Probably the easiest way to make tea is to heat up the water in the microwave. But while this method is quick, it can make your tea tasteless. So, why shouldn’t you microwave tea and what’s the best way to brew it?
Microwaving hot water in a mug can overheat the water, which means you’ll have to wait longer to drink your fully-steeped tea and you also have a greater risk of burning yourself. Additionally, different teas require different water temperatures. Did you know that green and white tea should be steeped between 170 F and 180 F while black, oolong, rooibos, and herbal teas need to be hotter, around 200 F? With a microwave you can’t control the temperature of the water, but with an electric tea kettle or a kettle with a built-in thermometer, you can put in the correct setting.
Tea kettles without temperature settings are also better than the microwave because you can hear them heating up, for a rough estimate of the temperature.
If you’re using loose-leaf tea or better quality bagged teas, the flavor is more fully extracted by steeping it at the right temperature, which is further reason why you should brew the water in a kettle.
