once upon a time threw British tea overboard couldn’t resist stirring up a little trouble. The embassy added that its staff would “continue to make tea in the proper way — by microwaving it.” The British government joined in on the fun, writing in a post, “We appreciate our Special Relationship, however, we must disagree wholeheartedly. … Tea can only be made using a kettle.” On Wednesday evening, “microwave” was trending on British Twitter. Some noted that this wasn’t the first time Americans have trolled Britain by suggesting it is acceptable to microwave a cup of tea. And after an American TikTok parody about making tea with powdered lemonade, cinnamon, the soft drink Tang, British officials called out the military to clarify the situation. Francl seems to be serious about her tea advice. In her new book, “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” she documents tea-making practices that date back more than 1,000 years. She advises using short mugs, with less surface area, to help keep the tea warm, and she says warming up the cup beforehand is important as it increases the amount of caffeine and antioxidants released. Throwing caution to the wind, Francl bravely weighs in on the Great Milk Debate and concludes that it’s better to use warm milk and to pour milk in after the tea. This, she says, will reduce the chances of it curdling. Francl has suggested that practices on both sides of the Atlantic could improve. “You get some awful cups of tea in the U.S.,” she told the Daily Mail. “People here often use lukewarm water straight from a tap. It’s horrific.”
Freee!! Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I think this article was published about 66 days early. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 If you can salt coffee why not salt tea. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2021/03/exploring-the-science-behind-adding-salt-to-coffee/ In both cases it is meant to reduce the bitterness of the caffeine and/or tannins that they contain. Haven't tried it myself but might give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zambo Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I read this and like fygjam did wonder whether salt was worth a try. I drink tea with milk along with a breakfast fry up, but apart from that no milk, and lemon isn't unusual in that case. But what did shock me (and i'm not easily shocked) was "People here often use lukewarm water straight from a [hot water] tap". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freee!! Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, Zambo said: I read this and like fygjam did wonder whether salt was worth a try. I drink tea with milk along with a breakfast fry up, but apart from that no milk, and lemon isn't unusual in that case. But what did shock me (and i'm not easily shocked) was "People here often use lukewarm water straight from a [hot water] tap". That last did shock me as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillearly Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 You can't trust the opinion of someone from a country that can't use electric kettles .... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 15 hours ago, Freee!! said: I think this article was published about 66 days early. So what ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 The great salt experiment. First off. How much salt. Science agrees, the human ability to detect salt varies widely. From 30mg/L to 460mg/L detecting salt in water. My cheap drug dealer milligram scales are broken. I made the mistake of putting the cheap drug dealer batteries that came with the scales into the scales. Naturally they leaked in a short time and stuffed the battery compartment. Secondly, science agrees again. In low (unspecified) concentrations, salt initially tastes sweet before tasting salty as the concentration increases. I did try a very small pinch of salt in a cup of tea. Couldn't detect any difference but without determining the amount of salt I'm flying blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lirchenfeld Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 2 hours ago, fygjam said: The great salt experiment. First off. How much salt. Science agrees, the human ability to detect salt varies widely. From 30mg/L to 460mg/L detecting salt in water. My cheap drug dealer milligram scales are broken. I made the mistake of putting the cheap drug dealer batteries that came with the scales into the scales. Naturally they leaked in a short time and stuffed the battery compartment. Secondly, science agrees again. In low (unspecified) concentrations, salt initially tastes sweet before tasting salty as the concentration increases. I did try a very small pinch of salt in a cup of tea. Couldn't detect any difference but without determining the amount of salt I'm flying blind. If we presume each individual salt grain is of the exact same size, you could do it grain by grain until you reach the amount that is right for you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 10 minutes ago, Lirchenfeld said: If we presume each individual salt grain is of the exact same size, you could do it grain by grain until you reach the amount that is right for you.... A few years ago I needed some fine salt but only had coarse sea salt. So I put a bit in the spice grinder, gave it a spin, then a bit more. Have you ever had salt with the consistency of icing sugar? ie. salt powder. On the other hand here's a lamp made out of a 7kg "grain" of salt. I don't think there's an SI unit for a grain of salt. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toy Boy Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) Adding salt to tea is an age-old practice in parts of Central Asia, as recounted in the story of Genghis Khan. It's also done in parts of Pakistan, Tibet and Afghanistan. Whether that's a recommendation or not I'll leave up to you, lol. Here's Quentin Letts' take on the matter which gave me a few smiles: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-13007749/QUENTIN-LETTS-salt-tea-advice-boffin.html Edited January 26 by Toy Boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 How 'bout that, they make a salt for green tea. But why do you need a magnetic base for a salt container? Another thing I didn't know, there's a wasabi salt. That would make for an interesting tea flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 4 hours ago, fygjam said: A few years ago I needed some fine salt but only had coarse sea salt. So I put a bit in the spice grinder, gave it a spin, then a bit more. Have you ever had salt with the consistency of icing sugar? ie. salt powder. On the other hand here's a lamp made out of a 7kg "grain" of salt. I don't think there's an SI unit for a grain of salt. Looks like a worked over cow lick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts