Given its delicacy, the porcelain would often crack due to the high water temperature. Therefore, people started adding milk to cool down the cup. Another popular theory is that milk was used to balance the natural bitterness of tea, giving it a smoother, more delicate flavour.
While the Chinese and Japanese generally prefer their hot tea without dairy, a splash of milk in your afternoon cuppa is quintessentially British. Britons may take milk in their tea for the flavor today, but that wasn't the original intention.
The Brits' habit of putting milk in tea extends all the way back to the 18th century, from the time when tea was brewed in pots. Tea was a big deal at the time, and people tended to drink it out of china cups.
What Kind of Milk do British Put in Tea? Usually, and in the past it's been whole milk that Brits use in their tea. In the US, 2% milk is passable, but don't offer me 1% or even talk to me about skim milk. The cream that's in whole milk adds a lot to the flavor of a cuppa.
In general, the British custom is to pour milk in your cup first, then tea. Whereas, the European custom is to pour the hot tea in first, then milk.
Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o'clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o'clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner.
Enhance your Earl Grey tea
Traditionally, Earl Grey tea is served with a slice of lemon and sugar to taste. According to YouGov, a massive 85% of British Earl Grey and English breakfast tea drinkers enjoy their tea with milk. In the US, they like to add milk and sugar to their Earl Grey tea.
Americans typically drink their Earl Grey with milk and sugar, but Chatterton prefers it the British way — with lemon and sugar. "Milk has a tendency to do strange things to black tea," he says. "It dulls the flavor a bit.
In 1680 Madame de la Sabliere, served tea with milk at her famous Paris salon. She is traditionally ascribed to introducing the custom to Europe. It is also thought that the poor quality in tea had to be softened with the flavor of milk just to make it palpable.
The Irish are noted for drinking their tea strong and with lots of milk. Traditionally milk was poured into tea cups first to prevent the hot tea from cracking fine china cups.
Basically it comes down to where you were born and the customs in the house that you were brought up with which determine whether you will have milk with your tea or not. Chinese typically do not drink green tea in any variety with milk although there seems to be no reason not to.
Tea is often thought of as Britain's national drink. But how we enjoy it varies from person to person – from no milk, three sugars, to a traditional builders' tea.
A: 97.5%. Q: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TEA IS TAKEN WITH MILK? A: 57% of tea drinkers add dairy milk, 10% add a plant milk, 27% add sugar and 12% use a low-calorie sweetener.
Sugar is a popular addition to any variety. Everyday tea, such as English breakfast tea, served in a mug with milk and sugar is a popular combination. Sandwiches, crumpets, scones, cake, or biscuits often accompany tea, which gave rise to the prominent British custom of dunking a biscuit into tea.
Doodh pati chai, literally 'milk and tea leaves', a tea beverage drunk in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
History of adding milk to tea. Many assume that adding milk to tea started in England, but that's not actually the case. The British didn't start drinking tea until the 17th century, whereas dairy may have been added to tea in Tibet as early as 781, when tea was introduced to Mongolia from China.
Tea lattes are typically made using tea and steamed, frothed milk, and are similar to coffee-based lattes. Popular versions of tea lattes include matcha lattes, chai lattes, and London Fog lattes made using Earl Grey tea.
Typically, tea in India is consumed with both milk and sugar but the tea leaves are not prepared separately by being steeped. Instead, the tea leaves are boiled along with additions and then boiled again after the addition of milk and sugar.
This drink can go by many names- Earl Grey Tea with milk, London Fog, Earl Grey Latte- but no matter what you call it, it's just delicious. Just milk, Earl Grey Tea, vanilla and sugar are all you need! Cook Time5 mins. Course: Drinks.
What we know for certain is Earl Grey tea was named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl of Grey, a Cambridge and Eton educated aristocrat who was elected to parliament at the age of twenty-two, and eventually served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 – 1834.
Improves Digestion
The ingredients in Earl Grey Tea help protect your gut health and support the digestion process. And if you need more reasons to drink Earl Grey, these same ingredients have natural anti-inflammatory qualities that can help relieve constipation and acid reflux.
I've not heard of many people in the UK drinking it with lemon, that's something I've only seen in foreign holiday resorts, especially in Europe. If we want flavoured tea, we drink herbal tea (peppermint, liquorice, ginger, sweet berries, camomile, etc). You can even buy lemon tea.
You can put milk in Earl Grey tea, if you do so in the right way to avoid the milk curdling. Alternatively, this type of tea is just as delicious and flavourful without milk, so it will depend on your personal taste and preference whether you should put milk in your tea.
Traffic congestion in 18th century London led to a law being passed to make all traffic on London Bridge keep to the left in order to reduce collisions. This rule was incorporated into the Highway Act of 1835 and was adopted throughout the British Empire.