'Salt-tea' suggestion kicks off a storm in a teacup and rocks US-UK ties

The US Embassy in London has stepped in after an American professor made an "unthinkable" suggestion that "threatens the very foundation" of the US-UK "special relationship."

Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, authored a just-released book, “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea,” in which she suggested that adding a pinch of salt to tea could help reduce its bitterness, as could squeezing and dunking the tea bag during a quick brewing process.

Francl's conclusions, she said in the book, are based on reading more than 500 papers, consuming over 483 cups of tea, which she said she did not start counting until she was midway through the project, and a wide array of testing that included spiking her tea with various substances, and extensive temperature testing.

Her suggestions, however, are anathema to Britain's tea culture.

Amid the controversy, the US embassy issued a statement in which it emphasised that "tea is the elixir of camaraderie, a sacred bond that unites our nations," and said it "cannot stand idly by" in the face of the "outrageous proposal."

"Therefore, we want to ensure the good people of the UK that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain's national drink is not official United States policy. And never will be," it said.

"Let us unite in our steeped solidarity and show the world that when it comes to tea, we stand as one. The US Embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way - by microwaving it," it added, cheekily.

'Don’t even say the word ′salt′ to us'

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.

“Don’t even say the word ′salt′ to us...” the etiquette guide Debrett’s wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The product of three years’ research and experimentation, the book explores the more than 100 chemical compounds found in tea and “puts the chemistry to use with advice on how to brew a better cup,” its publisher says.

Francl said adding a small amount of salt — not enough to taste — makes tea seem less bitter because “the sodium ions in salt block the bitter receptors in our mouths.”

"Rebel against our parent country”

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 – another issue that often divides tea lovers.

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

“I kind of understood that there would hopefully be a lot of interest," she said. “I didn’t know we’d wade into a diplomatic conversation with the US Embassy.”

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

“I wonder if we’re just a more caffeinated society — coffee is higher in caffeine,” she said. "Or maybe we’re just trying to rebel against our parent country.”