Posted by Owen Roberts on June 13, 2006 at 13:15:39 from 194.201.78.135 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Re: Milk In Tea posted by Joy on June 13, 2006 at 12:35:39:
If you had the finest bone china, then milk was put in first to avoid cracking the china. This habit was carried over, in many households, to putting the milk in first for lesser grades of china.
Some people claim to taste the difference. But more important to the taste is to make the tea with fast boiling freshly drawn water.
On the other hand, coffee goes bitter if boiled and should be made with the water just below boiling. I understand that 96 degrees centigrade is the correct figure. This view was confirmed in a UK court case about 4 years ago. When I did some work for an eminent firm of coffee merchants in the West End of London, anyone who boiled coffee was regarded as beyond saving.
If you do make tea in the kettle you must add the leaves when the water is boiling. I don't know if the Swallows ran to a tea strainer, but this is useful if you use leaf tea.
Now that most people use tea bags for everyday tea, the argument has moved on to as to whether the bag should be removed before or after the milk is added.