Yes, in my childhood it was always traditional to make a pot of tea in an aptly named tea pot which was then poured into cups with or without milk.

Loose tea leaves were used in the teapot and tea would usually be poured through a tea strainer but not necessarily hence the history of reading the tea leaves that remain at the bottom of a cup once drunk.

The advent of tea bags destroyed a lot of tea traditions although loose tea and teapots are still used particularly by tea aficionados.

The best cup of tea I have ever enjoyed was in the Sri Lankan tea lands where the tea served was extremely fresh and served with fresh milk from cows that were farmed locally. Dairying was possible due to the high altitude of the tea lands providing a warm but not tropical year round temperature of approximately 25°C.

People usually get this out at restaurants or from a fast food drive through. When we do make it at home, typically it makes more sense to just heat water in a pot and drop the bags in there to steep.

Another tradition is sun tea, which again requires a large vessel for a batch brew.

In more seriousness it’s more of a whole affair, generally you can diffuse a dispute between people by angrily and silently watching the kettle boil then being more chilled out by the time the tea is at a drinkable temperature before recommencing. Generally the monster sugar thing is what we call a builders tea

Right. Our kettle draws 10A at 230V. You could get just as much power at 120V if your wiring were rated at at least 20A, and I gather that American kitchen sockets usually are.

@jeremy_pm @fesshole

Americans do occasionally brew tea, but they prefer to make it with seawater.

@jeroen @fesshole

That, and sticking it under your arm for a really long time.

#TIL : There's already a norm for that

ISO 3103 - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

Yes, it appears to be something of a myth or perhaps advances in electric kettle design ie heating element has made this no longer relevant.

The cultural fact that tea is not consumed in US as it is in much of the world also plays a role in the absence of electric kettles in most US households.

I remember being in the US in the early 90s and noticing the lack of electric jugs everywhere I stayed and the difficulty of finding somewhere to buy a cuppa.

One cafe in downtown NYC did offer to make me a cup of tea when I enquired then after a long wait presented me with a tepid cup of weak milky tea complete with tea bag still in the mug which tasted like it was at least 10 years old.

Though being able to wait for the water to boil may be more efficient in the long term since I don't risk forgetting I have put the kettle on
But perhaps switching to an induction stove with a 'traditional' kettle with a whistle may solve that by needing to turn off the source of the noise
@virbonus @kc @fesshole

Yes I imagine efficiency is the reason most US households don’t use electric kettles and instead use stovetop kettles.

One could, of course, try drawing twice the current to achieve the same power... but the wiring isn't of a markedly heavier gauge. Landlords widely prohibit extension cords for this reason.

Some people naively think it’s the school shootings, police brutality and endless wars that make US a hellscape when what it really boils down to is not being able to make a nice cup of tea. /s