John Bull

Fact of the day:

ISO3103 is the International Standard covering the serving of tea. It's there to ensure consistency in taste testing.

Key points:

- Pot should be porcelain or earthenware
- Milk should be added AFTER hot water

Ireland were the only country to object on its submission, noting there was no provision for pot-warming in the specification.

This was overruled.

Oct 25, 2023 at 10:49amWeb
Show threadJoanna McKenzieOct 25, 2023
@garius I guess "tastes consistent" isn't actually the same as "tastes its best"...
Show threadBen TaylorOct 25, 2023
@garius I think I've developed a sudden love for the ISO. And I don't even drink tea, it's just that any organisation that can decide to develop international standards for it and the only objection is that the proposed standard doesn't do it right is all right by me.
Show threadQuixoticgeekOct 25, 2023
@garius i added "able to work to "ISO 3103" to a job add to see if anyone noticed. Noone did. Even the applicants. At some point I will ask the one we hired to perform this aspect of the job description...
Show threadTrammell HudsonOct 25, 2023
@garius is ISO3103 only valid if you are using NIST standard reference materials? https://shop.nist.gov/ccrz__ProductDetails?sku=3254&cclcl=en_US
Show threadPaul GrimesOct 25, 2023
@th @garius NIST probably requires the use of Boston Standard Mean Harbor Water rather than Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water when preparing tea.
Show threadMartin HamiltonOct 25, 2023
@garius For a very reasonable 61 Swiss Francs (£56) the secrets of the international standard brew can be yours... :teapot_blush:
Show threadKnut MoråOct 25, 2023
@garius
Now I want a sticker that says "proudly ISO3103-noncompliant" to let people know I disagree with steeping for 6 minutes
Show threadblueorangeblueOct 25, 2023
@kdund @garius a 6 min steeping is only permitted in this house if I have wandered off and forgotten about the brew and I am subsequently very thirsty
Show threadKnut MoråOct 25, 2023
@blueorangeblue
Oh, yeah 30min steeping +dilution out to drinkable happens often
@garius
Show threadblueorangeblueOct 25, 2023
@kdund @garius forgetfulness really challenges the boundaries of acceptable tea strength!
Show threadDave T-WOct 25, 2023
@garius Thanks, I've got my Departmental April Fool's sorted for 2024 now. Will work something out based on that information, along with RFC2324 https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2324
RFC 2324: Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP/1.0)

This document describes HTCPCP, a protocol for controlling, monitoring, and diagnosing coffee pots. This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.

IETF Datatracker
Show thread✨🏳️‍⚧️Timelordiroh 🇵🇸Oct 25, 2023
@garius this post makes me want to have an ISO standards bot that posts about all of the various standards and maybe a little story like the Ireland tidbit
Show threadSteffen ChristensenOct 25, 2023
@timelordiroh @garius Mastodon needs an ISO standard of the day bot!!
Show threaddvo dvoOct 25, 2023
@garius milk? in tea? ewwww...
Show threadCanadian CurmudgeonOct 25, 2023
@garius
ISO 3103:2019 preview here:
https://cdn.standards.iteh.ai/samples/73224/79469b30ce154460b38ebb10af5565cf/ISO-3103-2019.pdf
Show threadHumainOct 25, 2023
@garius what if I microwave my cup always at the same duration. Would it fit the standard ? :D It's not a pot nor a kettle... or should it count only if i serve the tea commercially ?
Show threadJohn BullOct 25, 2023

@HumainVirtuel It's purely if you're doing comparative testing.

So as long as you're just drinking it, the Tea Police can't arrest you for it.

Show threadSimon dē Gulielmō 🐧Oct 25, 2023
@garius I was relieved to find out that milk was only an option.
Show threadMycamsOct 25, 2023
@garius Northern Ireland didn’t ask for metal pots and drawing the tea on the stove after adding boiling water?
Show threadPeedieweeOct 25, 2023
@mycams @garius my dad was scottish & he used to do this. that's hoew i thought tea was made 🙂
Show threadDee ToherOct 25, 2023
@garius Ireland was right.
Warming the pot is a must (if you are going to go with the step of making it in the pot)
Show threadKoochulainnOct 25, 2023
@garius What kind of savages wouldn't scald the pot before making tea??
Show threadjamesOct 25, 2023

@garius
ISO3103:2019 (latest version), doesn’t seem to resolve the milk before/after debate.

“Prepare the liquor as described in 7.2.1 but pour it into the bowl after the milk, in order to avoid scalding the milk, unless this procedure is contrary to the normal practice in the organization concerned.

If the milk is added afterwards, experience has shown that the best results are obtained when the temperature of the liquor is in the range 65 deg to 80 deg when the milk is added”

Show threadJohn BullOct 25, 2023

@james yeah. the new specification is less decisive.

Bloody kids today etc. etc.

Show threadStéphane Charette 🇨🇦Oct 25, 2023
@garius I thought you were kidding, so I looked it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3103 I had no idea ISO covered such things.
ISO 3103 - Wikipedia

Show threadJohn BullOct 25, 2023
@charette Yup. They cover a whole bunch of stuff that people don't even think about.
Show threadTeknovisOct 25, 2023
@garius Fascinating!
Show threadgroff 🇺🇦Oct 25, 2023
@garius I presume there's an American standard method somewhere that states "Put teabag, milk and cold water in a mug. Microwave for 1:45. Add 20g sugar. Stir."