Salt in your tea can fix a bad cuppa, claims US scientist

Lovers of traditional British brew could get hot under the collar after American claims she knows best

WHAT do Americans know about the British cup of tea? According to a US scientist, the way to rescue a bad one is by adding a pinch of salt.

A tiny pinch of table salt added to an over-brewed cup of English breakfast tea could salvage an otherwise bitter beverage, according to Prof Michelle Francl, an expert in chemistry.

“A pinch of salt is not even enough to taste and it turns out salt can moderate your perception of bitterness,” she told

The Telegraph. “The sodium ions block some of the receptors that we use to detect bitterness and adding a bit of salt to your tea actually dates back as far as the eighth century when old Chinese manuscripts refer to adding a little bit of salt to your tea.

“It’s great if you’ve accidentally over brewed your tea. I’ve taken to adding just a tiny pinch of salt – and it really does help. You’re better off dumping it and making a new cup but sometimes desperation drives.”

Dr Francl, of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, conducted her own research, combining a search of existing studies and analysis using her teapots at home to discover the chemical secrets of tea and how to make the best brew every time. Her book Steeped: The

Chemistry of Tea, which is published today by the Royal Society of Chemistry, includes tips on how to brew a better cup.

It was inspired by an innocent query pondering whether the shape of a tea bag, such as circular versus tetrahedral, made a difference to flavour.

Dr Francl unearthed 150 years of scientific endeavour on the topic of tea, first started in 1885 by Englishwoman Wilhelmina Greene in The Chemical

News, with On the Infusion of Tea. “The research shows that the size of the bag is what matters, not the shape, but some shapes of course give you more space,” she said.

“Tea leaves expand by maybe a factor of four or five and if you don’t give them enough space, there’s not enough good access from the solvent.

“The nice tetrahedral shaped bags, like the PG Tips bags, have got lots of extra space in them, for example, but I have some on my shelf that are just these little pillows and the tea leaves are jammed in there and they’re not as effective.

“The research really shows that size is important but the shape can give you more size.”

Warming a mug, cup or teapot is also an essential part of the process which should not be skipped, Dr Francl said, adding: “I think Americans don’t know how to make a good cup of tea. If you order tea when you’re out to eat in the US, you get an awful cup of tea, even at a really good restaurant.”