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Spilt Milk Day
"No weeping for shed milk.”
~ English Proverbs, James Howell, 1659
Ah, the inevitability of spilled drinks—an age-old dilemma. As the saying goes, "You can’t cry over spilled milk, but you can clean it up before it spoils!" Over time, this wisdom has been distilled into the modern phrase, "Don’t cry over spilled milk," a reminder that lamenting over the past serves little purpose.
On the other hand, "spilling the tea" (milk optional) is a much newer expression, synonymous with sharing juicy gossip. Tea-drinking and exchanging confidences—or indulging in a bit of tittle-tattle—have long been intertwined in history. This richly colored and visually warming tartan pays homage to Milk Tea, a beloved blend of tea, milk, and spices enjoyed across cultures, from Taiwanese Bubble Tea to Indian Masala Chai and Japanese Royal Milk Tea. However, let’s not confuse Milk Tea with the classic "tea with milk"—the comforting staple of tea-drinkers worldwide.
But now, let’s spill the tea (rather than the milk) on one of the most heated debates in tea culture: The Great Milk Debate! Should milk be added before or after the tea? This question has sparked discussions among historians, sociologists, and scientists alike. Dr. Stapley of Loughborough University weighed in with a scientific take, concluding that adding milk after the boiling water is incorrect. Why? Pouring scalding water directly onto milk causes uneven heating, denaturing the proteins, which affects taste and creates that dreaded skin on top of your tea. Many seasoned tea-drinkers claim they can detect this subtle change!
Yet, opinions on the matter remain deeply divided. Defenders of both methods cite factors such as the use of tea bags vs. loose leaves, milk fat content, and even historical class distinctions—some argue that working-class china was more prone to cracking under direct heat, making the "Milk In First" (MIF) approach a necessity rather than a preference. Others suggest that adding milk first was a crafty way to disguise slightly off milk.
It’s enough to make one’s head spin! But whatever your stance, there’s no need for distress. Simply brew yourself a comforting cup of tea, mind the milk, and enjoy. 🤎 💛 🧡 🤍 💙 🐄 🐄 🐄 🥛 🫖
Milk Tea refers to diverse beverages from many cultures, though in Britain, it is properly referred to as "tea and milk."
The expression "spill the tea" (with or without milk) is the newest expression linking tea drinking to the exchanging of juicy gossip, a teatime ritual of long-standing.
Almost from the time tea was popularized in England in the 1600s by Charles II's Portuguese wife, Catherine of Braganza, tea drinking was made synonymous with female tittle-tattle. "Giving a tea" started out as an exclusively female ritual, giving rise to the association (although men drank as much tea and gossiped as avidly as women).
Expressions for tea from Francis Grose's, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue Tea, of 1785, has numerous entries in Grose's dictionary. Among other things, it is called "prattle broth," "chatter broth," "scandal broth," and "cat lap."
A year after Grose's dictionary was published, a variation of the term "scandal broth" appeared inRobert Burns' poem, The Twa Dogs: A Tale, in a stanza parodying society ladies who pretend to be as gracious as sisters but think spiteful thoughts as they "sip the scandal-potion pretty."
A century later, bibliophile John Camden Hotten's posthumous 1874 The Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal described a "tabby party" as "a party consisting entirely of women, a tea and tattle gathering."
This tartan, is one of a range of designs for Sazaby League Company's Afternoon Tea brand, this design evokes the sweet scent and mild colouring of "tea with milk".
For more "tea" on how gossip and tea drinking became associated, click the "tea with milk."