TeaChat

My name is Jenn. I have always liked to have my cup of hot Lipton tea with a little cream and my Chai. I finally went into Teavana yesterday and picked out "big girl tea". I have a cheap tea pot right now that I am using right now and I really don't like it. So I am open to suggestions.

Welcome!
so..you didnt mention what type of tea you would be wanting to use the teapot for? an all around pot or more specific to certain types of tea? This would help us help you

I don't know what exactly you're looking for, but I love my cheap Presto Heat 'n Steep electric tea kettle. It has a built-in thermometer for precise temperatures if you're interested in greens, whites, oolongs, etc, that require lower temps. I'm sure others on the forum will call me a heretic for having such a device, as it's not a traditional-looking kettle, but oh well.

Looks nice for being sure your water is the right temperature, although, unless I misunderstand the manual, it doesn't let you set it to maintain a particular temperature, but lets you set only the duration of heating?

Quite a few of us use variations on electric kettles, but I use my 1.5L Pino digital kettle pro models only for heating water, and brew in a variety of gaiwans, kamjove gongfu cups, kyusus, shiboridashi, glass teapots, or clay pots. None were particularly expensive or fancy--I think the kettles cost more than any of my brewing vessels. What I brew depends on where I am (home/work/satellite office), what kind of tea, and whether I'm brewing infusions to drink immediately or for a thermos full.

So, as was asked before, the first thing we need to know to help you out is, what kind of tea do you think you might enjoy most often? And do you want one teapot or tea-brewing vessel for all teas or would you consider several for different types of teas?

debunix wrote:Looks nice for being sure your water is the right temperature, although, unless I misunderstand the manual, it doesn't let you set it to maintain a particular temperature, but lets you set only the duration of heating?

It's not perfect, unfortunately. You can't set it to stop at a particular temperature, so you have to keep an eye on it, or listen for when it reaches a certain loudness. It's kind of a hassle sometimes to have to keep such a close eye on it, but it's cheap. The timer is just a timer. It just counts down on time (useful if you don't have any other timers for steeping tea lying around). I love using it, but if I were to redesign it, I'd definitely have it ring a bell when it reaches a variable temperature (it doesn't even whistle when it starts to boil), and perhaps maintain a temperature for a period of time (for subsequent steeps)... but for the price, I haven't found anything better.

Simply having the built-in thermometer is a great start.

I am trying different teas right now to see what I like best. I like to drink tea throughout the day. I normally drink coffee all day but I am looking for something better for me. I am looking for something to help curve my craving for sweets and one for detox to kick start my healthy life changes.

Welcome caligirl! Glad to have you join us. I am looking forward to seeing you around the forum.

I agree with Ian, let us know what teas you will be drinking, so we can point you in the right direction for a teapot.

If you're exploring a lot of different teas without strong preference, you're best off starting with a pot that won't hold flavors between teas--glass or glazed ceramic are well suited. A simple glass pot like this one is very handy for a variety of teas. There are a lot of glass teapots with glass infusers like this one but I have found the little glass slits both quick to clog and slow to drain, and do not like them at all. While the little spiral filter tip or a metal mesh strainer insert may not be as attractive, I'd rather view those than work with a balky glass infuser insert.

Another favorite starter vessel that you'll never 'outgrow' is a simple porcelain gaiwan like this or a nice straightforward kyusu like this one.

Hope that helps.

Thank you debunix. I have picked out a glass one with warmer

There is a monkey oolong tea at Teavana but it is $25 for 2 oz. I really like it but it is not anywhere near my budget. Does anyone know a tea that is close to it with a better price?

Look for any Ti Kuan Yin, Tie Guan Yin..there are quite a few spellings. Adagio has one for 20 bucks for 3 oz. but there are tons of other places out there.. its quite a poplar tea in general. Norbu has about 3 different varieties as well..look under Anxi oolongs

Rishi also has a Tie Guan Yin that I picked up recently that was a decent price ($13).

Red Blossom has some Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin if you'd like to try it too.

http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/oolong ... anyin.html