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A US scientist has brewed up a storm by offering Britain advice on making tea (apnews.com)

submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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An American scientist has sparked a trans-Atlantic tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite hot beverage.

Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl says one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt. The tip is included in Francl’s book “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Not since the Boston Tea Party has mixing tea with salt water roiled the Anglo-American relationship so much.

The salt suggestion drew howls of outrage from tea-lovers in Britain, where popular stereotype sees Americans as coffee-swilling boors who make tea, if at all, in the microwave.

...

The U.S. Embassy in London intervened in the brewing storm with a social media post reassuring “the good people of the U.K. that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy.”

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[-] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 49 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Hold on, about to have my morning cup o Yorkshire, will report back

Edit - it kinda just makes it... rounder. Tea is supposed to be a little bit bitter, the salt makes the softer flavours more pronounced so it kinda stops tasting like tea

Edit 2, second cuppa. Just realised the prof probably doesn't realise that a pinch of salt is actually quite a bit, so I tried an actual tiny pinch. You know what, it actually does improve it a tiny bit, but no enough that I need more salt in my life.

Does that daft cow not realise how much tea we drink? This is diabolical

[-] filcuk@lemmy.zip 10 points 9 months ago

Thanks for your research, I was too lazy to get off the chair and try myself

[-] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

You need to drink more (average modern human drinks too less). Then you need more salt.

[-] Rayspekt@kbin.social 3 points 9 months ago

Now don't leave us hanging, won't you?

this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024

205 points (91.5% liked)

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