An American scientist has sparked a trans-Atlantic tempest in a teapot by offering Britain advice on its favorite hot beverage.

Bryn Mawr College chemistry professor Michelle Francl says one of the keys to a perfect cup of tea is a pinch of salt. The tip is included in FranclB次元官网网址檚 book B次元官网网址淪teeped: The Chemistry of Tea,B次元官网网址� published Wednesday by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Not since the Boston Tea Party has mixing tea with salt water roiled the Anglo-American relationship so much.

The salt suggestion drew howls of outrage from tea lovers in Britain, where popular stereotype sees Americans as coffee-swilling boors who make tea, if at all, in the microwave.

B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 even say the word B次元官网网址瞫altB次元官网网址� to usB次元官网网址�B次元官网网址� the etiquette guide DebrettB次元官网网址檚 wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The U.S. Embassy in London intervened in the brewing storm with a social media post reassuring B次元官网网址渢he good people of the U.K. that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to BritainB次元官网网址檚 national drink is not official United States policy.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淟et us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one,B次元官网网址� said the tongue-in-cheek post. B次元官网网址淭he U.S. Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by microwaving it.B次元官网网址�

The embassy later clarified that its statement was B次元官网网址渁 lighthearted play on our shared cultural connectionsB次元官网网址� rather than an official press release.

B次元官网网址淪teeped,B次元官网网址� in contrast, is no joke. The product of three yearsB次元官网网址� research and experimentation, the book explores the more than 100 chemical compounds found in tea and B次元官网网址減uts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup,B次元官网网址� its publisher says.

Francl said adding a small amount of salt B次元官网网址� not enough to taste B次元官网网址� makes tea seem less bitter because B次元官网网址渢he sodium ions in salt block the bitter receptors in our mouths.B次元官网网址�

She also advocates making tea in a pre-warmed pot, agitating the bag briefly but vigorously and serving in a short, stout mug to preserve the heat. And she says milk should be added to the cup after the tea, not before B次元官网网址� another issue that often divides tea lovers.

Francl has been surprised by the level of reaction to her book in Britain.

B次元官网网址淚 kind of understood that there would hopefully be a lot of interest,B次元官网网址� she told The Associated Press. B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know weB次元官网网址檇 wade into a diplomatic conversation with the U.S. Embassy.B次元官网网址�

It has made her ponder the ocean-wide coffee-tea divide that separates the U.S. and Britain.

B次元官网网址淚 wonder if weB次元官网网址檙e just a more caffeinated society B次元官网网址� coffee is higher in caffeine,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淥r maybe weB次元官网网址檙e just trying to rebel against our parent country.B次元官网网址�

READ ALSO: