FAO all the doubters. Milk DOES go in tea first!

I used to always quote Douglas Adams when arguing this

QuoteSome people will tell you that you shouldn't have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it's probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.(*1) If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.

    Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you've come to isn't maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.
[SIZE="1"]
    *1. This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It's worth bearing this in mind when visiting. [/SIZE]

Adams, D. (2003) The Salmon of Doubt  by Douglas Adams. London: Picador

but now I have scientific FACTS to prove all you doubters wrong! Muahahahaha! Why not listen to my MySpace Music while I wallow in another morale victory.
ERU

Your morale victory pales in comparison to the truth.

milk does not go in first.

[Mark&Lard]Whoooooooooooo???!?!?!?![/Mark&Lard]

I love Earl Grey, and always have it with milk, just that the milk goes in after the tea.

I can see that milk should go in first if the tea is made in a pot but I use an
infuser and I want the tea to infuse before I add the milk. I think that the main thing is to have tea in the hot water no more than 2½-3 minutes and the strength of tea should be moderated by the amount of lose tea used NOT by letting it sit in the water a long time and become bitter.

Earl Grey with milk?

I certainly wouldnt put lemon in either

What on earth do you drink it with? Whiskey?

Nothing, Earl Grey is flavoured with oil of bergamot, so its just tea and near boiling water.

You people are strange.

(Tea + sugar)+ hotwater + milk = me > you

Me too red I just dont get all these milk goes first kind of people.

i hear that. milk goes in last!! and it cools your tea down a bit too, which is why i put it in last, cos lets face it, do dont want to scald your lips do you.

I never could understand the obsession those in the mainland UK have with tea.

heres an idea for you tea drinkers...

try doing the opposite to how you make it now.

as for me, I dont drink much tea, but its teabag & sugar & a drop of milk then stir the teabag in the milk until the water boils, then pore on the water stir dunk, squeeze, dunk, stir, squeeze, etc. until n strong.

One advantage of puting milk in first would be that it reduces the wear on the cup from the boiling temperature!

Quote from: redYou people are strange.

(Tea + sugar)+ hotwater + milk = me > you

I agree, I like tea but I like coffee better and you put the milk in first with coffee, I have 2 tea spoons of sugar and 1 and a bit of coffee. I drink it a lot!

As far as I am aware then the tradition of putting milk in first comes from people having delicate bone china tea cups which could. crack if you put boiling water in them.

Thus putting the milk in first prevented this.