At work, I currently have two options for hot water for my tea:

* Getting hot water directly from the side of the coffee maker. It is
difficult to tell how hot this water is, since I do not have a
thermometer. It is not boiling, so my best guess would be 160 - 175. I
have verified that this water is filtered.

* Getting cool water from our filtered tap and microwaving it.

One of these days I will invest in a kettle, but in the meantime I
have to deal with one of these two options. #1 is obviously more
convenient for me. I was wondering if #2 would be that much better. I
know microwaving water makes it taste flat... so does it not even
matter? The advantage of #2 is that I would have more control over the
temperature.

Thanks.

On Sep 24, 8:51 am, " wrote:
At work, I currently have two options for hot water for my tea:

* Getting hot water directly from the side of the coffee maker. It is
difficult to tell how hot this water is, since I do not have a
thermometer. It is not boiling, so my best guess would be 160 - 175. I
have verified that this water is filtered.

* Getting cool water from our filtered tap and microwaving it.

One of these days I will invest in a kettle, but in the meantime I
have to deal with one of these two options. #1 is obviously more
convenient for me. I was wondering if #2 would be that much better. I
know microwaving water makes it taste flat... so does it not even
matter? The advantage of #2 is that I would have more control over the
temperature.

Thanks.

So, experiment- maybe you'll come out using the coffee water for green
tea, and the filtered tap for your blacks. Toci

On Sep 24, 10:15 am, toci wrote:
So, experiment- maybe you'll come out using the coffee water for green
tea, and the filtered tap for your blacks. Toci

Yep. Agreed. Give them a try. I used to do both when that was all the
choice available to me (although it was a water cooler with a hot
option) I ended up managing to smuggle in a "HotShot" which fully
boils up to 16oz. of water in about a minute, no temp control beyond
stopping short or letting it rest a bit but it served the purpose
well.

FWIW, microwaving fresh spring water has never been easily
identifiable as "flat" to me when done a cupful at a time and not a
larger quantity heated, and reheated.

- Dominic
http://teasphere.wordpress.com

On Sep 24, 6:51 am, " wrote:
At work, I currently have two options for hot water for my tea:

* Getting hot water directly from the side of the coffee maker. It is
difficult to tell how hot this water is, since I do not have a
thermometer. It is not boiling, so my best guess would be 160 - 175. I
have verified that this water is filtered.

* Getting cool water from our filtered tap and microwaving it.

One of these days I will invest in a kettle, but in the meantime I
have to deal with one of these two options. #1 is obviously more
convenient for me. I was wondering if #2 would be that much better. I
know microwaving water makes it taste flat... so does it not even
matter? The advantage of #2 is that I would have more control over the
temperature.

Thanks.

If you need boiling water (e.g., for black tea), then microwave it but
WATCH IT! Stop it as soon as the tiniest bubbles appear. I know a
watched pot never boils, but a watched microwave goes from "no
bubbles" to "nuclear" in a flash. Once you learn how long it takes to
heat the water in a particular cup in a particular microwave, you can
set it to that time and not have to watch it the whole time.

Alan

On Sep 24, 4:22 pm, Alan wrote:
If you need boiling water (e.g., for black tea), then microwave it but
WATCH IT! Stop it as soon as the tiniest bubbles appear. I know a
watched pot never boils, but a watched microwave goes from "no
bubbles" to "nuclear" in a flash. Once you learn how long it takes to
heat the water in a particular cup in a particular microwave, you can
set it to that time and not have to watch it the whole time.

I think you are ok as long as there is something non-metallic in there
as a nucleation site, like a plastic fork or whatever.. Could be
wrong on that, I don't microwave water much.

just use an old, scratched mug/glass with a mouth as wide as the sides.
Plenty of nucleation sites.

I was down in Bavaria last week and all that was available [apart from
my Saturn V kerosene stove - out of the question in a hotel room] was
a coffee machine.
Well, it didn´t go much over 85 deg C, my blacks/reds ended up lala,
BUT the tap water down there, simply delicious mountain spring H2O. Can
´t wait to prepare my first decent pot of Darjeeling in my new
appartment.

One of these days I will invest in a kettle, but in the meantime I have to deal with one of these two options.

Being someone who literally hates all kinds of microwave appliances
and food/drinks prepared that way I´d head for a kettle asap and til
then use the sidestream from the coffee-maker to prepare whatever
feels OK with that temperature range.

Just my 2 drops,
Karsten

On Sep 25, 11:38 am, wrote:

Being someone who literally hates all kinds of microwave appliances
and food/drinks prepared that way I´d head for a kettle asap

I have never understood why Americans (in general) have been so slow
to embrace the automatic electric kettle. During my Unilever Research
days my team spent a few months trying to make a decent cup of tea
using a range of microwave ovens, waters and containers. Commercial
confidentiality and a fast failing memory preclude my giving details
but suffice to say the microwave method was never included on the pack
instructions (in the UK at least).

Nigel at Teacraft

On Sep 25, 7:39 am, Nigel wrote:
I have never understood why Americans (in general) have been so slow
to embrace the automatic electric kettle. During my Unilever Research

Can't speak for all Americans, but my own reluctance is due to not
wanting yet another electric appliance. Food processor, Kitchenaid
mixer, toaster, blender, coffee machine and grinder, its just another
appliance that can break. And don't tell me to get rid of my coffee
pot. ;-)

Plus, there is an allure for me to get back to the basics somewhat, so
my first purchase was a plain old tea kettle e.g., used on the stove.
It wasn't until last weekend I broke down and bought one of those
spiffy variable-temperature kettles, and that's for work.

On Sep 25, 1:39 pm, Nigel wrote:
I have never understood why Americans (in general) have been so slow
to embrace the automatic electric kettle.

Maybe it´s that meagre 110 Volt supply and the resulting lack of
instant gratification as discussed a few days ago.

Karsten

Nigel writes:

On Sep 25, 11:38 am, wrote:

Being someone who literally hates all kinds of microwave appliances
and food/drinks prepared that way I´d head for a kettle asap

I have never understood why Americans (in general) have been so slow
to embrace the automatic electric kettle. During my Unilever Research
days my team spent a few months trying to make a decent cup of tea
using a range of microwave ovens, waters and containers. Commercial
confidentiality and a fast failing memory preclude my giving details
but suffice to say the microwave method was never included on the pack
instructions (in the UK at least).

Well, this American would have a hard time switching jobs if the new
one didn't allow him to use his electric kettle in the office. I
suspect the reason most Americans don't use electric kettles is simply
that they aren't much interested in tea.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
recent addition: ya bao cha

In article om,
Nigel wrote:
On Sep 25, 11:38 am, wrote:

Being someone who literally hates all kinds of microwave appliances
and food/drinks prepared that way I=B4d head for a kettle asap

I have never understood why Americans (in general) have been so slow
to embrace the automatic electric kettle. During my Unilever Research
days my team spent a few months trying to make a decent cup of tea
using a range of microwave ovens, waters and containers. Commercial
confidentiality and a fast failing memory preclude my giving details
but suffice to say the microwave method was never included on the pack
instructions (in the UK at least).

Some of it has to do with the fact that Americans tend to drink coffee
and the automatic drip machine has penetrated the market sufficiently
that it's hard to displace it.

Some of it has to do with the fact that American power is 120V, and so
it's impossible to get more than 1.8 KW from a (typically 15A) kitchen
outlet.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Sep 25, 11:20 am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
Some of it has to do with the fact that Americans tend to drink coffee
and the automatic drip machine has penetrated the market sufficiently
that it's hard to displace it.

Some of it has to do with the fact that American power is 120V, and so
it's impossible to get more than 1.8 KW from a (typically 15A) kitchen
outlet.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

That pretty much sums it up... which is why I shy away from the large
electric kettles and go for the smaller heating units since it is
faster to heat smaller quantities and elements faster. The HotShot,
and a Procter/Silex 1L kettle (which is a pitcher with a fixed
immersion heater in it) for the most part when at work. 1.8KW may be
the theoretical max but it tends to be more like 1.5KW MAX and
800-1000W is more the normal maximum found on many products.

I also had to have a fairly small and quiet unit to get away with it
on my desk and with whiny co-workers.

- Dominic

Hello Dominic, and all,
I must agree with you on the hot shot. Your water, spring,drinking,
tap whatever you like, in a fast reliable, in my book, little
appliance that heats water to boiling very fast.
Also, after changing the water bottles at work and seeing mucousy film
in the reservoir ugh! (too many persons using possibly unsanitary
methods for changing or cleaning the water cooloer/heater), I must
either take my own hot water, or use a small apparatus for my little
tea moments. Or sadly not drinking nice fesh brewed tea at work.
So, the Hot Shot works very nice, and electric kettle too but at a
much higher cost. I found mine at a local office supply place pretty
inexpensively. At least with these (kettles or HS ) you know what you
are getting.
Jenn

On Sep 25, 1:32 pm, Jenn wrote:
Hello Dominic, and all,
I must agree with you on the hot shot. Your water, spring,drinking,
tap whatever you like, in a fast reliable, in my book, little
appliance that heats water to boiling very fast.
Also, after changing the water bottles at work and seeing mucousy film
in the reservoir ugh! (too many persons using possibly unsanitary
methods for changing or cleaning the water cooloer/heater), I must
either take my own hot water, or use a small apparatus for my little
tea moments. Or sadly not drinking nice fesh brewed tea at work.
So, the Hot Shot works very nice, and electric kettle too but at a
much higher cost. I found mine at a local office supply place pretty
inexpensively. At least with these (kettles or HS ) you know what you
are getting.
Jenn

I actually bought the hot shot at a previous job where they used a
communal one in the coffee area, but the disgusting thing was that
people filled their water into it using their mugs. Office mugs never
(rarely) get more than a quick rinse or wipe, and on top of that the
office hotshot was never cleaned. I got flak for bringing in my own
(fire hazard, power, etc.) but I explained there was no way in hell I
was drinking anything from that. I got labeled a germaphobe. I also
noticed the slimy black fungus growing under the water fountain
(source of cold "filtered" water) and promptly began bringing gallon
jugs of spring water.

There is a safe cleaning regiment for water coolers involving diluted
bleach, and they certainly do not follow any of that at my new place
of employment... so it's back to the hotshot and spring water for me.

- Dominic