Not since the Boston Tea Party has such outrage been brewed across the Atlantic.
The US Embassy in London felt obliged to state its position last night after an American scientist claimed a pinch of salt was the key to making the perfect cup of tea.
The embassy sought to reassure “the good people of the UK” with the statement: “The unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be.”
It called tea, “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.”
But just when they were doing so well, they added: “The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way — by microwaving it.”
The diplomatic intervention came after Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl said a pinch of salt was one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea.
The tip was included in Francl’s book “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” published yesterday (Weds) by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The salt suggestion had drawn howls of outrage from tea-lovers.
“Don’t even say the word “salt” to us…” the etiquette guide Debrett’s wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Yorkshire Tea piled in on their Instagram, simply writing “No.”
The product of three years’ research and experimentation, the book explores the more than 100 chemical compounds found in tea and “puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup,” its publisher says.
Francl says adding a small amount of salt – not enough to taste – helps cut bitterness.
She also advocates making tea in a pre-warmed pot, agitating the bag briefly but vigorously and serving in a short, stout mug to preserve the heat.
She says milk should be added to the cup after the tea, not before – another issue that often divides tea lovers.
On the Chemistry World site, Francl said writing the book had “enhanced my enjoyment of a cup of tea” but noted “there were several disquieting discoveries along the way.”
“There are the remains of lots of bugs in my tea – the DNA of hundreds of different insects have been identified in tea leaves,” she said.
