Mainland Europe is very grateful to the United Kingdom for a very respectable number of research results that we owe to the good organisation of the UK health system. The findings on dexamethasone in covid-19 are a prominent example.1 The study by Jones and Francis on the optimal preparation of a cup of tea is of no less importance.2 But we doubt the validity of their thermal results.The researchers prepared a standard “NHS-style” cup of tea by pouring 240 mL freshly boiled water over a single tea bag in an unwarmed mug. It was stirred gently with a metal spoon for 60 seconds before a gentle squeeze and extraction. We think the investigators most likely overlooked the spoon bias. Here, a thermal dissipation of heat to the metal body of the spoon takes place. In particular, the material of the spoon should be considered, as some are less conductive (such…
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