When you place a tea bag into a cup of freshly poured hot water, the process begins.
At first, the water in the cup looks much the same—hot but still light in color, with no noticeable darkening or aroma shift.
Minutes pass. After one minute, a quick look shows the water remains largely clear. Two minutes elapse, and still, the appearance holds steady, unaltered from the start.
Then, around three to five minutes later, the water takes on a visible hue—turning amber or brown, depending on the tea. The change becomes evident.
This pattern reveals latency: the action of adding the tea bag precedes the observable outcome by a distinct interval of time.