The Great Tea Debate

[Squirrel 5,180]

I realise this could be a very Brit centred discussion but will give it a go anyway.

I was making myself a brew at work last week and the girl who does the accounts was shocked when I put the milk in after I had brewed the tea. She was convinced I was burning the tea by pouring boiling water onto the bag. 

I believe that the water needs to be boiling to help the tea flavours diffuse. Having milk in the cup already is going to dull this effect making the tea weaker and tougher to gauge when you have brewed the tea to the right colour.

Further to this I also avoid squeezing the tea bag as that adds a touch of extra bitterness to a nice un-squeezed bag brew. 

I've noticed in the last day or so that some experts have weighed in on this discussion and it seems I am right. 

Whats your view? Do you add milk before or after the brewing of the tea?

[djw180 6,969]

Milk first. But I always use a tea pot (which I also think makes a difference), so it's not milk and bag in the mug followed by water. It's milk in the mug, tea & boiling water in the pot, wait a few minutes then combine the two.

A couple of years ago some students where I work did a Tea-t-test (that's tea as in what we're talking about, and t-test as in a statistic that is supposed to tell you if two different observations are really significantly different or the difference is just down to luck). First we had to say how we preferred to make the tea. Then they got us to try two cups of tea, one made milk first the other milk second, we obviously did not know which was which. Then we were asked which one we preferred. Their results were that no one could actually tell the difference.

I though still maintain tea from tea pot poured onto milk is better. Sometimes if you do it the other way round you get scum on the surface of your tea. But that may well depend on how long you mash (brew) the tea for.

 

If no tea pot is available, then it has to be milk 2nd. Milk and tea bag with boiling water poured on is not tea. It's slightly tea-flavored diluted warm milk - or something like that.

Edited February 24, 2016 by djw180

[LimeGreenLegend 4,269]

I like milk on its own

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Like DJ if I'm making a pot then I'll put a drop of milk into the cup, then add the brewed tea. If making a mug/cup, then teabag in, boiling water poured, get to right strength, teabag out and finally milk added.

[LN-MLB 2,583]

I'm very much a tea drinker, and I have always added the milk last.  I do prefer loose tea, but when it comes to using tea bags, I'll place one (or two if I want extra strength) in the cup, fill it with the boiling water, and leave enough room for a splash of milk after it has had enough time to brew.  Depending on the type of tea, I'll sometimes add a touch of sugar or honey before adding the milk.

Tea is something I could literally drink all day.

[Fido_le_muet 5,198]

Not giving my opinion.

This is serious british business !

[Pb76 3,952]

Milk last (except when I put it in first)

[Sinister 2,583]

Milk in.....Tea.....never in my life would I combine the two. The only thing I put in my Tea, is Sugar. Northern folks prefer it straight up, yuck.

[Xyon14 2,312]

Wouldn't touch the stuff if you paid me... that's for both milk and tea. Coffee 100%

[DavidCore89 7,404]

Edited February 24, 2016 by DavidCore89

[LN-MLB 2,583]

Coffee is definitely more popular here--you can't walk a block without running into a Starbucks or independent coffee house that roasts their own, but as far as taste is concerned, tea wins for me every time.  That's not to say I don't like or drink coffee, but tea  seems more complex in regards to varieties and taste.  I love the stuff and I even like those tea drinks that are heated with larger proportions of milk and spices.

With that said, what type of milk do you use?  I only use whole milk--half and half (or cream) is a bit much at times and low fat milk is too weak and watery.

Edited February 24, 2016 by LN-MLB

[Squirrel 5,180]

Green top all the way! Thats  semi skimmed or half and half to you non english!

[Xyon14 2,312]

25 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Green top all the way! Thats  semi skimmed or half and half to you non english!

Green top is soo not half and half fyi lol. Single cream would be the equivalent of the half and half that you get state side. The green cap would be 2% milk.

[Squirrel 5,180]

So semi skimmed is more like a smidge of cream

[phiNole 31]

When I've been in the UK on business, I've tried to like the traditional English tea (black tea with milk, I assume, is the traditional) and I just can't - the combination of black tea and milk is disgusting.   I'm not a coffee drinker at all, but I love tea, like LN, and I drink a variety of green, white and oolong teas, without anything added.  I also brew only loose tea using proper water temperatures based on the type of tea being used.

LN don't drink tea all day or you'll find yourself majorly dehydrated.  :-D

[JALJ 541]

Ima coffee drinker myself but have recently gotten introduced to Thai tea by my gf and the way I was taught to make it was milk after the tea was brewed. It's worked OK thus far, I'm not about to change things and potentially ruin a good pot of tea 

[zmurko 7,622]

4 hours ago, djw180 said:

If no tea pot is available, then it has to be milk 2nd. Milk and tea bag with boiling water poured on is not tea. It's slightly tea-flavored diluted warm milk - or something like that.

 

3 hours ago, TheBoyBry said:

Like DJ if I'm making a pot then I'll put a drop of milk into the cup, then add the brewed tea. If making a mug/cup, then teabag in, boiling water poured, get to right strength, teabag out and finally milk added.

That ^^^^

I make my tea in the mug, bags or loose, so always add milk after it's brewed of course.

I don't put any milk in green tea, only in black tea. I heard there's people who actually do the opposite. Is that true?

[G37 3,445]

Only "tea" I'll drink occasionally is Arnold Palmer. I'm a bastard.

[CandyRotten 161]

I think I must be the only brit who doesn't like tea. I do make other people cups of tea, usually I pour the milk in after the water but someone who I make the tea for likes it really bland, pretty much all she wants is to dip the tea bag in and out so I usually pour the milk first 

[JustHatched 12,123]

I had no idea milk in tea was an option....

 

I'm not a tea drinker but I will occasionally drink iced tea with a touch of lemon.

[Beez 5,091]

There's a great video of Guy Martin, Isle of Man TT racer, on the difference of milk first or last. Milk last is a mixture, milk first is an emulsion. Go to 2:22 in the video.

We had Tea Club at work for awhile and even had a spreadsheet to rank them. Never had milk in tea though. 

 

Edited February 25, 2016 by Beez

[Sinister 2,583]

Coffee. Americans are so addicted to that crap it isn't funny. Obsessed is a better word. I love the folks that think they "need" it to function. Nah, you're addicted brain just needs the Caffeine. 

[Skorpion 2,524]

I make my tea with milk last for the exact same reasons as in the OP.

[Booglies93 9]

I'm not a huge hot tea drinker myself, but my girlfriend is and had actually worked in a number of tea shops for a good bit, and on top of that, she's got a good baseline in both baking and cooking. She prefers to put the milk in last if she drinks it.

 

I myself tend to over complicate things, so I fill the cup half way and let it steep, add a 1/4 of warm water, and then finally add the milk into that. A lot of teas are specified to be brewed at around 90c, and milk curdles at 82c. It's probably not that signifigant, but doing it this way gives the OCD half of my brain a rest, and ensures that my tea is at drinking temperature as soon as it's done.

[Squirrel 5,180]

@Booglies93 Are you sure you're not English, great work with the scientific approach to tea making!