What ones hotter a cup of tea or water from the kettle?

Here's why:

* Boiling point: Both the kettle water and the tea water reach the same boiling point (100°C or 212°F).

* Heat loss: The kettle water will start to cool down as soon as it's removed from the heat.

* Tea brewing: When you add tea leaves to the boiling water, the leaves absorb some of the heat energy. This means the water temperature will slightly decrease, but the tea itself will be hotter than the water it was brewed in.

However, after a while, the tea will cool down to the same temperature as the water in the kettle.