this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
49 points (96.2% liked)

Ask Lemmy

29868 readers
1272 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either [email protected] or [email protected]. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email [email protected]. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try [email protected] or [email protected]


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

And no, the microwave is not a valid option.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 1 points 41 minutes ago
[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

The teabag. Otherwise it would float on top, similarly to why you put cerial in before milk.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

I don't put the milk in first so it won't travel across the inner curve of the bowl and spill out, making a huge mess. But that's just me

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

You use so much milk and so little cereal that the cereal would float?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 hours ago

Teabag and sugar, then drown it in a scalding stream of boiling water.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

Depends what tea I'm making. For green and white teas I will add water first (175-185F) then steep the tea bag for 3-4 minutes.

If I'm making black tea or some fruity/herbal tea, I will toss the bag in first, then pour in boiling water and steeping for 3-5min depending on preference.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I put the teabag in first so the hot water will hit it and move it around and release the flavour.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That's a great way to make the air inside the teabag expand but not be able to escape through the wet paper, making the teabag float on top of the water like a confused little fish that just escaped a dentist's aquarium.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

That's why you dunk it a few times until it sinks!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 hours ago

This depends on the water temperature. I boil mine, so I pour water first, wait a bit, then put the bag. If I do the other way around, sometimes the tea gets burnt and tastes too bitter, which I don't like.

I could also heat the water to a lower temperature but I don't have one of those fancy kettles with temp selection, and I usually get distracted to interrupt the kettle before it boils. But, if the water is hot enough already but not just boiled, then I'll put the bag first, then the water second.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 hours ago (18 children)

I'm not sure why the hate for microwaves exist. It's literally just another method for making water move fast. It has absolutely no impact on the final product, as hot water is hot water no matter the heat source.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Heating water in the mike is fine. Heating already-made tea in the mike is fine. Heating water with a teabag in it in the microwave is the vilest act.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

But boiling a tea bag is wrong no matter what your heat source is.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 hours ago

You're absolutely right, but I've only seen this abominable act in a microwave... and even then only on television.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 hours ago (4 children)

Yes, this is one of the more bizarre cultural differences. I have seen people from the UK object strongly to Microwaving water.

Microwaving food definitely affects the way it tastes because it heats unevenly. Cooking foods different ways affects the outer browning, moisture levels, etc.

Heating water in a kettle on the stove, an electric kettle, a sauce pan, or a microwave doesn't change the water! If you don't want to seep tea in boiling water, then let it cool slightly first.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Lots of comments on superheating, mostly to the parent comment, but I'll put a response here.

You can avoid superheating by putting a reasonable time on the microwave based on the amount of water you're heating. Especially for something you do again and again, you should be able to quickly get experience with this.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago

Common sense like this does NOT belong on the internet.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 hours ago (8 children)

It is not simply 'just another method to heat water'. There is a significant difference between microwaving and kettle/stovetop. Microwaving risks superheating resulting in flash boiling causing an explosion of steam and boiling water. This is also why microwaved water has foam appear when inserting anything into it. Bubbles that 'should' have formed didn't and are now doing so at the nucleation points whatever you inserted provided.

That foam, while an indication the water was close to erupting, is otherwise harmless but ruins the tea/coffee for me and I'm sure others too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

I mean, you do you, but a quick stir would easily solve that issue.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 hours ago

You just solved one of my childhood mysteries, the foam after microwaving. TIL

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 hours ago (8 children)

Water is much more likely to get supersaturated in a microwave, because water heats up in the middle of the container where there are no nucleation points. And supersaturated water heats the tea leaves above 100ºC, which can affect the flavor.

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (14 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Set the bush on fire, toss a bucket of water on it, drink the hot bush broth drippings

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 hours ago

So primitive, in the least impressive way imaginable

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

They're designed to deliver the maximum amount of flavour in ~20 seconds.

So: bag first, then just-boiled water. Wait/steep for 20-60 seconds, fish out the bag with a teaspoon and squeeze against the cup, and then milk.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

How do you milk your teabag?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Through the nipples.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

With a come here motion with your finger(s)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago

It truly is such a versatile motion

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 hours ago

Squeeze against the wall, milk it hard

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Hot water in the base chamber of the pot. Coffee in the funnel. Top chamber screwed on. Put on a high heat until the coffee is ready.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

And then the teabag last?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

First the filter, then the loose leaves, then water.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Absolutely! Nobody should use teabags, they're subpar and we're allready getting plenty of micro plastics in our bodies.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Microwave the water on high for ten minutes, drop the teabag in, and run for my life

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 hours ago

You will be deported from Ireland for putting the water in first.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

For me:

  1. Cup.
  2. Reusable metal tea infuser.
  3. Loose leaf tea.
  4. press button on Japanese instant hot water dispenser
    • (^this was probably the best $200 I've ever spent, fucking worth every dollar).
[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 hours ago

The coffee grounds.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 hours ago

The microwave is a fundamental part of the Make Tea -> Forget About Tea -> Reheat Tea cycle.

Also, I have to put the bag in first, because otherwise I've no idea how much room I need to leave for it (which you'd think I'd be able to eyeball by now, but apparently not).

load more comments
view more: next ›