The British claim to know a thing or two when it comes to making a good cup of tea.

The beverage is a cultural institution in the UK, where an estimated 100 million cups are drunk every day.

But now a scientist based more than 3,000 miles (5,000km) away in the US claims to have found the secret to a perfect cuppa that many Brits would initially find absolutely absurd - adding salt.

It turns out that it is not a new idea - the ingredient is even mentioned in Eighth Century Chinese manuscripts, which Prof Francl analysed to perfect her recipe.

“What is new is our understanding of it as chemists,” Prof Francl said.

She explains that salt acts as a blocker to the receptor which makes tea taste bitter, especially when it has been stewed.

By adding a pinch of table salt - an undetectable amount - you will counteract the bitterness of the drink.

“It is not like adding sugar. I think people are afraid they will be able to taste the salt.”

She urges tea-loving Brits to have an open mind before prejudging her research, which she has documented in her new book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

    • RedEye FlightControl@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Was about to say. This is pretty well known science. A dash of salt in coffee will de-bitter it. I would only assume the same goes for tea. Being a tea drinker I have yet to try it, but next time I have a bad cuppa, I’ll have a go at it.

  • janAkali@lemmy.one
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    11 months ago

    Reminds me of mongolian tea: VERY strong, 70/30 milk and water, teaspoon of butter and a pinch of salt (enough to taste it and a little more).

    I don’t drink it often, because it’s reallly unhealthy. But it’s really good beverage for cold winter nights or after tiring work. It gives you a boost of energy, without the usual sugar fatigue that comes after drinking sweetened coffee/energy drinks.

  • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Most people put sugar on grapefruit but I always put salt on it growing up because of the same chemistry. You don’t really need to sweeten the fruit, you just need to halt the bitterness a tad bit and the flavor really opens up.

    • Luccus@feddit.de
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      11 months ago

      I always eaten them as is. Am I missing something?

      I never even considered a condiment for grapefruit.

  • stown@sedd.it
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    11 months ago

    Good luck. Brits, for some reason, believe that microwaving your tea water is somehow blasphemous. I mean, it’s not like you put the tea in the kettle when you boil water just the same as you don’t put tea in the microwave while boiling the water. I guess the US doesn’t have a monopoly on idiots.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      Lol they even had this in the article:

      But chief among her advice is to never, ever heat up the water in a microwave: “It’s less healthy and it does not taste as good,” Prof Francl says.

      Heating up water in the microwave is less healthy? It changed the taste? Are these people serious?

    • taanegl@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I don’t microwave a damn thing, because I don’t like how microwaves heat foot. But tea? Hmm…

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Perhaps this tip will work for you? There are “dead zones” in the microwave where some spots get little radiation. Put your food/cup/plate/whatever on the edge so it rotates through the hot and cold zones, heats faster and more evenly.

        • Kethal@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Or heating it for longer. It doesn’t get hotter in a kettle or microwave once it boils.

      • stown@sedd.it
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        11 months ago

        I don’t know how many things you’ve made in a microwave but most people know you have to let it sit for a minute after the microwave goes off for even heat distribution (or if you dont want to wait the full minute - give it a stir and zap it for another 20 seconds). The article you linked stated that microwaving is different because the hot water rises to the top and won’t sink back to the bottom, duh! - that’s how hot water works in a gravitational field.

  • Azzu@lemm.ee
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    11 months ago

    I’ve heard this years ago. I decided to try it blind, make two cups, one with really a minimal, less than a pinch amount of salt. Then randomize them so I didn’t know which was which.

    I could taste this “undetectable” amount of salt and it was worse.

    I can just say, try it out like this (blindly). If it works for you, nice, it didn’t for me.

    • iiGxC@slrpnk.net
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      11 months ago

      Maybe you still used too much salt? Let’s do a big randomized trial with 1-20 grains of salt

      • Azzu@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        idk, maybe. I think it was like 10 grains or something :D

    • The Giant Korean@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I’d repeat the test with someone else, and do NOT tell them that there’s salt in it. Just ask them if they notice a difference.

  • whoelectroplateuntil@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    Yeah, it’s a super old trick (like the researcher said, she referenced a 1200-year old manuscript to help dial in the right proportions). Here’s a page from some random coffee roaster that goes into the long, long history of salting coffee for the exact same reasons: https://drinkgoldenratio.com/a/blog/salted-coffee

    Apparently, cutting the water with sea brine was a popular trick in countries with a lot of coastline, that was how many sailors preferred it, etc.

  • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Since you all just learned what salt is, try putting it in your food! It’s what people refer to as a “seasoning”. Crazy right?