cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/20260613
this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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FYI, the reason that microwaved water is an offence to tea drinkers isn't actually the microwave part.
The issue is that black tea should be made using water over 95°C (203F). Basically a rolling boil, straight out of the kettle. With a microwave, your water likely hits 100, then cools quite rapidly. By the time you add it to the tea, it's getting too cold.
The optimal temperature is different for green or white teas, but Britain mostly drinks black tea.
On a side note, a disproportionate number of British "explorers" wrote complaints about not being able to make a good cup of tea, while climbing mountains. The power air pressure lets water boil at lower temperatures.
The only difference, thermodynamically, is the volume of water. Water of the same volume, in the same container, heated to 100c will cool at the same rate regardless of the heating method. So, your brewing temperature, while important, isn't a difference at all unless you're brewing your black tea directly in the kettle, and I'm not a Brit, but I don't think that's how it's done.
Doesn't latent heat change the time taken to cool? Also part of the point of a kettle being that it's 100c wheras a microwave could easily be under since it turns off based on time.
You can run the microwave again. It's not a one and done thing. Not sure what you mean by latent heat in this case, are you talking about inside the microwave, or the kettle itself or?
Several differences.
The kettle is a lot closer to the cup and has thermal mass. I generally pour with the water at the bottom still boiling slightly. It takes time to get the water out of a microwave and pour it into the pot/cup.
A kettle gets the water to a boil, then stops. A microwave is likely to either overheat (and so waste energy) or under heat, and so be too cold.
The kettle water can be used to easily warm the pot, if needed, before it fully boils.
Kettles are a lot more consistent for water heating than microwaves. Add water, click switch, wait for boil and switch clicking off. I would give good odds I could walk into most people's kitchens and work their kettle without instruction or significant effort.
Kettles can't superheat water.