Along with many other struggles, you have probably already had this question if you are anything like me (a chai addict who drinks at least 2 cups a day). This inquiry was introduced by Dr. Len Fisher won the Ig Nobel Prize for Physics in 1999. If you don’t already know, the Ig Nobel Prize is awarded to people who “first make people laugh, then think”. They are also known for being awarded for experiments “that cannot, or should not, be reproduced”.
Now, let us get to the science behind dipping biscuits. After the demise of many cookies, Dr. Fisher realized that, when he plunged a cookie horizontally, it would last much longer than when he sunk it vertically. The reason is that when you dunk a biscuit vertically, the liquid only needs to reach the middle of the biscuit to soak it fully since it touches both sides. If the biscuit is lying flat at the top of the cup, however, the liquid has to travel all the way across the biscuit, which means it takes around four times longer to soak through.
Through many more thorough, and necessary, experiments, Dr. Fisher and his team concluded that the BEST dunking biscuit is one with chocolate on one side. The technique is to hold the chocolate side up while you dunk and time it so the biscuit underneath the chocolate stays dry.
Do what you will with this knowledge, and I hope it makes your life immensely better now that you know the right way to dip biscuits in tea.
