Meredith said

New here

Greetings all, I’m brand new to this website and new to drinking hot teas as well. I’ve just recently ordered a cast iron tea pot, (30oz I believe) and I’m definitely looking for advice, guidance and pointers. Whether you’ve a tea expert or new like me, I know very little about the subject of hot tea, so any tips are welcome and appreciated. Thank you again.

-Meredith

8 Replies
Dexter said

Hi Meredith, Welcome to the wonderful world of Steepster. There are a ton of awesome, generous people here. I’m sure you will enjoy your time here.
There is a mountain of information here, tons of advice here on the threads.
I personally don’t know anything about cast iron tea pots, but I’m sure someone will be able to help you with that.
If you are new to tea, the best advice I can offer is to try as may different types/flavors/styles of tea as possible. There are lots of companies that give/sell sample size packages. Small samples of lots of different teas is the best way to explore and learn what you like don’t like, what you are most interested in, what you would like to explore further.
Welcome and good luck with your tea journey.

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mrmopar said

Hi Meredith! Welcome! If you try or want to try puerh check my cupboard or message me.

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CelebriTEA said

Hi Meredith~

I am not new to tea (entirely),but new to the site and it has been quite some time
since I have brewed loose leaf. I have am sure you will be happy here as this
Community has been friendly towards me and willing to teach (which I appreciate).
At the moment, I am enjoying Coconut Mango Colada from Tea Forte, and it is
a lovely way to begin my day as I am not truly a morning person.
I am somewhat envious of the cast iron teapot ;-) they are supposed to be wonderful.
I hope you will give us a review after you have had a chance to experience it a dozen
or more times. So pleased to make your aquaintance.

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CelebriTEA said

Ah MrMopar~

Could I coax you into sharing a cup of puerh with me?
I am scared to order something I have never tried.
Please forgive me if the request is out of line.
Have a great day :-)

mrmopar said

message me your address are you interested in cooked/shou or raw/sheng. Are you looking to try a newer or older one. The taste can vary with the years. Preparation of puerh is critical to getting the tea right. It can have a weird odor on the dry stage that makes people think twice but good tea will taste much different than the dry leaf. Look around my cupboard and let me know.

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Hey Meredith! Welcome to Steepster!
Here you’ll find an awesome community of people from all over the world, all walks of life, all interest, etc. We ALL love TEA!
I have 2 cast iron pots, among my crazy collection of teas & teaware, & I love them. I’m no expert, LOL, but here are my suggestions:
1 – Never put your cast iron teapot on the stove & boil water in it directly. Just use it for brewing your tea it. I have a friend that used his on the stove & the finish was damaged.
*Now I’m going to admit that on rare occasions, when my tea has gotten cold, I have occasionally put the pot on the stove on a very low setting for a minute to reheat it, but not to boiling, just to warm it back up a little bit.
2 – While you’re heating your water on the stove, fill the teapot with hot water from the tap to preheat it. Dump that water out, add tea & freshly boiled water, & voila!
3 – Have fun! Experiment with the amount of tea leaf you like to use, & the length of steeping time, until you find the strength you like. Make friends with people on steepster by hitting the plus sign on the upper right hand corner of their bio, read their reviews, write reviews, join in on the group discussions that interest you, & before you know it you’ll be trading teas with people, and you’ll be just as crazy & addicted as the rest of us!! :D

Meredith said

Oh my goodness! You completely saved my life! Haha, I really thought that I could directly lace the pot over the stove. I have a Comal that was given to me from my grandmother, (at least I think thats the correct term for it. Its the thing you can cook tortillas on haha) Could I possibly put that on the stove, then put the teapot on top of that and warm it vicariously through the comal? And as for number 3, is it the longer you steep, the stronger it shall be? I like lots of flavor, I want to be able to taste every note. (:

I have a stainless steel kettle that I use on the stove to heat up water. I also have a stainless steel electric kettle that I use in my office.

Usually for black tea I use a heaping tsp if it’s a finer cut of tea, 2tsp if the leaf size is bulkier, & a Tbls if it’s one of those unruly teas with big leaves that can’t be measured in a tsp. I usually give 3 minutes the first time I try a tea. If I think it will hold up to a re-steep, I’ll give it 5. Maybe the next time I’ll try steeping it 4 minutes the first time. If I don’t think the flavor is full enough, I’ll use more tea, rather than more time, because more time can result in more bitterness.
Then again, there are other black teas that I brew differently, based on suggestions from the websites of the companies I got them from.

One of the things I love about tea is the endless opportunity for experimentation,& the endless variety of tastes & textures.
There’s no wrong or right way to do it, its always just an experiment in figuring out what I like :)

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