" To my surprise, tasting both cups of tea side by side, the cup of salted tea was noticeably less bitter…and, dare I say, more delicious? It definitely still needed some sugar, which I added with gusto once I completed our lil experiment. "
Yeah, I’m discounting this person’s opinion as having any weight.
Being serious eats I’m just surprised they didn’t shoehorn some gelatine in as well.
I know it’s a lot to sit with, but some people like sugar in their tea. Stiff upper lip, you’ll be ok.
That’s uncharacteristically without a discussion a) of the amount which constitutes a “pinch”, and b) about which type of salt would be used.
Also, how long was the tea steeped? How much tea was used? Which tea was used? How long was it steeped? At which temperature? What kind of water was used? How much water was used?
Why does this even have the tag “food science”?
Honestly, what are they THINKING?
ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻
(With a grain of salt, aka: /s.)
Well, I would assume that they steeped the tea “correctly” for lack of a better word. There are guidelines for black tea that I hope they follow, but this in and of itself is not without controversy.
The variety and quantity of salt could have been better handled in the article. I think they’re probably using kosher salt. I also assume (risky, I know) that to get this right, one needs no more than a few crystals.
Alton Brown’s abhorently named French Press method calls for a similar application of NaCL in a coffee context, and from experience, I can tell you it’s spectacular.
Nonsense! There are rules! The Japanese even have a whole set of them! 茶道! Cha-dō, the way of the tea! And you need to follow them proper, or you will bring shame on your house and dishonour your ancestors!
THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE CORRECTLY! EVEN FOR BLACK TEA! I WILL FIGHT YOU FOR IT!
Oh, right.
I’ll see myself out, shan’t I?
I would think that with an art so ancient, “we” would have figured out the ultimate ideal of extraction, repeatable ad-infinitum, and yet…
ETA: Too many commas.
FWIW I just brewed a cup of Lapsang Souchong with a tiny pinch of kosher salt, and it was delicious.
On a serious note, as mentioned above: I once tried to find scientific papers on tea scum, and it turns out we don’t know for sure what it is. I found that fascinating - and bewildering.
OTH, I can tell you that a very tiny pinch of bicarbonated soda can help you to clean your pot and cup of it, so there’s hope.
There’s always hope.
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