Hi all,
One thing I like about the teakettle-that-shall-not-be-named is that it makes getting water at the desired temperature take nearly no attention. So I finally tried that Kapchorua CTC green again.
Tastes much as I remember (so I think mason jars in a dark, cool cupboard really are a good storage method). Followed the brewing instructions as stated -- 170F water, 3 minutes, 1 tsp per 8oz. It's not as astringent as last time, and seems sweeter. Still has those metallic flavors, and especially in the finish they make me anticipate the next sip. More fruit aroma is noticeable now. As before not very "green" tasting/smelling, but still distinctive and pleasant.
Two random bits. For those who live near a Muji store, they have a tea mug with infuser, and more importantly, replacement infusers for it. These are HUGE -- the small one is about the size of a Chatsford infuser, and the big one is the same diameter at the top, but a few inches taller. Sheet stainless steel, with hole in the side (solid bottom). They don't fit in my everyday teapot (too wide for the hole), but since it's late, I didn't want a lot of tea. On a whim, I decided to brew in a double-wall stainless tumbler, the bottom half of a shaker I got to make iced espressos:
Since I was using an insulated vessel, and just about the right temperature water, I preheated the vessel, and measured the temperature at the start and end of brewing. Since I didn't preheat the moderately massive infuser, it was (solidly) 165F through the entire brewing. Not bad!
But that makes me wonder: are there any double-wall teapots? (Or maybe this is absurd overkill and I should just make/buy a cozy, or wrap a towel around the teapot like I did in college.)
N., random