Northeastern University

College of Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Study of the pH of Various Teas around Northeastern

and Insulation of Disposable Cups

Submitted by Christopher Balino

Alberto Diaz
Ramon Sanfeliu

Date Submitted April 22, 2015

Course Instructor Dr. Bridget Smyser

Lab TA Masoud Modaresifar
 Abstract
Most regular tea consumers are unaware of the health ramifications of drinking tea as it pertains
to acidity. Consumption of too many acidic drinks can increase the risk of serious health
conditions such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and tooth decay. The aim of this study was to raise
awareness about the different levels of acidity for various teas around Northeastern Universitys
campus, focusing on the three main purveyors of tea on campus: Dunkin Donuts, Argo Tea, and
Starbucks. The three types of tea evaluated were black, green, and chai tea, and the pH of each
tea was measured using a pH meter. The pH measurements were taken immediately after the tea
was served, taking a total of three pH measurements per cup (to account for non-uniformity). As
a side experiment, the insulation of each disposable cup was also measured by taking a transient
temperature measurement of initially boiling water poured into each cup over the space of three
hours. This was done using a K-Type thermocouple with LabVIEW software.

The most neutral (least acidic) teas were found to be from Starbucks, with the chai tea latte (with
soy milk) being the most neutral at an average pH of 7.07. The green tea by itself was generally
more neutral as compared to black tea, with Starbucks being the least acidic at pH 6.6. In terms
of cup insulation, the Dunkin Donuts medium (Styrofoam) cup was the best insulated as
compared to the paper cups from the other establishments. This cup kept the liquid within the
ideal consumption range (60C 8.3C) for nearly 44 minutes. In conclusion, the best tea for the
body (in terms of low acidity) was the chai tea with soy milk from Starbucks, and the most
insulated disposable cup was the medium Styrofoam cup from Dunkin Donuts.

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1 Table of Contents
1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................. III
2 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................................... IV
3 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................ IV
4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 1
5 PROBLEM STATEMENT ................................................................................................................................. 1
6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 1
7 PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
7.1 EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................................. 3
7.2 CALIBRATION ................................................................................................................................................. 4
7.3 PH EXPERIMENTAL SETUP & PROCEDURE ...................................................................................................... 5
7.4 DISPOSABLE CUP INSULATION EXPERIMENTAL SETUP & PROCEDURE ........................................................... 6
8 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................................. 7
8.1 PH MEASUREMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... 7
8.2 DISPOSABLE CUP INSULATION MEASUREMENTS .......................................................................................... 10
9 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
10 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 12
11 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 13
12 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................... 14
12.1 APPENDIX A ECOTESTR PH2 METER SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................................. 14
12.2 APPENDIX B OMEGA GT-736580 LIQUID-IN-GLASS THERMOMETER SPECIFICATIONS.............................. 15
12.3 APPENDIX C AMPROBE IR608A IR THERMOMETER SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................ 15
12.4 APPENDIX D OMEGA KMQSS-125G-6 K-TYPE THERMOCOUPLE SPECIFICATIONS................................... 16
12.5 APPENDIX E LABVIEW VI SCREENSHOT .................................................................................................. 17
12.6 APPENDIX F DESIGN-STAGE UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 18

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2 List of Figures
Figure 1 - pH Chart [3] 2

Figure 2 - Thermocouple Calibration Curves 4

Figure 3 - Left: Initial IR Temperature Measurements & Right: pH Measurement Setup 5

Figure 4 - (From Left to Right) Starbucks Tall, Argo Tea Small, Dunkin Donuts Medium
(Styrofoam), Dunkin Donuts Small (Paper) 6

Figure 5 - a) Beaker on Hot Plate, b) Starbucks Cup Setup, c) Dunkin Donuts Cup Setup 7

Figure 6 - Graph of Average pH of Each Tea Type 9

Figure 7 - Temperature vs. Time for Disposable Cups 10

3 List of Tables
Table 1 - pH Test Experimental Data 8

Table 2 - Time vs. Temperature Data - Key Values 11

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4 Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Mr. Kevin McCue in the laboratory for his help with procuring the
measurement equipment as well as allowing us to use the laboratory. We would also like to
express our gratitude to Dr. Bridget Smyser for all of her time and instruction throughout the
semester. Finally, we would like to thank Mr. Masoud Modaresifar for his assistance during the
other laboratory experiments during the semester that made the measurements for this project
possible.

5 Problem Statement
The primary objective of this experiment was to find the least acidic tea (amongst black, green,
and chai tea) from three of the most popular places to buy hot beverages on campus. The pH
values for each of these tea types were collected in order to provide health-conscious consumers
with an awareness of the tea choices they have on campus as it pertains to acidity. To make this a
more thorough study, the disposable cups collected from each tea sample were also evaluated to
determine which had the best insulation. This data is critical for consumers looking to maintain
their tea (or other hot beverages) within the ideal drinking temperature range for the longest
period of time.

6 Introduction
Many people are not aware of the importance of maintaining a proper pH balance in their body
in terms of their health. The pH of the human body has been known to vary with the pH of the
foods and drinks consumed. In chemistry, pH is defined as the hydrogen ion concentration in
aqueous solution [1], and the acidity or alkalinity of a solution can be determined by measuring
its pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, 7 being defined as a neutral solution, most commonly
known as the pH for pure/distilled water. The pH is calculated by Equation 1 below:
pH log (1)
Where H+ represents the hydrogen concentration in moles per liter [2]. Solutions with high
concentration of hydrogen are considered acidic and have pH of below 7 (i.e. a higher
concentration means a lower pH value). The opposite can be said about alkaline solutions, as
they have pH above 7 denoting lower Hydrogen ion concentrations.

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 Figure 1 - pH Chart [3]

As seen in Figure 1,, the ideal pH level for blood in thee human boddy ranges frrom about 77.365-
7.42 [4]. It is very crritical that th
he blood staays within thhis range as when the body becomees too
acidic or alkaline, thee blood pH can
c shift, and
d could ultim
mately lead tto death of ccells in the huuman
body (wh
hich occurs around
a pH 3.5,
3 as seen in
i the figuree). The humaan body conntinually worrks to
maintain the body within
w the specified
s ran
nge. In ordder for the bbody to com
mpensate foor the
consump
ption of acid
dic foods and
d beverages, it will takee minerals ffrom bones and tissues. This
can increease the risk
ks of health problems
p inccluding toothh decay, ostteoporosis, hheart diseasee, and
diabetes [5]. The bod
dy can also use
u fat to sto
ore these acidds making itt difficult foor weight losss [6].
Based on
n this inform
mation, consu
umers shoulld be aware of the acidiity (or alkaliinity) of the food
and beveerages they consume
c on a daily basiss.

Amongstt hot beverag

ges, tea is ussually seen as
a a healthy option. Witth a pH as loow as 4.9, teea can
actually be
b considereed an acidicc drink. As previously
p m
mentioned, thhe intake off too many aacidic
drinks caan lead to many health issues. To in
nform tea connsumers aboout the acidity of the teaa they
drink, pH
H data was collected
c fro
om various teas
t at Dunkkin Donuts, Argo Tea, aand Starbuckks on
Northeasstern Universitys campu
us. These three locationns were chossen because of proximityy and
popularitty amongst students
s and
d faculty on campus. Thhe three types of teas teested were bblack,
green, an
nd chai tea, which
w were selected
s based on observvations of thhe most com
mmonly consuumed
teas. Hott tea is mostt popular in
n the winter months, andd thus, tendds to decreasse in temperrature
very quiickly due to
o the low ambient
a tem
mperature. S
Since this iss a commonn issue amongst
consumers, the dispo
osable cups from each sample
s weree also evaluaated to determine whichh had
the best insulation.
i The
T goal wass to find the cup that couuld maintainn the tea withhin ideal drinnking

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temperature for the longest time. The ideal temperature range for hot tea has been found to be 60
8.3C [7]. The glass electrode pH meter works by relating the electric potential across the
glass bulb to the hydrogen ion concentration. The meter contains a solution inside the glass
buffered at a pH of 7, acting as a reference. When the electrode is submerged into a solution,
only the hydrogen ions from that solution will penetrate the glass membrane. A potential
difference is formed if the hydrogen ion concentration is different than the one from inside the
meter. This potential difference can then be used to determine the pH of the solution.

The three types of tea chosen for this experiment (black, green, and chai) are all derived from the
same plant named Camellia Sinesis. When tea leaves are processed for consumption, they go
through an oxidation stage, and the level of oxidation determines the kind of tea produced [8]. If
the leaves are oxidized for a short amount of time, these leaves become Green Tea. Due to the
low levels of oxidation, the tea is light green in color (hence the name) and subtle in flavor.
Black tea results from completely oxidized tea leaves. This has the darkest color and strongest
flavor of all tea varieties. Chai tea has similar properties to black tea in that it is essentially black
tea with spices mixed in with milk added after brewing. These added spices include mainly
ground ginger and ground cardamom, with cinnamon, star anise and/or fennel seeds, peppercorn,
nutmeg and cloves [9]. The data collected during this experiment will serve to inform tea
consumers at Northeastern University about the acidity of different teas as well as the best
insulated disposable cup around campus.

7 Procedure
7.1 Equipment Description
For the pH measurement part of the experiment, a pH meter (EcoTestr pH2) was used along with
a Pyrex 250mL beaker, an Omega liquid-in-glass thermometer (p/n GT-736580), and an
Amprobe infrared (IR) thermometer (p/n IR608A). For the temperature/insulation testing, the
measurements lab at 223 Forsyth was utilized along with 4 Omega K-Type thermocouples (p/n
KMQSS-125G-6), two Pyrex 2000mL beakers filled with tap water, two hot plates for boiling
the water, and four computer workstations with LabVIEW software installed for data collection.
The manufacturers specifications for these devices can be found in Appendices A-D. A

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screenshot of the LabVIEW Virtual Instrument (VI) file is also shown in Appendix E.
Furthermore, a design-stage uncertainty analysis of each device can be seen in Appendix F.

7.2 Calibration
The pH meter was received factory calibrated, and was used as such for the duration of the
experiments. There was no calibration solution available until the completion of the pH
measurements. The pH meter was calibrated after the measurements had been taken, and it was
found that each pH value was 0.2 higher than the actual value. Thus, each of the measured pH
values was corrected by this amount. The liquid-in-glass thermometer served as the standard for
this experiment, and was used for calibration of the thermocouples. A two-point calibration was
performed using an ice-water bath and a boiling water bath. The calibration curves are shown in
Figure 2.

The IR thermometer was difficult to properly calibrate as the readings varied greatly depending
upon where it the bath it was pointed. Thus, the IR measurements serve as relative measurements
amongst the samples tested.

120
Station1Calib.
y=0.9836x+2.1718
100
Station2Calib. Station1
y=0.9834x+3.1917
80 Station2
Station3Calib. Station3
y=0.9852x+1.4626
60 Station4
Station4Calib. Linear(Station1)
y=0.9825x+3.4813
40 Linear(Station2)
Linear(Station3)
20 Linear(Station4)

0
20 0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Figure 2 - Thermocouple Calibration Curves

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7.3 pH H Experime ental Setupp & Proced dure
For the pH testing,, tea was obtained
o fro
om three diifferent estaablishments on Northeaastern
Universittys campuss: Dunkin Donuts,
D Argo
o Tea, and S
Starbucks. D
Dunkin Donnuts was thee first
establishm
ment, and th
he only two
o varieties teested were bblack and grreen tea sincce this is alll they
served. A small and medium
m sizeed black tea were ordereed (since the small is a ppaper cup, annd the
medium is a Styrofo
oam cup) as well as a small
s green tea. The firsst step was to take an iinitial
ure measureement of thee liquid usin
temperatu ng the IR thhermometer aas shown inn Figure 3. T
Then,
about 50
0mL of tea was
w poured into the 25
50mL beakeer, and pH m
measuremennts were taken as
shown in
n Figure 3. It is imporrtant to notee that the liiquid-in-glasss thermomeeter was used to
measure the temperrature at wh
hich the pH
H was meassured. The beaker and pH meter were
thorough
hly rinsed ou
ut and the pH ment was takeen a total off three times per cup of ttea to
H measurem
get a bettter sample an
nd account for
f non-unifo
formity of the tea. This m
method was repeated forr each
cup of teea obtained. The second establishmeent was Argoo Tea locateed at Snell L
Library wherre the
teas ordeered were a small
s black, small green, and small cchai tea (witth soy milk).. Starbucks iin the
Curry Stu
udent Centerr was the fin
nal stop where black, greeen, and Oprrahs Chai T
Tea (the lattee with
soy milk, and the reg
gular tea witth no milk) were
w ordered and testedd accordinglyy. The cups from
each estaablishment were
w also kep
pt for furtherr testing.

Figure 3 - Leeft: Initial IR Temperature

T Measurementts & Right: pH
H Measuremeent Setup

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7.4 Dis sposable Cup
C Insula ation Experrimental Se etup & Proocedure
As previously stated
d, this portion of the exp
periment waas conductedd in the lab aat 223 Forsyyth at
Northeasstern Universsity. The cup
ps from each
h establishm
ment were coollected and saved to evaaluate
the transsient temperrature of ho
ot liquid in
n the cups. The four ddifferent cupps used forr this
experimeent are show 4 Note that the Starbuckks and Argoo Tea cups w
wn in Figure 4. were served w
with a
cardboard sleeve, and
d both of thee Dunkin Do
onuts cups w
were not.

Figuree 4 - (From Leeft to Right) Sttarbucks Tall, Argo Tea Sm

mall, Dunkin D
Donuts Mediu
um (Styrofoam
m),
Dunkin Doonuts Small (P
Paper)

In the lab
b, the two 2000mL
2 beak
kers were fiilled with tapp water thenn placed on two separatte hot
plates to
o boil (as seeen in Figurre 5a). Each workstation (and
h of the cuups was assiigned to a w
correspon
nding therm
mocouple). Once
O the waater was rappidly boilingg, the LabV
VIEW VIs were
started an
nd the waterr was poured
d into each of the cups annd quickly capped usingg the provideed lid.
The therm
mocouples were
w t drinking hole, as seeen in Figurees 5b and 5c. The
mounteed through the
VI colleccted temperaature data as a function of ment was runn over the course
o time, and this experim
of about three hours (enough tim
me for the tem
mperature off the liquid iin the cups tto drop below
w the
ideal drinking rang
ge). The ro
oom temperrature was also notedd using the liquid-in--glass
thermom
meter (21C).

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 Figure 5 - a) Beaker on Ho
ot Plate, b) Sta Setup, c) Dunkin Donuts Cu
arbucks Cup S up Setup

The main
n safety con
ncern for th
his experimeent was the handling oof hot liquidds. Heat-resistant
gloves were
w required
d to handle the
t beakers of
o boiling w
water to ensuure the handdler did not ssuffer
any injurry from the high tempeeratures. No
o other safetty concerns of significaance were rraised
during th
he course of this
t experim
ment.

8 Results
8.1 pH
H Measurem
ments
The calib
brated data collected
c forr the pH meaasurements pportion of thhe experiment can be seeen in
Table 1. The 95% co
onfidence intterval was caalculated usiing Equationn 2 below:
Confidencee Interval , (2)
1 (3)
Where t is parameterr found usin
ng a table, v represents tthe degrees of freedom, calculated uusing
n 3 (5 for mo
Equation ost cases, ex
xcept the Staarbucks Chaai Tea with ssoy milk, whhich was 2),, N is
the numb
ber of data points, P is th
he level of siignificance ((0.05), and is the stanndard deviatiion of
the mean
ns, calculated
d by Equatio
on 4 below:

(4)

Where Sx is the stand

dard deviatio
on of the dataa set.

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 Table 1 - pH Test Experimental Data
95%
InitialT Meas.T
Store TeaType pH#1 pH#2 pH#3 Avg. Confidence
(C) (C)
Interval
Black#1 73.89 65.5 5.7 5.7 5.8
5.83 0.121
Dunkin Black#2 76.94 60 5.9 5.9 6
Donuts Green#1 71.11 60 6.2 6.3 6.3
6.33 0.082
Green#2 77.50 61 6.4 6.4 6.4
Black#1 70.56 64 5.5 5.4 5.4
5.47 0.052
Black#2 62.50 44 5.5 5.5 5.5
Green#1 65.00 57 6.1 6.1 6.2
Argo 6.15 0.055
Green#2 62.50 48 6.2 6.2 6.1
Chai#1 62.22 56 6.6 6.6 6.5
6.50 0.089
Chai#2 70.28 48 6.4 6.4 6.5
Black#1 81.11 68 5.7 5.8 5.7
5.80 0.089
Black#2 84.17 64 5.9 5.8 5.9
Green#1 73.89 70 6.6 6.5 6.6
6.55 0.055
Starbucks Green#2 74.44 61 6.5 6.6 6.5
Chai#1 80.28 77 6 6.1 6.1
6.02 0.075
Chai#2 77.50 61 6 6 5.9
Chaiw/Soy 46.11 60 7.3 7 6.9 7.07 0.270

As shown in the table, there were two different samples (on two different days) for each type of
tea (with exception of the Starbucks Chai Tea with soy milk). This was both to get a better
sample size and account for variation due to different personnel at the establishments. Three pH
measurements were taken per cup of tea in order to account for non-uniformity in the tea, and
these values were then averaged (as seen in the corresponding column in the table). The initial
temperature of the teas was also taken for reference, and the temperature at the time of pH
measurement was also recorded. A bar graph of the average pH values for each type of tea is
shown in Figure 6.

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 AveragepHValuesofTeasMeasured
8.0
7.07
7.0
6.3 6.2 6.6 6.5
5.8 5.8 6.0
6.0
5.5

5.0
DunkinDonuts
pHValue

4.0 ArgoTea
Starbucks
3.0
SBUXw/SoyMilk
2.0

1.0

0.0
BlackTea GreenTea ChaiTea

Figure 6 - Graph of Average pH of Each Tea Type

As seen in Figure 6, the black teas were the most acidic of them all, with the Argo black tea
being the most acidic with a pH of 5.5. The Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts were both about the
same at a pH of 5.8. One interesting thing to note was both the Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts
teas came with a tea bag, whereas the Argo did not. This data would suggest that the Argo black
tea was stronger than the black tea other two establishments despite the lack of a tea bag. Perhaps
Argo had the black tea pre-brewed whereas Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts were steeped to order.
The green tea was generally more neutral than the black tea, with pH values ranging from 6.2-
6.6. Again, the green tea from Argo was the most acidic (based on the sample size), but only
marginally compared to Dunkin Donuts at 6.3. Starbucks had the most neutral green tea with a
pH of 6.6.

The chai tea had the highest amount of variation amongst the varieties tested, and this could be
attributed to the amount of (soy) milk added for each sample. For reference, the Starbucks Chai
tea was measured both with and without (soy) milk. Argo tea did not have this option. The pH of
the Starbucks chai tea without any additives was around 6.0, similar to that of black tea. This
made sense because chai tea is essentially black tea with a few added spices (and these spices

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apparentlly made the tea a bit mo
ore neutral). The Argo cchai tea withh soy milk hhad a pH vallue of
6.5, and the Starbuck
ks chai latte (i.e. with so
oy milk) hadd a pretty neeutral pH vaalue of abouut 7.1.
There was a bit of variation with
w the Starrbucks chai tea in partiicular (as seeen by the w
wider
confidence interval of
o 0.27), an
nd this was likely
l becausse of the prooportion of ssoy milk to ttea as
well as th
he uniformitty of the bev
verage (i.e. the
t milk mayy not have bbeen compleetely mixed iin the
drink). Itt makes sen
nse that the chai tea waas more neuutral than thhe black tea as milk is more
neutral th
han black teea is (and soy
y milk, espeecially). Soyy milk has a pH of arounnd 7.0, and dairy
milk is ab
bout 6.5-6.7 [10].

8.2 Dis sposable Cup

C Insula ation Measu urements
Prior to conducting
c th
his portion of
o the experiiment, the thhermocouples were calibbrated using a two
point calibration (icee water bath and boiling water) withh the liquid-iin-glass therrmometer seerving
as the staandard. The calibration curves for each
e thermoccouple/statioon were prevviously presented
as Figuree 2 in section
n 7.2. Figuree 7 below sh
hows the resuults from thiis part of thee experimentt with
the calibrrated temperrature valuess.

Figure 7 - Temperaturre vs. Time forr Disposable C

Cups

As expeccted, these curves havee the form of an expoonential decay function, and this oobeys
Newtons Law of Co
ooling [11]. The
T ideal tem
mperature lim
mits are defiined as 60C
C 8.3C [7]], and
this range was used for
f the analy
ysis of the cu
ups. Note thaat the Dunkin Donuts Sttyrofoam cupp was

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clearly the best insulated cup (maintaining the temperature of the liquid the warmest for the
longest amount of time), and the Dunkin Donuts paper cup was the worst. The Starbucks and
Argo Tea cups were pretty close to each other. Significant data points from this experiment are
shown in Table 2.
Table 2 - Time vs. Temperature Data - Key Values
Starting Temp at Time to Time to Time in
Temp. 10min 68.3C 51.7C Ideal Range
(C) (C) (min) (min) (min)
DD Styrofoam 97.0 86.7 39.5 83.3 43.8 (1)
DD Paper 96.0 74.4 14.5 37.4 22.9 (1)
Argo Tea 96.0 82.7 25.9 55.5 29.5 (1)
Starbucks 96.7 81.4 23.6 55.0 31.4 (1)

The starting temperature for each of these cups was around the same (96-97C), and the room
temperature was steady around 21C (as measured by the liquid-in-glass thermometer). The
temperature at 10 minutes was also a good benchmark to compare the cups at. At this point in
time, the liquid in the Dunkin Donuts Styrofoam cup had cooled only about 10C, whereas the
liquid Dunkin Donuts paper cup had over 21C. The Argo Tea and Starbucks cups kept the
liquid at around 82C. Using a 1 minute moving average (i.e. averaging the values from the past
minute at a given point in time), it was then possible to calculate the time it took the liquid in
each cup to drop to the upper and lower limits of the ideal drinking temperature range. Then,
using the difference in these two times, the time within the ideal temperature range was
calculated (i.e. the t). As shown in the table, the Dunkin Donuts Styrofoam cup was the best at
keeping the beverage within the ideal range with a time of 43.8 minutes. The Dunkin Donuts
paper cup only kept it within this range for about 22.9 minutes and the Starbucks and Argo Tea
cups were about the same at about 30 minutes. The one minute moving average was used
because the instantaneous values for temperature would jump around (likely due to electrical
noise), so the moving average gave a more reliable estimate for each of the values. With moving
averages, there is a bit of a lag with the measurements, so there was an uncertainty of about 1
minute, conservatively.

9 Discussion
There were a few sources of error in these experiments. For example, the pH measurements for
the chai tea in particular were dependent upon the barista preparing the drink. The amount of soy

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milk added to the tea can vary quite a bit, and thus having a significant effect on the pH value of
the tea. Furthermore, many people add milk and sugar to black tea, which would also neutralize
some of the acidity. The goal of this experiment was just to provide a baseline to compare the
teas without the additives (with exception of the Argo chai tea, since that did not have a milk-
free option). Non-uniformity of the tea was a factor that was compensated for by stirring the tea
and taking multiple measurements per cup. The pH meter had an accuracy of 0.1 pH, which did
not have a significant effect on the measurements because even with this uncertainty, the major
results of the experiment remain the same.

For the temperature measurements, there were also a few factors to take into consideration. One
of the major elements of this part of the experiment was the fact that it was a static measurement
in a laboratory environment. The experimental values did not take into account the decreased
volume of liquid associated with drinking as well as forced convection and radiation caused by
walking and sunlight hitting the cup (more prevalent with the darker Argo Tea cup). Again, the
goal of this experiment was to provide a baseline measurement, and to be able to evaluate the
cups under the same circumstances. The K-Type thermocouples had an accuracy of about
2.2C, and these could have had a noteworthy effect on the experiment, but as with the pH
measurements, this uncertainty would not have played a bit role in the final comparison results.
In other words, the Styrofoam cup would still clearly be the best-insulated cup of the test
samples. Other extraneous variables that would affect this experiment include the ambient
environment, namely room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity, as these
could significantly impact the experiment.

10 Conclusions
The overall goal of this experiment was to determine the pH values of a few different varieties of
tea around Northeastern Universitys campus. It was found that chai tea with (soy) milk added
was the most neutral, specifically from Starbucks, as was the green tea, also from Starbucks. The
chai and green tea had a pH value of 7.1 and 6.6, respectively, and these were the beverages that
had a pH most similar to that of blood (7.365-7.42). The chai tea was very much dependent upon
the proportion of milk added to the tea, and this varies upon the consumers individual tastes. In
terms of the disposable cup insulation, the Dunkin Donuts Styrofoam cup kept the liquid in the
ideal consumption range for the longest amount of time (nearly 44 minutes), and this makes

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sense as Styrofoam has a lower thermal conductivity as compared to paper. The Argo Tea and
Starbucks cups performed about the same within the given margin of error. Based on the
collected data, Starbucks tea (in general) was the most neutral, and the Dunkin Donuts
Styrofoam cup was the best insulated.

11 References
1. "Your Online Guide About pH. all-about-ph.com. 2005. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. <www.all-
about-pH.com>.
2. "pH". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica
Inc., 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/454823/pH>.
3. Fig. 1 The Foundation of Health. The Natural Health Academy. < http://natural-health-
academy.com/ nutritional-supplements/hydration/>.
4. Casiday, R., & Frey, R., Blood, Sweat, and Buffers: PH Regulation During Exercise.
1999. Web. 17 April, 2015, <http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabTutorials/Buffer/
Buffer.html>
5. The Cause of Disease: pH Imbalance. Natural Health School Online.
<http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/acid-alkaline.html>.
6. Benjamin, S., The Importance of Your Bodys pH Balance.
<http://www.atlantaclassicalhomeopathy.com/pHbalance.htm>.
7. Brown, F. & Diller, K. Calculating the optimum temperature for serving hot beverages.
2008. Burns 34(5), 648654.
8. How Tea is Processed. Ineeka. 2015. <https://www.ineeka.com/how-tea-is-processed/>.
9. Myszko, A., Health Benefits of Chai Tea. San Francisco Chronicle.
<http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-chai-tea-9942.html>.
10. Jiang, S., Cai, W., Xu, B., Food quality improvement of soy milk from short-time
germinated soybeans. 2013. Foods 2, 198212.
11. Davidzon, M., Newtons law of cooling and its interpretation. 2012. Int. J. Heat Mass
Transf., 55. 53975402.

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12 Appendice
es

12.1 Ap
ppendix A EcoTestrr pH2 Mete
er Specifica
ations

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12.2 Ap
ppendix B Omega GT-736580
G Liquid-in--Glass The
ermometer
Sp
pecification
ns

12.3 Ap
ppendix C Amprobe
e IR608A IR
R Thermom
meter Spec
cifications
s

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12.4 Ap
ppendix D Omega KMQSS-125G-6 K-Type Thermo
ocouple Sp
pecifications

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12.5 Ap
ppendix E LabVIEW
W VI Screen
nshot

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12.6 Appendix F Design-Stage Uncertainty Analysis
Here, uo represents the resolution error, and uc represents the accuracy.

a) EcoTestr pH2 pH Meter

Resolution: 0.1pH
Overall Accuracy: 0.1 pH
u c 0.1 pH
0.1
uo 0.05 pH
2
u d uo2 uc2 (0.05) 2 (0.1) 2 0.112 pH

b) Omega GT-736580 Glass Thermometer

Resolution: 1C
Overall Accuracy: Not Given
1C
0.5
2
u d u o2 u c2 (0.5) 2 0.5C

c) Amprobe IR608A IR Thermometer

Resolution: 0.2C
Overall Accuracy: 2C
2C
0 .2
uo 0.1C
2
u d uo2 uc2 (0.1) 2 (2) 2 2.002C

d) Omega KMQSS-125G-6 K-Type Thermocouple

Resolution: 1C
Overall Accuracy: 2.2C

2.2C
1
uo 0.5C
2
u d uo2 uc2 (0.5) 2 (2.2) 2 2.256C

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