# British tea making skills! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093 "2005-11-15T01:36:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/41 "2005-11-15T16:39:45Z")
Blinking flip, boys and girls. Boiling water burns the tea? Boiling water is “deoxygenating”? Teabags are full of tea chest sweepings and caramel? Anything else? Boiling water doesn’t get any hotter whether it’s a rolling boil or not. Waiting for it to stop rolling before you pour results in a miniscule amount of cooling. If temperature’s that important to you, don’t forget to factor in the air pressure! Boiling water _is_ deoxygenated. Once you’ve boiled it, you’re going to have to let it cool down and sit for a couple of hours to get back to the trivial 8 ppm oxygen it contained at room temperature. And it doesn’t help to stop the heat an instant before it’s boiling - you drive dissolved gases out just with elevation of temperature. The whole oxygenation thing is nonsensical. Just make the tea however you like it. Bags, infusers, loose leaves, preheated porcelain, organic, shat out by a civet - do what you like. There’s no right way, there’s only a right way for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/42 "2005-11-15T16:53:37Z")
> [@matt](#): > > shat out by a civet I believe that’s _coffee_. But really, there is such a thing as a proper temperature for green tea, at least. If you use boiling hot water on the highest grade green tea, you get a significantly more bitter brew than if you use water that’s about 70C. Loose leaf tea DOES taste noticably better than tea bags. And Lipton is shit. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/43 "2005-11-15T17:08:10Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > What most Irish and British abroad complain about is not the temperature of the water, nor the fact that it is made in a mug rather than a pot, nor do they really care whether it is bag or leaf. > > What they actually care about is not being able to get any decent brands of tea. Lipton doesn’t count. Hmmm…I wouldn’t go that far. The tempurature of the water is crucial…and something we poor benighted nontea people do get wrong. But as to brands, I give you the Voice Of Authority: "With milk teas which can be drunk black include: - Yunnan (that’s the one I use most often) - English Breakfast (pref Twinings - and available in the US) - Traditional Afternoon (pref Twinings - sadly not available in the US unless it is maskerading as something else on Twining’s site!) - Keemun - Russian Caravan (Keemun, Oolong and Darjeeling tea blend) Without milk teas include: - Imperial afternoon (“A delightful blend of China, Indian, Formosan and Ceylon teas, with the subtle flavours of Lapsang, Jasmine, Rose and Oil of Bergamot. With added Jasmine flower, Rose petal and Cornflower”) - Earl Grey (please please please don’t make this with milk…only Australians do that and boy does it taste disgusting!) - Genmai Cha Tea (Japanese with added hulled rice kernals!)" (And yes you do seem to be right about the British and Twinings.) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/44 "2005-11-15T17:16:11Z")
Forty-one posts so far, and most had a precise recipe. None of the recipes were the same. Apparently, if I serve tea to a tea fanatic, I have zero chance of satisfying him unless I simply take him in the kitchen and have him do it him(or her)self. If you want a tea cozy, go to the Tar-zhay and look for a quilted toaster cover. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/45 "2005-11-15T17:20:12Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > And Lipton is shit. Oh, it’s not _that_ bad! I prefer Ahmad loose teas, or some incredibly cheap Indian tea I have. On the frequent occasions when I’m too lazy to make loose tea, then Earl Grey or some Tetley’s. But Lipton will do in a pinch, especially if you put milk and sugar in it. And it’s perfect for sun tea. Lipton isn’t _completely_ horrible. It’s just my last choice. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/46 "2005-11-15T18:09:29Z")
Well, okay… I was being a wee bit hyperbolic. But honestly. When I first went back home for the holidays, I realised that the “tea” I’ve been drinking is just… yuk. Milk and sugar alone would be preferable. I don’t know exactly WHY, but I can’t manage to drink it any more. So I’ve been using loose leaf English Breakfast from Fortnum and Mason’s (surprisingly enough, available from a little store in Singapore!) in a tea ball. Yeah, I’m lazy in the mornings, sue me. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/47 "2005-11-15T18:29:32Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Forty-one posts so far, and most had a precise recipe. None of the recipes were the same. Apparently, if I serve tea to a tea fanatic, I have zero chance of satisfying him unless I simply take him in the kitchen and have him do it him(or her)self. A tea _fanatic_, yes. A normal British guest, just one rule: BOILING WATER. Everything else is secondary. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/48 "2005-11-15T18:33:46Z")
> [@Tevildo](#): > > A tea _fanatic_, yes. A normal British guest, just one rule: BOILING WATER. Everything else is secondary. I’d go with that. For me, as well as Brits _et al_. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/49 "2005-11-15T18:33:43Z")
> [@matt](#): > > Boiling water doesn’t get any hotter whether it’s a rolling boil or not. Waiting for it to stop rolling before you pour results in a miniscule amount of cooling. If temperature’s that important to you, don’t forget to factor in the air pressure! Actually, yes, it’s impossible to make proper tea above about 2000’ AMSL, for this very reason. Stick to coffee in the mountains. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/50 "2005-11-15T18:37:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You often hear _American_ people complaining how hard it is to find a proper cup of _coffee_ here in the _U.K._ I always thought it was pretty much–put _a spoonful of instant granules_ in cup–add hot water, but obviously it’s more mysterious than that… That sinks it - when I eventually do make my 6 month tour of Yerp, I shall not be able to sleep over in the UK - morning without a decent cup of coffee is hell, I say! At least I hear you folk know a thing or two about decent ale. (Note: I did not say “beer;” - no sniping at crappy American lager, I’m a PNW’er and we do have decent breweries here.) ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/51 "2005-11-15T18:47:11Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > I believe that’s _coffee_. I certainly hope so! I’ll take your word about the green tea, never having prepared it myself. Do you use some kind of tea thermometer? > [@Tevildo](#): > > Actually, yes, it’s impossible to make proper tea above about 2000’ AMSL, for this very reason. Stick to coffee in the mountains 2000 feet? 98[sup]o[/sup] C instead of 100[sup]o[/sup]C? That’s some finicky tea standards you have there! ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/52 "2005-11-15T20:23:33Z")
It’s easy. Walk up to the machine. Put your pound in. Complain about the price of a cup of tea. (it is vital to complain even if there’s no-one around. It’s permissible to mutter) Retrieve your pound from the change slot, and put it back in the machine. Retrieve it from the change slot again, and search your pockets for other change. Put one fifty, three tens and four fivepennies into the machine. Wait for exactly three quarters of a minute. Watch as a beige plastic cup plops out of the machine, and is halfheartedly filled with water that is hotter than the surface of the sun. Watch as day-old milk is squirted out of a different nozzle and lands on your shoe. Wait for another ten seconds. Reach out to take your cup just in time for a final blast of hot water to take off the skin off your thumb. Lift cup by rim, splashing self regularly with horrifically hot water. Return to desk. Begin work again. After exactly four minutes the tea will be stone cold. Then you may begin to drink it. This is what it TRULY means to be British. The best part is that you’ll genuinely miss the stuff when you go abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/53 "2005-11-15T23:54:49Z")
and use a decent sort of milk, not that horrible UHT stuff that seems to be universal in America. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/54 "2005-11-16T00:18:23Z")
Hmmm…one thing that I make sure is fully stocked at the beginning of my week is a tupperware box full of tea bags. Going through a whole load of schools, I kill two birds with one stone - I ensure I don’t breach any unilateral staff-room etiquette regarding apparently-available tea, and I know I’ll get a half-decent cup at the end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/55 "2005-11-16T00:25:22Z")
> [@Mk VII](#): > > and use a decent sort of milk, not that horrible UHT stuff that seems to be universal in America. What is UHT? ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/56 "2005-11-16T00:51:27Z")
> [@Orual](#): > > What is UHT? Ultra High Temperature processed, that is, treated to be stored at room temperature as long as its container is kept sealed. Parmalat is one common brand name. I’m not going to wade into the “correct cup of tea” fight, because as should be obvious by now, **Matt** is right; there is no right way, only the right way for you. Besides, I’m a Yank. I will say: The water does make a huge difference. Here in Philadelphia the difference between tea made with filtered and unfiltered water is visible, literally. One is clear, the other is murky and has a film on top. British tea is likely to be stronger than American tea. This is easily deduced from reading the labels on US and British boxes of tea bags; Americans make 100 bags out of 8 oz. of tea, the British more commonly make 80 bags out of 250 grams, which is more than 8 oz. The one thing NEVER to do is make iced tea with that “instant iced tea” mix sold in canisters. I don’t know what is in that stuff, but it won’t get you tea. Speaking of iced tea: you can start a similar all-American fight by asking whether iced tea should be heavily sweetened, Southern-style, or not. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/57 "2005-11-16T00:57:40Z")
> [@ryobserver](#): > > Speaking of iced tea: you can start a similar all-American fight Ok. > [@ryobserver](#): > > by asking whether iced tea should be heavily sweetened, Southern-style, or not. Where’s the puke smiley. 😛 Iced tea should be unsweetened. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/58 "2005-11-16T01:03:48Z")
> [@ryobserver](#): > > Ultra High Temperature processed, that is, treated to be stored at room temperature as long as its container is kept sealed. Parmalat is one common brand name. Well then, I think **Mk VII** is confused, because such a product is in no way common in any part of America I’ve ever lived in. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/59 "2005-11-16T01:35:02Z")
> [@Fromage A Trois](#): > > What gets me about the difficulty in getting good tea abroad is that it’s not _difficult_. Loads of people here have gone on about loose tea and warming the pot and so on. > […] > It is easy to make a good cup of tea, one that I would happily drink wherever I received it: > > 1. Put cold water in kettle, switch it on. > 2. Put teabag in cup, with milk and sugar if you wish. > 3. When kettle comes to the boil (not before, not after), pour the water into the cup. > 4. Leave for a few minutes, with the odd stir and a final squeeze of bag. > 5. Remove teabag. > 6. Drink nice, easy cup of tea. > […] > This will make a nice cup of tea. Maybe not the best in the world, but nice. I think this should be framed and used as the thread-ending post in all future “British tea” threads, although I would simplify it further - one mug, any decent teabag, boiling water, three or four minutes, milk. It doesn’t matter what brand you use, it doesn’t matter how boiling the water is, none of the fiddly details matter. Just make sure it’s strong and has milk in it. Add sugar to taste. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093/60 "2005-11-16T01:56:15Z")
Slight tangent - has anyone had any luck finding good decaf tea? I love English Breakfast, but I can’t tolerate caffeine. I’ve used as many as 5 bags of the decaf Twinings, and it still tastes insipid. I’d love to know about a source for ordering loose leaf decaf… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tea-making-skills/331093.md?page=4)