gingersmom Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I haven't felt well all day so I decided to make tea (plus I have watched Downton Abbey all day :) Every time I make tea and microwave the water it tastes different to me. Am I the only one who thinks this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Nope. http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/06/04/microwaving_water_for_tea_why_are_the_results_so_lousy.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I despise tea made with microwaved water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I can't tell the difference. I've heard the "right" way to make tea is to bring the water to a boil (either way--unspecified) and then wait til it cools to 180 degrees, which is supposed to be the perfect temp. I just fill the glass measuring cup with water, throw it in the mic, put a bag in it and nuke for 2 mins. Works for me--YMMV as usual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelaNYC Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I feel it tastes off also. I never microwave tea water and when the kids do it, I will dump it and redo it right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 For tea, always boil in a kettle (I use an electric one). You can't get a rolling boil in a microwave, and the tea tastes horrible. I have not tried with coffee; it could be that that works better. For beverages that require only hot, but not boiling water, like instant hot chocolate, microwave is perfectly fine. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 We use an electric hot pot and boil the water. It just doesn't steep quite right with microwaved. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I have read from websites devoted to tea that the water should not reach a high boil for some teas (i.e. green and white), but should for others (e.g. black). As a cook, I pretty much understand the principles involved. As a real-life person, though, I just boil the water. Not being "The Princess and the Tea", I typically microwave the water and detect no difference sufficient to disturb me. I could enjoy having the time to become an expert in tea brewing, just as I could enjoy becoming an oenophile. No time, though! :001_smile: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Um, I can get a "roiling" boil in the microwave.... I use a 2 cup pyrex and nuke it for 4 minutes, it will continue to boil for 5 seconds or so then settle down. I add tea bags after that. I do use our stove top kettle for making gallons of sweet tea but if it's just a cup I nuke it and can't tell the difference. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have read from websites devoted to tea that the water should not reach a high boil for some teas (i.e. green and white), but should for others (e.g. black). As a cook, I pretty much understand the principles involved. As a real-life person, though, I just boil the water. Not being "The Princess and the Tea", I typically microwave the water and detect no difference sufficient to disturb me. I could enjoy having the time to become an expert in tea brewing, just as I could enjoy becoming an oenophile. No time, though! :001_smile: The correct temperature actually makes a big difference for tea. I also realize I'm too distracted to sit with a thermometer waiting for water to get to 140 for green tea. My *lazy persons* solution drove me to figure out how much room temperature water was need in my tea pot so that filling the remainder with boiling water would get me to 140 degrees. Works well. Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The correct temperature actually makes a big difference for tea. I also realize I'm too distracted to sit with a thermometer waiting for water to get to 140 for green tea. My *lazy persons* solution drove me to figure out how much room temperature water was need in my tea pot so that filling the remainder with boiling water would get me to 140 degrees. Works well. Bill Agreeing that correct water temperature and steeping time lead to the best tea. Just can't invest so much time. As you are a "science guy", might you share the respective volumes of water (room vs. boiling) that you use for green tea? Don't tell me, however, to factor in the material composition of the teapot! (bone china vs. pottery vs. other) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 I think for Mother's Day I will treat myself to a kettle and new teapot. Then I am going to go check out new tea shop in town. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 The temp matters with tea, but it would be interesting to see if you could actually tell by doing a blind tasting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Yuck to the microwave. Although I do use that route if I'm traveling. At home I love my electric kettle. I set the temp I want & it's perfect! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Microwaving the water is just not the same as actually boiling it. And for black tea (which is all I drink), I pour that boiling water right into the teapot or mug with the loose-tea infuser, and I time it: 4 minutes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 We had this discussion a few weeks ago. Microwaving doesn't heat the water evenly -- you have some cold water and some boiling water within the same cup, just like when you thaw something in the microwave and have some hot spots and some still frozen. The weird taste is because some of the tea is being steeped in hot water, and some is in cold. If you heat a kettle of water on the stove or in an electric kettle you end up with convection currents (middle school physical science in action!) and the water ends up evenly heated. (I didn't look at the link someone provided above, which maybe explained it. But, alas, I am lazy. You can probably guess my stance on measuring actual water temperature for tea. ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I don't understand why people microwave water for tea. Personally, I think it tastes horrible that way, but it also seems to take longer to heat the water in a microwave than in a kettle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 You can reach a real boil in a microwave but it takes a lot of water and a long time. I've watched it boil. I can't tell the difference with tea but I can with coffee in a French press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Water needs to be actually boiling when it hits the (black) tea. That's what I was always taught. Tea made with water off the boil tastes bad. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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