Tea Blog

One of the perennial favorites on my tea site is this video demonstrating how an astronaut drinks tea in microgravity using chopsticks. The unusual method provides a fascinating look at how liquids behave in space and helps explain why preparing a traditional cup of tea beyond Earth presents unique challenges. For additional context, see this NASA overview explaining capillary action and fluid movement in microgravity.

Early human space missions were far from comfortable. Astronauts aboard Mercury and Gemini missions had limited resources, including no access to hot water systems. According to NASA, hot water was not introduced until later missions in the Apollo program.

For example, the Apollo 11 crew did not have tea available and instead relied on beverages such as coffee, cocoa, and fruit drinks. By the time of the Space Shuttle program, tea became a more common option. More details can be found in this NASA fact sheet outlining space shuttle food and beverage systems, which includes information on how hot drinks were prepared in orbit.

Details about the exact types or quality of tea served in space remain somewhat limited. However, this Smithsonian overview of tea consumption in space missions notes that early forms of “space tea” could be made using tea crystals combined with hot water.

Preparing tea in space presents scientific challenges due to how liquids behave in microgravity. For example, this explanation of how boiling behaves in zero gravity shows that instead of forming many small bubbles as on Earth, liquids tend to form larger, unstable bubbles that behave differently during heating.

Despite these obstacles, engineers continue to improve how beverages are consumed in space. This report on NASA’s development of a zero-gravity coffee cup describes a specially designed vessel that uses fluid dynamics to guide liquid to the drinker—technology that could be adapted for tea as well.

While brewing a perfectly traditional cup of tea in space remains a challenge, ongoing research suggests that future astronauts may one day enjoy tea in a way much closer to the experience on Earth.

See more of William I. Lengeman’s articles in this archive of tea-related writing by the author.

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