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Leo,
I found this:https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-1-0L-Electric-Kettle-BV3825B/dp/B005YR0GDA/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp
There’s also a few non-electric ones if you want to use an induction range.
Unfortunately, that and another “all stainless” kettles had at least two people mentioning rust on the interior. Not certain what’s going on there.
M.
Not sure what a cha pan is; tea table?
I currently use a microwave; haven’t even invested in an electric kettle yet 😀
M.
I think utilizing a multitude of methods is important to really appreciate tea (or more specifically the other methods). I use sub-optimal stuff myself (ceramic tea pot with a ceramic filter insert for “traditional” brew; a mug and a tea ball for broken leaf “fodder” tea for nipping out the door in the morning). That said, I endevor to acquire the things I need for good Gongfu tea making, because I’d like to try it.
As a kid, we used to drink tonnes of tea. Our way of making tea was simple – a gallon plastic jug, 6-8 “Shurfine Brand Orange Peakoe” bags and hot tap water. Our tapwater was heated by an oil furnace. When we first moved in, there were times when just running the “hot” all the way got you some water and a bunch of steam – being around boiling point, no joke – but we managed to throttle it back to about 90c or so. Brew it for 20 mins or so. Then we’d dump about 1-2 cups of sugar in it (more early on). I don’t think anyone bothered to remove the bags most of the time.
That was tea for me in … Rural(?) Suburban(?) America. East Coast and whatnot. Now I put more effort into it. Back then I didn’t even know full leaf tea was a thing. I thought it had always come in bags, and was always dust.
As for tea at the office, all the tea drinkers use tea-dust-bags. Slowly endevoring to change that; will be more free once I have a better set-up. Planning on keeping a few cups, a gaiwan a chahai, scale, thermometer and a boiler at my desk. Gotta start the influence somehow! I’ve got a lot of space desk space, not much to take it up with. Maybe I should take up bonsai or install a rock garden. Of course, a mug and a tea ball with broken leaf “fodder” will be around for when I’m more mobile around the office.
Pancakes, did you tour that region of China or are you in the PRC?
M.
Quote:The positive effects are not as consistent or proven in populations in the West, but dramatically positive in populations in the East, esp in Japan, Taiwan, China and Singapore. I think besides genetics and life and diet styles, one strong reason is the prevalent poor quality of tea being drunk in the West. I hope I am not offending anyone here, but that is a description of the market condition that people like yourself, who are aware of the dramatic difference, should be saving yourselves from, if not also helping the others around you.Indeed, and no offense taken. I’m often rather botheredthat I have to search for anything “half” decent – which here is broken leaves. Most of it is exposure. I don’t think my countrymen are that dumb, but when you grow up equating tea with tea dust, it takes a bit to adjust to the full leaf thing. Having been raised not only on sweetened tea-dust water, but sweatened store-brand tea-dust water, it never occurred to me until recently that leaves are supposed to be full – “broken” leaves where, I thought, the better quality stuff, and tea dust the norm.
Even my local dim-sum style place (sorta; can’t claim it’s anything like a real dim sum place but it’s between the usual takeout place and the Japanese grills we have here) serves and sells broken tea (though I think their pu-erh might be full).
As for alzheimer’s, I don’t believe anyone in my family has suffered it (we got our curse in the form of myotonic muscular dystrophy) but sometimes I feel it hovering over my shoulder like a grim spectre of the future to come. Or I could just be paranoid.
M.
Same; it’s just not good enough anymore. It also has quite a few twigs and is rather broken up. Does Hojicha come in higher quality levels or is this low grade the essence of hojicha?
M.
Should I hunt up one with temp controls or just one that boils (without elements inside the boiling chamber)? Water too hot can always cool down, after all. How long something takes to go form boiling down the 30 deg. it takes to reach green tea temp, however…
M.
And for those of us unable (yet) to take a hop over to Hong Kong, what is this process that makes it unappealing?
M.
