I've just started experimenting with tea beyond that crap in teabags
from the supermarket. I have some questions.

Are teapots used for boiling or steeping loose leaf tea? Do they
have a built in filter to keep leaves from being poured into cups?

I've seen single serving plastic teapots that can be microwaved to get
boiling water for people who work in offices without access to a
stove.

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Steve wrote:

Are teapots used for boiling or steeping loose leaf tea? Do they
have a built in filter to keep leaves from being poured into cups?

Yes, and sometimes.

I've seen single serving plastic teapots that can be microwaved to get
boiling water for people who work in offices without access to a
stove.

Yes, they work well.

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Upton Tea Imports sells the Chatsford teapots, with infuser baskets,
as well as a one-mug system from Chatsford.

The Republic of Tea sells a one-mug basket called the "People's Brew
Basket." You can put it into any ceramic coffee mug.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Try our web site www.tea-junction.com there are several brewing
options from glassware through plastic to ceramics.
Maurice
www.tea-junction.com

On Mar 28, 11:44 am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
Steve wrote:

Are teapots used for boiling or steeping loose leaf tea? Do they
have a built in filter to keep leaves from being poured into cups?

Yes, and sometimes.

I've seen single serving plastic teapots that can be microwaved to get
boiling water for people who work in offices without access to a
stove.

Yes, they work well.

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Upton Tea Imports sells the Chatsford teapots, with infuser baskets,
as well as a one-mug system from Chatsford.

The Republic of Tea sells a one-mug basket called the "People's Brew
Basket." You can put it into any ceramic coffee mug.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Steve,

Here's my opinion:

Tea POTS are for steeping tea, loose or otherwise. Tea KETTLES are for
boiling water to be used for making tea, Jell-O, instant oatmeal, etc.

Many Japanese teapots contain a built-in mesh strainer. Other tea pots
(Chinese, English, American; probably others I have no personal
knowledge of) may have perforations at the base of the spout which
trap the larger tea leaves or are simply wide open. If you don't like
tea leaves or particles in your cup, you can pour the tea through a
strainer made of perforated metal, mesh, or wicker/bamboo.

I'm not a fan of microwaved water, although it could be psychological.
If I have to used nuked water, I'll usually stir it for a few seconds
before using it to make tea. Otherwise, I get an unappetizing foam
around the edge of the cup as the gasses escape the superheated water.

Hope this helps.

Alan

Okay;

Let me consolidate and add a question from a newbie.

How do I prepare tea at home to maximize the enjoyment of it ( ie
steeping loose leaf tea in freshly boiled water for how long?
Equipment? etc ).

In my office, I have access to a tea spigot. Hotter than hot tap
water, but not boiling. What sort of techniques and equipment would
I use to get the best cup tea under those circumstances?

Does cup size or material matter?

With loose leaf tea is there any kind of newbies rule for picking the
right amount of leaves?

Thanks in advance

Steve

ive blind-tested myself with 3kinds of water heating,
microwaved water is definitely different in taste = flat and not
pleasing, waste of good leaf.
but i do use it in the office for crappy tea bags...

go to chinatown in your town :P and you'll find alot of tea pots and
filters and cups, pots with filters, cups with filters,
usually cheaper than other stores,
or go to ross and get a french press and try with that for larger
volumes.

On 2007-03-29, Steve wrote:

How do I prepare tea at home to maximize the enjoyment of it ( ie
steeping loose leaf tea in freshly boiled water for how long?
Equipment? etc ).

Part of this depends on the type of tea you're brewing, as well as the
style you're brewing it in. Also, how picky you are.

I would also suggest reading the FAQ for this newsgroup, which explains
answers to most of your questions (the archives have a lot of opinions
on these things as well).

In my office, I have access to a tea spigot. Hotter than hot tap
water, but not boiling. What sort of techniques and equipment would
I use to get the best cup tea under those circumstances?

The best cup of tea water will probably be from boiling your own
(bottled) water in a kettle of some sort. But in a pinch, you can
microwave and / or use the water provided (better if it's spring water
or at least dechlorinated).

No matter what, pre-heat your teaware. You don't need boiling water for
all kinds of tea - in fact, for many, you want water that's a good bit
below boiling (though some people believe that water which has come to a
boil once is better). You can't get good tea without good water, but you
can make the best of what you have available... I've had decent cups of
tea made with office water and sub-optimal teaware.

I have a whole setup (electric kettle, bamboo tea boat / tea ocean, 1,
3, and 5 oz ceramic cups, a small gaiwan, and sometimes a yixing teapot
or two) at work, but a bare-bones setup would probably be one of the 3-4
piece Korean or Chinese cups with the built in infuser. I got my gf one
from Franchia (Korean tea store in NY), and she uses it every day.

Does cup size or material matter?

Yes.

With loose leaf tea is there any kind of newbies rule for picking the
right amount of leaves?

Like a lot of your questions, the "answer" to this can be found, but
again, it really depends on the type of tea, the style of brewing, your
personal preference, and the number of times you want to infuse the same
leaves.

w/ Chinese gong-fu tea brewing, you usually want to have the fully
opened leaves more or less filling the vessel when you're done. With
tightly rolled leaves, this can mean just covering the bottom; with
other leaves, you might want to fill it half / 3/4 full.

With English style brewing, you use longer infusion times (1-6 min), and
less tea (maybe a tsp to a TBSP).

Anyway, start with less leaf, and use more if your tea is too weak or if
you can't get as many infusions as you want. I don't think anyone here
is going to give you hard and fast rules, so just experiment. The worst
that will happen is your tea will taste like s--t and you'll have to
brew another pot.

w

Steve wrote:

How do I prepare tea at home to maximize the enjoyment of it ( ie
steeping loose leaf tea in freshly boiled water for how long?
Equipment? etc ).

There are several different methods, and I think some of them are
discussed in the FAQ. I think the most convenient if you are starting
out is to use an infusing basket in a teapot or a mug.

In my office, I have access to a tea spigot. Hotter than hot tap
water, but not boiling. What sort of techniques and equipment would
I use to get the best cup tea under those circumstances?

Make green tea that is best made with sub-boiling water.

Does cup size or material matter?

Some people will tell you that you need a cup big enough so that you
can get your nose into it and smell the tea. Some people will tell
you that you need a smaller cup for the opposite reason. Your call.

With loose leaf tea is there any kind of newbies rule for picking the
right amount of leaves?

If you are making black tea, the basic rule is one teaspoon of tea
per cup of water, plus one for the pot. If you're making a single cup
just use a teaspoon.

You will find this is totally incorrect for some kinds of tea and some
preparation methods, but it's a good first start.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Steve wrote:
How do I prepare tea at home to maximize the enjoyment of it ( ie
steeping loose leaf tea in freshly boiled water for how long?
Equipment? etc ).

A truly well-posed question!

Since half of enjoyment is 90% psychological (and the other half is
entirely psychological), whatever works for you is correct. That usually
means trying a lot of tea, equipment, brewing methods and scene-settings
to find what you like, which then will likely evolve over time.

There's much useful experience and good advice to be had. I'd say that
the biggest caution is to ignore most "rules" and other absolutes, few
of which stand up to scrutiny. Just don't test the tolerance of green
teas to boiling water with a $3/gram Dragon Well, or the purity of $3/lb
Dragon Well by drinking it.

The easiest way to understand the equipment, techniques and tastes is by
participation. Either find a congenial restaurant or shop owner to give
a private or group tasting, or tell this or some other group roughly
where you live, and arrange a private meeting off-list.

Mainly, play.

-DM

Microwaves destroy the structure of the water. It will never taste as
good as if it was boiled.

On Mar 28, 5:15 pm, "Alan" wrote:
On Mar 28, 11:44 am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:





Steve wrote:

Are teapots used for boiling or steeping loose leaf tea? Do they
have a built in filter to keep leaves from being poured into cups?

Yes, and sometimes.

I've seen single serving plastic teapots that can be microwaved to get
boiling water for people who work in offices without access to a
stove.

Yes, they work well.

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Upton Tea Imports sells the Chatsford teapots, with infuser baskets,
as well as a one-mug system from Chatsford.

The Republic of Tea sells a one-mug basket called the "People's Brew
Basket." You can put it into any ceramic coffee mug.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Steve,

Here's my opinion:

Tea POTS are for steeping tea, loose or otherwise. Tea KETTLES are for
boiling water to be used for making tea, Jell-O, instant oatmeal, etc.

Many Japanese teapots contain a built-in mesh strainer. Other tea pots
(Chinese, English, American; probably others I have no personal
knowledge of) may have perforations at the base of the spout which
trap the larger tea leaves or are simply wide open. If you don't like
tea leaves or particles in your cup, you can pour the tea through a
strainer made of perforated metal, mesh, or wicker/bamboo.

I'm not a fan of microwaved water, although it could be psychological.
If I have to used nuked water, I'll usually stir it for a few seconds
before using it to make tea. Otherwise, I get an unappetizing foam
around the edge of the cup as the gasses escape the superheated water.

Hope this helps.

Alan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've just started experimenting with tea beyond that crap in teabags
from the supermarket.

Good for you!

I have some questions.

Are teapots used for boiling or steeping loose leaf tea?

Steeping.

Do they
have a built in filter to keep leaves from being poured into cups?

My favorite is the Chatsford, available in different colors and designs from
various manufacturers. I bought mine from Upton:

http://tinyurl.com/26j3e8 or
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/cat...&categoryID=88

I've seen single serving plastic teapots that can be microwaved to get
boiling water for people who work in offices without access to a
stove.

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Not me, sorry.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Steve" wrote in message
ups.com...
Okay;

Let me consolidate and add a question from a newbie.

How do I prepare tea at home to maximize the enjoyment of it ( ie
steeping loose leaf tea in freshly boiled water for how long?
Equipment? etc ).

http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/faq.html

In my office, I have access to a tea spigot. Hotter than hot tap
water, but not boiling. What sort of techniques and equipment would
I use to get the best cup tea under those circumstances?

For that sort of temperature, I recommend green and white, any tea not
requiring boiling water.

You could use a Chatsford mug which has a lid and a brew basket (Upton has
the best selection, AFAIK):

http://tinyurl.com/25rgx2 or
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/cat...&categoryID=71.

Or, you could use a mug from home or other small teapot and a brew basket
with a lid like the Teeli/Finum:

http://tinyurl.com/ysbyjc or
http://www.specialteas.com/Permanent...ct_detail.html


Does cup size or material matter?

Yes.

With loose leaf tea is there any kind of newbies rule for picking the
right amount of leaves?

Yes.

Thanks in advance

You're welcome. Hope the FAQs and other links help.


--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Steve" wrote in news:1175103201.311855.213110
@d57g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

Does anyone know where I could get something similar made out of glass
or at least not plastic?

Googling a bit:

http://www.amazon.com/Personal-All-Glass-Infuser-
Teapot/dp/B000CSKDPC/ref=sr_1_5/103-5813508-0679849?ie=UTF8&m=AO1C8HOGX94T8
&s=generic&qid=1175567345&sr=1-5

http://www.mltea.com/Catalog_tp.aspx?CategoryID=7
(Bodum cup w. Infuser, Glass Teapot w. Infuser)

https://www.shopoclock.com/snowcone/...472/product/12
222543/

Ozzy

Danica wrote:
Microwaves destroy the structure of the water. It will never taste as
good as if it was boiled.


Interesting assertion. Reference, please?

Microwaves may disrupt the structure of water - perhaps as much as
stirring, though at a different level. But I was not aware that liquid
water has *any* structure that's preserved on sensible time-scales, and
would be fascinated to know more.

-DM

DogMa wrote:
Danica wrote:
Microwaves destroy the structure of the water. It will never taste as
good as if it was boiled.

Interesting assertion. Reference, please?

Microwaves may disrupt the structure of water - perhaps as much as
stirring, though at a different level. But I was not aware that liquid
water has *any* structure that's preserved on sensible time-scales, and
would be fascinated to know more.

Microwaved water does taste different than water boiled on the stovetop.
I don't know why... my first guess would be more dissolved oxygen left.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."