Starting the day with a hot beverage is essential for most Aussies, and while coffee is typically the drink of choice, there are still plenty of people who prefer a good ole cuppa.
WATCH: All about high tea
When it comes to brewing a cup of tea you’d think most tea-drinkers would have it down pat, but it turns out there’s a right way to making tea – and most of us are doing it wrong. While making the perfect cup of coffee comes down to complicated matters like water chemistry, the grinder and coffee freshness, making the perfect cup of tea is all about one thing: when you pour in the milk.
Professor Alan Mackie, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at Leeds University, says that flavour in your cup of tea can be underdeveloped and weak if milk is added last.
Flavour in tea comes from tannins which are a type of chemical compound that is naturally found in food and drinks including tea, coffee, chocolate and wine. They have a bitter flavour and are able to bind with minerals (water) and proteins (milk).
If milk is added last then tannins can turn into solids before they develop flavour, creating the skin that sits on top of tea. However if milk is added first, then proteins can bind to tannins and other minerals, preventing them from turning solid.
“Rather than the conventional method where you steep the tea in the hot water before adding the milk, I suggest you add the milk from the start and prevent that participation process and generate a much better flavoured and healthy cup of tea,” Professor Alan Mackie told News.com.au.
For the best effect, steep some loose leaf tea in a pot, pour your milk into your cup and then after allowing the boiling water to cool a few degrees, add it into the cup with milk.
Though everyone is the expert of their own cup of tea, trying out this science-approved method could elevate your next brew.
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