In Search of a Teapot
Hello all,
I’m really new to drinking loose leaf tea, and don’t really have anywhere to go to ask (except here! but what better place?)
Please tell me the types of pots there are, what kind of teas are best in them, and if they effect teas in special way
The reason I’m asking because I finally bought a little teapot, but the time for the steeping doesn’t match up with what it takes to steep in my pot. I don’t know if the material of the pot is effecting the tea either. So I’m not sure if I need a different kind of pot or…. yeah.
Basically I’m really clueless about everything. Please help?
What kind of pot did you buy? How many mils /oz is it? What are you steeping in it, what water temp, how much tea and how long?
Tea pots are pretty simple but describing them all and how to use each one for best effect can be an encyclopedia. But figuring out how to make the most of what you have is much easier.
I think it’s glass. I’m not sure about the volume.
I have different kinds of teas: jasmine, Moroccan mint, black tea (one with fruit and cinnamon). The best example I have is my mint tea. I steeped it for the time I was recommend, but the taste was weak, so I let it steep for a lot longer until I could get a stronger taste from it. I don’t know the temperature, but I don’t think I burned it. I used enough tea to fill the bottom of my basket.
Getting the most from yout tea takes practice and developing your pallet. If you are used to drinking strong flavors tea can seem weak and dissapointing at first. But thats mostly due to not being used to actually tasting the new flavors in tea. Your tastebuds are, in effect, confused. Like looking at the world cross eyed, as soon as you stop, nothing looks right. Begging tea drinking is a little like that. All the flavors are really there but your brain hasnt yet sorted out everything you are tasteing.
Get yourself a teaspoon measuring spoon and use it every time you brew tea. With the morrocan mint you may have simply not used enough leaves for the volume of water in your pot. Measure how much water your pot holds, A very general rule of thumb for “American style” brewed tea is 1 teaspoon (measuring spoon, not the spoon you stir with) for every 6-8 oz of water. There are some teas that need more leaves than this and some less, but its a good place to start. For many teas using more leaves is better thsn increasing steeping time because longer steeps can impart bitter flavors. I often find that as I get used to a tea I enjoy it more with more leaves and a shorter steep time. Even true for black tea which a lot of people want to over steep. Shorter steep and more leaves often will leave you with enough good stuff left in the tea for another steeping. But thats a matter of taste and not everyone will agree.
The biggest point I want to make is that getting the most flavor requires a little experimentation and then, when you find what you like, repeat it consistently. Thats why its good to measure your tea and know how much water you are using.
A thermometer is a good idea too while you are figuring things out. That Jasmine tea will need cooler water than the blacks and you can make a lot of bad tea just fiddling around hoping for the best.
One of my favourite tea pots is my little Henley stainless steel teapot. It’s perfect when brewing for one person. They do recommend after you are using it to never wash with soap. I got so fed up with it looking stained that I did wash it. It took a few tea brews to get it back to normal. I won’t do that again. My only beef with this teapot is the brewing basket is tiny. It doesn’t work for any tea leaves that need to spread out. It is just so darned cute though and keep the tea hot for a long time.
I don’t know if it’s against the rules but washing it with a bit of baking powder paste would probably shine it up beautifully. Just rinse thoroughly and you shouldn’t have any residue.
http://teadoehi.com/products-page/tea-pots/. The red stainless teapot is perfect.
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