How having milk in tea is like adding tomato sauce to a chef’s special

Water is 99% of your cup of tea, according to industry experts – but that’s only if you’re drinking it the right way.

No mention of sugar, and certainly no hint of milk.

During a tour of New Zealand, Dilmah chief executive Dilhan Fernando and his son, Amrit, showcased adventurous ways to enjoy tea. But for traditional tea drinkers Dilhan said if milk is a must, there are methods to ensure the brew keeps its integrity.

Tea with milk should be brewed for four to five minutes before adding “a dash of warm milk … either oaty or dairy, not so much soy milk because that upsets the taste”, he said.

Meanwhile, a brew without a milky addition would benefit from three minutes of brewing.

He likened adding milk to tea to squirting tomato sauce on a chef’s special at a restaurant.

Tea makers really dislike people using milk with tea, Dilhan said. “You take a beautiful product then you douse it with milk, and you don’t taste the tea.

“It’s about balance … otherwise you’re disrespecting an ingredient; and any chef will tell you, the key thing is respecting ingredients.”

But Dilhan admitted he took his tea a few different ways – one of which includes milk.

There are three ways to do tea, he said.

“One with a natural ingredient, one with strength, the other with milk. And I must say, I take all three because in Sri Lanka we have a tradition of chai.”

To create a homemade chai, he suggested brewing a strong tea and adding a little milk, honey, cloves, cardamom, a touch of pepper, mint leaf, orange peel – “and you have this magnificent profusion of flavours”.

When it came to a Kiwi tea, he said Aotearoa was off to a good start.

“You have the added blessing of very good water. Water is important because it is literally 99% of your cup of tea, so you need to brew your tea right and if you have good water, you have a good outcome.

“Kiwis still value a good cup of tea.”