You might have seen the deeply disturbing news that a US scientist has claimed that putting salt in your tea makes for the ‘perfect brew’ — but we’ve all seen the kind of barbaric things Americans do to the good stuff.
However, if there’s one thing we pride ourselves on here in Greater Manchester it’s being open-minded, so we didn’t want to just go ahead and condemn them right from the off.
With that in mind, we decided to give the latest US trend — backed by so-called ‘science’, might we add — a go and made a cup of tea before proceeding to butcher it with salt for some reason.
Here’s our review. Let’s just say it’s a short one.
Make that a big, fat, honking NO. We can’t think of anyone less qualified to judge a ‘good’ cup of tea than a US scientist who’s clearly never had a proper brew in their life.
Yes, believe it or not, putting SALT doesn’t make a cup of tea any better and while opinions in the office ranged from everything between “just tastes like a cup of tea” (from someone who rarely drinks tea, by the way” and “now all I can taste is the sugar” to “absolutely disgusting”.
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If we were to take a general consensus from The Manc employees’ reactions, Amy probably summed it up at the end there: “Take that away from me”.
For those of you wondering what the logic is behind this whole monstrosity, Professor Michelle Francl who works in the chemistry department at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania recently claimed that putting salt in tea blocks the receptor which makes tea taste bitter, especially when it has been stewed.
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Not only that, she even had this nonsense published in a book, citing old Chinese manuscripts from the 18th century in her research. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the official US Embassy in London from issuing a statement by way of an apology and assuring they never intended to cause a diplomatic incident.
While we've got you, we need a conversation about what constitutes a biscuit.
We tried everything from the recommended pinch of salt to pretending it was sugar and putting a teaspoon in, but the only thing that stayed the same was our contempt for the end product. But we were genuinely surprised how just a bit of salt completely took away almost all of the tea flavour. Science init.
In summation, we’re going to ahead and declare salt in tea absolute heresy and anyone who says otherwise should be taken to court and stand trial for crimes against the tea-drinking world.
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Sorry, Michelle, we’re sure you’re a nice lady (though you’re skating on thin ice) but you’re simply wrong. This is advice for people who don’t like tea as it seems to take away the taste of the leaves full stop, so as Dean quite rightly put it, what’s the point?
Sweeten your tea if you need to, millions of Brits do it every day and everyone likes it a certain way, but we’ll throw hands with anyone who backs putting salt in tea, American or otherwise. You can keep this horror to yourself as well.
Featured Image — The Manc Group/Ivan Calderon (via Unsplash)
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When does the UK’s fourth heatwave of the year hit Greater Manchester?
Danny Jones
Brace yourselves: ANOTHER heatwave is set to hit the UK – the fourth in 2026 so far – and, understandably, Greater Manchester residents are already preparing for the latest blast of hot weather and wondering when it gets here.
Yes, in case you missed the news, more high temperatures are set to spread across Great Britain and Ireland this month and heading into August.
The increase will gradually build throughout this week, with Wednesday tipped to be the hottest day according to various meteorological sources.
Fortunately for us here in the North West, parts of the Midlands and the usual suspects down south are set to hit the highest numbers, but the thermometers are still on course to reach around the mid-20s over the coming days.
Temperatures are set to rise this week across some areas, bringing a return to hotter conditions 🥵
The heat looks to be fairly short-lived, however, with temperatures expected to fall again towards the end of the week 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/IKsunEdwhU
Estimates of 26°C have been predicted for this coming Tuesday, with the levels floating in and around 24/25 on the following Wednesday.
The heat is then due to drop off slowly, with top scores of no higher than 21°C on the cards for Thursday and Friday. Although the weekend forecast is less certain at present, one thing that has been announced is reduced rainfall.
Aside from a few more trickles today (Mon, 27 July), the showers or lack thereof cease rather soon, with some of the driest parts of the country already having various effects; for instance, parched parts of Wales have even revealed lost archaeological sites last Friday (24/7/2026).
It would be remiss if we didn’t mention the obvious moorland fires across our region, which were sadly exacerbated by hot weather earlier this month.
Following on from the hottest June on record, the Dovestone and Tinwhistle areas of Oldham and parts of Derbyshire saw hundreds of hectares turn into a deeply dangerous blaze for several days.
As per the latest statistics, it’s said that the equivalent of 1,250 football pitches were scorched following the alarming wildfire, which also raised concerns for wildlife and surrounding air quality.
Former US President Barack Obama is coming to Manchester for a special ‘Evening With’ event
Danny Jones
No, not a prank: the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, is coming to Manchester on his upcoming UK tour.
Confirming just three domestic dates across Great Britain and Ireland, the 44th President turned successful global speaker has delivered talks all over the world, and now he’ll be coming to the Co-op Live arena.
We always knew the industry-leading events space was going to lead to some big names, but no one was expecting this one.
Set to deliver his first-ever ‘An Evening With’ here in Greater Manchester, Barack Obama will be coming to the Co-op later this year.
Officially announcing the live show in line with a key American date, Obama will be making his first-ever visit to our city.
The Co-op Live post reads: “As America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, President Barack Obama joins us in Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester to discuss what comes next – for America, and for all of us.”
More than two and a half centuries on from the start of the nation becoming the United States, the series of intimate interviews comes alongside a significant anniversary for both countries.
Always praised for being a talented orator, the 64-year-old ex-Commander in Chief has found a fruitful second career on the so-called ‘keynote circuit’ following his time as POTUS.
Having served two consecutive terms in the post, it feels undeniably surreal to hear that he will be coming to visit, especially amid the obvious recent development of our very own Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, having now become the 59th British PM.
As for Obama, it’s no surprise that he booked the biggest venue possible for his debut talk in 0161.
Presented by SeatUnique, who specialise in affordable but premium hospitality seats/tickets for live entertainment, it goes without saying that this is an unprecedented moment for the venue, specifically.
Set to arrive on 15 October, tickets go live from 10am at the end of this month, with official Co-op members pre-sale passes available from the same time on Wednesday, 29 July.
You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Manchester is an international city and its popularity is growing rapidly. Barack Obama, former US President is reportedly coming to Manchester this October. pic.twitter.com/9twbfaIWbI
Danny Jones -
25th January 2024 
