Experiencing Mutual Suppression

Experiencing Mutual Suppression

You will need:

• 4 Lipton, PG Tips, or other black tea bags[1]
• A 2-cup liquid measure
• 3 glasses
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Pour 13 oz of boiling water over the 4 teabags and let the tea brew for 10 minutes. You want to over-brew the tea so that the bitterness is pronounced.
2. While the tea is brewing, mark the glasses with tape on the bottom. Mark them:
   • Tea
   • Tea + S
   • Tea + S + S
3. Put 2 tablespoons of sugar in the glass marked Tea + S
4. Put 2 tablespoons of sugar + 1/8 teaspoon salt in the glass marked Tea + S + S
5. Remove the teabags after the 10 minutes are up
6. You should be left with 12 oz of water. Equally divide the tea into all 3 glasses so that each glass gets 4 oz of water
7. Put a spoon in each glass and stir until all the sugar and salt is dissolved.
8. Pour another 4 oz of cold water into each glass.
9. Taste all 3 teas and note how bitter and sweet each one tastes.

Discuss

• You’ll notice that the Tea (Tea) tastes bitter
• You’ll notice that the sweetened tea (Tea + S) tastes less bitter.
• When you taste the Tea with sugar and salt (T + S + S) you should notice that it is slightly less bitter than (Tea + S) but it’s also slightly more sweet.
• You’ve just experienced the superheroism of salt. It thwarts the bad tastes (bitter) and enhances the good tastes (sweet).