An American scientist caused a storm in a cup across the Atlantic Ocean, when she gave Britain advice on preparing its favorite hot drink.
One of the keys to the perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt, says Michelle Frankel, a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College. This advice is contained in Frankel’s book “Infusion: The Chemistry of Tea,” published by the Royal Society of Chemistry on Wednesday.
Never since the Boston Tea Party had the mixing of tea and salt water soured Anglo-American relations.
The suggestion of adding salt has sparked an outcry among tea lovers in Britain, where a common stereotype depicts Americans as being rude people who fill their bellies with coffee drinks and, if they do, make their tea in the microwave.
“Don’t even say the word ‘salt’ to us,” British behavior guide Deberts previously wrote on Twitter.
The US Embassy in London intervened in the whirlwind with a social media post reassuring “the good people of the UK that the unthinkable idea of adding salt to Britain’s national drink is not official US policy.”
The comic post read: “Let’s unite in our infused solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand together… The US Embassy will continue to make tea the right way – by microwave.”
The embassy later clarified that its post was a “funny play on our shared cultural ties” and not an official press release.
On the other hand, the word “infused” is no joke. The book’s publisher says it’s the product of three years of research and experimentation, exploring more than 100 chemical compounds found in tea and “using chemistry with advice on how to brew a better cup.”
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2024-01-25 02:38:15
