THE BODY BEAUTIFUL



What is the difference, if any, between cups of tea prepared by putting in the tea or the milk first? I WAS told by a former resident of Imperial India that, if the quality of the milk was in doubt, then putting the milk in first was a more effective way of scalding it and killing the bacteria. Thus it would seem that to ask for 'milk in first' when taking tea with the Duchess is a subtle way of criticising her standard of housekeeping. Vic Smith, Uxbridge, Middx. THE PRACTICE of putting the milk in first originated when users of fine china decided it was hazardous to pour in the hot tea first, in case the cups broke. Thereafter it was a matter of snobbery. (Mrs) M Ringrose, London SW18. IN THE teacup, two chemical reactions take place which alter the protein of the milk: denaturing and tanning. The first, the change that takes place in milk when it is heated, depends only on temperature. 'Milk-first' gradually brings the contents of the cup up from fridge-cool. 'Milk-last' rapidly heats the first drop of milk almost to the temperature of the teapot, denaturing it to a greater degree and so developing more 'boiled milk' flavour. The second reaction is analogous to the tanning of leather. Just as the protein of untanned hide is combined with tannin to form chemically tough collagen/tannin complexes, so in the teacup, the milk's protein turns into tannin/casein complexes. But there is a difference: in leather every reactive point on the protein molecule is taken up by a tannin molecule, but this need not be so in tea. Unless the brew is strong enough to tan all the casein completely, 'milk-first' will react differently from 'milk-last' in the way it distributes the tannin through the casein. In 'milk-first', all the casein tans uniformly; in 'milk-last' the first molecules of casein entering the cup tan more thoroughly than the last ones. If the proportions of tannin to casein are near to chemical equality, 'which-first' may determine whether some of the casein escapes tanning entirely. There is no reason why this difference should not alter the taste. Dan Lowy, Sutton, Surrey. FOR further enlightenment, we should turn to George Orwell and his essay, A Nice Cup Of Tea (Evening Standard, 1946). 'The Milk First school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments,' he wrote, 'but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and then stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk, whereas one is liable to put in too much milk the other way round.' David Beech, Cotham, Bristol. When tea is brewed using leaves as opposed to tea bags, there is a tendancy for the odd one or two to float on the surface when poured. By putting the milk in first they tend to sink to the bottom. Eric Clark, Anstruther, Scotland Putting the milk in first doesn't, in my opinion alter the taste at all. But, I find that putting the milk in saves time. Because you can put it in whilst you wait for the kettle to boil. Thus making cups of tea more enjoyable for those with busy lives. Naomi, Somewhere English England I once spent an intense afternoon in Oxford town conducting just such a experiment with Dr Kovarr. We alternated between cups of milk-first/milk-last tea and concluded that milk-first makes the tea taste slightly richer, whereas milk-last makes the tea taste slightly more bitter. Our conjecture was that pouring the milk in first causes its temperature to rise slower, while pouring it in last tends to "scald" it. The two differing chemical reactions account for the difference in taste. Roland Glasser, London, UK Coming from six generations in these colonial climes, the milk goes into the bottom of the cup,, first. In the past,this was land of the cup of tea but also of fresh daily jersey milk with a very high butterfat content, and until the 1950's few home refrigerators. If the milk was added last, there was very likely to be visible butterfat globules floating on the surface. The stronger the tea, the more obvious the glistening globules. To obviate these problems, it was also customary to scald a measure of milk early in the day, which would be preserved for making the countless cups of tea that made up home life in those times. Bruce Thorpe, Kohukohu, New Zealand I thought the order demonstrated that you had superior china. Tea poured first into poor china can crack the cup. Therefore, pouring the tea first could demonstrate that you have fine china. (I could have this backward.) Andy, Salt Lake City, US In the upper class English households I have been told, tea would be poured first and then the milk. This is because the finest china will not stain the cup. I had always understood that in case of questionable china milk would be poured first, then the tea. So although it appears to be to do with the quality of the china is the reason the staining or the breaking of the china? Lesley, Finchley I most of the time observed that, if we put solid tea in the boiling milk, then there is an abrupt change in the volume of the mixture (tea and milk). This shows an increase in volume; It's clear from this observation that the complex which formed between casein and tea is an exothermic reaction, and it can be concluded that milk tea into which milk is added first will be less effective compared to the tea which is made by adding tea first. Salma Chemist, Sarghoda, Pakistan yeah, milk should go first, just a drizzle then top up the cup with freshly boiled water, wait for five minutes then serve - it's bloomin' lovely! Tony Ash, Kingston, Surrey, UK I haven't read any conclusive answers here but milk in first does stop your fine bone china turning brown and a proper teapot should be suitably seasoned (brown). Also, try this little survey: Anyone who adds milk before the tea is properly brewed is a smoker and can't taste the difference anyway. sanepete, Southend UK I think it comes down to a historical mistaken belief= on the part of the middle class. Your average middle class person would perceive the difference between tea bag users and tea leaf users, assuming that the more working class would use bags, and the more upper class would use leaf. The next logical step would be to assume that the (working class) bag users would add the milk second having brewed tea in the mug, while (upper class) leaf users would use a pot and therefore add milk first. the typical middle class reaction is to distance themselves as far from the working class as possible. However, on this occasion they are ironically also distancing themselves from the upper class they aspire to. So...milk first types are typical middle class, milk second are refined middle, upper and (actually) working class, who never changed. Now we could move on to knapkins vs serviettes... Jamie, Bath England My grandfather said that people in the old days added milk first because light in the house at that time were generally poor quality, mainly candle and you could not see hot water coming up the cup as you poured, so you added milk first which made it much easier to see. Mark , Kinsale Ireland I enjoy the somewhat smoother taste of the MIF tea made with loose tea rather than the more acidic taste of the milk being added. To lessen the effect of the chemical reaction of nearly scalding the milk by adding it to scalding hot tea, one could brew several teabags in the teapot and then pouring the brewed tea into a cup with the milk already in it. That there is a question whether poor china would crack, I'm sure that the china would be more susceptible to damage by a dishwasher over the years when there is already crazing showing in the china. Apparently also, the finest of tea will stain the cups and pot before the lesser quality will. Therefore, maybe it would be a sign of wealth for the cups to show some sort of coloring from constant use. If the cup breaks then a new one which doesn't have the wear and tear would replace it. Either way it shows that the host is well-to-do. Kevin Crossley, Albany New Zealand My art history tutor, formerly at the V&A has this answer! The English upper class etiquette says the milk should be added after the tea. This came about because when soft paste porcelain was invented, it was necessary to add the milk first to temper the heat, preventing the cup cracking. But when hard paste porcelain was reproduced in imitation of Chinese originals in the 1760s, those able to afford the latest 'china' demonstrated their social superiority by adding the tea first and the milk afterwards. Andrew, Bristol England I prefer the milk first with the tea bag added at the same time whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. This stops the tea being scalded as it prepares the teabag for the hot water and also increases the milk temperature slightly whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Some tea escapes slightly and if left to long it will be too strong but if the timings right an almost perfect cup of tea can be acheived, if a stronger cup of tea is required the tea bag can be dunked and squeezed to acheive the required colouring. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste if the milk is added after as well. Now supermarkets use similar coloured cartons for their budget orange juice and milk it has been known for me to add orange juice instead of milk which i would say is not reccomended. Also for milk I would say a minimum fat content for pasturised milk of semi skimmed is acceptable and for those wishing to try something new the use of sterilised milk can bring out a nice flavour, although for the milk first brigade its essential to put less sterilised milk in than one would normally used for pasturised. I also find a cup of tea tastes particularly nice when somone else makes it, in my case its the wife who I have trained to use the milk first method. David Hall, Wolverhampton West Midlands Milk in first. One because it was the way my parents did it but also because, to make my tea perfect, it only has to have a little milk. I know the quantity of milk to put in first and I can then tell when it reaches the preferred colour, it is perfect. I don't like strong tea but mine looks strong as there is only a little milk. I hate it when you go out and ask for tea and they put the milk in for you. If it is too strong. When you say it is too strong, they always assume they should put more milk in. (luckily, more a thing of the past now as you usually get the milk separate.) Rosemary Kennedy, Milton Keynes If you are using a bag and mug, you must put the water in first as it will not be hot enough to steep properly if milk is already in there. Bags are not as good as leaves because they tend to use all parts of the plant including stalks ground up, whereas leaves usually only use the tips or at worst just the leaves. That is why you need so much more volume in a bag vs loose leaves. Try opening teabags up and comparing it to loose leaves, if you don't believe me. I make tea with leaves in a pot and add the milk after so I can get the right colour. The strength of the tea has nothing to do with the amount of milk but is decided by how much tea or water is used and how long it is left to steep. Note we say "stew" when we mean too long, and "steep" when we mean the right amount of time (about 4 minutes). There is no way of speeding up the time, my American friends, you must just wait. I find that milk in first does make a slightly more fatty, rich, taste and milk after, a sharper taste. So it's a matter of taste, and there is no right way. If your cups stain, simply do as I do and clean them using lots of salt while you wash up which is cheap quick and easy. Also, you must use full cream milk, not half-and-half and especially not skimmed. The health benefits of these unnatural products are dubious at best. The traditional English afternoon tea is usually Assam-rich or pure Assam tea. The pot should be china rather than metal. Sugar, if added, should be white, not brown. Aaron Wilde, Hastings England Milk in first. Use leaves or tea bags in a pre-warmed pot, pour 'just boiling' water onto the tea - you don't want the pot to steal the heat from the water, you need the water to scald the tea. add a tea cosy. 3 mins stir milk in cup pour tea into milk. If combined the other way around the milk takes on a nasty flavour. A small amount of cold milk being poured into a large amount of very hot tea scolds the milk leaving it tasting foul! This is the proper reason for putting the milk in first - try it. amy, brownhills uk My English granparents owned a tea shop in Brighton during the war. My mom (a war bride) always put the milk in first and in my mind it just tastes better. I also think fresh, just-at-the-boil water is important. (We have a deep cold well so there isn't any chlorine in our water either). Also important is a heavy pre-warmed pot like my brown betty. And a tea cosy. So many factors including the milk go into making a great cup of tea. I might be Canadian, but my tea is a very important part of each day! Must be my British heritage!! Val, Powassan, ON Canada Milk in last for me - and just a little, I like a strong cup of tea, and as I use teabags, the tea bag is the first thing that goes into the mug, then the boiling water, mug covered over, brew for a couple of minutes then a little milk - result a great strong cup of tea! Mike Mc Carthy, Nagoya Japan There may well be historical, cultural and chemical reasons for putting milk in first or last but, in our modern age surely it just boils down to personal taste. Personally, I prefer milk first and can definitely taste the difference (and do not like the taste) when the milk is added last. Each to his own; I'll make yours however you like it ! Steve McCardle, Faversham UK i think putting milk first will not stain the cup. farida, london UK Milk first. Stems from the way we were served tea as kids. Start with a cup of milk. Drink it down to the desired level before adding tea from the "perpetual" pot. Only add the milk later when using tea bags. Peter Emery, Pakenham, Australia I can't believe people would make such a fuss about something so inconsequential. (By the way, I came across this blog while researching articles about denaturation of milk vitamins after boiling.) Gaurav Nagar, Lewis Center, US While my countryman might find the matter inconsequential, not all of us here in the US are so benighted, and are well-aware of how dear the ritual of tea is to our British friends and families. I am a milk-in-first kind of girl; that is to say, when I take my tea with milk. To be perfectly honest, I prefer lemon, freshly-squeezed, with a twist of the peel added to capture the oils. I should perhaps also note that I prefer blends that are imported from the UK, as they are better suited to my taste. US tea is blended to serve the 85% of the market that takes tea iced. American iced tea is quite a different beast altogether, but a quintessential part of Summer for us. Our tea blends, when taken hot, taste rather like a second cup made from UK blends. Milk-in-first is first and foremost a time-saverkill two birds with one stone, I say. Second of all, I agree with the notion that it heats the milk more evenly than pouring a thin stream of cold milk into a near-boiling mass of tea. Lastly, I was always taught in chemistry lessons to pour the more dangerous liquid into the less dangerous, as the liquid in the container was likely to splash. I'd rather be splashed by lukewarm milk than by scalding hot tea. Still, one's guiding principle should be one's own taste. After all, the tea is going in your mouth; if you're not happy with the taste, why drink it at all? Gemma Seymour, New York City, NY US I heard from a pharmacist that adding milk first results in a colloid being formed and milk last a suspension. This then effects the taste. There were no postings on this aspect of the debate. Can anybody give a definitive answer? I have been pondering this for 50 years! Philip, Knutsford UK



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