It’s #NationalTeaDay! Chemical engineering senior lecturer Dr Andrew Stapley gives his definitive step-by-step guide on how to make the best cup of tea. 

Dr Stapley’s research on the ‘perfect’ brew was inspired partly by the work of George Orwell, who himself had written an essay titled “A Nice Cup of Tea” (1946) first published in the London Evening Standard newspaper. James May, former BBC Top Gear presenter, also featured Dr Stapley’s work in his widely popular book “Man Lab: The Book of Usefulness” (2011).

So, here it is – Dr Andrew Stapley’s step-by-step guide on how to make the perfect cup of tea:

1. Use Assam tea
2. Use a clean, warm china or earthenware pot
3. Add one spoonful of tea (or tea bag) per cup
4. Use freshly drawn water, boiled once only to retain as much oxygen as possible to bind with tea polyphenols
5. Avoid hard water (calcium ions) to prevent tea “scum”
6. Best flavour is achieved using a high temperature, but short time infusion
7. Stir the teapot
8. Leave to brew for 3 minutes
9. Add the tea to the milk – rather than the other way around
10. Add sugar if you like but only use white sugar and not too much
11. Drink tea at 60-65°C

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