This is a debate that has caused many a controversy. From the ‘helpful’ work colleague who adds that dash of milk as you wait for the kettle to boil to the ‘close’ relative that has the kettle hanging over the teacup before you have time to shout “MILK.”

The debate is a furious one.

However, the most infuriating of it all is hearing all of the different reasons why milk/water should be added to the cup first and trying to make heads and tails of them all. So, boiling water burns the tea but cold milk clogs the teabags pores? Surely these can’t both be true otherwise we’re all drinking tea wrong, right?

Having collected all of the evidence we could muster, we’ve brought you a post dedicated to the cold, hard facts (and opinions) of proper tea making. It’s time to decide; are you PRO WATER or PRO MILK?



This has been noted as being the most popular method of making tea with 72% of Mirror readers admitting that they prefer the milk to be added last. The optimal way to make tea this way is to pour fresh from the boil water over the teabag (and sugar if needed) and to leave to brew for around 2-4 minutes before pouring a dash of milk in.

  • It’s easier to judge the strength of your tea by adding water first & milk last.
  • Adding milk first reduces the temperature of the water meaning that the tea will not steep to its fullest potential.
  • Milk forms a film over the teabag when added first causing less flavour particles to be released.



This means of making tea is actually the ‘authentic’ way. In the early days, milk was originally poured into the cup first due to china not being able to withstand boiling temperature. It was either add milk first or suffer a broken china teacup swimming in, what was originally, its contents.

  • Adding milk before boiling water stops the milk from heating unevenly affecting the taste and causing skin to form on the surface.
  • Milk heated quickly scalds whereas milk heated slowly develops a sweeter taste.

We may have spent a good chunk of our time researching the facts and thoughts behind why each method works, however, there is one scientific fact that we just can’t help but to ignore during arguments of this kind and that is that everyone has different tastes. Just like some people prefer rap music and others prefer rock, tea is based on preference.

What we mean by that is, you’ve all been brewing your tea right from the beginning!

Which team are you on? PRO WATER or PRO MILK?