Originally Posted by roberino

My best mate has this line he trots out every time someone mentions Boeing, 787, Dreamliner and several other tenuous links. He says that flying in a 787 will be just the same as any other plane only the tea will taste better. He's referring the phenomenon that tea (the way us Brits drink it) only tastes right when the water is at 100 degrees Celsius (boiling temp at sea level) and that the normal cabin pressure of a plane is the equivalent of the air pressure at 9000 feet, or a boiling point of water of just 90 degrees Celsius. He maintains that this is why tea tastes horrible on a plane, and that the adjustment of the cabin pressure in a 787 will make it more palatable.

From a scientific point of view I can see where he's driving at this from, however, I maintain that the reason tea tastes disgusting on a plane is that the quality tea (and milk, for that matter) is low and that the water used to make it has been in a thermal jug for up to half an hour before it is introduced to the teabag in the cup.

Can anyone who has been on a 787 and drunk the tea please put this to rest?