It is surprising how much gets discussed about making the right tea. From an efficiency perspective, a kettle is the most efficient way to boil water. https://hackaday.com/2026/04/02/addressing-the-divisive-topic-that-is-boiling-water/
And using the boiled water is thought to be the most effective. There have been numerous discussions on how the microwave heated water is not at a uniform temperature and may not extract all the components in the tea bag at a uniform temperature.
There was a specific study done to determine the correct way to brew a good cup of team https://mashable.com/article/microwaving-tea-study and https://publishing.aip.org/publications/latest-content/the-problem-with-microwaving-tea/
That study concluded that the microwave heats the water non-uniformly and may not extract the components correctly.
In contrast an Australian study states that microwave may extract more beneficial components from the tea.
After all the physics: It may come down to qualitative assessments but using kettle boiled water with your tea bag and letting it steep appears to be the best way to make tea.
