Today, I was killing some time before heading out, and stopped in at WallyWorld (okay, I know--it's evil, but hey, it's cheap, and wintertime, cash is short. Sue me.)
And I saw this lovely red teakettle-- porcelain finish, inside and out--one of my favorite types to clean. It was heavy, which meant even heating, and the finish was flawless, which meant it wouldn't rust for a long, long while. Had a nice wide opening top, which snapped in (made of stainless steel), and a pouring spout with a whistle fitted in, and a nice "at remove" lever to pull it open without risk of burns from the invisible steam-vapor (something I've done more times than I care to document).
A nice sturdy plastic handle arcing over the top, meaning it was clear of the sides-- critical for gas stoves, which tend to spill excess heat up the sides of pots (spoiling side-handles that can't handle heat).
In short? It was just what I suddenly decided I needed. To go with my French Press Coffee machine, which I've been using to make loose-leaf tea in. One batch is about 20 ounces or so, perfect size to drink up while still warm. By tearing open the bag, one bag is sufficient to make nice, medium-strong tea in the full 24 ounces. And I can pre-load the scant teaspoon of honey, if I like.
I had been boiling the water in a stainless steel skillet, but if I get distracted, I boil it dry-- kinda hard on the skillet... ::)
So, I bought it. Brought it home. Cleaned it up nice and thoroughly, and rinsed even more so. Filled it with hot tap water, and set it on the stove to heat up, trusting in the new whistle to alert me when it was ready.
And then proceeded to return to the computer, to catch up on today's gossip. Which got me quite engrossed (facebook and all that). I even added a new friend, who seems quite nice. But I wondered why my FB had started playing "sounds of nature", a nice soundtrack of a babbling brook, with faint bird singing in the background. Okay, nice enough--continue to read the new posts.
About 2/3 of the way down my page, I decided that "sounds of nature" was enough, and where was it coming from, anyway? Hmmm... searching up and down the FB page, I saw no running videos/sound feeds. Puzzled, I finally closed down the whole browser---
--- but the sound track persisted! What was going on? I even turned off my PC's speakers-- still hearing the "sounds of nature"---
---- when it finally hit me: that was a steam whistle! Almost too faint for my aging ears, but loud enough. A glance back into the kitchen showed it had a nice fast-stream of steam-vapor coming out. So fast, it had overwhelmed the whistle somewhat.... and the "babbling brook" was obviously the furiously boiling water inside....
... I had me a laugh, then a bit of a cry too-- that I was so old, I had already forgotten the new kettle, and my hearing so weak, that I couldn't pinpoint the source of those "sounds of nature" as coming from the kitchen, and not my PC's speakers...
.... :'(
On the other hand? Now I know how it sounds, and I also know it's too faint to overcome the TV, so I'll resort to a kitchen timer when watching the tube. But it did pour ever so nicely, far better than the skillet which always ends up spilling here and there.
I've got me some nice SuperFruit tea steeping even now-- I'm going to have it over ice, later. mmmmmmm!
It does sound like a lovely kettle, Bob. :kettle:
I've used a small "Mr. Coffee" to heat water for tea for the last several years. I'd boiled a teakettle pretty far down a couple times when engrossed with something else, but will never trust myself with another one after not hearing the whistle (I have pretty good hearing, too!) and turning a fetching new teakettle into a hideous, smoking, toxic lump on a smooth surface cook top. Fortunately, it didn't ruin the cook top, but it scared me plenty!
The additional timer idea is a good one. Enjoy your tea in peace! :cup:
Lucky it had a whistle, or it might have boiled dry and burned through. We have to keep an eye on ours on the coal stove.
:ROFL: I hear you, Bob! Great story.
I absolutely have to have a kettle with a loud whistle, or I will totally forget to check it. I have wandered outside and forgotten, too. If I go outside now when I have the oven timer or kettle on, I try to remember to wear a clip-on timer on my clothes. I suppose I should put my address on it too, in case I get lost!
I use a glass-bodied electric kettle, which sits on top of its corded base but can be lifted up sans cord and dragged over to the tea pot. The entire boiling area which is contacted by water is a single glass unit, so there's no nasty plastic involved (well, there's a little bit on the spout). The element is in the base, outside of the glass, so it's very easy to clean out the calcium from the bottom with a batch of vinegar. The kettle shuts itself off after boiling for about 30 seconds, which is great for my absent mind. I'm forever re-heating the water, but can't boil it dry. No whistle, but generally I can hear the boil.
I think I like it because it reminds me of labware. :mrgreen:
I got this from our local Loblaws (parent company) supermarket; they do lots and lots of well-priced and good-quality products under their President's Choice house brand. This one is virtually identical, branded as Chef's Choice:
(http://di21.shoppingshadow.com/images/di/46/45/69/496c6b32686d4d465370395364506373434567-250x250-0-0.jpg)
Oooooohhhh, arrrrrrggghhhh....!
Must be getting older, gushing over a kettle.
Well, there is a kinda sad follow-up note.
Although I never ran the new one dry, it's already showing a chip at the very top-- likely poor quality enamel, as I've seen this on other Chinese manufactured stuff. I still have the receipt, so back it goes.
*sigh*
I'm seriously considering ordering one from somewhere or other-- perhaps a pure copper one? I like the look of copper, and as a metal, it is not soluble in water (nor any of it's salts) to an appreciable degree, and thus safe for humans. Obviously, I must avoid lead-based soldered joints here.
As for the whistle? I'm already thinking about that, too: I know where I can get a classic brass "police" whistle, with a genuine balsa insert (or "spinner") inside. And a bit of creative brazing (non-lead) could easily attach this to the kettle somewhere or other-- it need not be the spout, after all-- a good boil will easily generate sufficient pressure to activate the super-loud police-type whistle. :)
I quite imagine I won't be able to ignore that. :ROFL:
It is a darn shame that something as simple as enamel would chip this soon-- enamel-on-steel is one of the oldest coatings humans have discovered and used down through the ages. It's basically a form of glass or silica that's melted onto the metal in a thin enough coating that it won't crack during temperature extremes. Or, it's not supposed to anyway. meh. The brand was not your junk brand, either.
But I do not forgive a failed product, as there are too many from which to choose.
However, since the chip was on the outside? And since I cannot make it worse? I'm using it for now-- I have 30 days from Wally-world to take it back for a refund, so... I have time to get another.
Well.
I decided a more scientific approach is in order, so I turned to Amazon, and keyed in "tea kettle". Naturally, I got lots of stuff completely unrelated to either tea or kettles, but that's typical for Amazon's non-search "feature"....
... ;)
Ignoring the non-tea kettle stuff, I sorted through the first 10 pages or so, and was rather surprised at the offerings.
But the most surprising is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Alessi-Michael-Graves-Kettle-Whistle/dp/B00004Y6FT/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1359672411&sr=1-2 (http://www.amazon.com/Alessi-Michael-Graves-Kettle-Whistle/dp/B00004Y6FT/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1359672411&sr=1-2). Words are insufficient, here--you just have to go look. And yes, I did check to see if this thing comes with some sort of internet-connection to use your iPod to notify you when the tea had steeped sufficiently. Nope. Some of these don't even whistle, according to the less than enthusiastic reviews... ::)
I found one made entirely of heavy, heat-proof glass, allegedly suitible for either gas or electric stoves. I like that very much, but it doesn't whistle.
I found another, made of glazed ceramic, which is (according to the blurb) a traditional Chinese teapot material-- again, you can put over heat to boil water, and being inert ceramic, no extra flavors. I rather like that one too-- it'll maintain the hot water for rather a bit, unlike a metal one which cools down quickly. Alas, no whistle on this one, either...
... which has got me thinking. A smallish copper tube (I have this, as scrap, in excess), a real cork stopper of suitable size (to fit into the spout). Bore out the cork, making it into a gasket around the copper tube. And braze one end of the tube into that brass police whistle I was speaking of earlier... sure, I'd need a cloth to pull it out, as it'd be rather warm from the steam...
... but I rather like having my own choice of whistle, instead of the rather mild ones you typically get. I could even mount several, and have it play a chord... :D Or experiment with making a flute-type whistle from the copper tubing-- how hard could that be, anyway? Is not the flute, one of the oldest musical instruments, since... ever? :)
But I continue to shop-- not a single all-copper offering, though. I'm disappointed at that. I did see all cast-iron! That' sucker'd be heavy, for sure. :D
0000000000000000000000000000000000
Edit: this one looks kinda cool-- made of stainless steel (bottom) and silicon rubber, collapsible http://www.amazon.com/Cuissential-SlickBoil-Collapsible-Silicone-Kettle/dp/B006BA7MM2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1T44DGMZDS32U&coliid=I237TLK2QQJEFD (http://www.amazon.com/Cuissential-SlickBoil-Collapsible-Silicone-Kettle/dp/B006BA7MM2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1T44DGMZDS32U&coliid=I237TLK2QQJEFD)
Oh. my.
This: http://www.amazon.com/Alessi-Il-Conico-Tea-Kettle/dp/B00029RAUM/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1359673819&sr=1-11&keywords=tea+kettle (http://www.amazon.com/Alessi-Il-Conico-Tea-Kettle/dp/B00029RAUM/ref=sr_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1359673819&sr=1-11&keywords=tea+kettle)
I don't care if it sings your baby to sleep-- nothing that is meant to boil water, is worth nearly $300... not even if it's for a B-52... meh.
What's worse? It's butt-ugly too...
Some designer do get quite full of themselves, don't they?
Not haivng to keep replacing the very utilitarian Mr.Coffee allows me to squander money on fetching teapots. I still have a sekrit hankerin for this (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Ekd6JAbOg/SiduNVqb6SI/AAAAAAAABoo/4BqP6KUxn6M/s320/CaptainPicardsTeaSet.jpg).
:offtopic: ...ish
Talking about boiling kettles dry reminds me of a story my old man tells about when he was a commercial pilot for BOAC, flying Bristol Britannias.
The aircraft designers, recognised that pressurising the cabin with bleed air from the gas turbines (Brits were a large 4 engine turbo-prop) would produce a very dry cabin environment. So to counter this, they installed a humidifier. Sounds good, until you find out that this consisted of a one pint stainless steel container into which was introduced water (so far so good) with a 10 KW heating element (yes, you heard me right Joyce, ten kilowatts!). The only time it was ever used, it burnt a hole in the side of the aeroplane and after that the flight crews understandably refused to use it. The ground engineers apparently responded to continued complaints about the humidifier from the crews with "we have only ever had one failure" and seemed unimpressed with the reply that "yes, it has only ever been used once..."
Returning you now to normal service.
LOL! That is a tale worth re-telling, Blue. In the priceless category, too.
10KW for only one pint? Whew. I would quite imagine the water didn't so much boil, as it did flash-over into steam... It's a wonder things did not get worse than a mere hole.
To put it in perspective? That same 10 kw (or so) could easily be used to heat an average home, in all but the coldest latitudes.
Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on January 31, 2013, 10:27:25 PM
I'm seriously considering ordering one from somewhere or other-- perhaps a pure copper one? I like the look of copper, and as a metal, it is not soluble in water (nor any of it's salts) to an appreciable degree, and thus safe for humans. Obviously, I must avoid lead-based soldered joints here.
I'm afraid I have to call
not true on that one, although if you are not boiling strong acids for tea you should be fine. ;)
I'm a bit obsessed with kettles too. If that makes me old, I don't care. My current kettle is black with a window into the water which shines a blue light when heating. I love the blue light. I can see if it's switched on even if it isn't making any noise. The whistle is not pressure operated; it just switches on as a result of the auto-electricity-off on boiling. You can switch the whistle to be off or on. Actually I think I posted rapturously here about this kettle when I bought it. ;)
Quote from: Aggie on February 01, 2013, 05:05:42 AM
Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on January 31, 2013, 10:27:25 PM
I'm seriously considering ordering one from somewhere or other-- perhaps a pure copper one? I like the look of copper, and as a metal, it is not soluble in water (nor any of it's salts) to an appreciable degree, and thus safe for humans. Obviously, I must avoid lead-based soldered joints here.
I'm afraid I have to call not true on that one, although if you are not boiling strong acids for tea you should be fine. ;)
Not sure there no complexing gents in tea.
And copper(II)chloride is quite soluble. It's enough to cause trouble for sensitive people.
I do remember you waxing rapturous about that kettle, Griffin!
I have a basic stainless steel kettle (http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/21884/6431767805p?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitzmobile.com%2Fimg%2Fsimplicity-15-qt-brushed-stainless-steel-tea-kettle_77297_250.jpg&d=b86eeab586c4eb41a77510e4f6420f67100f0355) that you sit on a burner and it has a loud whistle. I have had it a couple of years and it is beginning to show rust, due to my leaving water in it longer than is recommended.
Well, I suppose that explains why all the copper kettles I could locate on-line, were all lined with tin (which, when melted, easily bonds with copper-- the ubiquitous, original tin can). I was basing my statement on the fact that potable water is piped through copper in the US, to the point it's nearly ubiquitous.
... meh.
I have yet to get a replacement kettle-- the enamel has not chipped further, nor is there any visible chips on the inside (where it really matters). But that spot sure is ugly. I love the weight of it, otherwise. Have been looking at kettles here and there, and many are such lightweight materials, that I think "pass". Such a lightweight wouldn't last, I presume, nor heat as evenly.
At the university building I worked in for several years the pipes were copper and and not in the best state. Some people (including me) had digestive trouble with that and it was unwise to water the plants with it. That indicated that the copper concentration must have been pretty high (in small doses it is good for plants because it kills microorganisms, that's the resaon why a polished penny in the vase is an old trick to have last flowers longer).
Values can be reduced, if the copper is only in the house not in the pipes leading to the house: Let the tap run for a while before you take water fro drinking. Then the stagnant water that had time to collect the copper is away and you get the (hopefully) clean from the main lines. With lead pipes it is a bit more difficult (in the stagnant water the lead salt precipitate but get stirred up again when fresh water runs through).
If the copper lines are fresh, polished and clean the problems should be low. It starts when corrosion sets in leading to higher dissolving of metal in the water. Boiling water is of course far more corrosive, so a kettle is mmore problematic than a cold pipe. The reason for tin-plating is less to separate the copper from the water but because it serves as the sacrifical anode, slowing the corrosion of the nobler metal down.
In (small) water boilers with naked heater coils the usual health problem today is with Nickel.
Could my whole illness be down to copper in the pipes? :o
Doubtful, or do you suffer from chronic nausea and diarrhea?
Lead could play a role, also older plastic. I do not know about the pipes in your building.
Interesting, Swato (as usual).
I do note that a majority of modern buildings have switched to nylon plastic pipes, switching to copper and/or brass at the terminus, so that standard fittings may be used for the appliances.
One of the advantages with using nylon, is that it's reasonably impervious to things dissolved in water, it can take the pressures, it won't burst if frozen, and it can be color coded too. As far as I know, there is no known solvent that will de-bond nylon plastic, apart from really exotic plasmas and ionic materials, usually requiring high energy states too.
About the only thing that degrades nylon, is ultraviolet radiation and now, a newly-evolved bacteria, which (so far) is fortunately quite rare, and acts very slowly.
But I sometimes wonder about the long-term effects-- nobody's looked at this, as far as I can find out, but nylon has been used for containers since it was invented shortly before WW2. To date, the only [known] chemical that can attack it, is nylonase, an enzyme released by the aforementioned mutant bacteria. It'll melt before it burns, though-- so it's unsuitable for high temperatures (above 300F), and it will burn, so it's unsuitable for boilers/heat exchangers. And due to it's sensitivity to UV, it's not useful for long-term exposed locations either.
But it's considerably stronger and denser than it's closest cousins, polyethylene and polypropylene, who's low melting point and relatively weak tensile strength make these unsuitable for pressurized water delivery.
But I have used a nylon container to boil water over a campfire-- just to demonstrate it's possible, and how heat transfer works. :D I've also used a paper cup ... it's a fun experiment to demonstrate to kids, when there's an open fire available, and time to let the water boil. I've also demonstrated how well styrofoam insulates, by trying the boil-water-over-campfire trick with a styrofoam cup-- it burns (in case you wondered). You can also boil water in a ziplock baggie-- that is, if you can manage to support it over the fire, such that when the water begins to boil, the zipper opens at the top, otherwise, it just runs out & puts out the fire...
.... ;)
Ain't physics fun?
I could also point out that many houses built since the 80's was plumbed with PVC and CPVC (for hot water) pipe. It is similar to nylon, but more brittle--especially if aged. It also suffers from UV degradation, and many solvents will melt it too-- making installation easier (use high-evaporation solvent to "weld" the parts together). It also ages under oxygen-attack, such that old installations, even if protected by the sun, can turn dangerously brittle and can burst if allowed to freeze. I don't know if it's still in use in new construction anymore, due to those issues. But you often see it used in DIY projects, because it's so simple and easy to do "good enough". I only use it in locations that are visible, and in drain-plumbing, where pressure isn't an issue. It is still ubiquitous for drains, in the US, even commercial applications. But up in Canada, there seems to be a preference for ABS plastic for the drains. ABS has it's issues, too, but it seems to have better long-term stability.
Aaaah, topic drift... where will the drifting take us next? :D
The new water pipes in my rental house are PEX - cross-linked polyethylene - as a replacement for old, corroded galvanized steel pipes. Iron isn't the main issue (besides rust staining), but there was some worry with lead and cadmium contamination related to the zinc galvanization. I used those as a bit of a stick to shake at the landlord in order to get the pipes replaced. Most of the house had already been converted, except our main drinking source tap in the kitchen. :P
Nylon is pretty inert, but can be hydrolyzed by acids, especially at higher temperatures. Apparently it's also not particularly resistant to warm beer:
http://k-mac-plastics.net/data%20sheets/nylon_chemical_resistance_chart.htm
I was looking at this table yesterday to see if marking my fishing line with a permanent marker was likely to weaken the line.
One problem with many sorts of plastics is the additives that slowly leach out. In PVC there is also residual vinyl chloride that gases out over time.
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.
Quote from: Swatopluk on February 02, 2013, 08:58:44 PM
........... I do not know about the pipes in your building.
The pipes tell me they don't know you either.
Are they Highland pipes, Uilleann pipes or Brian Boru pipes?
Why did we get off the good old tradition of wooden water conduits?
They are quite high up pipes. Why did we ever stop getting wooden teeth?
I think the Romans used wooden water conduits, to compliment their aqueducts. :)
Yet another thing those wily Romans did for the Liberation Front of Judea. ::)
We had aquaintances in the former GDR that still produced (=drilled) wooden water pipes. Metal pipes were (as lots of other things) in short supply and the wooden ones lasted significantly longer, if handled properly.
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flow'rs are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh, Danny boy, oh, Danny boy, I love you so.
And if you come, and all the flowers are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
I pray you'll find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
And all my grave will warm and sweeter be
And then you'll kneel and whisper that you love me
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.
:'(
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!
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.
:D
Quote from: Swatopluk on February 03, 2013, 12:43:16 AM
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.
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.
You could get a pair of those red-tinted glasses to change the color...
:cup:
:ROFL:
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.
:)
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).
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.
Russian Caravan loose leaf report: :kettle:
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...
Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on February 06, 2013, 11:13:13 PM
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? :o
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. ;)
Quote from: pieces o nine on February 08, 2013, 03:38:26 AM
Russian Caravan loose leaf report: :kettle:
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.
:Tcup:
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.
I abhor weak coffee.
The Vatican is also a place where one proverbially cannot gat a good cup of coffee
No coffee at all in the Sistine Chapel.
Would be too crowded to hold a cup safely anyway
Pieces, I agree with Griffin, Russian Caravan is one of my absolute favourite teas. The last thing I would describe it as is like a bunch of dried leaves. I suspect that the tea is way too old and has not been stored correctly. Tea is best stored in air tight containers at a lowish temperature (not refrigerated, though). If you are a regular drinker, keeping your "ready use" tea in a non air tight container is fine, but I would not want to store it that way for more than a few weeks. My experience with Russian Caravan is that it is a tea made from larger leaves than the usual black tea and I generally use about 1 1/2 times the normal quantity when making a pot. Doing that however results in a wonderful fragrant tea that I find particularly delicious. Obviously your mileage may vary. :mrgreen:
Quote from: Aggie on February 08, 2013, 08:02:56 PM
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. ;)
Alternatively overpriced
and terrible. Cuban coffee is terrible but at least is reasonably priced.
As a Colombian I demand a decent coffee, which in reality means making it myself...
The canonical bad coffee comes from Nicaragua
I think I should take a photo of the coffee shelf next time I go to the supermarket and post it here... ;)
I think Coffee and tea deserves it's own thread... http://toadfishmonastery.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=32&topic=3098.0 (http://toadfishmonastery.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=32&topic=3098.0) ;D
Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on January 30, 2013, 10:25:19 PM
Today, I was killing some time before heading out, and stopped in at WallyWorld (okay, I know--it's evil, but hey, it's cheap, and wintertime, cash is short. Sue me.)
And I saw this lovely red teakettle-- porcelain finish, inside and out--one of my favorite types to clean. It was heavy, which meant even heating, and the finish was flawless, which meant it wouldn't rust for a long, long while. Had a nice wide opening top, which snapped in (made of stainless steel), and a pouring spout with a whistle fitted in, and a nice "at remove" lever to pull it open without risk of burns from the invisible steam-vapor (something I've done more times than I care to document).
A nice sturdy plastic handle arcing over the top, meaning it was clear of the sides-- critical for gas stoves, which tend to spill excess heat up the sides of pots (spoiling side-handles that can't handle heat).
In short? It was just what I suddenly decided I needed. To go with my French Press Coffee machine, which I've been using to make loose-leaf tea in. One batch is about 20 ounces or so, perfect size to drink up while still warm. By tearing open the bag, one bag is sufficient to make nice, medium-strong tea in the full 24 ounces. And I can pre-load the scant teaspoon of honey, if I like.
I had been boiling the water in a stainless steel aftermarket parts (http://www.robustbuy.com/car-accessories-c-492.html) skillet, but if I get distracted, I boil it dry-- kinda hard on the skillet... ::)
So, I bought it. Brought it home. Cleaned it up nice and thoroughly, and rinsed even more so. Filled it with hot tap water, and set it on the stove to heat up, trusting in the new whistle to alert me when it was ready.
And then proceeded to return to the computer, to catch up on today's gossip. Which got me quite engrossed (facebook and all that). I even added a new friend, who seems quite nice. But I wondered why my FB had started playing "sounds of nature", a nice soundtrack of a babbling brook, with faint bird singing in the background. Okay, nice enough--continue to read the new posts.
About 2/3 of the way down my page, I decided that "sounds of nature" was enough, and where was it coming from, anyway? Hmmm... searching up and down the FB page, I saw no running videos/sound feeds. Puzzled, I finally closed down the whole browser---
--- but the sound track persisted! What was going on? I even turned off my PC's speakers-- still hearing the "sounds of nature"---
---- when it finally hit me: that was a steam whistle! Almost too faint for my aging ears, but loud enough. A glance back into the kitchen showed it had a nice fast-stream of steam-vapor coming out. So fast, it had overwhelmed the whistle somewhat.... and the "babbling brook" was obviously the furiously boiling water inside....
... I had me a laugh, then a bit of a cry too-- that I was so old, I had already forgotten the new kettle, and my hearing so weak, that I couldn't pinpoint the source of those "sounds of nature" as coming from the kitchen, and not my PC's speakers...
.... :'(
On the other hand? Now I know how it sounds, and I also know it's too faint to overcome the TV, so I'll resort to a kitchen timer when watching the tube. But it did pour ever so nicely, far better than the skillet which always ends up spilling here and there.
I've got me some nice SuperFruit tea steeping even now-- I'm going to have it over ice, later. mmmmmmm!
Oh these winter. You did no crime. These winters are getting hard so it not age but too cold weather that has weekend your mind.