US embassy steps in after scientist suggests adding salt to tea

The US embassy in London had to make a statement on Wednesday after an American scientist claimed adding a pinch of salt was the key to making a perfect cup of tea.

Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, suggested adding salt and steeping their tea by quickly dunking the teabag, followed "with plenty of dunking and squeezing."

"You get some awful cups of tea in the US. It's horrific. I grew up in the Midwest, which is deep coffee-drinking country, but tea has always been my preferred drink and I have invested a lot of time into studying it," said Francl.