American infuriates Brits as she attempts to make ‘proper’ cup of tea

What’s more British than a good cup of tea? 

From a classic Earl Grey to a more fruity herbal blend – there’s sure to be a tea flavour for anyone who enjoys the hot beverage. And what could be simpler? Popping a bag in a cup and brewing this with water hardly seems like rocket science – or so we thought. This week, countless Brits were speechless to discover the way an American mum brewed her ‘proper’ cuppa for the first time – and it involved an unexpected kitchen appliance.

The whole saga began when Kansas-based influencer, Kelsey Pomeroy, hosted a high tea party in celebration of the new season of Netflix’s Bridgerton. Armed with a box of Yorkshire Gold and a kettle, everything initially seemed set for a successful brew.

But Kelsey certainly raised a few eyebrows when she began mixing the water and milk first. “I am an American learning how to make a proper cup of British tea because I’m throwing a high tea party in honour of the Bridgerton premiere ,” she explained to her 177k followers (@kelsewhatelse).

“Internet told me to buy these teas, the PG Tips and the Yorkshire Gold. Someone said that the perfect way to prepare this tea is to boil the milk with the water first and then pour it on top of the tea and then add the sugar. But no, I’ll put it in a pan.”

In a culinary adventure that’s left Brits utterly bewildered, Kelsey took to the stove, boiling a concoction of water and milk until it frothed. She confessed her confusion over the process, saying, “How hot am I supposed to boil? [Is it] a low and slow situation, or do I boil it hot and high? I don’t know,” The social media star then proceeded to steep a teabag in a mug, pouring the milky mixture over it.

Adding a spoonful of sugar and pondering the brewing time, she mused, “One tea bag or two? I’m going to go with one,” and: “[This box] says brew for one to two minutes but I feel like the internet said at least three to four. Do I do one to two minutes or three to four minutes? … I let the tea bag steep for three minutes.”

After stirring, Kelsey presented a surprisingly decent-looking cup of tea, which she admitted tasted ‘pretty good’.

She then reached out for advice: “If you know how to make a proper cup of British tea, what should I change and try differently? Should I have boiled it in the kettle? ” Her Instagram post has since been inundated with reactions from shocked Brits, with one commenting, “As a Brit, I’m going to need an obscene amount of therapy to get over the boiling milk,” while another quipped, “Genuinely think you may be banned from the UK for this.”

Meanwhile, another disgruntled viewer commented: “My eye is twitching with English rage at this milk and water situation. I almost didn’t finish my crumpet… update… I finished my crumpet.”

Another user chimed in: “I think it’s funny you said you were gonna make a ‘proper cup’ of tea and then almost instantly chose violence.”