US embassy smooths ruffled UK feathers over ‘perfect’ tea study

The US and UK have traditionally enjoyed a so-called special relationship as close allies bound by a common language.

But that goodwill has been jeopardised by an American academic who claims that the recipe for a perfect cup of tea includes a pinch of salt.

Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, asserts in a new study that warm milk should be used in a perfect cup of tea – known as a cuppa – to reduce the chance of curdling.

She also suggests adding a pinch of salt to reduce bitterness and notes that adding a small squeeze of lemon can remove the “scum” that sometimes appears on the surface of the drink.

Her advice drew bafflement and derision in the UK, where tea is considered the national drink.