It's a debate that has raged across British homes and offices for years - and embarrassingly Americans now think they have the answer.

A new guide titled How To Make Tea: The Science Behind The Leaf claims Brits have lost their claim as the world's authority on the drink.

The forthcoming publication refers to the cuppa as a 'biochemical journey' and 'tasty aqueous solution' and claims North America is set to see an explosion in 'tea culture'.

Scandal: A new US guide titled How To Make Tea: The Science Behind The Leaf claims Brits have lost their claim as the world's authority on the drink

The man behind the guide - Seattle-based tea researcher Brian Keating is hoping to give tea an American-style marketing makeover.

According to its British publisher Ivy Press, Keating's book, co-written by author Kim Long, is 'a fascinating and invaluable handbook for anyone who doesn't want to settle for less than the perfect brew.'

Brits are thought to drink around 165 million cups of tea every day - and crucially, everyone seems to have a different idea of what constitutes a good cup.

The man behind the guide - Seattle-based tea researcher Brian Keating is hoping to give tea an American-style marketing makeover

Such disparity could be problematic for a company claiming to offer a method on making the 'perfect brew'.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Bill Gorman, director of the UK Tea And Infustions Association (UKTIA) said: 'Ask 100 Britons how they like their tea and you'll probably get 50 different views.

'I can tell you that there are differences even in my office at the centre of the British tea industry. I like my teabag to sit 4-5 minutes, making for a zingier flavour, but my collaague is a 30-second dunker.'

Mr Gorman is unsure how British tea drinkers will respond to the American guide - which describes the perfect cuppa as 'an ethereal infusion, the ghost of a scent walking across your taste buds'.

But he does concede that there are a few fundamentals that UK tea drinkers seem to be missing now.

A study done this year found that tea should be brewed for at least two minutes - but 80 per cent of tea drinkers usually don't wait that long.

Researchers asked 1,000 people about their tea-drinking habits and discovered that English Breakfast made without sugar and drunk from a ceramic mug is the most popular method.

Only 16 per cent of people let the water brew for the recommended time of between two and five minutes. But this time varies depending on the type of tea.

Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials and Society at University College London said: 'This may be controversial, but the British do not understand how to make tea! Or at least they’re not doing it properly.

The forthcoming publication refers to the cuppa as a 'biochemical journey' and 'tasty aqueous solution' and claims North America is set to see an explosion in 'tea culture'

One way of doing it: A guide on how to make the perfect cup of tea from the UK Tea And Infustions Association (UKTIA)

'And it’s because they don’t understand the variables. Expediency is causing us to throw chemistry out of the window; we’re not allowing our tea to brew for long enough, to release the flavours properly.'

The decline in use of the teapot is another factor,' Professor Miodownik added: 'What you make tea in, and drink it out of, is also important. It alters the taste.'

These findings followed reports that said to make the perfect cup of tea - according to the British Standards Institute guidelines - the milk should be put in the cup first, the pot must be made of porcelain, there must be at least 2g of tea for every 100ml and the water must not exceed 85°C (185°F) when served.

And these guidelines explained that black tea should be steeped for at six minutes.