Milk first or last?
 

When making tea that is. Do you add the milk to the tea? Or the tea to the milk? Whats correct? Why does it matter?

Re: Milk first or last?
 

It has to be milk after you have made the tea.

A decent cup of tea should be made with boiling water.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Neither I drink it black, no sugar. :p:)

Honestly I wouldn't really know, I'll await the definitive answer. ;)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

It's to do with posh-ness.

Back in the day mugs with of poor design and pooring boiling water directly into them would cause them to crack. Milk was added first to lessen the sharp temperature change.

However, china cups didn't suffer from this problem. So to show you had fancy drink recepticles you could recklessly poor the boiling water in first.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Milk to the tea, in my opinion. Makes a far better tasting cuppa.:)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

It no longer matters.

It used to be that ceramics were generally low quality and porous and would sometimes crack from the thermal shock of being hit by piping hot tea, so it was better to add the milk first to buffer the temperature change. Same logic towards heating the pot in advance too. The posher people used "fine bone china" / porcelain teas sets, which is a much higher quality material and fires with little porosity...making it more resistant to breaking and ideal for tea sets.

But now most vessels can cope easily anyway as raw materials are much better understood and controlled.

Sorry...I still suffer some flashbacks to my Undergraduate days studying ceramics.


Flavourwise you could argue that adding very hot tea to milk will cook some of the milk on contact, changing the taste, but I cant see it would make any difference which way you added it, and who serves tea that hot anyway, it wouldnt have had a chance to steep:mad:


Personally I add milk to tea...you cant tell how strong the tea in the mug is when there is milk in already, and you cant really guess how much milk to add in advance to get the right colour. But I aint posh, so what do I know (other than about the ceramics thing)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

personally I prefer coffee, especially Timmys:)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Excellent! So not only does it taste better but it shows off the quality of my china (which is made in China).

Seems like there's nothing like a food post to get people talking :rofl:

Re: Milk first or last?
 

I'll go with that. But I like to shake things up every once in a while.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Never if one drinks earl grey tea!

I put the milk in first if i am making it and noone else is looking as I am lazy.

Tea drinkers tell me that this is wrong and the hot water does something horrible to the milk, plus you cant tell "what colour it is".

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Oh oh. What about Eral Grey? I just made a cup and I put milk and sugar in it. Was that bad :confused:

Re: Milk first or last?
 

oh yes, very very bad indeed :lol:

lemon only

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Go straight to the top of the bad list;)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Ive been known to enjoy milk in earl grey. But sugar!?, out of the question!

Re: Milk first or last?
 

you may have enjoyed it, but you shouldnt have done it!

Re: Milk first or last?
 

As the bishop said to the actress...

Re: Milk first or last?
 

OM, of course it matters. If you add the milk before the tea is strong enough (brewed properly), it will never reach the correct strength. Milk will lessen the heat of the boiling water.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

are you talking mugs and teabags here?? or teapots, cos obviously you dont add milk to the teapot and since you only pour the tea once its brewed then the temperature and strength thing has already happened.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

That depends if your posh and brew up in a tea pot or your a heathen and brew up in the mug:)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Surely one should train one's butler to do both simultaneously - milk jug in one hand, teapot in the other. Impresses the guests no end.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

It says in Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy NOT to use boiling water as it 'scalds' the tea.:confused:
Not that HGTTG is a bible of any sort to me...honest.

I use boiling water and get the tea to the right colour, add sugar as it will dissolve better in the hot water, then milk.

(I'm guessing you probably can't get PG Tips over there as well. Something else on the 'survival' list.:D)

edit: heathen and proud.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

so then you have to do the milk after thing. but i do it the wrong way when i make MOH tea and he doesnt notice;)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

I'm with Oakvillian on this one. When I were a lad the pater and mater referred to the peasants in the village as "Milk in first" people. With disapproval if I remember correctly.

I think Jonathon Swift wrote a science fiction novel on a similar theme.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

one would never put milk in first in public of course. I only do it cos i put the milk in first in my coffee so its easier to put the milk in the tea first. Laziness and I dont have to drink the stuff so I dont care.

PS
I thought all were peasants in Newcastle?

Re: Milk first or last?
 

All except near and dear family.

<I almost forgot that you're a bleedin' mackem>

Re: Milk first or last?
 

no, not me, murtons miles from sunderland. I like to think of myself as a dunelmian ..

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Old Dunelmians would know not to put the milk in first. Especially in private.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Since your adoption of that delightful avatar, you've been a walking food post, regardless of the topic. :)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

What's wrong with Tetley's? Miss Etiquette used to say milk first then tea, but I always do tea first then milk. It doesn't take right if you pour the hot tea (if made in a pot) onto the milk. And if, like me, you mostly brew with a teabag in a mug, then you have to add milk last. I only make a pot of tea when there's more than 2 of us. Heathen, I know. Quite often I don't bother with milk though, unless the tea is really strong.

Boy, the intellectual conversations we have on here, LOL!!

Re: Milk first or last?
 

After years of importing tea from blighty, I have now been converted to Roiboos herbal tea.
Tastes & looks much like 'English Tea', but no caffeine or tannin and high in anti oxidants. No milk required, so no dairy allergy problems.
Apparently it is so good for you, I am going to be around for a long time, which delighted my kids, as I plan on living with them in my very old age.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Oh the tea has to be strong with only a little dribble of milk. There is nothing worse than a milky cup of tea thats like nats pee (looking for vomit smilie without success)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

I suppose I should just chime in here and point out that there isn't really any evidence that eating lots of antioxidants will make the slightest bit of difference to your health. I don't know where marketing people get these ideas from.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Makes you wonder how we managed to live so long without all these supplements, eh? :) I worked with someone who took 18 different vitamins and supplements and whatnot every day, and drank only green tea or likewise - and still got sick like the rest of us mortals. Not knocking it, just saying I managed to get to old age without it :rofl:

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Blame Linus Pauling in this instance. I know I do.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

I definitely ALWAYS am a milk in after the teas made person :) I can't stand even the thought of a milky tea (gives me the bowlk - ?spelling! - aka making me gag!).

The only haineous thing i've done with tea is mixed brands, ie, I like Twinings Breakfast with Early Grey and yes I've also put milk in it!! eeeeek there will be folks out there that will want to shoot me :ohmy:

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Only for your spelling of "heinous" MrsL; your taste in tea is unquestioned.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Oooops :embaressed_smile: Novocastrian your right - do you know the worst thing - I flaming well checked how to spell "heinous" before I typed it!!!!! and still got it wrong. Teach me to try to deal with the kids and type at the same time (weeeeeell its a good excuse hey!). :rofl:

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Welcome to the forum Mrs L.

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Why thank you kindly! :)

Re: Milk first or last?
 

Who cares, I just look young, I am really 140 years old.