The Queen's tea supplier says this trick is the key to a perfect cup Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Food The Queen’ s tea supplier says this trick is the key to a perfect cup By You Magazine - August 11, 2020 How do you take your tea? Milk, two sugars? With a slice of lemon? Maybe with a dairy-free alternative like oat or soy? Well, however you brew your humble cup, it looks like we could all stand to take a tip or two from the Queen’s official tea supplier, Stephen Twining. Speaking to Town & Country, Twining (yes, of household name Twinings – he’s the 10th generation of his family in the tea business) explained that his company has had the honour of supplying the royal household since 1837, when Queen Victoria appointed them her official tea supplier. Getty Images While you may think no further than boiling the kettle and adding a splash of milk before sipping your own cup, Twining says that there is actually a specific methodology for achieving the optimum cup of black or breakfast tea – and it’s all to do with the temperature. ‘First, warm your kettle with hot water and discard that liquid,’ T&C reports. ‘Then, draw fresh cold water, and heat it to exactly its boiling point. Immediately pour the water over your tea bag, and wait — maybe longer than seems necessary — for the cup to steep.’ Who knew that we should not only be double boiling, but also refreshing the water every single time? And although it is of course important to prepare to your own preference, Twining is quick to note that ‘in tea, colour is not flavour,’ recommending that you let it sit for a full four minutes even if it looks darker than you’d usually drink. Getty Images While Twining was reluctant to disclose exactly which blend our current queen is particularly fond of, two former employees have given us an insight into Her Majesty’s choice in the past. Royal chef Darren McGrady previously revealed that she’ll have Darjeeling at breakfast time, and butler Grant Harrold has said that HRH also likes either Assam and Earl Grey, always pouring the tea in first if she’s taking milk. So there you have it – now you can try making a Liz-approved cuppa in the comfort of your own kitchen. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Kids can eat for free at these restaurants during October half-term How to make the viral negroni sbagliato with prosecco at home 7 Halloween recipes with serious hex factor Popular in Food Gabriela Peacock 14-day plan Anytime baked eggs May 23, 2021 Joe Wicks’ maple-glazed chicken thighs with Asian slaw June 6, 2021 Mary Berry is returning to TV screens for a brand new June 15, 2021 Eleanor Maidment My summer taste notes July 4, 2021 Uyen Luu’ s sticky mustard marmalade ribs July 25, 2021 Annie Bell’ s white peach bellinis recipe August 8, 2021 M& S has launched a new crunchy Caramilk-inspired golden chocolate spread August 24, 2021 Deliciously preserved pickle and jam recipes September 19, 2021 Gordon Ramsay’ s bang bang cauliflower October 3, 2021 Wow right now Clodagh McKenna’ s speedy family dinners October 24, 2021 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved