Changes

# The pot will normally hold enough tea so as not to be empty after filling the cups of all the guests. If this is the case, the [[tea cosy]] is replaced after everyone has been served.

# The pot will normally hold enough tea so as not to be empty after filling the cups of all the guests. If this is the case, the [[tea cosy]] is replaced after everyone has been served.

Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea is a matter of debate. In the early days of tea-drinking, milk would be poured into the cup first to avoid the thermal shock of hot tea cracking the delicate porcelain. Adding milk second may scald part of the milk while it is poured into the hot tea. Pouring tea after milk reduces the maximum temperature reached by the milk, as the poured tea is gradually cooled by the milk. In other words, pouring milk after tea produces abrupt milk heating, while pouring tea after milk produces more gradual milk heating. Also, adding milk second produces an initially less homogeneous mixture (see figure above; even when the mixture is not stirred, however, it quickly becomes homogeneous due to [[brownian motion|random molecule drifting]]).

Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea is a matter of debate. In the early days of tea-drinking, milk would be poured into the cup first to avoid the thermal shock of hot tea cracking the delicate porcelain. Adding milk second may scald part of the milk while it is poured into the hot tea. Pouring tea after milk reduces the maximum temperature reached by the milk, as the poured tea is gradually cooled by the milk. In other words, pouring milk after tea produces abrupt milk heating, while pouring tea after milk produces more gradual milk heating. Also, adding milk second produces an initially less homogeneous mixture (see figure above; even when the mixture is not stirred, however, it quickly becomes homogeneous due to random molecule drifting).

Drinking tea from the saucer (poured from the cup in order to cool it) was not uncommon over fifty years ago but is now almost universally considered a breach of etiquette.

Drinking tea from the saucer (poured from the cup in order to cool it) was not uncommon over fifty years ago but is now almost universally considered a breach of etiquette.