Steve Hay > wrote:
>
>Those of you who have nine-to-fives (or seven-to-eights, as it were),
>what is your tea setup at work, if you have one? I'd like to get one
>going and am shopping around online, and as usual, it is difficult to
>ascertain the usability of some of the things I am finding. I find that
>I only have time to enjoy tea on days when I can dedicate time to it,
>since for many teas I enjoy, temperature is vital and difficult to
>achieve accurately (some delta off the boil). I would like to brew a
>wide variety of teas and other products in the cleanest and best way
>possible. At work, I have limited space, so I am looking for an
>efficient setup. At home I similarly would like something that achieves
>correct water temperature without the hassle.

I use an in-cup tea basket, either from the Republic of Tea or from
Upton's, and I make hot water using the public microwave in the coffee
mess at work.

With the microwave, it can be a pain to figure out how long you need to
run it to get up to a particular temperature, but once you do it stays
pretty stable. Use the same cup and the same amount of water, and it
takes the same time today that it will take two years from now. (Maybe
not ten years, as the magnetrons do weaken as they age.)

For boiling water, I really prefer an electric kettle, but if you want to
make green tea with one, it can be a pain and usually involves getting
the water to a boil and then waiting a calibrated time for it to cool
down.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."