As you know I'm one third Indian and one third Chinese so I know that it depends on the tea.
Teas that have little or no oxidation period, such as a green or white tea, are best brewed at lower temperatures between 60 °C and 85 °C (140-185 °F), water for teas with longer oxidation periods (like our everyday black teas) should be added at boiling point (100 °C or 212 °F) as many of the active substances do not develop at temperatures lower than 90 °C.
The higher temperatures are required to extract the large, complex, flavorful phenolic molecules so putting milk in first reduces the temperature thus reducing the release of flavor.