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Who doesn't love a cup of tea after a long hard day? Making a brew comes fairly simple, you boil the kettle, pour the hot water into the mug and let the teabag do its job.

You'll also probably add a splash of milk - and if you're a sweet tooth - stir in a few teaspoons of sugar. But did you know you're probably stirring your sugar all wrong?

An etiquette expert revealed the common mistake we're all probably making. William Hanson, author and podcast host, recently shared the information with his 3.1million followers on TikTok.

He said: "I've added my sugar into the tea, white sugar of course, and when it comes to stirring, I'm not going to go round and round creating a whirlpool because that poor little sugar cube is just going to sit at the bottom and not dissolve.

"And also if the cup is overfull, it's going to splash into the saucer."

William did have a method to follow in order to ensure your sugar is stirred in properly.

He added: "Instead I'm going to go back and forth in a delicate 6-12 motion much more elegant and oh the sugar's dissolved."

The expert has previously explained how to properly stir your tea.

The motion: Make sure you use a gentle, quiet, vertical motion (12 to 6 o'clock) to fold the liquid.

Avoid noise: Try to avoid your spoon clinking or bashing the sides of the cup.

Remove the spoon: Once you've stirred your tea 2-3 times, remove the teaspoon and place it on the saucer behind the cup with the handle pointing in the same direction as the cup handle.

Prevent splashing: Avoid circular motions as William warns this creates a "whirlpool" which leaves the sugar undissolved at the bottom.

To follow proper etiquette when drinking tea, ensure the spoon is not left in the mug while you're consuming your brew.

Just make sure when you're stirring in the milk and mixing in the sugar, you must move your teaspoon up and down 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, then 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock.

Gently repeat this process no more than 2-3 times in a back and forth motion.

William is a British etiquette coach, author and podcast host. He's best known for his podcasts Help I Sexted My Boss, which he co-hosts with Jordan North, as well as The Luxury Podcast, alongside Jonathan Vernon-Smith.