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From Joan Mascaró

Paul Marks’s review of the book Inflight Science mentioned that airline tea tastes so appalling because water boils at too low a temperature to make a decent brew (9 April, p 51).

Intuitively unconvinced, I made three cups of black tea: cup A at 99°C, cup B at 92°C, and cup C at 71°C. The second of these corresponds to the boiling point of water at 2400 metres, which reflects the lower air pressure experienced in an airliner’s cabin.

After a 4-minute infusion I tasted the three samples. C was quite bad, with almost no bitterness or astringency and very little flavour. But there was only a small difference between A and B, with A being more tannic and very slightly more aromatic.

A difference of 7 °C in infusion temperature might have a small influence on taste, but I think the real reason for the bad tea is that airlines don’t care much about these things – which would explain the state of the coffee and food, too.

Matadepera, Spain