why does tea taste vile in styrofoam ??

[Trius]

I agree that styrofoam is bad for just about any drink with the possible exception of icewater.

I think it's one reason why Tim Hortons uses coated paper cups rather than styrofoam ... if I'm not mistaken Dunkin' Donuts uses styrofoam, and I don't like their coffee to start with.

Richard: That infuser/mug is very cool. I may have to get a couple of those, including one for Mrs. Trius.

 

[Roman414]

I have a friend who just returned from a vacation in China. She brought back a sort of tea thingy that she said everyone there uses. It is a two-piece glass or handle-less mug made of some sort of plastic. You put your tea leaves in the bottom of the outer piece, then insert the inner part that has holes in the bottom, and fill it with hot water, and walk around drinking it. When you have about a third left, you can add more hot water. She said the driver of the tour bus was sucking on one, all the shop clerks everywhere had one in their hands, and half the people she saw on the street.

 

[netsurfr]

Styrofoam, even food-grade styrofoam, isn't cured to the extent necessary to remove all outgassing, etc. and leave only inert polymer. Hot beverages accelerate the release of free styrene monomer, among other things.

It's not anything that'll have health effects, but it'll do an number on the flavour of anything in it. Even something overpoweringly-flavoured like hot cocoa seems to pick up the "off" flavours to me.

I stopped drinking tea out of styrofoam (even in an emergency) after I was at a training facility and did not have access to my normal tea. I used a teabag (I know, ughhh) in a 16 oz cup of water with a lemon wedge to kill (I mean cover up) the taste of the tea. About halfway through the cup of tea, my cup started leaking. Turns out the lemon was eating away pockets in the cup and changing the structure of the styrofoam. I had never experienced this before. So, now I bring my own cups with me if I am going to be away from the office for any period of time. Then I pull out my tea strainer, a nice tea and proceed to infuse my own. I can then use a styrofoam cup just to hold my strainer and that is the maximum utility that they should have.

 

[vibrantdragon]

Expanded Polystrene foam cups are of vastly different quality. The lower quality ones can have styrene monomer still in them. I would not trust any of them.