Making a cuppa: Milk or Water first?

[DaveH23]

Are you a milk first or water first person?

I will get the ball rolling with a milk first. Has to be tea as well.

Not a coffee fan at all.

[ajprice]

Water. Milk first is the sign of a freak

[red_slr]

Milk was generally put in first to avoid china cracking.

[dmitsi]

Milk or water first suggests a teabag in the cup. You can't put milk in first unless you've brewed the tea in a pot. The hot water is needed to infuse the tea properly. Trying to brew your tea in a cup with milk before water would be like buttering your bread before toasting it.

[DaveH23]

Science disagrees.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/...

[dmitsi]

DaveH23 said:

Science disagrees.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/...

From that article...

For instance, if the tea bag is in the milk before the water, this will cool the water too quickly, affecting the brewing. So if you make the tea in a pot, fine. If you don’t, then that’s a whole other issue

[poing]

ajprice said:

Water. Milk first is the sign of a freak

What he said!

Teabag in the cup then milk before water? Weirdos.

Although in coffee I don't have milk so it's not an issue.

[Amirhussain]

Water first

[DaveH23]

What is wrong with you people

[eldar]

You make tea in a teapot. Anything else is council.

[R1 Indy]

eldar said:

You make tea in a teapot. Anything else is council.

Yes Gran

[craigjm]

eldar said:

You make tea in a teapot. Anything else is council.

Are teabags acceptable or is it only fine cut leaves?

[mondeoman]

Bag in, sugar in, boiling water in, stir, leave for 30 seconds, stir again, squeeze bag and remove, get milk from fridge, add to taste.

Perfect.

[ecsrobin]

red_slr said:

Milk was generally put in first to avoid china cracking.

Fortnum and Masons stance on this situation:

This thorny question has divided tea drinkers for quite some time. Putting the milk in last was considered to be the ‘correct’ thing to do in refined social circles, but the reason for this is often forgotten. In the early days of tea-drinking, poor-quality cups were inclined to crack when hot tea was poured into them, and putting the milk in first helped to prevent this. When finer and stronger materials came into use, this was no longer necessary – so putting the milk in last became a way of showing that one had the finest china on one’s table. Evelyn Waugh once recorded a friend using the phrase ‘rather milk-in-first’ to refer to a lower-class person, and the habit became a social divider that had little to do with the taste of the tea.

Having said that, there is a good reason for adding the milk last – if you are drinking an unfamiliar tea, it is easier to judge the correct amount of milk to add once you have seen the strength and colour of the tea. On the other hand, putting the milk in first means that the fat in the milk emulsifies in a different way when the tea is poured, which does change the flavour of the tea, giving it a more even, creamier flavour. It also cools the tea slightly to a more acceptable drinking temperature. So, now that the days when one’s social position was judged by this sort of thing are long gone, you may pour your tea however you choose. If anyone comments, send them to us.

[Blib]

A dangerous subject in the Blib household. I prefer water in first, tea bag left in for a week or so and then milk to taste. Mrs B, on the other hand, puts milk in first, then she waves a tea bag in the general direction of the cup from the hallway outside the kitchen, before adding hot water and finally topping up with cold water.

She's an utter lunatic when it comes to tea making.

[craigjm]

ecsrobin said:

red_slr said:

Milk was generally put in first to avoid china cracking.

Fortnum and Masons stance on this situation:

This thorny question has divided tea drinkers for quite some time. Putting the milk in last was considered to be the ‘correct’ thing to do in refined social circles, but the reason for this is often forgotten. In the early days of tea-drinking, poor-quality cups were inclined to crack when hot tea was poured into them, and putting the milk in first helped to prevent this. When finer and stronger materials came into use, this was no longer necessary – so putting the milk in last became a way of showing that one had the finest china on one’s table. Evelyn Waugh once recorded a friend using the phrase ‘rather milk-in-first’ to refer to a lower-class person, and the habit became a social divider that had little to do with the taste of the tea.

Having said that, there is a good reason for adding the milk last – if you are drinking an unfamiliar tea, it is easier to judge the correct amount of milk to add once you have seen the strength and colour of the tea. On the other hand, putting the milk in first means that the fat in the milk emulsifies in a different way when the tea is poured, which does change the flavour of the tea, giving it a more even, creamier flavour. It also cools the tea slightly to a more acceptable drinking temperature. So, now that the days when one’s social position was judged by this sort of thing are long gone, you may pour your tea however you choose. If anyone comments, send them to us.

Thats based on pouring brewed tea from a pot into the cup. I think what most people are talking about here is bag in a cup, add milk, water and then swish it around until its about the right colour then remove bag and stir. That is a horrible way of making tea.

[JackP1]

Water First for tea.

Milk first for coffee, stops it burning.

[Ikemi]

For tea, always water first, followed by a dash of milk. However for instant coffee (Bleh!), milk first, then water ...

However the other half always prefers her tea with milk first, then water.

Doc Brown raps about the proper way to make tea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtK_vfp8po8

[ya_bollox]

hot water first - don't taste right otherwise to me,

[Wacky Racer]

The definitive guide to making a great cup of tea by Paul M'cCartney.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omt9NwR2njs