Posted by Jock on June 14, 2006 at 16:51:12 from 81.76.86.2 user Jock.
In Reply to: Re: Milk In Tea posted by Iain on June 14, 2006 at 16:21:57:
Rich people used expensive thin china for their teacups. If hot boiling liquid was poured straight in, it would crack the cups. The answer being to put milk in first to reduce the thermal shock and save your cups.
According to the article linked to by Mark, exactly the opposite is true!
Putting the milk in first was a cultural quirk that "has nothing to do with taste", she said. "It is a habit we have retained from the times when only the rich could afford porcelain which, because it isn't as porous as china, could withstand the hot tea being poured in directly.
"Those of us with cheap china had to put the milk in first to cool the tea slightly to prevent our cups cracking."