Scientists unveil formula for a perfect cup of tea
APThe optimum brewing time is two minutes, and the ideal amount of milk is 10 ml, according to researchers.
How do you prepare your perfect morning cuppa? Well, scientists have developed a mathematical formula for the ideal cup of tea, which is best when drunk exactly six minutes after it’s made.
The optimum brewing time is two minutes, and the ideal amount of milk is 10 ml, according to the researchers at the University of Northumbria in the UK.
The perfect drinking temperature of 60C is achieved six minutes later - but after 17 minutes and 30 seconds, the tea will be past its best as it falls below 45C, they said.
For the research, the team spent 180 hours of testing and a panel of volunteers consumed 285 cups of tea in the lab to come up with the equation, the Daily Mail reported.
Lead researcher Ian Brown said the complex taste of tea is what has made it so popular.
In taste tests, the panel reported prevalent wood and grass “flavour notes” in black or over—brewed tea with hints of lemon, rose and geranium.
However, the addition of milk significantly reduced these and replaced them with toffee and vanilla. The more milk that was added the more these sweeter notes intensified.
Brown, a food and nutrition expert, said: “When enjoying a cup of tea, our palette requires a balance between bitterness and sweetness.
“Milk quantities and brewing time were key factors studied throughout our investigation into the perfect brew.
“Prominent sensory attributes of black tea are its bitterness and its dry, ‘puckery’ mouth feel, also known as astringency.”
Brown said their findings showed that "10ml is the preferred amount of milk for our cuppas, due to its ability to balance natural bitterness and allow a smoother taste sensation“.
After perfecting the tea brewing process, Brown and his team investigated how long we have to enjoy it and found the British brew has a shelf life of 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
He said that after that point, the tea will drop below 45C, a temperature no longer deemed warm enough for “an all—round sensory experience“.
He added: “The optimum temperature to drink tea at is 60 degrees centigrade. With the addition of milk, our brews were able to reach the optimum temperature after six minutes, two minutes faster than black tea.
“Waiting six minutes for tea to reach 60C avoids the risk of scalding, yet still allows us to enjoy the full flavours and aromas in our cuppa.
“You might not expect to find toffee flavour in black tea, but by adding milk, toffee and vanilla flavours are intensified while the wood and grassy notes are reduced.”
The research also found that in Britain people drink a staggering 165 million cups of tea per day, or 60.2 billion a year. And it revealed that the average Briton makes his first cup of tea at seven—and—a—half years old.
It even found that nine out of ten Britons believe tea—making should sit alongside Maths, English and Science on the national curriculum
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(SOURCE:thehindu.com/sci-tech/article2107017.ece)
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