Almost a third of Brits are making their treasured cup of tea the wrong way, according to a new survey.
Yes, if you can believe it, a mere 53% of Brits surveyed make their tea the right way.
For those asking, the correct order goes: Tea bag, water and then the milk.
Well, it’s been deemed the “correct” way for making the classic brew just by the sheer volume of people who choose this methodology.
But this is the way experts at Yorkshire Tea recommend you make the perfect cuppa, too.
Despite tea being a drink well associated with the UK in general, a surprising 12% choose a rather alternative method of putting water in first, followed by tea bag and then the milk.
Then there are the 10% who put in the tea bag, then the milk and then water – and the absolutely shocking few (7%) who for some reason have decided to put in milk, tea bag and water, which just does not sound....right. At all.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning the 12% of respondents who said they don’t make tea.
TopRatedCasinos surveyed 2,009 people in the UK aged 16 and over to uncover these truly eye-opening results and to mark National Tea Day on Thursday, April 20.
Yorkshire Tea also wants people to let their tea brew for four to five minutes, before removing the teabag, “squidging” it gently against the side of the mug just once, and only then add any extras like milk.
But the experts did give those who do the unspeakable and put milk in before the tea a free pass.
“Tea brews best in very hot water, but adding milk cools things down,” they explained on their website.
“So if you’re brewing tea directly in a mug, it’s better to add the milk last, after it’s brewed. And if you’re brewing in a teapot, the order doesn’t matter at all – it’s just a question of personal preference!”
So not time for civil war just yet then...
And if you’re on a mission to make the best tea of your life, it is also worth watching out for the common mistakes most people make with their tea flagged by Twinings.
First of all, they recommend not reboiling the water in the kettle, no matter how tempting it may be. Try to use freshly drawn, filtered (if possible) cold water if possible, because oxygen helps the flavour develop. If you reboil the water, it will lose all of its oxygen.
And secondly, do not pour boiling water over your teabag, because you need to let your kettle to cool down after it’s boiled.
Who knew tea was so technical?