A big controversy involving the British government breaks out, with an American scientist claiming that ``To make the perfect tea, you should add a pinch of salt.''



Black tea is known as a drink that represents British culture, and it is said that many British people drink black tea on a daily basis. An American scientist published a book on how to perfectly brew black tea, but its contents, such as ``adding a pinch of salt to black tea,'' are causing controversy.

SteepedThe Chemistry of Tea | Books Gateway | Royal Society of Chemistry
https://books.rsc.org/books/monograph/2162/SteepedThe-Chemistry-of-Tea

Want to fix a bad cuppa? Just add salt to your tea...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/24/add-salt-to-fix-bad-cup-of-tea/

Professor Michelle Frankl of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, USA, conducted her own research on how to brew tea using a teapot at home, analyzed old literature and previous research, and published ``Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea.'' It was compiled into a book and published by the Royal Society of Chemistry .

In his book, Professor Frankl says, ``When tea leaves absorb water, they expand four to five times, so the size of the tea bag is more important than the shape.'' ``Soak the tea bag in vodka for about a minute, then dry it.'' They published research results such as ``This makes it possible to make decaf,'' and ``Heating water with tea bags in a microwave is not recommended because it will form a bitter taste.'' Regarding the long-standing question, ``Which should you pour black tea or milk first for milk tea?'', Professor Frankl said, ``To reduce the possibility of black tea curdling, warm milk should be poured after pouring black tea.'' We are presenting the answer.

Furthermore, according to Professor Frankl, adding a pinch of salt to black tea can improve its taste. Professor Frankl explains that this is because sodium ions block bitter taste receptors on the tongue, a method that has been popular since the 8th century.



Professor Frankl's ``perfect way to brew black tea'' is as follows.

1: Add a pinch of salt to reduce bitterness.
2: To reduce the chance of curdling, add the black tea first and then pour the warm milk afterwards.
3: Use a short, sturdy mug to keep the tea warmer.
4: Use tea leaves instead of tea bags.
5: Pre-warming your cup will increase the amount of caffeine and antioxidants.
6: Do not reuse tea leaves or tea bags, only use them once.
7: Do not brew in the microwave.
8: Do not leave tea leaves in hot water for too long.



However, an American scientist published a book from the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom on ``the correct way to brew black tea,'' and it also contained shocking content such as ``Adding salt to black tea makes it taste better.'' It seems that there was a great response from British people who love tea. After the publication of his book, Professor Frankl received a large number of emails from people who had questions about adding salt to tea.

Regarding the results of Professor Frankl's research, The Telegraph, a British general newspaper, asked, ``What do Americans know about British tea?'', and the Scottish Daily Express, a Scottish news media, said, ``An American scholar has recently written a book... According to a book on how to make the perfect tea, there are a lot of things that British people get wrong when it comes to brewing tea.'' British public media, the BBC , says, ``British people have a lot of things wrong when it comes to brewing tea.'' I claim to know something about it.'

Furthermore, the Daily Mail , Britain's oldest tabloid newspaper, put Professor Frankl's method into practice. About the results: 'All I ended up with was an incredibly hot and salty black tea that tasted awful. Worried that I had added too much salt as a fair test, I added just a pinch to the control tea. 'We found that if we added salt little by little, the result was either a drink that tasted pretty much the same as the original, or a drink that was unpleasantly salty.'

In response to this uproar, the American Embassy in London said, ``A recipe for the 'perfect' tea devised by an American professor has been reported in the media, drawing keen attention to the special bond between Britain and the United States. .Tea is the elixir that creates a sense of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites Britain and the United States.We cannot stand by and let such an outrageous proposal shake the very foundations of our special relationship. We would like to remind the good people of Britain that the unimaginable idea of adding salt to America's national drink is not official in the United States, and never will be. 'Let's come together and show the world that we are one when it comes to tea,' posted an official statement on X.



However, the U.S. Embassy added a comment at the end of the statement: ``The U.S. Embassy will continue to brew tea the correct way, which is to heat it in the microwave.''

In the replies to the US Embassy's statement, many British people said, ``The idea of ``brewing tea in a microwave'' is so American and nonsense.'' In addition, the official account of the UK Cabinet Office also responded, writing: ``Reply to the statement released by the American Embassy: We appreciate our special relationship, but we must wholeheartedly disagree. I can't make it without it,' he commented.



There were also many posts that compared it to the Boston Tea Party , such as ``America was founded by adding salt to tea.''



·bonus
The Royal Society of Chemistry also issued a statement in 2003 titled ' (PDF file) How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea' regarding how to make a perfect cup of tea . According to them, the perfect way to brew tea is as follows.

1: Pour fresh soft water into a kettle and bring to a boil.
2: While waiting for the water to boil in the kettle, place a teapot filled with about 1/4 cup of water in the microwave and heat on full power for 1 minute.
3: Once the kettle has boiled, drain the hot water that was heated in the microwave.
4: Add 1 teaspoon of tea leaves per cup to the pot.
5: When the water in the kettle comes to a boil, pour the hot water into the teapot and stir.
6: Extract for 3 minutes.
7: Ceramic mugs are ideal.
8: Pour the milk into the cup, then the black tea.
9: Add sugar to your preference. Drinking at a temperature of 60 to 65 degrees Celsius will eliminate the unpleasant sensation of swallowing.
10: Sit down and have a cup of tea in a quiet and relaxing spot in your favorite home.



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