Why one should never squeeze a teabag and other golden tea-making rules, received from Saga, 2026 01 08
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Colin Howard
Jan 8, 2026, 7:14:53 AM (2 days ago) Jan 8
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Greetings,
I'll change my brewing of tea as a result of reading this piece, I up to
now, tend to swish the tea bag round in the mug, this is ok, the article
advises it helps release the good elements, I up to now have then taken it
out and squeezed against the spoon, I'll change to leaving it in the mug for
the prescribed time having swished the bag in the boiling water, hoping I
still receive a strong tea with added flavour.
How about you?
As for milk first or last, I always prefer milk last.
Want to make the perfect brew? Then follow these expert tips.
By Kate Randall | Published - 7 Jan 2026
With more than 8 million of us enjoying two or more cups of tea a day, there's
no denying that we're a nation of tea lovers. More than 81% of Saga
customers drink a morning cuppa and most continue throughout the day: around
half (46%) drink three or four cups a day and 29% drink five or more.
But how do you make the ultimate cup of tea? Well, it seems there are many
rules when it comes to the perfect cuppa and, while personal taste does
matter, there are some expert guidelines we all should follow.
Chemistry professor Michelle Francl and Dr Tim Bond of the Tea Advisory
Panel offer up their tea advice, and explain the reason why you should never
squeeze your teabag.
Does using a teapot make a better cup?
Not necessarily, says Prof Francl, who spent months in her lab in
Pennsylvania testing tea (and drinking 483 cups) for her book Steeped: The
Chemistry of Tea.
George Orwell's 1946 essay A Nice Cup of Tea may have set out 11 "rules" for
the perfect brew (e.g. boiling water, warmed ceramic pot, milk last, no
sugar), Prof Francl concluded there was no single perfect way to make a cup
of tea.
"There are almost 2,000 chemicals in tea, it's a wildly rich molecular mix,"
she explains. "Everything you do changes the chemistry, so you can tweak the
way you make your cup to get what you want."
In the Saga survey, 68% use the teabag-in-mug method, with only 23% using a
teapot and a tiny 9% using loose tea.
However, Prof Francl says there is one rule to stick to whether you're a mug
first or teapot kind of drinker and that's warming it first.
"I'd not been religious about doing that,' she says. "But when I'd wired
everything up with sensors and poured boiling water into a cold mug, I found
it was below the ideal brewing temperature. Now I always warm my pot or mug.
"The other thing I learned was agitation: swirling the bag or tea basket got
more of those subtle flavours out."
Should you squeeze your teabag?
If using a teabag, many of us are tempted to squeeze out every last drop
from it before taking it out of the mug. But this not only increases the
chance of tearing the bag and letting loose tea out into your mug, it also
doesn't actually release the extra flavour you hope it will. In fact, it
might leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
"Never squeeze your teabags, as this can make your tea taste bitter due to
the release of tannic acids," explains Angela Pryce, senior tea buyer at
Whittard. "Instead lift it out carefully after 3-5 minutes of brewing."
Our expert Dr Bond says five minutes is the optimum time to let your tea
brew.
"I'm out of kilter," he admits, however. "Only 7% of our respondents brewed
their tea between 3-4 minutes, 25% between 1-2 minutes. 18% brew for less
than a minute, that's not tea, that's tea water!
"Tea has so many health-promoting properties: hydration, cognitive function,
bone health, and it's associated with cutting type-2 diabetes risk by a
third and heart disease by 20% at around 3-4 cups a day. The longer you brew
your tea for the more of these benefits come out, so hearing that your
readers like strong tea and nearly 30% are drinking 5+ cups a day puts them
in a very good position for physical health and boosting mood."
Milk first or last?
This is a question that continues to divide the nation, should you put milk
in with the teabag or wait until it's out?
Most Saga customers are Team Milk Last (56%), with only 29% adding it first.
It doesn't hugely matter, say both our experts, except when you're using the
teabag-in-cup method, when putting in milk first will cool the water and
hinder the brewing.
"If you're making it with a teabag in a mug you should definitely add your
milk second because otherwise you will reduce the temperature of the water,"
Prof Francl says. "Otherwise it's almost a wash. If you put very cold milk
in first, sometimes the milk will curdle."
Dr Bond's a milk-in-last person. The milk-first preference, he says, is a
historical relic from when boiling tea might break your fragile china.
"You will see this anywhere in the world where tea is drunk," he says.
"Every tea culture, from China and Japan to Kenya, is equally particular, if
not more so, about the way they make it. There are endless permutations."
What colour should my tea be?
Again this a very personal preference but according to research, the
majority of Brits think the perfect cup of tea is strong with a generous
dash of milk and is a golden shade of brown.
Researchers used an eight-point scale featuring different strengths of cups
of tea ranging from extremely milky to black. Strong and milky emerged as
the overwhelming favourite.
One thing everyone seems to agree on is that using absolutely boiling water
is key (for a black tea, the kind most of us drink).
"If you use water too far off the boil, it tastes kind of flat,' says Prof
Francl. "I think it's because you're getting out less of the bitter
alkaloids so you can taste the minerals in the water."
Despite being American, Prof Francl says she can't trust her home country to
make a good brew and makes the most of it when she's in the UK.
"If you order a tea in the US you get lukewarm water in a pot which they
bring out with great ceremony, then you choose your tea bag, by which time
the water is completely cold. It's really so awful. I've given up now. It's
always a delight to travel to the UK where you can get a good tea almost
anywhere.
"Some people in the US boil the water in the microwave and add the teabag,
or put the teabag in the cold water and put it in the microwave, it's
sacrilegious."
However, the one tradition she won't be indulging is our love of dunking a
biscuit into a cuppa, saying, "I never dunk biscuits in my tea, I don't like
the crumbs!"
Written by: Kate Randall
Kate Randall is Saga Magazine's Digital News Editor. Kate has more than 20
years experience in print and digital journalism and specialises in news,
entertainment and lifestyle.
In her spare time, she loves trying out the latest exercise trends and
fitting in as many holidays as she can.
Colin Howard, living in Southern England, hopes you and your family,
acquaintances and friends are enjoying a peaceful, prosperous and happy
2026.
I'll change my brewing of tea as a result of reading this piece, I up to
now, tend to swish the tea bag round in the mug, this is ok, the article
advises it helps release the good elements, I up to now have then taken it
out and squeezed against the spoon, I'll change to leaving it in the mug for
the prescribed time having swished the bag in the boiling water, hoping I
still receive a strong tea with added flavour.
How about you?
As for milk first or last, I always prefer milk last.
Want to make the perfect brew? Then follow these expert tips.
By Kate Randall | Published - 7 Jan 2026
With more than 8 million of us enjoying two or more cups of tea a day, there's
no denying that we're a nation of tea lovers. More than 81% of Saga
customers drink a morning cuppa and most continue throughout the day: around
half (46%) drink three or four cups a day and 29% drink five or more.
But how do you make the ultimate cup of tea? Well, it seems there are many
rules when it comes to the perfect cuppa and, while personal taste does
matter, there are some expert guidelines we all should follow.
Chemistry professor Michelle Francl and Dr Tim Bond of the Tea Advisory
Panel offer up their tea advice, and explain the reason why you should never
squeeze your teabag.
Does using a teapot make a better cup?
Not necessarily, says Prof Francl, who spent months in her lab in
Pennsylvania testing tea (and drinking 483 cups) for her book Steeped: The
Chemistry of Tea.
George Orwell's 1946 essay A Nice Cup of Tea may have set out 11 "rules" for
the perfect brew (e.g. boiling water, warmed ceramic pot, milk last, no
sugar), Prof Francl concluded there was no single perfect way to make a cup
of tea.
"There are almost 2,000 chemicals in tea, it's a wildly rich molecular mix,"
she explains. "Everything you do changes the chemistry, so you can tweak the
way you make your cup to get what you want."
In the Saga survey, 68% use the teabag-in-mug method, with only 23% using a
teapot and a tiny 9% using loose tea.
However, Prof Francl says there is one rule to stick to whether you're a mug
first or teapot kind of drinker and that's warming it first.
"I'd not been religious about doing that,' she says. "But when I'd wired
everything up with sensors and poured boiling water into a cold mug, I found
it was below the ideal brewing temperature. Now I always warm my pot or mug.
"The other thing I learned was agitation: swirling the bag or tea basket got
more of those subtle flavours out."
Should you squeeze your teabag?
If using a teabag, many of us are tempted to squeeze out every last drop
from it before taking it out of the mug. But this not only increases the
chance of tearing the bag and letting loose tea out into your mug, it also
doesn't actually release the extra flavour you hope it will. In fact, it
might leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
"Never squeeze your teabags, as this can make your tea taste bitter due to
the release of tannic acids," explains Angela Pryce, senior tea buyer at
Whittard. "Instead lift it out carefully after 3-5 minutes of brewing."
Our expert Dr Bond says five minutes is the optimum time to let your tea
brew.
"I'm out of kilter," he admits, however. "Only 7% of our respondents brewed
their tea between 3-4 minutes, 25% between 1-2 minutes. 18% brew for less
than a minute, that's not tea, that's tea water!
"Tea has so many health-promoting properties: hydration, cognitive function,
bone health, and it's associated with cutting type-2 diabetes risk by a
third and heart disease by 20% at around 3-4 cups a day. The longer you brew
your tea for the more of these benefits come out, so hearing that your
readers like strong tea and nearly 30% are drinking 5+ cups a day puts them
in a very good position for physical health and boosting mood."
Milk first or last?
This is a question that continues to divide the nation, should you put milk
in with the teabag or wait until it's out?
Most Saga customers are Team Milk Last (56%), with only 29% adding it first.
It doesn't hugely matter, say both our experts, except when you're using the
teabag-in-cup method, when putting in milk first will cool the water and
hinder the brewing.
"If you're making it with a teabag in a mug you should definitely add your
milk second because otherwise you will reduce the temperature of the water,"
Prof Francl says. "Otherwise it's almost a wash. If you put very cold milk
in first, sometimes the milk will curdle."
Dr Bond's a milk-in-last person. The milk-first preference, he says, is a
historical relic from when boiling tea might break your fragile china.
"You will see this anywhere in the world where tea is drunk," he says.
"Every tea culture, from China and Japan to Kenya, is equally particular, if
not more so, about the way they make it. There are endless permutations."
What colour should my tea be?
Again this a very personal preference but according to research, the
majority of Brits think the perfect cup of tea is strong with a generous
dash of milk and is a golden shade of brown.
Researchers used an eight-point scale featuring different strengths of cups
of tea ranging from extremely milky to black. Strong and milky emerged as
the overwhelming favourite.
One thing everyone seems to agree on is that using absolutely boiling water
is key (for a black tea, the kind most of us drink).
"If you use water too far off the boil, it tastes kind of flat,' says Prof
Francl. "I think it's because you're getting out less of the bitter
alkaloids so you can taste the minerals in the water."
Despite being American, Prof Francl says she can't trust her home country to
make a good brew and makes the most of it when she's in the UK.
"If you order a tea in the US you get lukewarm water in a pot which they
bring out with great ceremony, then you choose your tea bag, by which time
the water is completely cold. It's really so awful. I've given up now. It's
always a delight to travel to the UK where you can get a good tea almost
anywhere.
"Some people in the US boil the water in the microwave and add the teabag,
or put the teabag in the cold water and put it in the microwave, it's
sacrilegious."
However, the one tradition she won't be indulging is our love of dunking a
biscuit into a cuppa, saying, "I never dunk biscuits in my tea, I don't like
the crumbs!"
Written by: Kate Randall
Kate Randall is Saga Magazine's Digital News Editor. Kate has more than 20
years experience in print and digital journalism and specialises in news,
entertainment and lifestyle.
In her spare time, she loves trying out the latest exercise trends and
fitting in as many holidays as she can.
Colin Howard, living in Southern England, hopes you and your family,
acquaintances and friends are enjoying a peaceful, prosperous and happy
2026.
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