Britain lays down the law and tells the world how properly make a cuppa

If there’s one thing the Brits know about, it’s how to brew a good cuppa. In fact, tea is such an ingrained part of their culture the British Standards Institute felt compelled to write an extremely detailed manual on how to brew the perfect cup of tea, ensuring citizens of the world would never have to suffer from a bad cup again. Phew!

The six page document (yes you read that right – six pages on how to make a cuppa!) covers everything from tea-to-water ratio, to the size of the cup. Since we assume you don’t have time sit down and read through tea-riffically detailed manual, we’ve broken down the main points for you.

The first thing to think about is your cup. You should be using a white porcelain or glazed earthenware tea pot, preferably between 74 mm and 78 mm wide. Apparently making it in a mug, like most of us do, is some kind of tea-drinker’s sacrilege!

Second, you want to make sure you’ve got the correct tea-to-water ratio. The manual states you should use 2 grams of tea for every 100 ml litres of water. Better pull out the kitchen scales.

Third, the water should be heated at precisely 85°C for brewing and should be no cooler than 60°C when serving.

Fourth, black tea must be steeped for six minutes. No more, no less – they’re very serious about that. The manual says six minutes is the perfect amount of time for the flavours to be extracted from the tea leaves.

And lastly, add milk first. We’re a bit dubious about this one, but the British apparently swear by this rule. It has to do with denaturing the milk proteins to create the ultimate flavour and balance.

So now you know how to make the perfect cup of tea – even one fit for the Queen. Spit spot, cheerio and away you go!

Would you try these instructions for the perfect cuppa? Do you have your own tips for making the perfect brew?