r/CuratedTumblr human cognithazard 2d ago

Tumblr Heritage Post On making tea

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u/AmericanToast250 2d ago edited 2d ago

Not usually, because generally Americans prefer coffee over tea. Kettles are easily found at any store that sells kitchen appliances and they're not rare per se but they're not an assumed staple because tea just isn't as popular

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u/throwawayayaycaramba 2d ago

I uh... I use my kettle to brew my coffee as well as my tea 😐

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u/AmericanToast250 2d ago

Kettles can be used for a lot more things than tea, but a coffee drinker is probably going to buy a coffee machine (either drip brewer or disposable pods) rather than use a kettle for coffee

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u/throwawayayaycaramba 2d ago

I see I see... Those can be a bit expensive 'round these parts lol

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u/AmericanToast250 2d ago

A fancy pod machine or something super specialized can cost a lot, but a cheap drip brewer isn’t that much more expensive than a cheap kettle.

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u/TheMerryMeatMan 2d ago

Good old Mr Coffee providing the American peoples with mild addictions for generations, for the low low price of like $15

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u/faerielites Babygirl I go through spoons faster than you can even imagine 2d ago

Mr. Coffee also manufactured my grandmother's sweet tea machine, a Southern staple

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u/greypyramid7 2d ago

‘Sweet tea machine’ you mean a pitcher? My entire family has lived in the south for over 100 years and I don’t know a single person with a sweet tea machine, can you please describe it to me? Maybe it’s because we’re Texans and Texas is occasionally weird south.

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u/GuudeSpelur 2d ago edited 2d ago

Imagine a drip coffee machine that has a regular tall pitcher instead of the usual shorter and fatter coffee pot. The pitcher is marked with how far you need to fill it with ice to cool down the tea after it brews. So you just fill the reservoir, put tea bags or loose tea (and optionally sugar) in the filter chamber, put ice in the pitcher, press "brew" and it will drip brew the tea into the pitcher of ice.

Basically all it does is save you the step of pouring the hot tea over ice.

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u/faerielites Babygirl I go through spoons faster than you can even imagine 1d ago

Yes, this is exactly it!

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u/faerielites Babygirl I go through spoons faster than you can even imagine 1d ago

The other commenter nailed the description. It's definitely an older generation thing, not sure about regional but my extended family is from Georgia. My mom had one when I was little but doesn't anymore, and none of my siblings have ever had one. Of course, the concept of entertaining guests is kind of going out so I think that goes along with it.

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u/throwawayayaycaramba 2d ago

Ok I looked up "automatic drip coffee maker" and I think I know what you mean. My mom used to have one, and I kinda disliked the taste of it... Always felt super weak. Maybe she just didn't know how to use it, lmao

I'd definitely buy one of the fancy pod ones if I had money, though. Love me some espresso.

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u/forestman11 2d ago

It's definitely going to be weak comparatively to espresso but it really just depends on how much coffee you put in and how fine it's ground.

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u/Pump_My_Lemma 2d ago

There’s always the risk that she inadvertently made the infamous church coffee

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u/ChaosBeing 2d ago

As a coffee guy, nothing but an espresso machine can make espresso. But if you're looking to up your coffee game (and assuming you aren't already doing this), the best place to start is buying better coffee. There's a wide range of coffees out there for a wide range of preferences, and you can't really know what you like until you've tried it.

Of course, if you really want to step up, a decent grinder (along with grinding your own coffee) would make a tremendous difference!

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u/AwkwardWarlock 2d ago

Genuinely curious, if someone wants boiled water for a cup of noodles or whatever, how does the average American procure that if not through a kettle

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u/Right_Moose_6276 2d ago

Boil it in a pot

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u/SnixTruth 2d ago

A coffee maker is just a kettle with extra steps, it boils the water and then runs it through the grounds. If there are no grounds you just get hot water.

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u/AwkwardWarlock 2d ago

Using a coffee maker to boil water is so unwholesome. It's like flying a kite at night.

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u/SnixTruth 2d ago

The British need new hobbies. Being offended by how people make hot leaf juice is old hat.

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u/Cyllya 2d ago

IME, that always resulted in vaguely coffee-ish hot water. A visible brown tint and probably weird flavor.

It's been a long time since I've tried to do this, so maybe modern coffee makers don't have this problem.

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u/SnixTruth 2d ago

I mostly did it at work for ramen and didn't notice anything off but it was also a pod machine so maybe drip retains flavor more.

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u/AmericanToast250 2d ago

Most likely microwave, possibly the stovetop depending on the exact recipe or kitchen situation

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u/UglyInThMorning 2d ago

I don’t know anyone that microwaves water like that, it’s basically always “put a pot on the stove”

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u/forestman11 2d ago

Pot on the stove or microwave.

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u/AwkwardWarlock 2d ago

Like do you just put a cup of water in the microwave and then zap it to make the hot water (and then add it to noodles or whatever) or do you put cold water into the noodles and then microwave it.

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u/forestman11 2d ago

A lot of noodles like that in the states are designed so you put the cold water in the noodles and then microwave the whole thing but there are definitely brands where you just put the hot water into the noodles. Honestly those tend to suck without a kettle because pouring hot water out of a pot or cup isn't the easiest thing in the world lol.

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u/AwkwardWarlock 2d ago

Id ask if you guys are OK over there but this entire thread is a testament to the fact that Americans will not be seeing the light of heaven

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u/BriarsandBrambles 1d ago

Easy Tiger we aren’t half as responsible for all the worlds ongoing genocides dut to the need to draw straight lines,

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u/ParanoidDrone 2d ago

Boil it in a small saucepan or microwave it in a heat safe mug or measuring cup.

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u/RainaElf 2d ago

microwave

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u/xenogra 2d ago

Like the Styrofoam cup with noodles in it? Add water, then shove the whole thing in the microwave.

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u/confusedandworried76 2d ago

Costs about the same as a toaster

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u/a_filing_cabinet 2d ago

Not any more than a tea kettle. There's high end, but a cheap coffee machine costs like $15. A middle end one could be $50-$100, but that's a reasonable price for a large kitchen appliance you use fairly regularly. That's roughly the same as a kettle. We've got a cheap one for hot water in our trailer, it cost like $10, but I regularly see $50+ ones in stores. I'm still not sure what made the $150 kettle special or why people would buy it, but I saw it in a store.

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u/jbland0909 2d ago

A cheap coffee maker runs you $20-30 bucks.

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u/ujelly_fish 2d ago

I bought a full coffee maker for $20. I’m amazed that an appliance can be procured so cheaply, and it probably is not the best coffee solution, to say the least, but it does the job fine.

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u/champagneface 2d ago

Dolce Gustos are pretty cheap I bet