teapot vs. mug

Many claim that tea is superior when brewed in a pot versus a mug. Why is this and how is it better? I, too have noticed that the tea made at a Chinese restaraunt always tastes better than mine...which I brew right in the mug. Thanks, Pete

Reply to
ostaz
Loading thread data ...

Just my 2 cents, but I have two main methods that do very well for me.

In Mug (surprisingly) - HOWEVER, I use chinese porcelin mugs that have the porcelin infuser insert and lid. This is key. It allows tons of room for the leaves to expand and does perfectly. I also have a synthetic tea infuser that fits in any standard mug that I like a lot too.

Yixing teapots: These are phenomenal and I use one pot per type of tea. They are made of a special clay and they eventually take on the characteristics of the tea brewed in them. I boil my water in a completely glass tea kettle called the whistler that can go right on the stove, and then go through the entire tea ceremony style brewing. (pour the water over the teapot, steam the leaves and discard the 1st brewing, then brew the tea.) Not for the unintiated or when in a hurry, but unmatched in quality.

I'm a big believer in the bad effects metal have on tea, so I stay away from tea balls and such and metal teapots and kettles. (although chinese restaurants use metal teapots) Most of the time Chinese restaurant tea is just a very good tea, ask them what kind they use, chances are the tea will make the difference not the vessel.

Reply to
dominictiberio

It is better to brew tea in a pot partly because there is more room for the leaves/bags to circulate in the water. But I think it is mostly because the teapot is covered and mugs usually are not. If you have to make your tea in a mug, try covering the mug while the tea steeps. This helps the water maintain the proper temperature and makes a huge difference to the taste of the tea. I have a coaster at work that I use to cover my mug while my tea brews; I get much better results this way. Also, it helps to preheat your mug with some hot water beforehand.

Reply to
Pat

I've been watching my tea brew for a while, and I don't think this makes much difference once you get to a certain volume for the tea to rest in; that being enough for it to unfurl without being compressed. It pretty much just sits on the bottom of the pot after the initial swirling stops (and it stops pretty quickly).

Maybe putting it in an infuser with holes on the bottom would result in more circulation.

When I brew in a mug, I usually fill the mug with water and nuke it, then add a T-sac. So the mug is plenty hot, often superheated. I don't worry about covers. Not that cold around here...

--Blair

Reply to
Blair P. Houghton
95% of my tea is consumed in my office, and I don't really want the hassle of a pot. I get some decent sized bags that have plenty of room for the tea to expand and have been perfectly happy with the results. I may get one of those mug infusers, but I like the limited mess of usign the bags (given the mess I make with those, I can't imagine what I would do with a bunch of wet loose leaves...)
Reply to
Justin Holmes

I very rarely brew "tea" in a mug and have never consciously taste tested it. What I brew in a mug is the cheapest drinkable grade of builder's tea, in bags, and without letting it brew for long enough.

I have no idea if the _mug_ can reduce the quality of tea - but the process of "mug brewing" and the quality of the tea used for it certainly will.

There's also the psychological aspect of brewing tea in a pot. Tea in mugs generally means I'm working, tea in a pot means I'm either drinking tea, or have guests.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I would beg to differ somewhat...tea in a mug to me means that I am drinking my tea by myself and want a hot cup everytime, therefore I make them one cup at a time instead of a pot which will get cold (even with a cozy) by the time I get to drinking the rest. I use a stainless tea strainer thingie that came with the mug (you can find similar only with a little wooden handle attached at Asian markets in the housewares), I put in a little over a teaspoon of tea (cup is bigger than 8 ounces) and put in the water, but I do definitely make sure I cover it (cup came with a lid) so that the heat stays in. The stuff I'm drinking at the moment is an assam variety in fannings so it brews quickly, but I do this for larger loose leaf too. I don't brew my puer this way, I usually gongfu that in one way or another, same goes for my greens and oolongs. One thing I want to get sometime is one of those Chatsford mugs, they look useful to me. I don't care for the mugs with the ceramic "strainer" inserts...there's not enough holes for good water flow and the holes are too big for many grades I drink.

Melinda

Reply to
Melinda

Oh, I've been looking for those. I've only found the stainless steel baskets. Is there a web store that has them? I use glass mugs.

Reply to
Knack

My personal preference is to use a gaiwan. I use this at home and at work. It just travels with me wherever I go, along with my bag of whatever loose leaf I'm drinking that day. I have a large mug at work, and a small glass teacup at home. After brewing in the gaiwan, I transfer the brewed tea liquor into the mug, and leave the leaves in the gaiwan.

For hot water, at home I use an old electric percolator, bought at a garage sale, (luckily it didn't acrue so much coffee stain/odour that I couldn't clean it out to provide clear coffee-tasteless water). I removed all the percolating basket crap, and just use it to keep hot water. At work, we have a one of those big, semi-industrial style coffee makers that has a hot water tap on it, that provides near-boiling water.

I always preheat my gaiwan by filling it with hot water first, until the surface of it is uncomfortable to the touch. Keeping it covered is very important to proper brewing, which is why the Chinese decided to Gai (cover) thier Wans (bowls) about 1000 years ago. Tea hasn't changed much since then, so I don't see why tea preparation needs to either.

In rough times when I don't have my gaiwan, a coffee mug with a coaster works great, just be sure to remove the leaves after brewing, so you don't over steep.

Hope that helps, Troy Howard (aka Da Tong)

Reply to
illium37

Upton's has them online.

The Republic of Tea also sells them, so your local supermarket can probably order one if they carry the Republic of Tea teas.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.