Milk in first or tea in first? | QI - BBC

Quiz show. Sandi Toksvig has a picnic with Alan Davies, Romesh Ranganathan, Rachel Parris and Richard Osman.

[llpalm]

Milk in first if you use a tea pot for brewing, milk in second if using a mug/cup.

[schwarjm]

I had read that back in 19th century it depended on your cup. If you were using an expensive cup, such as, fine china, it was safe to pour your tea before adding cold milk; but if using a less expensive cup, it was best to add milk before pouring your tea to avoid that very hot tea from breaking the cup. Has anyone heard of this?

[GurjantSingh-lvbd]

Its water first and tea, when they start boiling put herbs and spices you want or are available then put milk boiled it at last put sugar. That's the ancient recipe.

[john.premose]

So glad I'm a coffee person because we don't have this dilemma

[kingda]

Both! In hard water areas, milk in first. Milk in last in soft water areas or when using jug filtered water. In all cases the stream of boiling water should be aimed at the bag as you fill the mug and leave to brew for your preferred strength.

[craffte]

First if you don't want the milk or whatever to get too hot and change bc of the tea. Because we all know the flavor does change, esp if it's cream.
Second if you want to be able to control the tea to milk ratio correctly.
I am American who was partially raised overseas. I have been drinking tea many times a day since I was in junior high school. Until recently. As of two years ago, I have not been able to drink any black tea anymore because of health problems. I leave this comment here because British people are some of the people in the world who could understand my pain. Americans, of course, have no clue. It's infuriating. Can you imagine waking up and knowing....no more tea. Ever.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, it's been hell. Absolute hell. I feel like my identity is gone. I feel lost. My body changed. The things that tea did for me physically are not there anymore and I swear my brain changed because of it. Everything is different.
I still can have other teas, but..not the same. There is no substitute.
I will never be the same again. Thank you for letting me vent.
Love from the effed up USA.❤️

[qasimmir]

Well if it’s out of the pot, then milk first so you don’t scold the milk, but it does mean practice in getting amount of milk right.
Teabag in the mug, then it has to be milk last.
If it’s chai then you cook the bloody lot in one go with your seeds. Lovely.

[milhouse]

Next, the “experts” will say to put the sugar first before the tea and milk.

[Roof_Pizza]

Marmite, gag first, during or after?

[richbuilds_com]

I put the hot water in, then the tea bag, then the milk.

I then stir the tea till it's the right colour/strength and take the tea bag out.

Any other method is inefficient, and prone to over milky or weak tea. Especially in the case of a unknown tea bag.

Fight Me!

[largee]

If made in a mug, it's milk, water, teabag.

[HrRezpatex]

As much as i love Sandi Toksvig she is wrong in this case. Or partly wrong, because to day it does not matter.

But if you putted tea in first before the English got porcelain, it would be very wrong.
Because before the porcelain, the cups would simply crack from the heat of boiling water, therefor it was important to put milk or cold water in first.
So originally the milk got in first, but as i said, to day it does not matter.

[charlespeterwatson]

Now for the scone: is it Devonshire cream first or jam first?

[ler]

Fourth. It goes teabag water sugar milk

[synkopy]

you want to start a riot? because that's how you start a riot

[andy]

milk last for sure or the tea does not brew

[lexruptor]

No need to ask, Mattpatt did a food theory on it.

[prasantadutta]

Tealeaf first. Add cardamom, bay leaf, sugar etc. (optional) and boil the heck out of it until it becomes darker than the British empire. Then add milk and strain it. It's called Kadak chai (strong tea) in Hindi. Tea from a teapot, then milk and then stirring it with a tiny-ass spoon is for sissies.

[Vinny-Zen]

The end result is the same either way.

[gillianjackson]

Milk first, tea and coffee. Let's be honest it's a personal thing. Only man comes up with these things.