Shocking: Salt in tea? The US scientist has caused a controversial diplomatic storm

Until recently, the biggest tea-based fracas between the UK and the US was the Boston Tea Party of 1773, where a group of patriots threw away an entire shipment of tea to protest a British-imposed tax on the treasure.

Now, a whole new storm is brewing... and it's hard for some to take this rapidly escalating diplomatic row with a grain of salt.

"Or is it?" A US scientist might wonder.

Michel Frankl, a professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, started the party by claiming to have discovered the secret to making the perfect cup of tea while writing a book called "Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea." Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

He read over 500 papers from the chemical literature on the chemistry of tea, studied the chemical mysteries behind a good cup, and conducted his experiments.

Frankl's findings led him to some of the following conclusions:

People should use a "shorter and stiffer mug" because they have less surface area, so keep the tea hotter.

So far, so reasonable. drink

People should choose leaves over tea bags.

Kiss it, hooray.

Warm milk should be used to "reduce the possibility of curdling".

Distinctly discreet.

Do not use a microwave to heat water as this leads to the formation of something called "tea scum". Promotion! We have loved you for a long time! Never thought of the term "tea scum" again, though.

Adding a little lemon juice will remove the "scum" that appears on the surface of the drink.

There he again takes the dirt. Reach for the Nurofen, because that image isn't going away anytime soon.

Remove the lid when drinking from a takeaway cup, as the aroma of the tea is as important as the taste. This is gold. Raw gold. Has Francl considered a presidential bid?

Add a pinch of salt to the pot to "reduce bitterness".

*scratch record*

wait Sorry, what now?

Yes, salt. Usually, granular minerals are primarily made up of sodium chloride which potentiates the flavor of whatever is on your plate. That salt?

Frankl says that the sodium ions in the salt block the chemical process that makes the tea taste bitter. And this tip is far from new. The technique of salting tea dates back to the 8th century. The ingredient is mentioned in ancient Chinese manuscripts, and with our understanding of chemistry, Frankl says that by adding a pinch of table salt, tea-lovers (or q-tea, as we like to call it) will counteract the bitterness of the drink.

Check out the chemistry, but whatever happened to sugar and its anti-bitterness qualities?

Always good to keep an open mind and all that. But the taste of what is not less in cultural institutions, why you will be in trouble?

Diplomatic balm gone wrong

Frankl's book, as you can imagine, raised eyebrows in Britain. You could say it caused quite a stir.

His research has been widely reported in the British media, and some of the comments from readers who fail to appreciate the "do-it-yourself" nature of the peaceful life have been invaluable.

British tabloid Daily Mail's ultra-conservative (for being chari-cha-bley) comment section (predictably) melted down. They all sounded like the mad ramblings of angry lunatics in the throes of an emotional breakdown.

Our favourite? One outraged reader wrote: “Like we need Americans to help us make tea. Who do you think you're talking to, French?”

Wow there, petals. Keep the French out of it. They wanted nothing. They like coffee with their breakfast and don't want to be included in this nuclear-level shitstorm. Also, they barbecue beautifully with lots of garlic. yum

The US Embassy in London intervened by posting an official - but light-hearted - statement to calm the incident and maintain the "special relationship".

"Today's media report about an American professor's "perfect" cup of tea recipe has landed us in hot water with the United Kingdom," the post began.

Damn them, that "hot water" pun should have been ours. Well played.

The embassy said tea is "the elixir of amity, a sacred bond that unites our nations," adding: "We cannot stand idly by as such an outrageous proposal threatens the very foundation of our special relationship."

The post staunchly reassured the nation: “We therefore want to assure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable idea of adding salt to Britain's national drink is not official US policy. And never will."

"Let us unite in our strong solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one."

Phew, crisis averted, and all is well again.

But wait. If the official statement ends there, this will be it. However, and significantly more controversially, the US Embassy added this disclaimer: "The US Embassy will continue to make tea the right way - by microwaving it."

*second record scratch*

Sweet Mother of Hades on a Camellia Ya sinensis comedown!

Way to ramp things up, land of the free and home of the brave.

The fiasco was not averted, the SNAFU confirmed, and Professor Michel Frankl is now on the side of the angels.

At the time of publication, the UK has not declared war on the US, and we here at EuronewsCulture promise to keep our readers informed of any developments regarding the two G7 countries and their strained ties.

We'll be nervously drinking copious amounts of tea to deal with the impending (and at this point, let's face reality, inevitable) conflict — tea, we assure our readers, we'll make using a kettle. Because we're not heathen lunatics, and we'd rather drink gasoline from a nozzle than insult a good cup by exposing it to microwave frequency range electromagnetic radiation.

Your move, American Embassy. Morning tea bag.

"Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea", by Prof. Michel Frankl, is out now.