Tea-making debates are not unusual in the UK. Whether the milk, water or teabag goes in first, which biscuit accompanies a cuppa the best, the list goes on.
However, one social media user has seemingly invented a new debate when sharing how their father taught them to make a cup of tea.
They shared this strange tip on the UK Casual forum on Reddit, leaving many people scratching their heads about why this person was ever given this advice.
The Mirror reports that in the post, the son explained his dad always said not to use a cold spoon in his tea as this will cool the beverage down.
Instead, he was taught to place the spoon across the top of the mug whilst the tea is brewing.
In the post, he explained: "How I make a cuppa. Got it from me dad. 'Don't put a cold spoon in the tea..' he would say it cools the tea down."
Many people were left confused after this post, and questioned why the son was ever taught this way.
One person wrote: "How cool is the tea to start? My tea is too hot to drink well after the spoon has done its job."
While another penned: "I used to do it for the same reason, until I discovered latte spoons, or “long tea spoons” as I call them. They are an absolute game changer when it come to making a brew."
And a third person even joked: "Where do you keep your spoons? In a freezer?"
However, the science does suggest that the dad might have been onto something.
Another commenter pointed out: "The spoon acts as a passive heatsink, drawing heat away from the Tea."
Some people were even quick to offer some other remedies they'd learned that help keep their tea nice and hot.
One person simply commented: "Pre-warm the cup", with another person agreeing: "Yes this makes a big difference, swirl some boiled water out of the kettle around the cup or mug for a few seconds. Stops the mug drawing heat from the liquid."
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