YORKSHIRE TEA EXPERT REVEALS THE ONE MISTAKE RUINING YOUR CUP OF TEA

Forget everything you think you know about making the perfect cup of tea.

We sat down with Will Dixon, Tea Buyer at Yorkshire Tea, to settle the debate once and for all, from the great milk-first-or-last row to why your kettle habits might be killing your brew.

Q: What's the single most common mistake you see Australians making with their tea?

A: Either rushing the process and not giving the tea long enough to brew, or using low-quality tea," says Will. "If you don't start the process with a good quality tea, then no matter what you do during the brewing process, you won't get a good cup of tea at the end of it."

Q: Are Australians actually worse at making tea than the British, or is that a myth? Be honest!

A: "I would say it comes down to the individual, not the nationality," Will admits. "Many Brits make bad cups of tea too; generally rushing the brewing process results in an inferior cup of tea. Always use good quality tea, use fresh water boiled to 100°C, and allow the tea time to brew."

Q: Why does reboiling the same water matter? What actually changes in the cup?

A: "When you boil water, it loses oxygen and becomes flat, so if you use water that has been boiled multiple times, you'll get a very flat-tasting cup of tea," Will explains. "It's a bit like drinking a freshly opened can of fizzy soda compared to drinking a can that has been opened for a few hours."

Q: Does it make any difference whether it's tap, filtered or bottled water?

A: "As long as the water is fresh, freshly opened or freshly taken from the tap, the tea will taste better," says Will. "Different waters do have different mineral contents. The more minerals, the harder the water. Harder water diminishes some of the brightness of the tea but can also bring out flavours more strongly."

Q: Squeeze the bag or leave it alone?

A: "If you like a stronger cup of tea, like we do here at Taylors of Harrogate and Yorkshire Tea, then do squeeze the bag, as it gets a lot of concentrated flavour out," Will says.

Q: Milk first or last, and does it genuinely matter or is it just tribal?

A: "I personally don't think it matters too much," Will reveals. "Milk was originally added to the cup before the tea to prevent the hot liquid cracking the crockery. If anything, I prefer to add the milk after the tea, as I use the colour of the brewed tea and milk to gauge my own preferred ratio."

Q: What's the worst tea crime you've personally witnessed?

A: "Using a microwave to heat water instead of a kettle," Will says without hesitation. "If the water isn't at the boiling point for black tea, you'll never get the perfect brew."

Will Dixon is Tea Buyer at Yorkshire Tea.