Steamed up over twice-boiled water for the tea

SIR – William Gorman, chairman of the Tea and Infusions Association, says that boiling the same water more than once when making tea results in a “dull” cup (report, March 23).

Boiling the water once is enough to remove nearly all its oxygen. Boiling it twice makes no difference. Mr Gorman should ask an unbiased panel of tasters if they can tell the difference. I certainly can’t. Roger Whiteway Kibworth, Leicestershire SIR – My grandfather would have disagreed with the advice that milk should be poured into the cup last.

He was a food chemist with J Lyons & Co in the Thirties and Forties and explained to me that, when tea cools on entering a cup or mug, a precipitate forms. If there is no milk in the cup then this precipitate sticks to the cup’s sides – the well-known brown stain – so flavour is lost. If there is milk in the cup then the precipitate stays in the drink and hence more flavour is retained. Chris Johns Oxted, Surrey