Storm in a teacup risks special relationship

PUTTING salt in a cup of tea is “unthinkable” and not official policy, the US Embassy in London has said, after an American professor claimed the condiment can save an over-brewed cuppa.

The diplomatic intervention came after Dr Michelle Francl, who studies interstellar chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and conducts tea research in her spare time, made the controversial suggestion.

In her new book, Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea, she said a tiny pinch of salt removes bitterness from over-brewed tea by inactivating bitter taste receptors on the tongue.

While she acknowledges a fresh cup would be better, salt can be effective in times of desperation. However, a US Embassy press release stated it “cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our special relationship”.

Tea is “the elixir of camaraderie” between the countries, it added.

The US still marks the Boston Tea Party where chests of British tea were destroyed 250 years ago in a tax protest.

Dr Francl said: “Who could have guessed my book about tea would brew up such a storm?

“While it may horrify some, adding salt to tea does reduce the bitterness, it’s all a matter of science.”

She also urges her fellow Americans not to microwave tea but to use a kettle instead. However, the US Embassy insisted it will “continue to make tea the proper way – by microwaving it”.

The statement risks inciting international relations despite claims the US wishes to “unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one”.

In Downing Street, the Cabinet Office weighed into the row with a statement saying: “We appreciate our special relationship, however, we must disagree wholeheartedly.

“Tea can only be made using a kettle.” Dr Francl said that the goal for her book, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is to allow her to order a cup of tea in a US restaurant and get something drinkable.

“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.”