Signs of getting old... meh.

[Opsa]

Aye, ye must have Irish blood, Bob. I heard a guy singing this once in a Boston pub and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Oh yeah... KETTLES!

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I could hear the lovely tune twanging in me 'ead, I could.

It brought a wee tear to me eye, it did.  I love that song. 

And yeah, there's some green blood inna me heart, for sure.

[Aggie]

The advantage of PE and PP is that it (usually) does not need those.
Personally I think the panic about Bisphenol A is a bit over the top, there are far worse compounds most people do not know are in all the plastic near them.

Phthalates are near-ubiquitous (in the water supply, food supply, our bodies) and while not acutely toxic have the potential for some ugly long-term effects. 

I try to stick to PP and PE for any plastic containers in contact with food or water... I'm comfortable with the monomers.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

And back to the original subject.

Today, I went to Bed Bath & Beyond, and settled on a Califon brand red enamel wear teapot.  It holds 2 quarts, it's heavy, it has a wide stainless steel lid which fits snugly, it whistles, and you open the pouring spout with a handle that is at a remove from both the hot pot, and the scalding steam.

Perfect. 

If only it was bright red, instead of dark(ish) red, it would be exactly perfect.  But I took it anyway.

Brought it home, washed thoroughly, rinsed even more carefully, then boiled a pot.   Wonderful-- the whistle is louder than the other one!   So, dumping that water (just in case) and am now waiting for the re-boil.

The other pot is already boxed up, with receipt inside, ready to return at my convenience.  Likely tomorrow.



As I wrote this, it began whistling.  Pour in the boiling water into a nice blend of Cinnamon/Apple herb tea.   Yuuum.   Just smelling it steep is a little slice of heaven. 

[pieces o nine]

You could get a pair of those red-tinted glasses to change the color...

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Update:

Yesterday, I went on an odyssey, searching out vendors of loose-leaf teas.

There were three tea vendors I had found via the interwebs (thanks, Al Gore! ) and I went by two of them yesterday-- both had shut down, in spite of being both coffee and tea.   meh.

Today, I happened to be near [dramatic voice] The Mall [music:  dun-duh-DUNN].   A place I do try to avoid, due to horrid traffic.  But I was nearby anyhow, so...

... and I found a lovely tea vendor inside-- spectacular!   I bought 3 different teas:  a morning, caffeinated blend, with a hint of mocha, and two lovely citrusy-herbal ones.  One with peach too (I love the smell of peaches).

I will be trying out all three in the next few days, the new caffeine one instead of my usual coffee.   It ought to be a slice of heaven.  

[pieces o nine]

Black Hills Staple & Spice (sorry - no discernible web presence) has an entire wall, floor-to-ceiling, of jars of loose-leaf tea (and another, shorter wall of quality brands and hard-to-find flavors. They are busy enough I'm not concerned about the stock going off or stale. Next time I stop in I'll take a pic of the tea wall, and I'd be happy to send a sampler of anything you (or other siblings) would like to try.

Cherry Almond is my perennial favorite; I'm also currently enjoying 2-ounce samplers of Keemun Congo (OMG-smells divine!), Market Spice (Orangey-Clovey aroma), Pomegranate & Rose Petal (subtle, more herbal-y), and Russian Caravan (more robust than spicey).

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Sounds delish.   The tea vendor in ... <dramatic pause> The Mall was called Teavana.   Cute.

I'll try put together a list of the teas I've tried so far.  Alas, similar blends will have vastly different names across the various sellers, I've found.

But I was gratified to learn from the youngster who was waiting on me, at Teavana, understood that "black tea" represented a method of curing the leaves, and did not refer to a tea-leaf variety.  Same goes for "red tea", "green tea" and "white tea".   It's a method of harvesting & curing, not a reference to the plant.  Any of the various tea-leaf plants could be harvested & cured as "black", "red", "green" or "white" according to what I've read about these things.

But there are various plants which are used for teas, here in the USA, it's typically orange pekoe, or china black.   And I've learned that "china black" can mean pretty much anything, so long as it's cured "black" and is from (more or less) China. 

As for the herbals?  These can be literally anything edible.   The range is amazing, and frequently includes flower petals and/or flower buds-- even dried fruits can be included.  One of the herbals I got yesterday, had dried peach pieces in it-- which gave me an idea or three.

I may just make my own additions to these things, in the form of finely chopped dried fruits and/or herbs.   I really need to go by the Whole Foods place & get some dried ginger, to make my own ginger tea.   

And thanks, Pieces-- I'll have to think about it.  I'd hate to put you out $$-wise, even though you were generous to offer.   I'm thinking of ordering a sample-pack from Amazon, they represent quite a number of independent tea vendors, most of whom offer small-quantity (per tea) sample packs.  I think that's the best way to find out which you like best.

It's a shame the tea people that used to be in Hobby Lobby (yeah.. I know) went out of business. 

[pieces o nine]

Russian Caravan loose leaf report:   
I've tried.  I've really tried. я пытался это нравится, друзья.

It just tastes like a bunch of dried leaves that someone poured boiling water over and let sit for awhile...

[Darlica]

Update:

Yesterday, I went on an odyssey, searching out vendors of loose-leaf teas.

There were three tea vendors I had found via the interwebs (thanks, Al Gore! ) and I went by two of them yesterday-- both had shut down, in spite of being both coffee and tea.   meh.

Are you serious? Are loose tea that hard to come by over there?

Here any larger supermarkets carry loose tea, of cause not the more exclusive ones but still and there are tea and coffee vendors pretty much in every mall. Most towns and cities I've been to also have either a café that sell loose teas and coffees or stand a alone tea and coffee vendor.
That said Swedes Love their coffee, so it's not so strange.  

Russian Caravan loose leaf report:  
I've tried.  I've really tried. я пытался это нравится, друзья.

It just tastes like a bunch of dried leaves that someone poured boiling water over and let sit for awhile...

If so, your Caravan tea is too old, if you bought it recently go back to the shop and complain.
It can be a bit grassy but not overly so, it should be a powerful somewhat smoky black tea.

[Aggie]

Drinking tea is Unna Murkin, don't you know? Coffee drinking is considered to be Murkin, provided it's weak and terrible or alternatively, terribly overpriced.

Bagged teas are the standard here, with not much selection between varieties and brands. Loose leaf tea vendors are around, but far from ubiquitous. Typically you'll need to check specialty shops and pay through the nose. Even the better coffee houses often just sell bagged stuff, albeit from reputable brands.

[Griffin NoName]

I abhor weak coffee.

[Swatopluk]

The Vatican is also a place where one proverbially cannot gat a good cup of coffee

[Griffin NoName]

No coffee at all in the Sistine Chapel.