That's the Tea

An American chemist advised putting a pinch of salt in one’s tea, creating a small diplomatic case over an issue that has been ongoing since Orwell's time.

Courtesy of Netflix

In recent days, the recommendation by a U.S. chemist in her book to add salt to tea to reduce its bitterness has created quite an uproar in the United Kingdom, a country where tea is a part of tradition and where many people have strong opinions about it. The issue has ended up in major British newspapers, from the Telegraph to the Independent and the Guardian, and has caused a diplomatic half-case, with comments from both the U.S. Embassy in London and the Cabinet Office, the U.K. government office that assists the prime minister and the government's executive department. For English people, tea is a serious matter, so much so that there is a cyclical discussion about what are the most scientifically correct procedures for making a good cup of tea. In 1946, the English writer and journalist George Orwell wrote that tea "was one of the chief bastions of civilization in the country" and that "the best way to make it [was] the subject of violent argument." As neuroscientist Dean Burnett explained a few years ago in his Guardian blog, "from a scientific point of view, the right way to make tea is ‘as you like it best’." The case these days concerns the book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, written by U.S. Bryn Mawr College (Pennsylvania) chemistry professor Michelle Francl and published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the U.K.'s dedicated science institution. In her book, Francl explains that she consulted numerous scientific studies and ancient texts on tea brewing, and tried to use her expertise in chemistry, along with her fondness for tea over coffee, to figure out how to make "the perfect cup of tea." Among other things, Francl recommends adding a pinch of salt because "sodium ions block some of the receptors we use to sense the bitterness" of the drink. According to her research, it was a practice indicated as early as some Chinese manuscripts from the 8th century. In the British press, Francl has received a lot of attention and has also been widely commented on social media. An estimated 100 million cups of tea are drunk every day in the United Kingdom out of a population of about 67 million. "I certainly didn't want to cause a diplomatic incident," Francl said in an interview given to the BBC. According to her, it is understandable that people may be disoriented by the idea of adding salt to tea, "but it's not like adding sugar." The case, however, also involved institutions. In a forcefully high-sounding statement, the U.S. Embassy in London wrote that it could not "remain impassive, as such a shameful statement threatens the very foundation of our special relationship" with the United Kingdom. "We therefore want to reassure" the country's residents, the statement continued, "that the unthinkable concept of adding salt to Britain's national drink is not an official practice in the United States, nor will it ever be." The end of the statement reads, "The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea the correct way, which is by using the microwave." This is an ironic reference to another case a few years ago, in which an American TikToker had shown in a video how Americans make tea, namely by heating it in a microwave, provoking debate. In response to the U.S. Embassy statement, the Cabinet Office wrote on social media that it had to "sincerely disagree: tea can only be made with a kettle." That boiling tea in a microwave is one of the main issues on which the British and Americans have divergent habits, but it is also one of the steps in the preparation of the beverage on which science does not have a definitive answer. Francl, for example, is against boiling water in the microwave because, according to her, "rapid boiling releases magnesium and antioxidants that form a layer of 'dirt' on the surface of the tea," which again according to her research can still be removed with a squeeze of lemon juice. In addition, as a group of Chinese researchers had already noted, microwaving does not heat the water evenly, adversely affecting the infusion of the tea bag. For Andrew Stapley, a chemical engineer at Loughborough University heard several years ago from the Guardian, the microwave, on the other hand, was still fine.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, December 2003

One of the main issues on which English people themselves are divided is the question of milk: if you want to put it in, should it be put in before or after the tea? Originally, milk was put into the cup first, to ensure that the temperature change with the boiling water would not crack or break it. Also, according to Stapley, milk should be put in first to prevent the degradation of milk proteins, and this is the same thing that the Royal Society of Chemistry advocates. Francl, on the other hand, believes that it should be put in afterwards to prevent it from curdling, and it would be better if it were itself heated. Sommelier and tea expert Neil Phillips also agrees with her, but more as a matter of etiquette: in past centuries, in fact, pouring it first was a custom associated with the lower classes. In any case, one should never put the tea bag in the milk before pouring the water, which would otherwise cool too quickly, compromising the brewing process and thus the flavor of the drink, Burnett said. It is, however, an issue that can be circumvented by having the tea infused in a teapot. Undoubtedly, the final taste of tea is greatly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the water and the tea itself, as well as personal preference. The procedure, however, can also play a role, which is probably why it arouses so much controversy. In his recipe for a nice cup of tea published in the Evening Standard on January 12, 1946, titled precisely "A Nice Cup of Tea," Orwell himself noted that of his "eleven basic points" for making it "perhaps two could be agreed upon," while "at least four [were] extremely objectionable." For Orwell, the tea had to be from India or Sri Lanka, because in his view the Chinese one was "uninspiring"; in addition, it had to be prepared in a teapot, preferably made of porcelain, earthenware, or pewter, which is an alloy composed mainly of tin. Furthermore, according to him, the teapot had to be heated on a stove before boiling water in it, and the tea leaves had to be used loose, without strainers, infusers or sachets, so that they could move freely and release all their properties. These are two points that Francl also agrees with, who reminds us not to let the sachets infuse for too long and advises squeezing and pushing them up and down several times to reduce the effect of the tannins, the ones that give the bitter feeling. In any case, neither the bags nor the leaves should ever be reused. As a final point, tea "should be drunk without sugar," Orwell said. "How can you call yourself a true tea lover if you destroy the flavor of your tea by putting sugar in it? Tea should be bitter, like beer," Orwell concluded, "if you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting tea, only sugar."

One thing is certain though: tea is no joke for Brits.