Millions of Britons may have inadvertently sipped on inferior cups of tea last November – all because of the water temperature.
Reading University scientists found the boiling point of water in the south-east of the UK, including London, was temporarily reduced due to low pressure caused by Storm Ciarán.
The research determined the record-breaking pressure anomaly caused the boiling point of water to fall below 100 degrees Celsius on November 2, 2023.
In Reading, water was boiling at just 98 degrees.
Amazingly, researchers believe it could have caused “a discernible change in the taste of tea” for drinkers in the south-east UK who poured a cuppa around breakfast time.
Scientists said tea leaves were “very sensitive to the temperature of the boiling water”, which can influence how well tannins in the tea are extracted.
Tannins are known to give a cup of tea its bitterness or astringency.
Previous research shows the optimal infusion conditions for tea sits between 98 to 100 degrees Celsius.
“During the passage of Ciarán, water’s boiling point at some sites in the south-east would have been less than this,” the study read.
“It therefore seems likely that some tea at breakfast time on 2 November 2023, in London and the south-east … would have been made with water temperatures beyond the recommended range.”
The study suggested up to 20 million people could have been impacted by a somewhat less-than-satisfactory brew.
As the storm swept across southern Britain, study co-author and PhD student Caleb Miller set up equipment in the Meteorology Department’s laboratories to accurately measure the boiling point of water.
“Storm Ciarán turned attention to the wind and rain battering Britain outside,” Miller said.
“As an experimentalist, I saw the opportunity to make some measurements of the properties of boiling water during low atmospheric pressure.”
