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I love my electric kettle. I did a test where I timed how long it took the exact same amount of water to boil in my electric as well as a stovetop kettle. Even with our  voltage, the electric took about 6 minutes to boil 1.5L of water, and the stovetop one, at full blast, took 10. Saving four minutes off my tea water boiling time has added up massively over the years.
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Oct 23, 2013 21:01
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What's a typical British kettle wattage? I'm pretty pleased with my 1500 watt kettle, to the point where I'll sometimes use it just to boil water that I'll put in a pot on the stove. (I've also seen some 1800 ones but that might trip a breaker  )
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Oct 23, 2013 21:31
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crazyfish posted:I love my electric kettle. I did a test where I timed how long it took the exact same amount of water to boil in my electric as well as a stovetop kettle. Even with our Just tried mine (the one I posted earlier). Boiled 1L in 3:15! Go tiny kettle, go!
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Oct 23, 2013 22:33
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detectivemonkey posted:I just got this to keep at work. The variable temperature really seems to just range from 190-212, but I'm happy with it so far. I have a tea thermometer so I can just cool the water to the correct temperature for green tea or mate. What temp are you using for mate?
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Oct 24, 2013 02:19
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DontAskKant posted:What temp are you using for mate? I typically use around 150. Is that too high/low?
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Oct 24, 2013 05:45
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detectivemonkey posted:I typically use around 150. Is that too high/low? Every Argentinian I've met uses boiling and then whatever the temp is in the thermos throughout the day. I usually do 200 or 190, but that's because of what i have access to at work.
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Oct 24, 2013 07:17
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gggiiimmmppp posted:I've been operating for some time on the assumption that anyone who still boils water on the stove has just never used an electric kettle or something because they are the best. Years ago I bought my mother an electric kettle, for, you know, stuff just like this. To this day she is still occasionally known to express to me what a fantastic gift it was because it's so much faster than the stove and less potentially messy than the microwave. That poo poo's been a big help to the whole family.
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Oct 24, 2013 09:51
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detectivemonkey posted:I typically use around 150. Is that too high/low? I set my kettle to 180, fill my thermos, and drink it at whatever it's coasting at. Yeah, some cultures that drink yerba mate traditionally use boiling water, but others just get the water to a light steam. It's different depending on whether you ask an Argentinian, a Brazilian, or a Paraguayan. If you're drinking it out of a mate, use whatever temperature you like that won't burn you when you drink it up fast. If you're using an infuser like regular tea, 180-190 is a good temperature to get a full extraction.
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Oct 24, 2013 17:25
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cobalt impurity posted:I set my kettle to 180, fill my thermos, and drink it at whatever it's coasting at. Yeah, some cultures that drink yerba mate traditionally use boiling water, but others just get the water to a light steam. It's different depending on whether you ask an Argentinian, a Brazilian, or a Paraguayan. Seconding this right here. Or, if you're my fiancé, 1/3 tap water, 2/3 hot water from the side of the coffee maker at work.
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Oct 24, 2013 17:31
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I need a cup of the brown stuff the shade of an acorn, so my question is what is the best sort of infuser/ball to get me this result without a tea pot? I've got a kettle I take out to work and I've got a budding interest in this stuff, the problem is my only experience has been tea bags thus far. Does anyone have any recommendations for what works best, or what they prefer, as an in-cup infuser?
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Oct 27, 2013 00:24
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I prefer an all metal, stainless steel, fine mesh basket infuser like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CO5KQ4O That one is on the expensive side but has everything I look for. You can easily find cheaper ones with bigger holes or with some plastic involved. Really any of the all-metal ones will do if you aren't picky about getting tea crumbs in your cup.
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Oct 27, 2013 01:34
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I just posted my infuser of choice a couple pages back, but I second the all-metal mesh. I just did an Adagio buy since it's getting cold out and I need to get some winter teas. This gift code is good for 24 hours and is a $5 gift certificate: 7650789117. Waiting on a chocolate chai from SA Mart. Anyone tried it? Any tips for maximum chai-ness even with soy milk?
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Oct 27, 2013 05:05
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I like all metal mesh strainers alright for larger leaf teas, but for anything with a smaller leaf, or something that I've had for a while and I've managed to start to break up a little, I really do prefer http://amzn.com/B000I68NCS infuser. It has a smaller mesh, but I wish it had smaller plastic supports or some other configuration. The medium size is perfect for a single cup and leaves plenty of room for the leaf to expand. It's easy enough to clean. I use it as the infuser for my ~3.5 cup tea pot and it fits just great.
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Oct 27, 2013 05:20
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detectivemonkey posted:I just posted my infuser of choice a couple pages back, but I second the all-metal mesh. Thanks for this! I just ordered a new IngenuiTEA since my old one got lost in a move a few years back. I got one that came with a black tea sampler. I also got a $5 coupon code, so here's mine as well: 9720341621 E: Apparently you also get a free sample added to your next order if you let Adagio post to Facebook about your purchase. My fiance saw this and just said "I hope this doesn't tell me about every time you buy tea." Bees on Wheat fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Oct 27, 2013 |
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Oct 27, 2013 06:30
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How long will tea stay good? I don't mind if its lost flavor or become a bit stale, I just in general to be safe to drink. Does tea grow mold or anything? I have tea that says best if used by almost 3 years ago, but it's been in closed containers and still smells pretty good.
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Oct 28, 2013 04:03
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Amused to Death posted:How long will tea stay good? I don't mind if its lost flavor or become a bit stale, I just in general to be safe to drink. Does tea grow mold or anything? I have tea that says best if used by almost 3 years ago, but it's been in closed containers and still smells pretty good. If it looks and smells fine it's fine.
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Oct 28, 2013 04:25
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Yeah, if it's dry the absolute worst it could be is a bit stale. If it's been kept dry and in a cool dark place, it'll probably be nearly as good as when you first got it. You only need to worry about mold if damp has gotten to it.
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Oct 28, 2013 05:05
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And moths. Those accursed moths!  Never being tea from a shop that handles traditional Chinese medicine again.
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Oct 28, 2013 07:10
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I bought a few bags of chai from a random market stall, and didn't notice until later that one of them was chai with green tea instead of black. I'm usually making chai using the method in this thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3488707&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 but since you're not meant to add boiling water to green tea, how am I supposed to best make it?
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Oct 30, 2013 12:50
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Well, if you're adding milk, you shouldn't have to worry too much about bitterness from boiling the green tea. You can always just try a steep at ~180F though. Just a note too, traditionally you would boil Moroccan mint tea, so it's not like boiling green teas is some completely unheard of thing.
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Oct 30, 2013 18:28
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Thoht posted:Just a note too, traditionally you would boil Moroccan mint tea, so it's not like boiling green teas is some completely unheard of thing. Isn't mint tea a tisane (herbal)? I thought you boiled all tisanes.
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Oct 30, 2013 20:48
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milpreve posted:Isn't mint tea a tisane (herbal)? I thought you boiled all tisanes. Moroccan mint tea is traditionally gunpowder tea mixed with mint leaves.
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Oct 30, 2013 20:51
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Enter Char posted:Moroccan mint tea is traditionally gunpowder tea mixed with mint leaves. Ooh... Yum!
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Oct 30, 2013 22:40
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I want to match an entremet with some mariage freres tea. Probably a raspberry and chocolate or black forest style one. I love mariage freres tea, but there are so many kinds I'm a little lost. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking something quite flowery or fruity since it'll have to compete with the chococlate.
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Oct 30, 2013 22:52
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Help, my Twilight TGY from Adagio is almost out and they're out of stock online and in store. What are some good vendors for both iron goddess and the greener TGYs? My go-to vendor for Alishan has a 2009 fall roast of TGY, and I don't know anything about aged oolongs. Edit: currently looking at Silk Road and Verdant Teas. Verdant's price point seems to be about twice as expensive as comparable ones with Silk Road, is that because it's a higher grade or something? :/ hope and vaseline fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Oct 30, 2013 |
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Oct 30, 2013 23:05
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If you're looking for a heavy roast, the 2008 TGY from Teamasters is real good. Been a while since I ordered from him so I don't know what his current pricing for it is like. He's in Taiwan so the shipping is always a bit rough, but it's an option.
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Oct 31, 2013 03:14
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Kind of a broken record reply, but it wouldn't hurt to get some Upton samples, they have a few China TGYs atm as well as a heavy-roasted one from Taiwan. The Silk Road prices seem pretty reasonable to me. Not having tried Verdant's tea before, I can't claim any certainty, but my guess would be they're just pricing with a higher markup on the same grades of tea because they can get away with it or for whatever reason can't get as good a deal on it in bulk themselves. But yeah, just guessing there.
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Oct 31, 2013 03:36
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Ah thanks, I forgot about Upton! That Teamaster blog is intriguing, but yeah shipping and not having a direct store kinda puts a damper on that.
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Oct 31, 2013 04:11
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Verdant's jasmine silver needle was phenomenal but everything else I tried either didn't make an impression or went in the trash. Haven't tried their TGY though.
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Oct 31, 2013 04:33
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hope and vaseline posted:What are some good vendors for both iron goddess and the greener TGYs? Verdant Tea is a fine company that has good selection. It depends on how you quantify "good vendor" in this case, though: are you looking for high quality, breadth of flavor range, ease of shopping, domestic (I assume you're in the US since you said you are near the Adagio physical store), cheap? As a frame of reference, I have a cheap TGY, an expensive TGY, and one that is just marked "280/lb" TGY on the bag. All of them, to me, are "good", but different kinds of "good". Same thing with a dirt cheap lishan and a high fired Alishan from 2002 - also good, but different. In any case, I'm spoiled since I work near San Francisco Chinatown and live near Oakland, which has one of the largest Chinatowns in the west coast.
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Oct 31, 2013 17:49
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Mostly a combination of those really! I'd like to kind of find a baseline TGY that's decently affordable for everyday drinking, and try smaller quantities of the higher grade stuff. I've just really fallen in love with the amount I got from Adagio, more so than any other tea I've had to date. I think I'm gonna try Silk Road and Upton. There's something that bugs me about the way about Verdant to be honest. The way the information is presented is kind of pretentious and seems to romanticize the experience of drinking tea. I mean, it's more like what I'd expect from someone writing about their tastings in a tea blog rather than from a vendor. It seems there was a little controversy over their pu-er offerings also from a thread I found on teachat.
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Oct 31, 2013 20:08
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hope and vaseline posted:Mostly a combination of those really! I'd like to kind of find a baseline TGY that's decently affordable for everyday drinking, and try smaller quantities of the higher grade stuff. I've just really fallen in love with the amount I got from Adagio, more so than any other tea I've had to date. There's something else that bothers me about Verdant Tea. There's another tea store based in the twin cities that offers a lot of similar teas for a whole lot cheaper. It's called the Tea Source http://www.teasource.com, and while their website is not shiny or at all new looking, the prices are way better for a lot of the offerings. When I lived in the Cities I tried both, and didn't really notice a difference. Check the difference between the Big Red Robe Oolongs. Verdant charges more for 2oz than Tea Source charges for 4oz. I couldn't taste a difference in the tea, but maybe you can? They have a couple Ti Kwan Yin as well under the China, Oolong section. Might be worth taking a look. You can also get some teas in larger quantities than 4oz if you call them to order.
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Nov 1, 2013 00:04
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Thanks for the suggestion breaks, my infuser came in the mail today and I went to Teavana (ugh I know, but I leave for work tomorrow and can't wait for a shipment from Silk Road) to pick up some pearls to try it out, and wow, gently caress bagged tea forever! Is it possible to save the leaves for later, if I only want a cup or two, and they still have a few brews left in them? I'm not talking for days, maybe just a couple of hours. Would they be fine just hanging out in the infuser until I'm ready to use them again, or should I put them in an airtight container?
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Nov 1, 2013 00:15
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But Not Tonight posted:Is it possible to save the leaves for later, if I only want a cup or two, and they still have a few brews left in them? I'm not talking for days, maybe just a couple of hours. Would they be fine just hanging out in the infuser until I'm ready to use them again, or should I put them in an airtight container? You can absolutely reuse them later, especially if it's just a few hours. If I know that I'll want another brew within a few hours of the previous one, I'll usually just leave them in the infuser/pot until I get around to it. If, say, you're brewing some up in the morning and want to do a re-steep later that night, it would probably be a good idea to put them in a container of some sort just to keep the potential for more oxidation lower. Just be sure not to forget to throw the leaves out when you're done with them for the day/night. I have several pots at several different places and forgot to clean one for a few days. It was... pretty gross 
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Nov 1, 2013 00:29
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hope and vaseline posted:Help, my Twilight TGY from Adagio is almost out and they're out of stock online and in store. What are some good vendors for both iron goddess and the greener TGYs? My go-to vendor for Alishan has a 2009 fall roast of TGY, and I don't know anything about aged oolongs. Mandala tea has aged TGY in little packs here. One of my favourite places is Life in a Teacup. I've gotten some really fantastic TGYs and other oolongs there.
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Nov 1, 2013 11:12
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I use my infuser throughout the day at work. Teas set in there and are rebrewed on the hour before lunch and then once after lunch.
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Nov 2, 2013 05:07
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Aw, I'm a bit sad today, fellow tea lovers. I've discovered the Buddha's Tears from T2 and they are so amazingly good! Unfortunately they cost $49 for 100grams. I never see any other tea stores (I'm in Melbourne if any other Ausgoons have suggestions) so I'm about to start trawling online stores. I guess it might be a bit difficult to find the exact same thing as I've read they (normally known as Jasmine Pearls) are normally made with white tea? Welp. Oh well. I've turned into a total tea nerd now (got my first glass saucer and cup today, whee!) so I WILL find a cheaper price!
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Nov 3, 2013 11:29
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I would certainly look at some Jasmine Pearls and Jasmine Phoenix/Dragon Pearls since they look to be pretty similar style-wise. They might not be quite as good as the Buddha's Tears, of course, but you could probably find an affordable alternative that's pretty close  Most of the Jasmine Pearls I've come across were also made with green teas I'm pretty sure, but they are usually on the lighter side so that the jasmine flavor can come through.
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Nov 3, 2013 17:19
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I bought some Milky Oolong/Jin Xuan (?) tea yesterday. It's probably a flavoured rather than natural version but I'm not sure how to tell. How long can I keep the leaves for re-brewing before it's not worth it? Oh, and has anyone here tried the various teas from Teapigs? http://www.teapigs.co.uk/ I've ordered a bunch of different teas from them before, and liked them, but was wondering how they really compare in quality to other places.
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Nov 7, 2013 15:37
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Battle Pigeon posted:I bought some Milky Oolong/Jin Xuan (?) tea yesterday. It's probably a flavoured rather than natural version but I'm not sure how to tell. How long can I keep the leaves for re-brewing before it's not worth it? I actually ordered from them on the first, and won a box of free tea. I like them quite a lot! It's good quality tea, though I've only tried the mint, chai, chocolate tea, and winter spiced (hooray samplers). Working on the chili chai now. The regular chai is kind of subdued for a chai, I think, but the others have been pretty intense and good quality. Then again, I like medium-strong teas. You get free samples if you order online.
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Nov 7, 2013 17:45
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