Making a Cup of Tea
December 2nd, 2007
Download audio file (tee1.mp3)
Australian Fellow: When you make a cup of tea, like, do you, like, put the milk in first or put the sugar in first or put the tea in first? Is there some, like, special way you do it?
Irish Fellow: Put the sugar and the tea-bag in together then pour in the water and leave it sit. Yeah. Never squeeze the tea bag
Australian Fellow: Never squeeze the tea bag?
Irish Fellow: Never squeeze the tea bag.
Australian Fellow: What about the milk? You put the milk in last?
Irish Fellow: Put the milk in last. Give it five or ten minutes to let the tea bag diffuse then dump in the milk.
Australian Fellow: That is if you are using a tea bag but if you make a pot of tea a lot of people say you should put the milk in first and then put the tea in second because if you put the milk in second, it leaches the flavor out of the tea. Have you ever heard that?
Irish Fellow: I have heard that putting the milk in first is better because … otherwise the tea gets burned.. from the boiling water.
Australian Fellow: Mm.
Irish Fellow: I am not too sure on that.
Australian Fellow: There is nothing like a good cup of tea.
Irish Fellow: No, there is not.
Put the milk in first because 1) it tastes better, 2) it stops the milk getting scalded by the hot water and 3) it’s the *right* way to do it ..!
1. How does the Irish fellow make a cup of tea?
2. Should you squeeze the tea bag?
3. Should you put the milk in first?
4. When should you put the sugar in?
5. There is nothing like a good cup of tea, is there?
I’ve never put the milk in the tea. I like the tea with the lemon and the sugar. Always make a pot of tea, it tastes better than if you use a bag of tea. In first, put some lemon and sugar into a cup, then pour boiled water, in last add some tea from a pot of tea.
Good taste!
In my family weve made tea the same way for decades I learnt off my grandma my grandma learnt off her grandma and so on. We always put the teabag/leaves in the pot then we pour the boiling water over the tea to release the flavour (especially if your using leaves) we then leave it to stand for a while. Then we pour it in the cup and add the required milk. I agree with Iryn it does taste better out of a pot but in our family we like it plain and strong like proper Brits!
P.S If using teabags try using Tetly as we find Twinings and Earl Grey leave an awful aftertaste.