Just over 250 years after American patriots sank barrels of tea into Boston harbor in protest of King George’s taxation policies, a new tea war is brewing that could threaten the special relationship.
This week, Professor Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, told DailyMail.com about her bizarre methodology for the ‘perfect cup of tea.’
It included pre-heating a mug, using a short and stout container, using leaves rather than bags, adding warm milk to reduce curdling, a pinch of salt to reduce bitterness and finally not reusing the leaves.
The outrage generated by tea-loving Britons prompted a response from the US Embassy in London, seeking to alleviate simmering tensions.
The short statement remarks that it is not the part of Joe Biden’s foreign policy to encourage the British people to add salt to their tea. The press release’s concluding remarks are likely to spark more outrage.
‘The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way – by microwaving it.’
This is the statement that caused outrage online
It is woven deeply into the fabric of British culture. But now a scientist from the US claims to have found the secrets to a perfect cuppa
During the historic Boston Tea Party, protesting ‘taxation without representation,’ members of the Sons of Liberty and others boarded East India Co. ships and dumped their valuable haul — some 92,000 pounds of tea worth nearly $2 million today — into the murky waters of Boston Harbor.
Great Britain responded with military rule and other sanctions on Massachusetts, stoking American opposition to colonial rule.
The Boston Tea Party is considered a pivotal event leading the American Revolutionary War.
The latest escalation of tensions regarding tea prompted some social media users to recall horror stories of having being served microwaved tea.
‘My housemate used to put a Lipton tea bag in a mug of tap water and microwave it. I’m not sure if he was trying to hurt me or himself,’ wrote on person.
‘Remember visiting friends of friends in Chicago. They offered to make me a cup of tea, but retreated saying they could not confirm if the microwave was kosher. I’ve still not recovered; as if my concern would be the kashrut status of the microwave not their lack of a kettle,’ wrote another.
Typhoo Tea referenced the Boston Tea Party in its response.
‘The tea would be better off dumped in Boston Harbour than a microwave.’
Others were more straightforward in expressing their disgust.
‘Tea in a microwave? RANCID.’
‘Who gave the children the x account…… microwave tea?! That’s it i want off the world,’ said another person.
Another commented on the embassy’s statement. ‘Funny, but seriously, who the F makes tea with a microwave?,’ they said.
While another wrote: ‘And that, Ladies and Gentleman, is US diplomacy in 2024.’
Professor Francl’s research, which she has documented in a new book called Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, also found that the aroma of tea is almost as important as the taste – so when drinking from a takeaway cup, it’s best to remove the lid.
Larger tea bags were found to work better because they allow the tea leaves to move around, keeping them in contact with the water.
Decaffeinated tea can be made by steeping a tea bag for 30 seconds, removing it and discarding the liquid, then adding fresh water and re-brewing for five minutes.
After water, tea is the most drunk beverage worldwide, and people have been obsessing over the perfect way to brew it for hundreds of years.
A Chinese mystic from the Tang Dynasty is quoted as saying that, prepared perfectly, tea holds the power to lift one ‘to the realms of the unwinking gods’.
Professor Francl believes its enduring appeal comes from the unique aromatic experience and rich flavour profile it provides – along with the caffeine content.
‘Tea is a cultural touchstone in Britain, but is enjoyed all over the world,’ she said.
‘Even after all these years of drinking tea and researching chemistry, I learned new things about what is in my cup and how to make the very best cup of tea.’