The standard cup of tea

[Zhorken]

As decided by the ISO.

I like especially the specification that "[t]he brewed tea [be] then poured into a white porcelain or glazed earthenware bowl."

 

[Dannichu]

What I don't get is why the bowl has to be white; surely it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever?

I agree that there should be some guidelines regarding making tea, though. A couple of my friends add milk before the boiling water and that's just wrongon so many levels.

 

[Tailsy]

Hey, you want tea in a blue mug?!

 

[ultraviolet]

A couple of my friends add milk before the boiling water and that's just wrongon so many levels.

Ugh. That's just blasphemy.

 

[Old Catch]

XD I can just imagine a team of ultra-serious scientists in some secret laboratory frantically brewing tea.

Maybe it has something to do with being American, but tea isn't a big deal to me. The stuff I have is fruit flavored and I put it in a mug of hot water... no milk, sugar, nothing. I don't have it that often either.

 

[Icalasari]

Actually, Dannichu, you are supposed to add the hot water to the milk. It presumably causes the milk to break down less, so that it tastes less like boiled milk and more like tea...

 

[Crazy Linoone]

But, but, but I drink tea in a mug! Does that make me bad?

And I don't add milk to tea.

 

[Eevee]

For those who do not RTFA: this is a baseline that can be used when comparing different types of tea.

 

[Zhorken]

Oh, I know. It's amusing anyway.

 

[Dannichu]

Actually, Dannichu, you are supposed to add the hot water to the milk. It presumably causes the milk to break down less, so that it tastes less like boiled milk and more like tea...

Wait, what? But surely pouring boiling water into a mug with milk in would scorch the milk, whereas putting the boiling water into a mug with just tea in, draining the tea leaves/removing the tea bag and generally giving the water a chance to cool and then adding the milk would do far less damage to the milk?

Not to mention that you should always use boiling water when making tea, and if you pour the water into milk that's only about 3 degrees C, it'll cool it straight down and be nowhere near as good.