Mathematician and broadcaster Professor Hannah Fry has suggested that Brits may look "completely insane" when making their next cup of tea, as an 'erratic' stirring method makes it taste better. The BBC Celebrity Traitors star previously spoke about the exact method people should follow when mixing their brew.
A YouGov poll found that, on average, around a quarter of Brits (24%) take their usual cup of tea with added sugar. The findings indicate that of those who do put sugar in their tea, 14% use one teaspoon and 10% use two.
The 'erratic' method explained
Currently appearing in the latest series of the BBC's Celebrity Traitors, Fry claims that those who make their tea this way could notice better taste from more dissolved sugar by following a simple scientific method. She claims that it is actually a "terrible idea" to stir your tea in a circle to get the added sugar to infuse quickly.
Speaking on The Rest Is Science video podcast, which she hosts with American educator and Vsauce creator Michael Stevens, Hannah said: "The sugar will dissolve much better in a turbulent fluid." She added: "I stir tea like this. Just do an erratic shape with your teaspoon, you look completely insane." Stevens added: "This is what I do when I need to get salt to dissolve in pasta water."
Why it improves the taste
Generally speaking, tea will taste better if you follow Hannah's method. It prevents sugar from sinking and collecting at the bottom of your mug. This avoids the first few sips tasting more bitter than the very last, which will become a sickeningly sweet sludge.
When fully dissolved, the sucrose molecules in the sugar are evenly distributed throughout the entire mug. Every single sip will taste exactly how you intended it to from start to finish.
The science behind the method
When you stir a teaspoon continuously in a smooth circle, you create a neat, predictable whirlpool. Instead of dissolving, the solid sugar crystals get swept up by the current and gather right in the middle at the bottom of the mug (similar to how tea leaves settle).
To dissolve sugar or mix milk efficiently, you want a turbulent flow. This almost chaotic movement is filled with tiny, unpredictable currents with greater force behind it than a gentle stir. As the liquid collides with itself and with the solid sugar crystals from different angles, this tears the sugar crystals apart and mixes them into the hot water much quicker than a smooth whirlpool ever could.
