Glass Tea brewer?

Something like this?

That particular item was discussed here recently, the review seems to be that it's a good piece of gear.

Maybe it is good, but it isn't glass. There are double-walled glass vessels like this:

I don't know of a handy retail website for these, but I bought mine in New York's Chinatown.

/Lew

Advice for how long to heat water in the microwave will vary from unit to unit. Higher wattage ovens heat more quickly. This is why the instructions for any microwavable food tell you to adjust the time as needed for your unit.

If you're bringing water to a boil, you've passed the temperature for green teas. Green teas are best at between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit (70-75 C). It's going to take longer than 30 seconds for your water to cool from 212 to 170, unless you add cold water to it.

The most accurate answer to your question is to use a microwavable thermometer. You can insert it in the water and watch to see when the water has gotten hot.

The advantage to this is that you'd only have to do this once or twice per microwave. If you pay attention to how long it takes to reach the correct temperature, you'll know how long to heat the water next time.

Welcome & Yay!

Have you read our FAQ?

Everyone's microwave is different. Your best bet is to use a thermometer, an instant-read is available in the kitchen gadget section of Wal-Mart for ~$5.50, because water doesn't necessarily boil at 212F in a microwave anyway. Also, please google this group to see my posts earlier this month in re: exploding water, subject: "Slightly astringent with an aftertaste," if you haven't read them already.

In addition to whatever replies you receive here, several posts have been made on this, formerly known as the Aria, available again by googling this group.

From where do you get these? They're really funny, y'know.

I cannot tell a lie. So I'm not going to tell you anything. ;)

But you might want to check out

Hey Eric and Lewis thanks so much for your suggestions! They were on point. Exactly what I was looking for! This is awesome. Thank you so much for helping me! =)

Koza

Lewis snipped-for-privacy@panix1.panix.com2/17/05 12: snipped-for-privacy@panix.com

Lew,

Can't speak for the pictured item, but the one I bought in Chinatown was most definitely glass -- at least the inner cylinder was -- as evidenced by the fact that I succeeded in smashing it.

Michael

Derek,

Thanks for the temperature suggestions. Interesting, you recommend 160

- 170, I had been told 180 for green teas. Maybe I'll shoot for the compromise at 170. I'll take up your idea of finding a microwave thermometer to get the time correct. I've noticed it takes longer for two cups than one. I've also noticed that different mugs/cups heat the water differently. I may choose to always use the measuring cup and then note the times for one cup, two cups and four cups.

Great tip. Thanks.

elgoog

Bluesea, Thanks for the welcome. Yes, I have read the tea FAQ. It was in reading the tea FAQ that prompted me to look for a tea newsgroup. Who would have thought there'd be a tea newsgroup - besides everyone here?

Great idea about the thermometer. Amazingly, I can't believe I didn't think of it. Anyway, I will follow up on that.

I will definitely google around in here. The IngenuiTea looks like a pretty good invention to me. You are the first tea connoisseurs I know. I got all my information about tea from searching the internet. The IngenuiTea looked like a good enough idea to risk it. Though I shall be interested in trying other methods, free floating infusion looked the best to me and the simplicity of this device was key. Easy to use, easy to clean, easy filter.

Thanks, elgoog

Well, not all green teas will fall into that range. I've got one that calls for 200 degrees. But that's beside the point I was making.

The point is that it takes longer than 30 seconds for the water to cool to an appropriate temperature - even if you're shooting for 180.

And you're absolutely correct about the heating differentials. Two cups takes longer just as it would on a stove top. You're trying to heat more water with the same amount of energy.

I, too, have seen mugs make differences in how quickly the water heats.

Thanks for the clarification on different temperatures. Adagio says these teas should be 180. So, 180 it is. I guess that one merely needs to pay attention to the particular tea and be willing to experiment a little.

Any suggestions on choosing loose leaf teas from brick-and-mortar (non-Internet) establishments?

I actually use a Teeli tea thermometer to check for my green teas. It's all celsius. It actually says 65-75 for green teas, which is 149 to 167 Farhenheit. I have found that the greater danger with green teas is overcooking them by using water that is too hot.

You mean when you walk in to buy or ordering from them?

Congratulations! You know that gives you 15 minutes of good luck, don't you?

/Lew, on his way to Calcutta and Darjeeling

Yes, I mean walking in to a brick-and-mortar establishment. You know the real, physical world. I find so much information online about Internet tea stores and reviews of teas sold online. I am left wondering, what about finding good loose leaf tea in stores. One of the things I enjoyed about coffee was going to the stores and picking out the beans. I want to know about tea, find tea stores and be able to experience that same sense of knowing what I am looking for and predicting and recognizing quality.

I realize that my geen tea sampler from Adagio contains teas that have been reviewed from horrid to average. The horrid one is, well horrid. Still, the average tea is the best I have ever tasted. I don't mean to knock Adagio, it just happens their best teas aren't in the sampler I bought.

One thing that I look for is the expiration date on the boxed teas. In one store, *every* box I checked was expired several months to over a year. I walked out never even looking at their loose tea figuring that if they weren't serious enough about tea on the whole to keep their boxed items reasonably current, there wasn't any sense in my expecting their loose teas to be fresh.

Thanks. I'm putting together an order and was thinking that I'd be better off selecting samples individually.

For real?

Have a good trip!

Nononononono. What these places give you are only starting points. You mustn't think that you shouldn't brew green or white teas cooler than the recommended temp.

Yesyesyesyesyes.

Same thing about temps apply to amounts. Start w/ 1 tsp. of tea per cup and then increase/decrease to suit your personal taste.

Except for gunpowder...start with 1/2 tsp. of tea per cup.

Except for Japanese teas...start 10F lower than you would for other green teas.

(Standard disclaimer: blahblahblah...YMMV...blahblahblah.)

Heh.