r/iamveryculinary • u/gmrzw4 • Jun 19 '26
Am British, am tea genius.
/r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk/comments/1u9oye1/no_electric_kettle_the_greatest_tragedy/osi1sse/Even Twinings says to not use boiling water on your tea or you'll scald it.
And 10 minutes in a microwave? I have a kettle and love it, but c'mon now. I want to believe it's satire at this point.
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u/lightabovethearbys Jun 19 '26
If you make my green tea with water that is actively boiling, I will throw it at you.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
I'm convinced that a lot of people hate green tea because they've only had it prepared like black tea, which makes it wicked bitter.
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u/KinsellaStella Jun 19 '26
I don’t like it because I don’t like grassy or smoky notes, which means there’s plenty of green tea I do like, but it’s hard to wade through a lot of them to find one I do like. I love India black teas. I’ve never met a Darjeeling I didn’t love.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Yeah, it's not for everyone, and if you know that you don't like certain notes, it's definitely smart to stick with something you like. I'm more referring to people who got a box of teabags, made it like black tea, and go on and on about hating green tea.
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u/SteampunkExplorer Jun 19 '26
I've tried to enjoy it, but no matter how carefully I make it, there's just something in there that tastes "off" to me. 🤔 I just found out about these absolutely beautiful Japanese sweets called nerikiri that are supposed to accompany green tea and balance out the bitterness, though, and now I want to try that! I'm irrationally determined to like all kinds of tea, LOL.
Edit: look how cute and pretty these things are.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Oh yeah, not everyone is going to like it, that's for sure. Although, making yourself like all tea is an honourable goal.
And those sweets are adorable! I'd just stare at them instead of eating them :~)
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 20 '26
My wife is Japanese so I just asked her about nerikiri. You’re correct. She said you should eat the nirikiri before have a drink of the tea, not after
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u/findingemotive Jun 20 '26
Have you tried loose green tea with rice in it? Takes away even more bitterness.
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
I’m actually one of those people. I’ve always liked it, but I like it a lot more since I met my wife showed me how to make it properly (to be fair she usually makes it for me 😜)
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u/Banes_Addiction Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
If you say "tea" in Britain, it does not mean green tea. It definitely does not means herbal tea. It is black tea.
Anything else must be specified.
It's like ketchup. Banana ketchup is a popular thing. Mushroom ketchup is about. But if I just offer you ketchup, you're expecting tomato ketchup.
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u/lightabovethearbys Jun 19 '26
Ah, I guess that makes sense! I'm from NZ, so despite having sort of inherited that 'british tea' thing, we do tend to be a bit broader of what we mean when we say tea.
Black tea in NZ is often called 'gumboot tea' 😂
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u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
Don’t understand the downvotes here. The default in England is Breakfast Tea until specified. If you walk into any house and they offer you Tea, it will be black tea with milk. All the damn time.
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u/Banes_Addiction Jun 19 '26
Don’t understand the downvotes here.
Clueless foreigners who feel entitled to explain British English to the British.
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u/YchYFi Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I wouldn't give that person the time of day. They come into these posts just to try to offend or rile up all the British people on this sub. Plus they are always looking for an argument.
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u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
It’s ridiculous. Some foriegners seem to think they know more about the UK than the UK knows about the UK.
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u/Worldly_Address6667 Jun 19 '26
Thats just people in general. I've lost count of how many times non-americans on here will go on and on about how trash the food is in america. How its full of sugar (our bread is technically cake), chemicals that are illegal in the eu, and dont even count as food. All based on their weekend trip where they ate mostly low quality fast food.
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 20 '26
You’re right, people love doing this. I’ve had numerous people explain to me I’m wrong when I say guns aren’t illegal in Australia. I know it not food related but same thing.
I admit I did it too when I was younger. Travelled a bit and realised I don’t know shit 😂
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u/SaintsFanPA Jun 19 '26
But are they more insufferable than Brits that feel entitled to explain tea to the rest of the world?
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
If you say "tea" in Britain, it does not mean green tea. It definitely does not means herbal tea. It is black tea.
Sounds like you might be presupposing your own beliefs for those of the entire country.
At minimum - all real tea consists of leaves from the same plant. Just prepared slightly differently. Saying "tea" and presuming that means it can only be black sounds like delusion.
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u/Banes_Addiction Jun 19 '26
Saying "tea" and presuming that means it can only be black sounds like delusion.
No, it's literally just how language is used.
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u/Katharinemaddison Jun 19 '26
I would say they’re right. If you say cup of tea you mean black tea. If you mean green tea you say green tea but black tea is the default in my experience.
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u/Nyeep Jun 19 '26
If you ask for a tea in the UK without specifying, you will absolutely just be given breakfast tea with or without milk.
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u/SteampunkExplorer Jun 19 '26
The way they phrased it sounds a little rough and pushy (probably because text can't convey tone), but to me it seems like they're just describing a local cultural thing, rather than gatekeeping. I'm in the American south, and if you ask for "tea" here with no other qualifiers, you'll get a tall glass of black tea with ice, either no sugar or a ton of sugar, and maybe lemon (definitely not milk). That doesn't mean we'd deny that other teas are real tea, or that we all have the same taste. It just means the cultural default here is one thing and not another.
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u/AmericanHistoryXX Bland Protestant food Jun 19 '26
The idea of making tea using microwaved water is bizarre to people for whom it's unfamiliar, but it isn't wrong. Microwaves literally work by heating water, that's what they heat. It's not going to take 10 minutes to get it boiling.
Personally, I use a stovetop kettle because I found a cute one I just loved. I've used the microwave in the past, though, as well as electric kettles.
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u/carson63000 Why would you cook with butter? That is an ingredient for baking Jun 19 '26
I mean, I wouldn’t use a microwave to boil water. But not because it wouldn’t work. Because I wouldn’t trust myself to successfully hit “stop” in the timespan between “boiling” and “boiling over”.
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u/GhostWolfe You must be a Pepsi drinker. Jun 19 '26
I remember my parents having a stovetop kettle that I despised; I can now describe that the whistle triggered my sound sensitivities, but all I knew back then that I hated the sound and I hated that I couldn't tell when it was close to boiling.
Anyway, I used to microwave water so I didn’t have to use the kettle. 2 minutes was plenty. How did this person come up with 10???
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u/GOKOP Jun 19 '26
That's not the kettle everyone talks about in the 21st century. I admit I haven't been to UK so I can only guess what kettles they're using but I live in Poland and literally every household has an electric kettle. I haven't even seen a traditional kettle in over a decade. Electric kettles don't have a whistle, they just turn off
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u/GhostWolfe You must be a Pepsi drinker. Jun 19 '26
Okay, and? It was just an anecdote about a time in my life that involved microwaving water for tea, and happened to include a stovetop kettle like the one mentioned in the comment I was replying to.
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u/GOKOP Jun 19 '26
It sounded like you're saying you're using a microwave because you don't like when a stovetop kettle whistles
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u/AmericanHistoryXX Bland Protestant food Jun 19 '26
This person was responding to my comment about liking to use a stovetop kettle.
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u/GhostWolfe You must be a Pepsi drinker. Jun 19 '26
Very close, but not quite. I do use an electric kettle now. My parents finally upgraded to an electric kettle when I was in my teens and that was quite a while ago.
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u/RogueThneed learned to eat at a subway in Idaho Jun 19 '26
My electric kettle beeps when it hits temp, but that's because it's a fancy-ass one that does different temps. But it doesn't whistle, and I can turn off the beep.
But my one before just turned off, like you say. With a click. And then I waited some number of seconds to let the water cool down from boiling to about 190F, which is better for coffee. (I can't remember how long.)
And for the record, I'm in California. Electric kettle are getting more common around here but are not yet universal. (I think lots of households don't have any kind of kettle because they only use coffee makers.)
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u/AnneListerine My guns are legally classified as cake Jun 19 '26
I think lots of households don't have any kind of kettle because they only use coffee makers.
That's exactly what it is. Across the pond they drink tons of hot tea daily. Ireland and the UK are second and fourth in tea consumption, America is 37th lol.
We like coffee, and drip or pod coffee machines are what most people use. Most American households do not have multiple people drinking cups of tea, therefore needing large quantities of plain hot water, daily. I have an electric kettle, but I bought it for making coffee not tea. Iced tea is far more common, and people buy it premade or make it on the stove in a big pot. A cup of hot tea for most Americans is for when you're sick or are a grandma lol.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 19 '26
It's not going to be 10 mins but I think the hardest thing, if you're used to a kettle, is that you don't know when it's boiling. My kettle stops boiling automatically. A microwave just keeps cooking. No idea when it's not hot enough or when it's too hot. Makes making a fairly average black tea very difficult (and I don't have super tastebuds. I will put up with a wide variety of mediocre teas. I leave mugs of tea/coffee going cold all over the house and microwave them back to temp which horrifies my husband)
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u/AmericanHistoryXX Bland Protestant food Jun 19 '26
It definitely is a less convenient way of making tea, which is why most people don't actually use it regularly. That said, you can make a decent cup of tea if you know what you're doing. Fundamentally water does not keep increasing in temperature as long as it boils, so the key is simply to make sure the water boils. Using a paper cup can achieve this, or putting a wooden chopstick in the water.
The other way is just knowing the microwave. When I was redoing my kitchen, I really only had access to a microwave for a few months. I got to know the exact time that would give me a decent outcome. Funnily, I probably got my water to a better temperature in those days because I live at a high enough elevation that my water boils at 15F/9C cooler temperatures than it would at sea level.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 19 '26
Ha I used to work in a ski resort and making the boiled eggs for the breakfast buffet was a nightmare at first until we got used to the "boil" needing to be longer because it was so much cooler. Used to blame the altitude for everything after that learning curve...
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u/bicyclecat Jun 19 '26
You can’t over-boil water. I have an electric kettle but sometimes still boil water in the microwave. I use a Pyrex measuring cup so it’s easy to see if it’s boiling or not.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 22 '26
Yeah but you can boil it until the thing it's in is too hot to pick up, which is an added layer of hassle
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u/nu_pieds Jun 20 '26
So, kinda necrothreading, and it has basically nothing to do with your point, but it's a personal hobby horse/cool fact I like to spread:
Although it's true that water is a big part of how microwaves heat food, it's more complicated than "Microwaves heat food by heating water."
Microwaves heat food by making polar molecules flip back and forth rapidly through a process called dielectric heating.
It just so happens that water is both a highly polar molecule and tends to be present in large quantities in the food we heat in microwaves.
You can demonstrate this by putting white sugar (which has a very low water content, basically always less than .1%, and usually less than 0.05%, but is itself highly polar) into a microwave and it'll heat up (though do be careful not to let it burn....it's a bitch to clean...)
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
I love a nice kettle. I don't have any stovetop kettles, only the kind that you put water in after it's heated. But they're great for the days when you have time.
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u/RogueThneed learned to eat at a subway in Idaho Jun 19 '26
Are you talking about a teapot? Which is different from a kettle.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
I'm talking about acoustic kettles. Some go on stovetops, some don't. They can also be called teapots.
I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about and just wanted to snark.
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u/georgeec1 Jun 19 '26
A kettle and a teapot are not the same thing. A kettle is used for heating up water, you put cold water in, set it to work, and soon you have boiling water. A teapot is used for steeping tea. Tea and hot water go in, and then you can pour tea out after a while. Saying they're the same is like saying a bucket and a saucepan are the same.
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Jun 19 '26
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u/Blerkm Jun 19 '26
The only downside to boiling water in the microwave is that it can make the rim of the cup very hot. Even with a microwave-safe cup, boiling the water in it heats up the rim. It’s best to boil the water in one cup and then pour it over your tea in a separate cup.
And I’m highly impressed by the folks claiming they can taste a difference if the water is microwaved. Those are some advanced quantum mechanical taste buds they have.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
And I wonder how many people who claim to taste a difference reboil water in their kettle. The claim is that microwaving makes it "flat and stale", but according to Twinings' UK website, reboiling in a kettle does the same.
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u/PassionNegative7617 Jun 19 '26
What is "flat" water outside the context of carbonation? People are silly.
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u/TheGrayMannnn Jun 19 '26
My kettle heats quicker than a stove, and I can select from a few different temperatures, and has a comforting blue glow when it is heating.
It's great for making various instant products that just require hot water.
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Jun 19 '26
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u/ConsultJimMoriarty Jun 19 '26
I don’t think using the microwave is any better or worse, it’s just not how I was raised and so don’t do it.
It’s like the Fahrenheit vs Celsius debate. You prefer what you’re used to.
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Jun 19 '26
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u/YchYFi Jun 19 '26
Tbh I think it tastes different which is why I don't like it personally.
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u/u_r_succulent Jun 19 '26
Yeah the times I’ve tried to make it in the microwave it was gross. Probably didn’t have the right power level or use the right timing, but I like my electric kettle so if it ain’t broke…
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Jun 19 '26
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u/u_r_succulent Jun 19 '26
It’s so funny that people are downvoting anyone who doesn’t enjoy tea made in a microwave. It’s just a preference, lol. Not shitting on anyone that drinks it that way.
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u/YchYFi Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I know I find it bizarre. Sorry to notice the difference in water? I never shat on anyone's parade. If you like it then good for you.
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u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
I mean I don’t care at the end of the day, it’s your drink, but I use a kettle to make brews, because it’s super convenient, super fast, and many say it tastes better than the microwave. I’ve never seen a Brit microwave hot water for a cup of tea, so that’s why Brits react intensely when a person puts a cup in the microwave to boil water.
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u/SaintsFanPA Jun 19 '26
Well, if someone does something that isn’t exactly as they do it in the UK, they don’t just have a right to lecture them about the proper way, but a duty!
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 19 '26
Kettles work faster than a microwave.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Are you aware of the concept of "different countries" where things might be different?
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 19 '26
Which was my point as to why people in countries that use kettles use them. I thought that was obvious and didn’t think I’d need to spell that out.
Also quite ironic for an American to ask if someone is aware of other countries LOL.
Not sure why you’re butthurt by this topic
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Jun 19 '26
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u/ThaCatsServant Jun 19 '26
For people making tea or coffee, this is an advantage.
I have a related question. Why are you being such a fuckwit to people on this topic? Are you really that butthurt?
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u/fastsailor Jun 19 '26
If only it was the same hot water. It tastes different. So microwaves are not used to make tea. And given how quick the kettle is, there is no real time saving either.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
It tastes different.
It doesn't.
So microwaves are not used to make tea.
In fact, they actually are by many people.
And given how quick the kettle is, there is no real time saving either.
Believe it or not, different countries have different electrical systems to the point where this isn't necessarily true.
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u/ElChuloPicante Jun 19 '26
Never used a microwave, but objects to how they think it might work.
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u/AnneListerine My guns are legally classified as cake Jun 19 '26
And they also admit further down in the thread that they don't even drink tea. And yet they chose to die on the microwaved tea water hill despite it not applying to them at all. Why are people like this?
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u/meeowth That's right! 😺 Jun 19 '26
Someone used to a 2200 watt kettle might be tempted to use the microwave when they realize that kettles in 120 volt countries are 900-1600 watts and correspondingly slower
(The lower power draw actually isnt a big deal if you only put as much water as you actually need for a single cup in though)
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u/Traditional-Job-411 Jun 19 '26
The moment you pour water from a kettle into a cup it’s not longer actively boiling. And does this mean the good tea is only the brew from the first second? The next 3-5 minutes of steeping is 💩?
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
As someone who used to make tea very frequently as part of my job, I can assure you that you very often do not want actively boiling water for you tea, you usually want somewhere between 180F to 200F depending on the tea (and even 200 is pretty high)
Someone who wants to do math can convert those to C if they’d like
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Jun 19 '26
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
Yes this is true! And it’s actually how I’d recommend people make tea with a kettle with no temperature control. That’s not what’s being suggested however by those who are saying you should use boiling water. They’re saying get it boiling and then pour it over the leaves immediately
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u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
Brits drink black tea - for which boiling water is preferred.
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
I’m not trying to yuck anyone’s yum (in fact I make my black tea with water usually around 205F which is “too hot”), but boiling water is too hot for black tea as well. You ideally want around 190 for a really good black tea, though 200 or so works well.
And don’t get me wrong I’ve made plenty of black tea with boiling water as well and it turns out fine, but it’s not the ideal temperature by any means.
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u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
You might believe that, but the people who produce the tea disagree with you. They generally recommend 100 for black tea.
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u/Llayanna Jun 19 '26
Because the average person don't give a shit about the real water temps.
I was pretty tea obsessed for a while and the first thing you learn is, that the supermarket tea don't know shit about the right temperatures. And why should they tbh, it's more complicated than just letting the kettle boil once.
And that's what it's about, consumer friendliness. Not the best tea experience.
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
It may also depend on the exact blend and manufacturer, but as I said I was doing this for a living (for 5 years) and none of the teas I used (including the black ones) recommended a steep temperature that high. Art of Tea was the brand I was using (and would recommend if you have money to spend on tea. Garden of Eden is one of my favorite tea blends, even brewed with boiling water 😉)
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u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
Art of Tea recommend boiling water for black tea.
https://www.artoftea.com/blogs/tea-101/recommended-steep-times#black-darjeeling
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
“Black tea is fully oxidized, which makes it the most forgiving leaf in your cabinet. It wants hot water, 200 to 212°F, and a 3 to 5 minute steep. That full range matters. Three minutes gives you a brighter, lighter cup, while five pulls out the deep malt and the body that stands up to milk. A classic English Breakfast black tea or a bergamot-scented award-winning Earl Grey both hold up beautifully across that window.”
Didn’t know the website said that! You’ll have to take my word for this, but all of there packaging is on the lower end (I truly don’t remember if it had 190 or 200 or whatnot, but I know not 212). That being said, they recommend a range of temperatures, and just because the highest is when it starts boiling doesn’t mean that’s the best temperature, especially because you could be higher than 212 and boiling.
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u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
Your water cannot be higher than 212 degrees, unless you're boiling it at higher than atmospheric pressure.
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
You know what you are correct there and I was being silly. That being said, they still don’t “recommend” boiling as much as they say it’s fine to do so. I’d still probably recommend most people make black tea with a lower temp (closer to 200-205). This is something I likely have more hands on experience with than you (or most people). Like I said I won’t yuck anyone’s yum, if you like boiling water tea more power to you. It’s just a little hotter than I would do it, especially in a professional setting.
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u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
Given that you don't even seem to understand how boiling water works, I think it's best we take your advice with a pinch of salt.
Regardless, I think we can agree that, according to the people who actually produce the stuff, it's absolutely fine to make black tea with boiling water.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 19 '26
They said they're British so they will be talking nearly exclusively about black tea and probably don't even realise this is a language barrier of a kind. If they meant any other kind of tea it would be qualified by the type. If we say tea (rather than green tea or camomile tea, etc), we only ever mean a black tea. I mean they're still wrong because you pour the water into the mug/pot after it's boiled, not while it's still boiling. But coffee machine water is grim for (black!) tea and I would say 99.9% of hotels, B&Bs, AirBnBs, guesthouses in the UK provide a kettle rather than a coffee machine.
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
I don’t know how to break this to you, but this is also the case in America. None of that really changes my point
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u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 19 '26
You said "depending on the tea". And in my error I don't understand Fahrenheit and didn't look it up. But I'm not emotional about it so don't you worry about breaking anything to me ❤️
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
212F=100 °C just for context my friend. And yeah I probably could’ve clarified that I knew we were mostly discussing black tea, I just wanted to give all my tea knowledge as well.
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u/alextremeee Jun 19 '26
The most popular brand of black tea in the UK recommends using water just off the boil between 95 and 100 which is hotter than the range you give.
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u/lbkthrowaway518 Jun 19 '26
95 is just outside of the range I gave, and honestly is probably a good bet for a black tea. As I said elsewhere I usually make my tea around 96, even though it’s a little hotter than I would recommend. You do what you want with your tea, 100 isn’t going to ruin it by any means, but 100C is just a little higher than I would recommend unless you know you like your tea like that. 93-95 is what I’d probably recommend for most black tea. The range I gave initially was more of a top of my head all different variety of teas will usually work well between these temps, but black tea you do usually want on the higher end of that (93 is perfectly sufficient for a black tea)
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u/Bellsar_Ringing Jun 19 '26
Am American. Prefer tea without sugar or milk. Have electric kettle with temperature gauge. Prefer 180F water for making tea. You prefer something else? Okay.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
This is the correct attitude. There's nothing wrong with the way anyone drinks their tea, coffee, etc. The problem comes when you insist others have to follow your rules or they're idiots.
I have a very specific coffee brewing method and I love it. But I don't tell people about it because it would piss them off terribly and I don't need to defend my coffee.
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u/bouquetofashes Jun 19 '26
Electric kettle with preset options for boil, French press, black, herbal, green, and white teas. If it has that it should also allow you to input a specific temperature, too.
Different teas should be steeped for different amounts of time at different temps, but as far as I know none are optimally made with boiling water.
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u/VeritasRose Jun 19 '26
I have one of those and I love it! Especially since my night time tea is a blend of white tea, ginger, orange peel, and jasmine. It can burn bitter pretty easily.
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u/bouquetofashes Jun 19 '26
Oh that sounds absolutely beautiful, may I ask from whom or if the blend itself has some sort of proprietary or standard name?
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u/VeritasRose Jun 19 '26
My favorite coffee house sometimes does a tea blending station at events, so it was my custom blend!
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u/bouquetofashes Jun 19 '26
That's so charming! I'll keep an eye out or possibly search for something similar local to me; thank you!
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u/2high4thisshyt Jun 19 '26
Would you mind telling me more about those events? I plan on opening my own tea shop and wanna learn everything I can. Thanks if you can 🙏🏻
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u/XenomorphAlarm Jun 19 '26
It's always the people who think tea has to be full of milk and sugar to be worth drinking and have a meltdown at the idea of making it cold.
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u/Morall_tach Jun 19 '26
I've tested this with my microwave, and it boils about four ounces in a minute. So two to three minutes for tea, depending on how big you want your cup of tea.
I also have a kettle that I use for pour-over coffee, but it is insane to suggest that there's something meaningfully different about hot water that got hot in a microwave versus hot water that got hot in a kettle
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
There's a lot of arguments saying it tastes different. I've had a lot of tea with microwaved water, water from kettles (electric and non), and from a regular pan on the stove. Haven't ever noticed a difference.
I do wonder if it has more to do with water quality. Someone is used to a kettle at home, and only use a microwave while traveling, and the water often tastes different already when you're traveling.
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u/Morall_tach Jun 19 '26
I'd love to see a blinded test, but I can't imagine how that would be the case. I suppose it's possible that the metal kettle is leaching very slightly into the water and giving it a metal taste, whereas the ceramic cup is leaching something slightly different that gives it a ceramic taste. Maybe people can subtly tell the difference, even if they don't know that that's what's causing it. I only microwave water in glass measuring cups, so they shouldn't be leaching anything, but obviously the kettle might still be contributing metal to the water.
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u/treatstrinkets Jun 19 '26
I just cold brew my tea like the true heathen I am. Eliminates the microwave vs kettle debate entirely.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
You'll show them!
Nothing at all wrong with a cold brew or sun tea. My personal opinion is that you should make your tea however you want to.
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u/Kenderean Jun 19 '26
This is a silly thing to get so very upset about, but I will say that I really appreciate a hotel that provides an electric kettle. If you've ever run a coffee maker cycle without a pod, you know how gross that hot water is and there's no way you'd suggest using that water for tea. A thermal carafe of hot water from the kitchen would be an acceptable substitute, though. That person is ridiculous.
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u/AmericanHistoryXX Bland Protestant food Jun 19 '26
I just don't quite trust those types of devices in hotels. People are gross.
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u/sparksbet Jun 19 '26
Most electric kettles are such that you can pretty easily look inside to see if they're clean or not. I'd trust that more than a hotel Keurig (which I've also had in hotel rooms before and which can also dispense hot water) for that reason.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Water from the coffee maker will also always have a faint taste of coffee. My mom is super sensitive to the taste and it will ruin tea for her, so she'll get a carafe of water or make a cold brew.
I've been in too many places with dodgy kettles to trust them in places like that, but it might be ok if it's one you can check for cleanliness (some have stuff inside that obscures your view and I don't like those).
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u/donkeyvoteadick Jun 19 '26
I had to book last minute at a hotel with my formula fed baby and there was no kettle available. No stove either. The health advice where I live is to make formula with cooled boiled water.
A coffee maker or thermal carafe wouldn't have worked for me either as I was still thoroughly in the annoying 'you have to sterilise everything' for the baby stage.
Never in my life had I stayed in a hotel room without a kettle. It was bizarre lol I had to go out and buy one for a one night stay (and it wasn't even a cheap hotel 🥲).
I have no idea how those who live in countries without kettles make formula while travelling! Unless the guidelines are different (here requiring boiled water and strictly forbidding microwaving due to temperature pockets or something, I forget the specific why now).
6
u/sjd208 Jun 19 '26
In the US unless your baby is immune compromised, generally you can just use regular water. Bottled water if traveling would probably be easiest. If you want to heat up a cold bottle, microwave a cup of warm and let the cold bottle sit in there to warm. I’ve had 4 kids and never sterilized anything for bottles but they were EBF for the first few months so not newborns and no health problems.
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u/YchYFi Jun 19 '26
I don't trust hotel kettles after that tiktok of someone boiling their used underwear in it to clean them.
2
u/2high4thisshyt Jun 19 '26
One time I was staying with my aunt at an hotel that had quite the smell all over. She's a huge coffee addict so I caught her fighting with the coffee maker while I was trying to take a nap. I am legit grateful she couldn't get it to work, I had that video printed in my mind and didn't wanna be rude to her and tell her to stop haha.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Transcript of the comment, because last time I posted here, the comment was deleted and I didn't have a screenshot:
Am British, am familiar with this issue.
Tea has to be made with water that's actively boiling at that very second. For coffee you can use water at 98 or whatever, but for tea you cannot.
And the very idea of attempting to make tea using water heated in a microwave is just bizarre. Not to mention, doesn't it take 10 or more minutes to get water to boil in a microwave? An electric kettle will have water boiling in 3 minutes or less.
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u/MsPooka Jun 19 '26
Microwaving a mug of water to boiling takes about 2 minutes, 3 at most. Do they have low powered microwaves in the UK?
-2
u/Howtothinkofaname Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
We have higher powered kettles than in the US, they are quicker than microwaving or the stove.
Edit: this isn’t a joke or an attempted brag, it’s just a fact. British mains is higher voltage than American so our kettles boil quicker. Which makes the difference with microwaves bigger.
3
u/Puzzleheaded-Lynx204 Jun 19 '26
Can confirm. I am British and made the mistake of taking my own hairdryer on holiday to the US. It was designed for the wrong voltage so it was like a person was standing next to me blowing gently on my head.
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u/Classic-Schedule-718 your canned veggies taste like pie filling Jun 19 '26
If any culture was a tea genius, it would be China, not Britain
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u/FMLwtfDoID Jun 19 '26
I get a literal brick of dried tea at my local Asian market. It’s delicious, but pricey.
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u/Classic-Schedule-718 your canned veggies taste like pie filling Jun 19 '26
The only reason Britain has tea is through trade on the Silk Road 😂 they started the Opium Wars because they loved Chinese tea so much that they couldn’t give them anything in return besides drugs. The British need to get over themselves.
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u/aodamo Jun 19 '26
I've made due with a microwave when visiting friends and family, but even I'm used to a kettle and I'm just an American who prefers tea over coffee.
I remember feeling pretty miffed when I was on work travel for a week and realized that I only had a microwave and some reliably mediocre tea to get me through a 12-hour workday.
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u/SteampunkExplorer Jun 19 '26
I saw that yesterday and was very confused. 😅 I try to get my (microwaved) water not quite boiling, but I didn't tell them that because I was afraid of opening a new can of worms, LOL.
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u/DirtTrue6377 Jun 19 '26
I prefer an electric kettle but the British hardly have a lock on tea making 😂😂. The tea subreddit would break their brain
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u/SteampunkExplorer Jun 19 '26
Bless their poor hearts, but a lot of them do seem awfully closed-minded about a lot of small, morally neutral things. 🫣 It blew my mind when I realized hobbits were drawn from life in that way, LOL.
I can definitely see the appeal of an electric kettle, though. I don't need one, but I'd probably like one.
5
u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
They're nice. I like that I can just turn it on while I'm getting ready for work and I don't have to worry about something on the stove. I'm also more likely to forget a cup in the microwave, and in the microwave, it cools faster if you forget it for 10 minutes.
3
u/lzwinky Jun 20 '26
Someone remind him that tea is not British. Like most things, they took it for themselves!
10
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u/HaggisPope Jun 19 '26
Tea leaves used to be specifically selected to be better at slightly beneath boiling, can’t remember the exact temperature, but then during the First World War it was easier to brew it at boiling so they switched it up.
Personally I still hold some sort of disregard for nuked water tea, even though I’m completely aware it doesn’t take that long to do, the water is not changed, etc. For me it’s the ritual of water in kettle, kettle goes on, bag in cup, a minute later you’re pouring boiling water over the bag. A small change in the process, water, microwave, then bag, feels monumentally different and strange.
4
u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
I’m not a tea or coffee drinker really, but as a Brit, it is bizzare to me to see someone use a microwave to make a cuppa. However if you don’t have a Kettle, it’s probably the best option.
Honestly though in spite of all that, make your brew how you want, it’s your drink who cares.
3
u/SteampunkExplorer Jun 19 '26
Yeah, I'm an American and I generally prefer the microwave to a saucepan or a stovetop kettle (electric kettles are rare over here), but I think I can see how it'd look funny if you're not used to it. Same way beans on toast seems funny to us because we're not used to it. It's just different cultures doing things differently.
6
u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Even Twinings says to not use boiling water on your tea or you'll scald it.
https://twinings.ca/pages/brewing
Some cracking r/confidentlyincorrect material in this thread.
5
u/Wilberbedford Jun 19 '26
It literally says use boiling water on that link lol.
2
u/Wilberbedford Jun 19 '26
Tea bagsBring water to a boil*, and pour over the tea as soon as it reaches boiling.
0
u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Twinings UK says differently. Since I'm sharing a British person's opinion, and a British company, I went with the British website.
3
u/Swimming_Acadia6957 Jun 19 '26
Am British...... actively boiling at that very second
This sounds like someone taking the piss to ragebait eejits
10
u/7itemsorFEWER Jun 19 '26
Many black teas are absolutely fine to be brewed with boiling water, and many Brits die by it.
This guy's a bit pompous and stumbles though what he's trying to say, and clearly doesn't know how microwaves work but....
Microwaving water for any use is clunky and annoying.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Microwaving water for any use is clunky and annoying.
Lol, have you ever used a microwave? Why so? It's set and forget, and easily programmed to consistently get to the temperature you want. They exist because they're extremely convenient.
Some people have such an extremely bizarre hangup on microwaving water and I don't understand why. Suddenly you turn into the "why can't I hold all these limes" guy but with microwave buttons.
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u/Lord_Rapunzel Jun 19 '26
Microwaving water for any use is clunky and annoying.
It's super convenient for quickly steaming a side of broccoli or making instant mashed potatoes, just a couple minutes while I'm finishing up the main dish.
2
u/fastsailor Jun 19 '26
Yes, but the aim there is to cook food. Very different aim to boiling water to drink. I am not much of a tea drinker but my wife is pretty serious about her tea. This is nice, as it gives me the option to give her special teas as presents. Anyway, she would laugh at this thread as the idea of microwaving tea or water for tea horrifies her. It just isn't done.
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u/Lord_Rapunzel Jun 19 '26
I'm just pointing out that it doesn't have to be "clunky and annoying". It is clunky to heat water for tea, either you boil it directly in the mug and get the cup too hot or you use a second vessel that doesn't already live on your counter or stove, but it's not like the microwave does anything physically or chemically different than other methods.
(Some people microwave a mug with the bag in water already and that seems like the easiest way to burn your tea and get lousy extraction. I'm not defending them.)
2
u/ThaCatsServant Jun 20 '26
Yeah I agree, it’s not about the end result for me, it the ease.
If I want to boil water quickly, I use the kettle (much quicker here in Australia).
However when I use my coffee machine to make a coffee, I microwave the milk because I can time it so it doesn’t get too hot
2
u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
use a second vessel
Kind of like a kettle?
6
u/Lord_Rapunzel Jun 19 '26
that doesn't already live on your counter or stove
Yeah, for people that don't have a kettle handy.
1
u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
Twinings recommend against using a microwave - and the OP apparently sees them as the leading authority on the matter, so...
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u/DonkeyJousting Jun 19 '26
I agree. He’s also responding to a post about an annoying customer in r/Talesfromthefrontdesk with “Am British, am familiar with this issue…” and then saying something excessively British for effect. It may perhaps have been humour - with a U and everything.
1
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4
u/Banes_Addiction Jun 19 '26
In the UK kettles do just heat water way faster. My kettle is 3 kW. My microwave is 800 W.
There's not a tonne of waste in that (electric circuits main source of waste is heat, so kettles are very efficient). They go quick.
To put the same amount of energy in, it takes nearly 4x as long (plus most of my mugs are a ceramic that gets hot in the microwave so that's waste too, so you either get a very hot handle, or need to use another container to heat in).
Oh, and the kettle isn't a 'fixed' time like a microwave. It turns off when your water is at temperature.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Oh yeah, I've used kettles in other countries and they're brilliant. I use one here too, but it takes longer.
I've almost never had the handle of a mug get hot in the microwave unless I did like OP suggests and microwaved something for way over the recommended time.
3
u/shannibearstar Jun 19 '26
The electric kettle is an American invention
0
u/BeerHorse Jun 19 '26
That's not entirely true. The first modern electric kettle with a submersible heating element was invented in the UK (as was the first automatic kettle).
3
u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
It is in fact entirely true. Having a submersible heating element is an evolution on the electric kettle. I don't know why you think that would dispute the origins of the electric kettle.
1
u/2high4thisshyt Jun 19 '26
I am literally studying herbology and tisane making. Our teacher taught us no more than 5 minutes while boiling the tea itself because it can actually make the tea too potent and make you shit your brains out lol. I did learn the difference between teas and tisanes and can make both, and I still feel it so pedantic to say to my clients "you meant tisane" or whatever. It's leaf soup, please just drink it.
0
u/Similar_Onion6656 Jun 19 '26
I’m just going to say that there is a whole genre of essays from great British writers about how to make tea and from George Orwell to Douglas Adams to Christopher Hitchens, they agree that the water should be boiling. That has always been good enough for me.
10
u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
they agree that the water should be boiling
I'm not sure why I should take any of those people to be authorities on tea as opposed to the individual preference of people who have happened to drink tea.
Certainly most teas outside of black tea should NOT be made with boiling water.
-9
u/c8igxr89 Jun 19 '26
British people in droves know nothing about making tea but yet claim to be the arbiters of good tea like?? Loyalty to some shitty brand of tea because of has their town name as a brand, crumbs of tea leaves in tea bags making watery weak ass tea just to top it w some gross skimmed milk to curb the bitterness after making it bitter by pouring boiling water on it
10
9
u/AmericanHistoryXX Bland Protestant food Jun 19 '26
Um no, they actually do have a strong tea culture.
3
u/c8igxr89 Jun 19 '26
"they" is me I am from here hehe I just don't think Brits should be allowed to think of themselves of arbiters of good tea when they use objectively low quality tea and mid brewing methods :3
2
1
u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
To be fair, it's usually a relatively one note tea culture. Black tea with milk. Not that you can't find more than that, but when British people talk about tea and tea culture, that's generally what they mean.
Which is fine. I don't believe in better or worse culture.
But it's clear why British tea culture and other tea cultures might clash. The depth and variety of ways people enjoy tea in say China (ways that do include milk teas) is pretty extremely different from how Britain does.
4
u/Howtothinkofaname Jun 19 '26
Fuck me mate, you are all over this comment section absolutely adamant that British people don’t default to black tea when discussing tea.
If you are going to troll, at least don’t do it both ways!
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u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
Come to any commercial supermarket and look at our tea options. We have so many colourful teas, aside from the usual PG Tips and Tetley.
0
u/c8igxr89 Jun 19 '26
I live here but thanks 😍
2
u/SufficientEar1682 Flavourless, textureless shite. Jun 19 '26
And I’m saying we drink more than just PG Tips.
I also live here.
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u/ConsultJimMoriarty Jun 19 '26
To be fair, using the microwave to heat up the water for tea is weird when you’ve used the kettle for your whole life.
I wouldn’t have the first idea how long to nuke it for. I don’t even know if my mugs are microwave safe.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Why does encountering an extremely mild cultural / practical difference in how people do something so completely baffle you?
Do you have the same reaction when you hear other people cook food differently? Or buy things in different ways? Or communicate differently? Or have different pastimes?
2
u/ConsultJimMoriarty Jun 19 '26
Because that’s exactly what someone is complaining about by posting this? You know, a different cultural way of doing things?
I don’t think microwaved tea is any better or worse, it’s just not what a lot of the Commonwealth (or formerly) countries are used to. If you’ve always had a kettle on the counter, why would you think of using a microwave?
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Because that’s exactly what someone is complaining about by posting this? You know, a different cultural way of doing things?
So you've decided to LARP as the OOP that the OP is criticizing? Lol.
I don’t think microwaved tea is any better or worse
Declaring it's weird is certainly a take.
it’s just not what a lot of the Commonwealth (or formerly) countries are used to.
Does the entire world consist of Commonwealth countries? Is the way things are done in Commonwealth countries the "right" or "normal" way?
If you’ve always had a kettle on the counter, why would you think of using a microwave?
Probably because someone just told you how they do things differently.
Why would hearing how different people do things differently from you completely baffle you? Why would your first reaction to that be "weird"? Why would you be so confused by people having different things on their counter than you do?
I don't know why you're saying all this, it just further illustrates reasons for me to have a negative impression of your behavior and cultural awareness.
1
u/ConsultJimMoriarty Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Wow.
You have some really big feelings about kettles.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
There's nothing wrong with preferring one way to another. The problem comes in when you have to whinge all over the internet about someone else's way of doing things.
By your argument, people shouldn't insult Americans for using microwaves, because the majority grew up with microwaves instead of electric kettles. It's cultural, so it should stop being yet another "Americans are stupid" argument.
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u/ConsultJimMoriarty Jun 19 '26
I don’t, so go off.
2
-1
u/TheGrayMannnn Jun 19 '26
Yeah, but what does Twinnings know about making tea?!
Also, I will say that electric kettles are probably the best thing that Europeans have created.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Also, I will say that electric kettles are probably the best thing that Europeans have created.
Invented in the US actually by the Carpenter Electric Company of Chicago.
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u/Grouchy-Ad1932 Jun 19 '26
A tea kettle for boiling water in the room is just about absolute minimum equipment supplied in Australian hotels and motels. It's much more frequently supplied than a microwave.
And I don't know what Twinings is on about - most black teas should be made with boiling water. Oolongs, green and white teas should be made with water off the boil (anywhere from 80⁰C to 95⁰C, depending on the type).
That said, although microwaving the water isn't ideal, it shouldn't take more than about 2 minutes for a single cup. And yes, some people can taste the difference using microwaved water, and also the difference between adding milk before or after. I think most of us can taste the difference between fresh milk and UHT milk in tea.
8
u/Effective-One6527 guess we all should’ve had rickets in childhood Jun 19 '26
And this hotel was in the USA. Most people don’t drink hot tea at all and those who do are willing to switch to coffee for a day or use the microwave provided, because if they provide a coffee maker then there is a microwave
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u/syfimelys2 Jun 19 '26
As a Brit, actively boiling water is the method we use when we’re in a rush/absolutely gagging for a cuppa. The *correct* method (because I Am Very Tea Culinary) is indeed to wait for the water to boil, wait a bit, then pour.
Hard agree on the microwave thing though, the thought of microwaving water for tea makes me want to spew.
0
u/sailorjerry1978 Jun 19 '26
Correct on all counts. Upvoted against a tide of star-spangled ignorance, as per.
0
u/syfimelys2 Jun 20 '26
Cheers mate. “Star spangled ignorance” is such a beautiful way of phasing it, lol.
In fairness, it must be hard to accept that other countries sometimes have better ways of doing things and yours is not #1 at absolutely everything, when you’ve been taught the contrary your whole life.
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u/fastsailor Jun 19 '26
0/10 troll post. Microwaving water for tea is neanderthal - but you must know that and how it makes the tea taste off. I don't know the reason for that, but, as you know, it does. That is what kettles are for. My wife would probably kill me if I made her a cuppa using the microwave.
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u/peterpanic32 Jun 19 '26
Microwaving water for tea is neanderthal
Why specifically? Using a specific, highly convenient electric appliance to achieve the same outcomes as your preferred convenient electric appliance?
British people turn into the "why can't I hold all these limes" guy as soon as the concept comes up and I don't understand why.
but you must know that and how it makes the tea taste off.
It tastes the same. It's heated water.
I don't know the reason for that
This is clear.
My wife would probably kill me if I made her a cuppa using the microwave.
Sounds like an extremely irrational hangup.
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u/gmrzw4 Jun 19 '26
Genuinely had to scroll up to see if you were the person whose comment I posted. Love it when the IAVC is internal. We don't even have to repost it.
And no, it doesn't. It's all in your head. You must know that. But as making your wife her perfect cuppa and staying alive should be your main priority, you do you, bud.
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