Many people will argue about whether it’s okay to make microwave tea in the first place and how long to microwave water for tea. But it’s actually a really good way to prepare your tea. If you have been involved in this kind of argument, grappled over what is the perfect way to brew a cup of tea, or even what is the perfect temperature for tea water, we've got you covered in this article.
Of course, using a microwave can be particularly helpful if you end up stuck in a hotel room with no kettle and you are in dire need of a cup of tea. And let's just agree that this happens more often than not.
The Way to a Good Cup of Microwaved Tea
When making microwaved tea, there is no preferred type of tea or flavor. The only thing to note is that tea bags are mostly desirable compared to loose tea leaves. With this method, you can make the perfect cup of tea your way instead of the traditional stove top kettle or electric kettle. It’s however important to note that even though you are at liberty to choose the type of tea you want; the mug you choose has to be microwave safe. Failure to do so can result in unevenly-heated water, breakage, or overheating.
How to Make Microwave Tea
- Put your tea bag in your mag and fill the cup with water until just above the tea bag. Don’t worry about filling up the entire mug just yet. Using filtered fresh water often gives better results. Some people find unfiltered tap water to have weird metallic tastes in their tea due to the minerals that may be present in the water.
- Put the mug in the microwave for about 30 seconds. This time frame varies depending on the strength of your microwave. For some microwave models, you may need to bump up the timer to 40 to 45 seconds. If the timing is right, you will notice the tea has started steaming even though it may not be at boiling point yet.
- Take out the cup and let your tea steep depending on your desired flavor profile. Remember, the total amount of time you let your tea steep influences the quality of the flavor of your tea. It’s advisable to cover the top of your mug while the tea steeps.
Prepare a Second Cup of Water to be Microwaved
- Fill up another microwave-safe mug with filtered water and microwave it for longer than the first mug seeing as this one has more volume of water compared to the first mug with the tea bag. By the time you’ve microwaved the second mug of water to just about the desired temperature, your tea should be done steeping.
- Using a spoon, stir the second mug of water to ensure the heat is distributed evenly. Fill up the steeped tea mug with the microwaved water and sweeten to taste.
Making a cup of tea in the microwave may seem to require extra attention, but it is the best way to give yourself your favorite dose of tea in a given situation just in less than 3 minutes.
Visit our tea guides section for more.
Check out these tea recipes you can try out at home;
