New joy for dedicated hardcore tea drinkers

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Just bought a new teapot. Now it is not just the kettle that whistles, but the teapot too. It is one of the new series of products from the London Teapot Company, with a removeable free-draining basket to lift out the tea leaves once the brew is complete, to prevent 'stewing'; often referred to as a Chinese design tea pot. (Used with the Dutch clamshell design tea cosy (Theemutts) this means that a large brew can be made and then consumed over several hours. Did I mention my six to eight pint a day tea habit?)

 

Whatever, past such items have had moulded plastic sieve or wire mesh baskets. But this most recent purchase has what looks to be laser cut perforations in the stainless steel sheet basket to supply the drainage, and very efficiently it works too. But the fun comes in filling it. As the boiling water goes in it generates whistling tones - you can actually to some extent play tunes by varying the rate - and I imagine this must be generated by air displacement through the many very sharp edged perforations.in the fairly stiff steel sheet of the basket.

 

A double joy from what is a gift from my wife for our wedding anniversary, she having noticed the onset of significant cracking in the previous teapot.

[Horsetan]

Have they successfully made one out of chocolate yet?

 

EDIT: Apparently they have....

Edited July 26, 2017 by Horsetan

[PhilJ W]

Just bought a new teapot. Now it is not just the kettle that whistles, but the teapot too. It is one of the new series of products from the London Teapot Company, with a removeable free-draining basket to lift out the tea leaves once the brew is complete, to prevent 'stewing'; often referred to as a Chinese design tea pot. (Used with the Dutch clamshell design tea cosy (Theemutts) this means that a large brew can be made and then consumed over several hours. Did I mention my six to eight pint a day tea habit?)

 

Whatever, past such items have had moulded plastic sieve or wire mesh baskets. But this most recent purchase has what looks to be laser cut perforations in the stainless steel sheet basket to supply the drainage, and very efficiently it works too. But the fun comes in filling it. As the boiling water goes in it generates whistling tones - you can actually to some extent play tunes by varying the rate - and I imagine this must be generated by air displacement through the many very sharp edged perforations.in the fairly stiff steel sheet of the basket.

 

A double joy from what is a gift from my wife for our wedding anniversary, she having noticed the onset of significant cracking in the previous teapot.

I have used one of these teapots for the last 18-20 months. The basket on mine is photo-etched stainless steel and it sounds as if yours is the same. A word of warning though, only use 'large leaf' tea, the fine stuff tends to clog the basket. I obtain my tea supplies from the Wee tea company http://www.weeteacompany.com

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

No fears there, this is a large leaf tea household too! It will be interesting to see how well it lasts compared to the stainless wire mesh basket type. These I find tend to fail from fatigue rather than clogging.

 

As for the basket wall with its tiny perforations, there must be a modelling application?

[PhilJ W]

No fears there, this is a large leaf tea household too! It will be interesting to see how well it lasts compared to the stainless wire mesh basket type. These I find tend to fail from fatigue rather than clogging.

 

As for the basket wall with its tiny perforations, there must be a modelling application?

I have two such (identical) teapots, I bought one as a spare. Before I started getting my tea from the Wee Tea Company I found most supermarkets only stocked the fine leaf tea and clearing out one of the baskets it became damaged. This has now been put in 'the might have a modelling use' box. It looks ideal for grills etc. 

[eastwestdivide]

Wee Tea? Unfortunate name for a company that makes things to drink.

 

And seriously, in the OP's new teapot, how well does it keep it its taste over several hours. I find even milkless tea (Darjeeling) in a stainless steel flask goes a bit "meh" after a couple of hours.

[Free At Last]

How many cups of tea would, for example, 75g of Assam Tippy @ £4.95 make?

[PhilJ W]

How many cups of tea would, for example, 75g of Assam Tippy @ £4.95 make?

I buy mine in 750g bags which lasts about 6 weeks.

[Jinty3f]

Wee Tea? Unfortunate name for a company that makes things to drink.

Reminds me of the Native American who drank tea all night long. He fell fast asleep and woke up the next morning in his TeePee.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...in the OP's new teapot, how well does it keep it its taste over several hours. I find even milkless tea (Darjeeling) in a stainless steel flask goes a bit "meh" after a couple of hours.

Right with you in finding that tea does not prosper if kept for any time in contact with steel. I too am a 'milkless' tea drinker and find that in glass - and the glaze on pottery is glass of course - it is fine for about three hours. That's whether it is in teapot in an efficient teacosy, or a glass walled Dewar flask. Since three hours about how long it stays truly hot, and it will be mostly drunk by then anyway, that's good enough - for me.

 

For something as individual as taste perception I would hesitate to suggest that my experience guarantees satisfaction for anyone else...

 

 

How many cups of tea would, for example, 75g of Assam Tippy @ £4.95 make?

How long is that piece of string? This comes down to how you brew, and tastes vary widely, and thus the brewing technigue varies significantly too. I would obtain about ninety cups/30 pints/17 litres from that 75g - I brew for a full extraction but which is relatively weak by most standards, due to the quantity of water used - and it would last me four days.

[Free At Last]

How long is that piece of string? This comes down to how you brew, and tastes vary widely, and thus the brewing technigue varies significantly too. I would obtain about ninety cups/30 pints/17 litres from that 75g - I brew for a full extraction but which is relatively weak by most standards, due to the quantity of water used - and it would last me four days.

What I was wondering is, do you still just put a teaspoon of this tea in per person the same as the fine loose tea. Some I have seen looks like small twigs so was not sure how much you would use as I would like to give it a try.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

You have to be prepared to experiment for the brew you like. It my look 'sticklike' dried, but the tip is mostly the leaf shoot. I would expect that my caddy spoon which dispenses about 4.5g of dried black tea would do for a pot full to my taste, thus the estimate of getting four days out of a 75g packet.

[Zomboid]

I've been drinking white tea lately. The large leaf silver needle type i use can be re-brewed seemingly indefinitely, so whilst it's expensive to buy a bag, one spoon of it lasts the whole day.

 

Been off milk for a couple of years now. Even normal black tea with the slightest hint of milk in it turns my stomach now.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Same here in terms of reaction to milk. It's so sweet and sickly...

[Free At Last]

When I say I like a cup of tea, I mean with milk and two sugars and as used for swilling toast, cakes, biscuits and other foods down or sometimes just a mug on its own. My taste buds prefer Assam over the other well known supermarket brands but I would like to try something else along the same lines to see if is to my palette. 

I once bought some Green Tea thinking it meant it was grown environmentally friendly and I thought I hadn't boiled the water as it looked like wee so made another cup and put two bags in to give it some colour. After putting milk and sugar in it tasted awful, so I am not sure about  'Silver Needle is the most famous white tea in the world; ours is sweet, mellow and refreshing and perfect for drinking on hot, long afternoons.'

Or are these not 'that (my) type of tea'?

Edited July 28, 2017 by Free At Last

[Zomboid]

You probably won't like silver needle with milk and sugar. It's normally drunk without adding anything. The first brew is usually quite yellow, subsequently it gets browner, but never approaching Assam.

 

Green tea from bags is undrinkable filth too, but from leaves it can be OK. Also no milk/ sugar...

Edited July 28, 2017 by Zomboid

[PhilJ W]

What I was wondering is, do you still just put a teaspoon of this tea in per person the same as the fine loose tea. Some I have seen looks like small twigs so was not sure how much you would use as I would like to give it a try.

I put one well heaped caddy spoonful in mine. It does take a little longer to brew but I've got a clear glass teapot and I go by the colour to tell when its ready. I can get two mugs of tea out of a pot and sometimes squeeze a third out.

[Horsetan]

....Green tea from bags is undrinkable filth too, but from leaves it can be OK. Also no milk/ sugar...

You may be buying the wrong bags for green tea. Buy the proper Chinese or Japanese tea from an Oriental supermarket; comes in bags and is light years ahead of the generic Clipper/Fairtrade-branded rubbish. One bag can, with care, stretch to four or even five cups.

[PaulRhB]

Proper tea? Proper tea is Railway tea! When the spoon stands up it's ready and of course you need a teapot that can serve it fast, Railway Teapot Sub Sector markings too

 

 

 

[Horsetan]

Proper tea? Proper tea is Railway tea!...

I thought all proper tea was supposed to be theft.

[runs as required]

I thought all proper tea was supposed to be theft.

OK !  A challenge ....

Without Googling can you honestly remember who first said that?

Marx/Engels/Lenin/Trotsky/Mao/Corbyn?

Or none of them?

 

I can remember because I got it wrong in the equivalent of a pub quiz while drinking tea in China in 1990.

dh

[Horsetan]

OK !  A challenge ....

Without Googling can you honestly remember who first said that?

Marx/Engels/Lenin/Trotsky/Mao/Corbyn?

Or none of them?

 

I initially thought it was a throwaway remark by Trotsky, but the phrase doesn't seem to fit any of the usual suspects, so I'll take a stab at "none of them".

[Fat Controller]

Proudhon

[runs as required]

Proudhon

Pronounced "Prudder" (rhymes with Prudhoe) in these parts

dh

[APOLLO]

My first day of work at Wigan gas works as an apprentice engineer I was asked to brew up. There was a huge cast iron kettle and similar sized pottery teapot (suitably stained !!), with a large tin of loose tea alongside the ancient gas stove.

 

Well, my first attempt did not go down well at all, I was ceremoniously summoned upstairs to the district engineers office, and received a bollocking for the large amount of "battleships" (floating tea leaves) in his 8.00 am cuppa !!. I was hence thrown off the brewing duties, being given the very responsible job of collecting the lunchtime pie order from the local pie shop (about 30 various pies, some with gravy, some with slices of bread & butter etc !!) - and strongly instructed woe-betide me if I got that wrong !!.

 

Wigan gas men back then thrived on tea and pies (and beer at night) !!!

 

Happy days,

 

Brit15