An American woman has caused a transatlantic uproar after using a microwave to make her morning cup of tea, leaving shocked Brits clutching their kettles in disbelief.
Penny Kmitt, a CBS News reporter from Boston, USA, has become the internet’s fixation after a recent TikTok video shared with her 200,000 followers on her account @pennylikeacoin.
At the controversial clampPenny demonstrates her early morning tea routine, which, to the dismay of many Brits, involves heating water in a microwave rather than a traditional kettle.
The video, captioned: “The only negative thing about microwave tea is that my cup is warm,” has sparked outrage among tea purists across the pond.
The footage shows Penny filling a Starbucks mug with cold tap water before placing it in the microwave.
Penny Kmitt, from the US, has caused a transatlantic stir after using a microwave to make her morning cup of tea, leaving shocked Brits clutching their kettles in disbelief
The footage shows Penny filling a Starbucks mug with cold tap water before placing it in the microwave.
After a few minutes, she takes out the heated water and drops an Earl Gray tea bag into it, and her cup of tea is ready to drink.
Penny goes on to discuss the inconvenience of using a kettle, insisting that she doesn’t have time to wait for it to boil, unlike her microwave, which she says can boil water much faster.
She said: ‘I bought a kettle and I’m here to tell you they are overrated. Microwaving tea literally takes me two and a half minutes.’
To prove her point, she starts a timer on her phone, which later shows that her kettle takes more than six minutes to boil – six minutes and thirteen seconds to be precise.
Penny also said that the water from the kettle is often ‘too hot’ and that she prefers the cooler temperature achieved by using a microwave.
The response from British viewers was swift and scathing, with more than 200 distraught people taking to the comments to express their disapproval of Penny’s use of a microwave.
One wrote: ‘This is the most American thing I’ve ever seen,’ while another said: ‘Just buy a plug-in kettle. My English heart can’t handle this, those poor teabags!!!!!!!!’
The footage shows Penny filling a Starbucks mug with cold tap water before placing it in the microwave
The response from British viewers was swift and scathing, with more than 200 distraught people following the comments to share their disapproval
Another viewer commented: ‘If your microwave tea is cool enough to drink straight away then it’s not hot enough to steep your tea, the tea should be brewed at 212 degrees Celsius,’ while another said: ‘That’s an old-fashioned kettle, take an electric one. it’s about 1 minute.’
A shocked Brit wrote: “Sobbing and throwing up in British,” while a fourth said: “I’m not even British but this offends me.”
However, some Americans defended Penny’s time-saving method, with one person writing: ‘Wait… I thought microwaving it was normal… was I wrong all along?’
Another said: ‘Honestly, the microwave is the most effective method as it wastes less energy than others.’
It comes after another American living in Britain sparked a transatlantic divide among foodies after criticizing the way Brits prepare a classic lunch and dinner.