British Food

[Dannie Boy]

I’ve just returned from the UK where it’s traditional that many people still enjoy a “cuppa” including my wife and I so within our suitcase we brought back a number of packs of tea.

After a few cups since being back, the taste is completely different here, so the only possible difference is the milk (I’m excluding the water) - no idea what they do to it, but the taste is completely different and not in a positive way!!

[HHTel]

You shouldn't exclude the water. My mum after spending a lot of time here year on year, was convinced it was the water.
After all a cuppa is 99% water. She's even compared it with using 'coffee mate' instead of milk here and the UK. The taste is different.

It's the water for sure. Even in the UK if you make tea from filtered water rather than straight from the tap, the taste is different. Soft water vs hard water also has an effect on the taste.

[joelle]

I’ve just returned from the UK where it’s traditional that many people still enjoy a “cuppa” including my wife and I so within our suitcase we brought back a number of packs of tea.

After a few cups since being back, the taste is completely different here, so the only possible difference is the milk (I’m excluding the water) - no idea what they do to it, but the taste is completely different and not in a positive way!!

I also had this problem when taking same tea back to France never tasted the same.
I just thought it was the water as there might be more or less chalk in it, or different chemicals found in tap water. But could be the milk as I used the one delivered by the milkman in UK and Tetra Pack milk in France.
I'd put a bet on the water

[bigston]

Milk the world over tastes different, sometimes a subtle difference, sometimes a sledgehammer difference
this may be part of it, but my money is on the water, it really does taste different the world over, not bad for something with no taste
it will be the mineral composition etc in the water that changes the end product experience

[Nereus]

I would agree that it is the water. Budda only knows just what treatment and what amount, is added to water.
Do you have a rain water tank, or buy some bottled water just to test the difference.

Milk can and does vary in taste depending on just what the cows are feeding on, and also the time of the year, again because of the feed. However, that is usually only noticeable if the milk is taken from only one herd. Here, and most other countries, the milk sold to the public is from multiple herds as it is all mixed together during processing.

[Dannie Boy]

We use bottled water from the big 25 l containers, whereas in the Uk I was using tap water going through a Britax filter, so maybe it’s a combination of the water and milk? But the end result is a taste far inferior to what we’ve been used to.


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[nanyang]

UHT milk is a no, no!

[Nereus]

UHT milk is a no, no!

And why is that?

[HHTel]

Disadvantage of UHT milk: 1. Milk quality issues / Alteration of flavor – Complaints include a “cooked” flavor, a stale/oxidized flavor, bitter taste due to peptides generated by heat-stable proteases, or a rancid/acid/sour flavor due to residual bacterial enzyme activity.

As a result, UHT milk is difficult for your body to digest, has fewer absorbable nutrients, and can cause health issues when consumed on a regular basis. You may also notice a difference in taste as UHT pasteurized milk can taste cooked or burnt.

When you rapidly heat milk, it denatures the proteins, flattening them so the enzymes can’t do what they’re supposed to do. In other words, it makes the milk protein significantly harder to digest!

I've not drank UHT but it does have a lot of bad press!

[Nereus]

I've not drank UHT but it does have a lot of bad press!

Well, UHT is all that I have ever used in Thailand, and I do not find any of those symptoms. The biggest plus for me is that I have never had any turn sour, or "go off". Especialy in this climate where transport and storage can be problematic.

[caller]

I use 6 litre bottles of water and no milk or sugar, tea tastes good to me.

I am surprised to learn you used filtered water in the UK. Why would you do that?

[Dannie Boy]

I use 6 litre bottles of water and no milk or sugar, tea tastes good to me.

I am surprised to learn you used filtered water in the UK. Why would you do that?

I live in a very hard water area so it protects the kettle (and coffee machine) from scaling up with calcium.

[handdrummer]

I prefer filtered water to bottled water here. I use a countertop Stieble Eltron and change the filter every 6 months.

[bigston]

WOW, 6 Litres,,,,thats one hell of a big Tea Cup.... i guess you dont need another one in the afternoon

[nanyang]

UHT milk is a no, no!

And why is that?

Purely from, my, taste perspective.