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Should the milk go in the cups before or after the tea?

This question is a matter of great contention and bitter disagreement in Great Britain. Some people seem to approach it more fervently than they do matters of theology.

There is very little common ground in this debate. Perhaps the only thing both camps agree on is the historical fact that the earliest porcelain cups manufactured in England were likely to crack if very hot tea was poured directly into them. Placing the milk in the cup before adding the tea helped protect the cup. (Modern porcelain, however, does not need a milk buffer.) There is also some talk of "scalding" the milk, but some people say that milk-first scalds the milk; others, that tea-first scalds the milk. There is also disagreement about whether scalding the milk is good or bad; some say it improves the flavor, others that it ruins the milk.

Then there are those of us who consider the whole dispute somewhat akin to Scholastic debates about angels dancing on pinheads. One way to avoid the issue is to eschew milk completely. Still, I must admit that some tea (especially long-steeped English or Irish Breakfast) takes very well to a bit of milk.

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