Tired of Drinking Bitter Tea? Try Adding Salt, Not Sugar

We all know that, in the wise words of Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. It also makes tea a lot more palatable. But sugar may not actually be the solution to a smoother cup of tea. 

If you’re hoping to make your next pot of tea taste less bitter, you may want to reach for the salt instead. Michelle Francl, a chemist at Bryn Mawr College, suggested the unconventional—and according to some Brits, outright abominable—tip in her book Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea. 

Before discussing how salt counteracts tea’s bitterness, it’s important to understand what makes this leafy drink so bitter in the first place. Tea contains tannins, a compound that’s naturally present in the leaves. These tannins are astringent and give tea its bitter flavor. The longer the beverage is steeped, the more tannins are released—this is why over-steeped tea can taste particularly unpleasant. Black tea has a higher tannin content, which is why people often add milk and sugar to it.

It may seem counterintuitive to add savory salt to a bitter drink. But salt actually acts against the tannins and curbs the foul taste by blocking the receptors on the tongue that detect bitterness. Because salt is a natural flavor enhancer, it can also elevate the tea’s other flavors, making it taste smoother and more enjoyable.

Just don’t go salting your tea like it’s pasta water. You really only need a tiny—and we mean tiny—pinch of salt to improve the flavor of your next cuppa.

The suggestion to stir a pinch of salt into tea sparked some (goodhearted) ribbing between the U.S. Embassy in London and the British government. Milk and sugar are the traditional accompaniments to a cup of tea. But that wasn’t always the case.

Sugar was once a luxury item in Europe, used by the wealthy as a status symbol. Over time, concerns over its health effects grew, and sugar fell out of favor—that is, until tea entered the scene in the 1600s and emerged as a fashionable, “healthy”’ beverage. Thinkers like Thomas Tryon promoted the idea that a bit of sugar in tea was a way to enjoy sweetness in moderation. This shift cemented tea as Britain’s drink of choice and sustained the demand for sugar, shaping global economies for centuries to come.

But other cultures were enjoying tea long before it arrived in the UK and Americas—and many  were even adding a bit of salt.  

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