A woman has finally settled the debate over whether it’s acceptable to make tea using a microwave by comparing it to one made with a kettle – and there was a clear winner
There was a clear winner between tea-making methods (stock photo) (Image: Getty)
As a nation of tea drinkers, we’re very particular about how we make our brews. There are several variables to a cup of tea, such as which teabags you use, how much milk you put in, and whether you add sugar. But there are some things that are non-negotiables – including how we boil our water.
Almost all of us will use an electric kettle to boil our water quickly. Some may still use a stovetop kettle, but these are seen less and less often in British homes as the years go by, as the electric kettle is easier and faster. One thing we never do, however, is warm our water in the microwave.
This technique is popular in the US, where electric kettles aren’t as common, but most Brits would see it as a crime to make a cup of tea with microwaved water.
One American woman living in the UK decided to put the two common tea methods to the test to see if making tea from a kettle is really better than microwaving it, and made her British husband try the drinks to see if he could tell the difference.
Sarah said in a TikTok video that she was “convinced” that there would be no difference between boiling water in a kettle and warming it up in the microwave when it comes to making tea, so she put them to the ultimate test by having her husband try both in a blind taste test.
First, she warmed a cup of water in the microwave, and then poured it into a fresh mug so that her husband couldn’t tell the difference just based on how hot the mugs were. She then filled a second cup with freshly boiled water from the kettle.
Next, she placed a teabag in both and used a spoon to swirl the teabag around in the water. While she waited for the tea to brew, however, Sarah immediately realised that she was “wrong” – as there was already a clear difference.
Even though she had used the same teabag in each cup, the boiled water was a vivid golden amber colour as the tea brewed inside the mug, but the microwaved water had a weird white foam on the top that made it look unappealing.
She tried using a spoon to skim the froth off the top of the microwaved cup before she gave the tea to her husband, but even he was able to tell the difference immediately.
After tasting one cup, which ended up being the microwaved tea, he said: “Sarah, I don’t need to try the other one to know this has been microwaved.”
He said the foam that remained in the cup gave it away, but when he tried the cup made using water from the kettle, he said that not only did it taste better, but it was warmer as well.
Commenters on the post told Sarah it was “obvious” that the two teas were going to taste different, as boiling water from the kettle will allow the tea to brew much better than water that has been microwaved to a lower temperature.
One person said: “It’s not even permissible to reheat tea in the microwave. If you let your tea get cold, then you drink it cold as a penance.”
Another added: “Tea has to be made with water at 100 degrees Celsius and not a fraction cooler. We didn’t see if you poured the water from the kettle immediately, but did see that the water from the microwave was not boiling.”
A third posted: “Freshly boiled water in a kettle is not only the correct temperature but also aerates the water for perfect tea. Ideally, you should not reboil the same water later either, but get fresh water.”
Several other commenters also pointed out that heating water in the microwave can also be incredibly dangerous. This is because you can create something called superheated water, where water gets hotter than boiling but without bubbling.
Superheated water can then erupt violently when disturbed by doing something like moving the mug, dropping in a teabag, or stirring it with a spoon. This can cause water to shoot upwards and can cause severe burns.
To avoid this, you should only ever heat water in short intervals so that you can monitor how hot it gets. You can also place something in the mug, such as a wooden stirring stick or even a pinch of sugar, before heating, as this will mean the surface tension of the water is already broken, and it won’t erupt.
If you can, always use a kettle for your tea and coffee instead of the microwave – and remember to drink it before it goes cold!
