It has been the cause of furious debates, full on fist fights, and general family - not to mention office-wide - discontent for many a year, but there is now a properly standardised guide on how to make a cup of tea.
Sure, everyone takes theirs differently, but when it comes to the "proper" way to make tea, the British Standards Instution (BSI) have published a six page document that outlines all the guidelines to making the perfect cup of tea. The BSI has been in existence since 1901, and their job is to help "make excellence a habit" all over the world. By setting the standard, they ensure that you're getting a proper cup of tea if you're forking over your hard earned cash for one, but we can follow their guidelines when making one at home or in the office.
According to BSI, tea needs to be made and served to you in a white porcelain teapot (none of that flowery ostentatious design nonsense or those metal yokes) and there should be 2g of tea per 100ml of water - essentially a regular sized pot of tea should have two teabags in it. The water should not be hotter than 85°C, but here's for the part where you may want to set your face to stunned: it should be allowed to brew for six minutes, before being poured over 2.5ml of milk, which should already be in the cup.
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While that's all a bit scientific for throwing together your average cup of tea during the ad break of your favourite TV show, it does at least have a few pointers for those of you who may have just realised that you've been doing it wrong for your entire life...
...Ah, we're still happy with a cup of builders.
Are you happy with your tea skills? Have you been doing it this way all along? To you, what's the perfect cup?
