Is gulping hot tea linked to cancer?

I know that this is probably old news, seeing as it was reported in March 2009 but according to Iranian Scientists, drinking large quantities of hot tea could be linked to an increased risk of oesophageal cancer. Notably, this is concerning tea which is drunk at 70c or higher and the risk is lessened when milk is added to tea, thus cooling the overall temperature. The article said,

"Drinking a cup of tea in under two minutes straight after it was poured was associated with a five-fold higher risk of cancer compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured..."

Furthermore, a doctor commenting on this issue suggested that tea drinkers simply wait until their tea goes from 'scalding' to 'tolerable' before drinking it. In addition, it was said that in Iranian cultures, there is more of a tradition of drinking tea at such a high temperature and that in the UK, as 'we' tend to add milk to our tea, this cools the tea enough for it not to be risky.

Who knew?

Best Biscuits for Dunking?

On the suggestion of my friend and fellow blogger, The Aimless Wanderer, 'AW', I'm looking at which biscuits are the best for dunking into tea. AW's dilemma is that the biscuits she tends to use are fine on the surface but then on finishing the tea, she finds a mass of melted dunked biscuit.

Personally, I am not a dunker. I love biscuits with my tea but I do not dunk them into my tea. I also love a nice slice of cake to accompany my 'cuppa', preferring to keep tea and accompaniment separate.

My favourite 'tea biscuits' are:

Bourbons
Nice
Custard Creams
Shortbread

I must add that I do like other biscuits, including chocolate digestives BUT I prefer the above whilst drinking my tea.

However, according to a Telegraph article online, published some months ago, the chocolate digestive is the favourite biscuit of the nation. The article further delves into good 'dunking' practice and techniques.

Apparently, chocolate digestives came out in front of the others because,

"...their coating protected them from the effects of the hot tea..."

According to the source, the choc digestives can withstand, on average, at least eight seconds in tea OR coffee. For more information on biscuits related etiquette, you might also like to take a look at Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down!

Happy Dunking!

CBC

How water affects the quality of your tea

Reading an article from the knowledgeable people at the English Tea Blog, it is very informative as to the effect of the quality of water on the taste of the tea you are brewing.

"Overall, it is the quality of the water you use which makes or breaks the tea you are brewing..."

I think as time goes on I will need to be paying more attention to the water which I use to brew my tea! Excellent tips from the English Tea Blog there!

Tea News from 'The Curious Black Cat'

Here is a link to a post I've made recently on my other blog about tea and advertising.

Tea News