In case you missed it, there is a tempest over what goes in a tea cup, sparked by research into what makes a good cup of tea. From NPR: A U.S. scientist's tea recipe has Brits aghast. Salt? Warm milk? The horror!
LONDON — It was an innocent little detail, backed by centuries of science, in a chemistry book about tea. Something American author Michelle Francl never anticipated would cause a stir, or a brewhaha — and land the U.S. Embassy in hot water.
Researching her new book, Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, Francl analyzed caffeine levels and studied the molecules that give tea its aroma. She uncovered the little-known presence in tea of other chemicals, including fluoride and aluminum. And she pored over an 8th century Chinese manuscript that called for salt to be added to the boiling water.
"Turns out, the sodium ions in the salt block our perception of bitterness — the receptors for bitterness in your tongue and your mouth," says Francl, a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. "So if you put a tiny bit of salt in — not enough to taste — you make the cup of tea or coffee smoother and less bitter."
Here’s the blurb for her book (Which is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry):
Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea
Hardback ISBN: 978-1-83916-591-7
PDF ISBN: 978-1-83767-038-3
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-83767-039-0
Publication date: 24 Jan 2024
About this book
Tea is the world’s most popular beverage. Dive into a cup of tea with a chemist and discover the rich molecular brew that can be extracted from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea contains over a hundred different chemical compounds which contribute to its colour, taste and scent – and its stimulating effects. The best-known is caffeine, but how does caffeine end up in tea and how can you get it out?
Beginning with the leaves, Steeped explores the chemistry behind different styles of tea, from green teas to pu-erh. It tackles the age-old question of when, or even whether, to add milk. And it puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup.
As might be expected, the suggestion to use salt has stirred up a major controversy in England, with the expected reference to American bad behavior regarding tea dating back to that incident in Boston Harbor. The NPR article cites a number of outraged responses. The U.S Embassy felt obliged to weigh in — although they appear to have done so with a little snark.
Today's media reports of an American Professor's recipe for the "perfect cup
of tea has landed our special bond with the United Kingdom in hot water.
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.
Therefore we want to ensure 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.
Let us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes
to tea, we stand as one.
The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by
microwaving it.
Francl freely admits America is not terribly great at making tea, and enjoys it the way it is commonly to be experienced in the British Isles. Also note: she says salt can have the same effect of blocking the bitterness of coffee — but that seems to have been overlooked in the ongoing kerfuffle. (No word on covfefe.)
In the interests of SCIENCE!!! I have done my own research — that is I’ve tried making tea with a pinch of salt. Nothing fancy — just a test run with some common industrial grade black tea in bags. I’ve brewed the tea in. a cup, let it steep, and then added a minute amount of salt. Of the three cups I’ve tried so far, it does seem to really knock down the bitterness, and the taste of salt is not perceptible to me.
For those who like to sweeten their tea, this could make it possible to reduce the amount of sweetener needed to adjust the taste. I haven’t tried salt with lemon, or something more flavorful, like Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong.
This is easy enough to try for yourself — for extra fun, try a blind tasting test. Make up a cuppa with and one without, and see if someone who doesn’t know which is which can detect a difference. If you are ambitious, try it with coffee as well.