this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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And no, the microwave is not a valid option.

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[–] Pixel@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 54 minutes ago
[–] Condiment2085@lemm.ee 5 points 3 hours ago
[–] nichtburningturtle@feddit.org 19 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 1 points 41 minutes ago* (last edited 40 minutes ago)

if you do the characteristic "teabagging" motion it saturates quickly. tbh I do it whichever way is most convenient since I'm almost always brewing on the way from one task in one part of my work area to a different one somewhere else. What I put into the travel mug first has much more to do with which one I get my hands on first than it does with any personal preference.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] ech@lemm.ee 2 points 5 hours ago
[–] HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone 1 points 6 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

[–] kozy138@lemm.ee 5 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago

Same for me. I like drinking white jasmine tea, but the flavor becomes too bitter if you pour boiling water over the leaves. It’s better to drink at 80 or even 70 degrees (sorry, don’t know the F one).

I used to make tea for my coworkers back when we had a team room and got way into it. I had my own little kettle, all kinds of tea leaves, a weighing scale spoon and even a thermometer :)
I learned that pre-heating your kettle was important for black teas because boiling water would drop to 90 degrees or even less if you didn’t.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

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

[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 44 points 12 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.

[–] NoSpotOfGround@lemmy.world 5 points 10 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.

[–] other_cat@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 hours ago

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

[–] AwkwardPea@lemm.ee 9 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
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[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 7 points 9 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.

[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 30 points 12 hours ago (27 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.

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 19 points 11 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.

[–] earphone843@sh.itjust.works 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 4 points 9 hours ago

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

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 14 points 12 hours ago (5 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.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

To avoid the uneven heating just turn down the microwave power! No one does this and everyone complains about uneven heating! I get great reheating results from my microwave just by turning down the power and running it for longer.

This is how microwaves used to work decades ago when they were lower power by design. Over time the microwave power arms race resulted in them getting much too powerful for even reheating.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 4 points 7 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.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 3 points 7 hours ago

Common sense like this does NOT belong on the internet.

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[–] Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win 5 points 11 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.

[–] ech@lemm.ee 1 points 4 hours ago

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

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 2 points 9 hours ago

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

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[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago

So primitive, in the least impressive way imaginable

[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 9 points 10 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.

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

How do you milk your teabag?

[–] ech@lemm.ee 2 points 4 hours ago

Through the nipples.

[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

With a come here motion with your finger(s)

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 hours ago

It truly is such a versatile motion

[–] civilconvo@sopuli.xyz 3 points 8 hours ago

Squeeze against the wall, milk it hard

[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 9 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

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

[–] abbadon420@lemm.ee 4 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

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

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 3 points 9 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.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

And then the teabag last?

[–] ThisIsAManWhoKnowsHowToGling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

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

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[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 10 points 12 hours ago

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

[–] recursive_recursion@lemmy.ca 9 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 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).
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