Putting Milk In Your Tea First Makes A Better Brew, Study Says

Making the perfect brew is a sacred ritual to the average Brit. Whether it's the type of tea, or how long to leave the teabag in, people in the UK love to argue about their personal routines.

But which do you put in first - hot water or milk? A study carried out by hot tap manufacturer INTU Boiling Water Taps shows how the key to the ideal cuppa is putting the milk in first.

Now, there are definitely wrong ways to make a cup of tea. But Professor Alan Mackie, Head of School of Food & Nutrition at Leeds University, has put his neck on the line and suggests putting the milk in at the start so that it can "generate a much better flavoured and healthy cup of tea".

However, this is all dependent on where you live. If you live in a soft water area, then you're okay to stick with your brewing routine.

If you live in a hard water area, then milk first is apparently better. This isn't news to a lot of people though as new research from INTU Boiling Water Taps says that a quarter of Brits prefer to add milk to their brew before hot water. A further quarter are undecided as to which way round they prefer it.

Professor Mackie explains that putting hard water in first results in the flavour and health compounds in your teabag combining with the water's and precipitating out. Hard water also has an especially high mineral content that prevents flavour compounds from forming properly.

It is particularly the tannins that are key to the taste of your tea as well and hard water makes them solid before they can develop their flavour fully.

However, if you add the milk to your tea at the start of the process, it binds to those tannins and flavour compounds. The milk proteins lower the mineral content of the water so that they can lock in the flavour and prevents the dreaded precipitation process from taking place, creating the most satisfying first sip.

So, if you're in Milton Keynes, maybe consider putting in the milk first, even if you would normally regard it as brewing blasphemy. If you're in Blackburn though, don't stress about it too much.

Anyway, it doesn't matter what any scientist tells me, I will definitely be putting in the hot water first for my cuppa.

Featured Image Credit: Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Archive/PA Images

Topics: Tasty Drink, Food And Drink

Charlotte Forrester

Charlotte (‘Fozz’) is Tyla’s Content Kickstarter as part of LADbible group’s Kickstart Class of 2021. She recently graduated from the University of Exeter where she studied English and worked in student media. A pop culture fanatic, she likes writing about entertainment, lifestyle and social issues.

@charlyfozz99