In a shocking twist that's caused more ripples than a dunked biscuit, a U.S. scientist claims to have discovered the ultimate secret to a perfect cuppa: salt. Yes, you heard it right—salt in your tea. The Brits, notorious for their steadfast love of tradition and tea, are not taking this revelation lightly. It’s created a social media cultural throwdown that now comically involves the U.S. Embassy and the UK Cabinet Office.
Yes, all over a perfect cup of tea.
Professor Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, insists that adding salt isn't just a culinary curveball but steeped in science. According to her, salt blocks the bitterness receptor in tea, providing a smoother sip without resorting to sugar for balance. She says just a touch is all you need, not enough to actually taste the salt, but just enough to trick your tongue. While her intentions were innocent, the Brits are having none of it.
The U.S. Embassy, in a diplomatic twist as surreal as adding salt to tea, took to Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, to reassure the UK that salting their national drink is not on the official United States policy agenda.
That should calm diplomatic relations, right? Well, not exactly.
Instead, as the final line in the same missive, U.S. officials shared that “The U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way- by microwaving it”.
Now that final comedic sentence has started an entirely new social media nightmare across the pond, where the idea of microwaving a cuppa is almost unheard of (they prefer a kettle, often electric). On this issue, Professor Franci agrees with the Brits, saying microwaving the water for tea not only makes the drink unhealthy, but can result in tea “scum” on top of the cup. Of course, the UK Cabinet Office had to get in on the debate, sharing that water for tea can only be made in a kettle. I also have to weigh in on this one. While I appreciate the ease of a microwave, I also prefer my tea scum-free.
Of course, the backdrop here is just a few hundred years of touchy tea history. On December 16, 1773, American revolutionaries dumped tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party to protest the Tea Act of 1773, so… too soon?
And this, my friends, is only day one in the great salt/tea brouhaha of 2024.