Many claim that tea is superior when brewed in a pot versus a mug. Why is
this and how is it better? I, too have noticed that the tea made at a
Chinese restaraunt always tastes better than mine...which I brew right in
the mug.
Thanks,
Pete

ostaz wrote:
> Many claim that tea is superior when brewed in a pot versus a mug. Why is
> this and how is it better?

Just my 2 cents, but I have two main methods that do very well for me.

In Mug (surprisingly) - HOWEVER, I use chinese porcelin mugs that have
the porcelin infuser insert and lid. This is key. It allows tons of
room for the leaves to expand and does perfectly. I also have a
synthetic tea infuser that fits in any standard mug that I like a lot
too.

Yixing teapots: These are phenomenal and I use one pot per type of tea.
They are made of a special clay and they eventually take on the
characteristics of the tea brewed in them. I boil my water in a
completely glass tea kettle called the whistler that can go right on
the stove, and then go through the entire tea ceremony style brewing.
(pour the water over the teapot, steam the leaves and discard the 1st
brewing, then brew the tea.) Not for the unintiated or when in a hurry,
but unmatched in quality.

I'm a big believer in the bad effects metal have on tea, so I stay away
from tea balls and such and metal teapots and kettles. (although
chinese restaurants use metal teapots) Most of the time Chinese
restaurant tea is just a very good tea, ask them what kind they use,
chances are the tea will make the difference not the vessel.

It is better to brew tea in a pot partly because there is more room for
the leaves/bags to circulate in the water. But I think it is mostly
because the teapot is covered and mugs usually are not. If you have to
make your tea in a mug, try covering the mug while the tea steeps.
This helps the water maintain the proper temperature and makes a huge
difference to the taste of the tea. I have a coaster at work that I
use to cover my mug while my tea brews; I get much better results this
way. Also, it helps to preheat your mug with some hot water
beforehand.

Pat wrote:
> It is better to brew tea in a pot partly because there is more room for
> the leaves/bags to circulate in the water.

I've been watching my tea brew for a while, and I don't think this
makes much difference once you get to a certain volume for the tea to
rest in; that being enough for it to unfurl without being compressed.
It pretty much just sits on the bottom of the pot after the initial
swirling stops (and it stops pretty quickly).

Maybe putting it in an infuser with holes on the bottom would result in
more circulation.

> But I think it is mostly
> because the teapot is covered and mugs usually are not. If you have to
> make your tea in a mug, try covering the mug while the tea steeps.
> This helps the water maintain the proper temperature and makes a huge
> difference to the taste of the tea. I have a coaster at work that I
> use to cover my mug while my tea brews; I get much better results this
> way. Also, it helps to preheat your mug with some hot water
> beforehand.

When I brew in a mug, I usually fill the mug with water and nuke it,
then add a T-sac. So the mug is plenty hot, often superheated. I
don't worry about covers. Not that cold around here...

--Blair

95% of my tea is consumed in my office, and I don't really want the
hassle of a pot. I get some decent sized bags that have plenty of room
for the tea to expand and have been perfectly happy with the results. I
may get one of those mug infusers, but I like the limited mess of usign
the bags (given the mess I make with those, I can't imagine what I
would do with a bunch of wet loose leaves...)

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:21:34 -0800, "ostaz" > wrote:

>Many claim that tea is superior when brewed in a pot versus a mug.

I very rarely brew "tea" in a mug and have never consciously taste
tested it. What I brew in a mug is the cheapest drinkable grade of
builder's tea, in bags, and without letting it brew for long enough.

I have no idea if the _mug_ can reduce the quality of tea - but the
process of "mug brewing" and the quality of the tea used for it
certainly will.

There's also the psychological aspect of brewing tea in a pot. Tea in
mugs generally means I'm working, tea in a pot means I'm either drinking
tea, or have guests.

"Andy Dingley" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:21:34 -0800, "ostaz" > wrote:
>
>>Many claim that tea is superior when brewed in a pot versus a mug.
>
> I very rarely brew "tea" in a mug and have never consciously taste
> tested it. What I brew in a mug is the cheapest drinkable grade of
> builder's tea, in bags, and without letting it brew for long enough.
>
> I have no idea if the _mug_ can reduce the quality of tea - but the
> process of "mug brewing" and the quality of the tea used for it
> certainly will.
>
> There's also the psychological aspect of brewing tea in a pot. Tea in
> mugs generally means I'm working, tea in a pot means I'm either drinking
> tea, or have guests.

I would beg to differ somewhat...tea in a mug to me means that I am drinking
my tea by myself and want a hot cup everytime, therefore I make them one cup
at a time instead of a pot which will get cold (even with a cozy) by the
time I get to drinking the rest. I use a stainless tea strainer thingie that
came with the mug (you can find similar only with a little wooden handle
attached at Asian markets in the housewares), I put in a little over a
teaspoon of tea (cup is bigger than 8 ounces) and put in the water, but I do
definitely make sure I cover it (cup came with a lid) so that the heat stays
in. The stuff I'm drinking at the moment is an assam variety in fannings so
it brews quickly, but I do this for larger loose leaf too. I don't brew my
puer this way, I usually gongfu that in one way or another, same goes for my
greens and oolongs. One thing I want to get sometime is one of those
Chatsford mugs, they look useful to me. I don't care for the mugs with the
ceramic "strainer" inserts...there's not enough holes for good water flow
and the holes are too big for many grades I drink.

Melinda

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
>
> I also have a
> synthetic tea infuser that fits in any standard mug that I like a lot
> too.

Oh, I've been looking for those. I've only found the stainless steel
baskets. Is there a web store that has them? I use glass mugs.

My personal preference is to use a gaiwan. I use this at home and at
work. It just travels with me wherever I go, along with my bag of
whatever loose leaf I'm drinking that day. I have a large mug at work,
and a small glass teacup at home. After brewing in the gaiwan, I
transfer the brewed tea liquor into the mug, and leave the leaves in
the gaiwan.

For hot water, at home I use an old electric percolator, bought at a
garage sale, (luckily it didn't acrue so much coffee stain/odour that I
couldn't clean it out to provide clear coffee-tasteless water). I
removed all the percolating basket crap, and just use it to keep hot
water. At work, we have a one of those big, semi-industrial style
coffee makers that has a hot water tap on it, that provides
near-boiling water.

I always preheat my gaiwan by filling it with hot water first, until
the surface of it is uncomfortable to the touch. Keeping it covered is
very important to proper brewing, which is why the Chinese decided to
Gai (cover) thier Wans (bowls) about 1000 years ago. Tea hasn't changed
much since then, so I don't see why tea preparation needs to either.

In rough times when I don't have my gaiwan, a coffee mug with a coaster
works great, just be sure to remove the leaves after brewing, so you
don't over steep.

Hope that helps,
Troy Howard (aka Da Tong)

Knack > wrote:
> wrote in message
roups.com...
>>
>>
>> I also have a
>> synthetic tea infuser that fits in any standard mug that I like a lot
>> too.
>
>Oh, I've been looking for those. I've only found the stainless steel
>baskets. Is there a web store that has them? I use glass mugs.

Upton's has them online.

The Republic of Tea also sells them, so your local supermarket can probably
order one if they carry the Republic of Tea teas.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."