SCOPE’s intrepid scientist Dr Aidan Rocks and his science-hungry assistant Pascal want to work out the best scientific formula for the important task of dunking biscuits in tea.

“For centuries mankind has struggled with the problem of how best to enjoy biscuits of the harder chassis,” says Dr Rocks. “The answer clearly is a dunk into a delicious cup of tea.”

Dr Rocks comes up with the “Three T’s of Optimum Dunking”. They are:

• Technique
• Timing
• Taste

Technique

“Correct technique is vital,” says Dr Rocks. “Come in at too steep an angle and the biscuit may water log and you risk TBO – Total Break Off ­– and sludgy biscuit residue in the cup.”

It’s best to come in from between five and 15 degrees, keeping the upper side of the biscuit dry and then flipping over to allow the dry side to provide structural stability during consumption.

Timing

Correct timing of the dunk varies greatly between biscuit types, according to Dr Rocks. For example, the highly porous Rich Tea only requires around 1.5 seconds, while the more dense Digestive may require upwards of 5 seconds.

Taste

The key to the optimum dunk is taste. Dr Rocks suggests that the fat molecules in milk can make a biscuit taste linger longer on the tongue and therefore that dunking into milky tea can give up to 11 times more flavour.

Is this true or does Dr Rock’s whole experiment crumble at the end?

Learn more:

Read about the physics of dunking biscuits

Get dunking tips from the Biscuit Appreciation Society

Have a nice cup of tea and a sit down (and learn more about biscuits…)