to ask you all to help with my Australian problem regarding tea????

[MrsMushroom]

I'm in Oz. Whenever I've made a cup of tea or instant coffee...it has always seemed warm and not hot like it does in the UK

I thought maybe I wasn't catching the kettle when it had just boiled...so tonight, I watched, then as soon as it clicked off I made the tea. Drank it...it STILL seemed like a cup you'd left sitting on the table for 15 minutes.

It's not particularly hot here...so it's nothign to do with my temperature...there's a cool breeze coming in...it's nighttime....WHY can't I get a hot frigging cup of tea???

It's bad enough that Aussie tea is so weak!

[MrsMushroom]

We've been here a week and a half and I'm dying for a decent cup of tea! When I make real coffee on the stove then it's hot....I use one of those metal coffee pot things, grind beans and then it filters it on the stove top...I heat milk...that's hot. WHAT is going on with Aussie kettles??

I asked MIL who went at me like I'm knocking Aussie water or something!

[Wallace]

If you take milk maybe the fridge is colder?

[Wallace]

Or it could just be the kettle?

[MoetEtPantsOn]

I vote for the fridge and therefore the milk being colder

[PumpkinPositive]

Ugh. You have my sympathies. I couldn't survive 10 minutes without tea. If you don't get a satisfactory response within 15 mins I would ask MM HQ to sticky this thread.

[MrsMushroom]

Noooo the milk and fridge are no colder...I might boil the kettle now and then touch the water to see if it really IS boiling. Maybe it's some weird energy saving dooda!

[MrsMushroom]

Lol Pumpkin it really is a pain! I'm walking around in a generally unfullfilled state Something's not quite right all the time....I need proper TEA! A kind expat gave me some Yorkshire teabags yesterday...and I've wasted them on this shitey warm water!

[TheCraicDealer]

I think you need to go visiting someone and take them up on an offer of tea, then gulp it straight away to see if it's MIL's kettle.

If they don't offer you tea in the first place then they're rude and you can cross them off the Christmas card list. Two birds, one stone.

[lisianthus]

There must be something wrong with your kettle. I'm here too and don't have this problem (unless you are up in mountains somewhere where water boils at lower temps? )

And try a different brand. Plenty of tea you get here is strong. My mother won't drinK it unless you can practically stand a spoon in it. There is a range though, as not everyone likes it like that.

[MoetEtPantsOn]

When the kettle is boiling, is the water bubbling madly?

I find bushells tea quite strong. You can also get PG or Tetleys from Woolies or Coles in the treats from abroad sections.

[MrsMushroom]

I just boiled the kettle and poured it right into a cup...and stuck my finger in....it was hot but defo not boiling! The friend who gave me the Yorkshire bags has also told me where to get them so I'll be ok soon. I think I'll boil water in a saucepan tomorrow!

[MrsMushroom]

no 378 We have no aircon here and it's cool atm.

[PumpkinPositive]

This calls for desperate measures, MrsMushroom. Do you have a microwave?

[Montybojangles]

Boil the water in a pan?
Never a problem when we lived out there.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

What altitude are you at? The higher you are above sea level, the lower the temperature water boils at.

[lynniep]

I have to say when I was in Oz I never had that problem. LOL. Sounds like the kettle isnt getting the water to boiling point.

[MrsMushroom]

Ooh yes we do Pumpkin....funnily enough an Aunt came over today...I made her a coffee and she then told me "I boil my water in the microwave at home"

Maybe she was letting me know, in a roundabout way that Adelaide kettles are shit!

[headfairy]

You're not at altitude are you? Water boils at a lower temperature the higher up you are. Mind you, you'd have to be on the top of Everest for it to be lukewarm, and I think you'd notice if you were :o

[ShatnersBassoon]

The kettle can't be reaching boiling point. You'll have to use a pan on the hob until you can get a functioning kettle.

[MrsMushroom]

Whereyou no idea whatsoever! I have no idea where the hell I am actually as I am crap at Geography. I'm in Oz. That's all I know. There are parrots where there should be robins and palm trees where there should be snow.

[LarkinSky]

I take it you are visiting Oz and not living there?

As an expat with a few postings around the world under my belt, I've come to the conclusion that, if you are British, a cup of tea made in any other country will just never taste quite as good.

I can sometimes achieve a 90% likeness in taste, but never 100% percent. I think the difference may be psychological, but it tastes pretty real to me. It's a terrible affliction. Coffee drinkers just don't suffer in the same way.

One day, when I move back to the UK, a decent cuppa will be one of the main reasons I go.

[HazleNutt]

can't be the kettle if it is actually boiling, water boils at the same temperature even in a crappy kettle. Could it be the cup? If it has thick walls and bottom and is cold, it can cool the water down quite quickly. Try to warm the cup first?

[PumpkinPositive]

Ooh yes we do Pumpkin....funnily enough an Aunt came over today...I made her a coffee and she then told me "I boil my water in the microwave at home"

Good God, I didn't mean that! Ignore Auntie. She is being totally and utterly U. I meant, boil the tea in the usual way and then heat it in the microwave for 30 secs.

I would caution that this is only a stop gap measure. In the longer term, you will have to address the root cause of the problem but hopefully this will tide you over during the Christmas period.

[valiumredhead]

Boil the water on the hob or in the microwave?