Many of us might think of it as an art, but apparently making the perfect mug of tea is all down to the science.
A team of university researchers has devised a mathematical formula for the ideal brew which shows that it is best drunk exactly six minutes after being made.
The optimum brewing time is two minutes and the ideal amount of milk is 10ml.
The perfect drinking temperature of 60c is achieved six minutes later - but after 17 minutes and 30 seconds the tea will be past its best as it falls below 45c.
Or, as the scientists at the University of Northumbria put it in their formula: TB + (H2O at 100 degrees centigrade) 2mins BT + C (10ml) 6mins BT = PC (at OT 60 degrees centigrade).
If you're wondering, TB means tea bag, BT is brewing time, C is milk, PC means perfect cuppa, and OT stands for optimum temperature.
For the research, commissioned by a milk company, the team spent 180 hours in the lab testing brewing methods, and a panel of volunteers consumed 285 cups of tea.
Senior lecturer Ian Brown, a food and nutrition expert in the university's School of Life Sciences who led the research, said: 'When enjoying a cup of tea, our palette requires a balance between bitterness and sweetness.
'Our findings show that 10ml is the preferred amount of milk for our cuppas, due to its ability to balance natural bitterness and allow a smoother taste sensation.'
The optimum temperature to drink tea is 60c, he said, and with the addition of milk the test mugs of tea reached that temperature after six minutes, two minutes faster than black tea.
Mr Brown said: 'Waiting six minutes for tea to reach 60 degrees centigrade avoids the risk of scalding, yet still allows us to enjoy the full flavours and aromas in our cuppa.
'You might not expect to find toffee flavour in black tea, but by adding milk, toffee and vanilla flavours are intensified while the wood and grassy notes are reduced.'
The research, for Cravendale Milk, also found that in Britain we drink 165million cups of tea a day, or 60.2billion a year.
© Daily Mail, London |
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