Optimal palatability of a cup of tea: don’t forget spoon bias
BMJ 2023; 380 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p146 (Published 24 January 2023) Cite this as: BMJ 2023;380:p146
- Dominic Dellweg, director,
- Matthias Haninger, attending physician
- Klinik für Innere Medizin, Pneumologie und Gastroenterologie, Pius-Hospital Oldenburg, 26121 Oldenburg, Germany
- dominic.dellweg{at}pius-hospital.de
Mainland Europe is very grateful to the United Kingdom for a very respectable number of research results that we owe to the good organisation of the UK health system. The findings on dexamethasone in covid-19 are a prominent example.1 The study by Jones and Francis on the optimal preparation of a cup of tea is of no less importance.2 But we doubt the validity of their thermal results.
The researchers prepared a standard “NHS-style” cup of tea by pouring 240 mL freshly boiled water over a single tea bag in an unwarmed mug. It was stirred gently with a metal spoon for 60 seconds before a gentle squeeze and extraction. We think the investigators most likely overlooked the spoon bias. Here, a thermal dissipation of heat to the metal body of the spoon takes place. In particular, the material of the spoon should be considered, as some are less conductive (such as plastics).
In addition, it seems to me to be of considerable importance whether the spoon operator has warm or cold hands and fingers when operating the instrument. We suggest to the authors that they repeat the investigations after appropriate revision of the method.
Footnotes
Competing interests: None declared.