Bamboo tea re-roaster

[iguanahey]

This past weekend I finally found a tea store that sells a tea re-roaster. It's something I've been aching to try after hearing about how well it refreshes stale oolongs and adds interest to low-grade pu-erhs.

Unfortunately the shop in question wanted nearly $200 for the small thing, which was little more than a bamboo steaming basket set that had a metal mesh bottom on the top basket and a low-temperature heating element in the bottom basket. It had a temperature control dial, but that was it.

I found one online shop that offered a similar model for $150. This still seems like way too much for something that looks like it was cobbled together from $5 of Walmart discount aisle parts.

Does anybody have a good idea of where to buy such a tea roaster at a more reasonable price?

[Maitre_Tea]

Imen of Tea Obsession has a post about using a rice cooker as a make-shift tea roaster. The post offers some helpful instructions, and I recall a someone on TeaChat was attempting it

[Herb_Master]

Hou De

and

Teacuppa

both used to sell them and if you google for Tea Roaster you will find them on cached pages, but not currently showing in the catalogues.

It may be worth emailing them both.

I see Hou De have now started selling an alternative

http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... cts_id=716
so may have discontinued their Mini Roaster

http://houdeblog.com/?p=141

http://www.teacuppa.com/Tea-Roaster.asp

[Bubba_tea]

Heck - I used a crockpot to pretty good effect myself...

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=8090

[coloradopu]

i got a 5 cup rice cooker that has an auto warm setting that works fine for me

i also use a pot i made of stoneware and a alcohol lamp which i use to heat it

im me and i will broadcast it live so you can see...... you must go bu smell though so it does not burn

[coloradopu]

rice cooker 7 bucks

alcohol lamp 25 bucks

pottery free

the fun and taste of good tea priceless

[xuancheng]

Sorry for posting a taobao link, but you can get them to ship to the US through a site like panli.com (according to user beachape!)

Here is the model Herb_master posted at just under US100 (220V, good for Europeans)
http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... at=0&pm1=1

Here is the same model, but 110V! (good for Americans)
http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... l?cm_cat=0

[nada]

I've been looking around for a decent roaster too.

I know someone who has one of these mini tea roasters. He warned me off getting one - he says the temperature isn't hot enough to give a decent roast, only good for drying out the tea for ageing or refreshening.

Similarly, for me, the rice cooker option didn't get the tea hot enough to do much more than take the green edge off some TGY.

This one on taobao looks a bit better than the mini-roaster though (& isn't much more expensive) ...
http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... l?cm_cat=0

another option might be a laboratory oven if I could pick a used one up for cheap somewhere.

[Smells_Familiar]

i bet a portable convection oven would work. maybe with a few mods? they can reach temperatures of like 500*F.


btw, why is my handle cut off? smells_fam...?

[xuancheng]

This one on taobao looks a bit better than the mini-roaster though (& isn't much more expensive) ...
http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... l?cm_cat=0

Thanks for the warning about the mini roaster. I have actually contacted the owner of that shop. I really want his small one:
http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... 111cea.htm

Which is 680 RMB, the same price as the 220V mini roaster, but the 110V version mini roaster is only 380RMB.

I think I remember them saying the small size professional roaster can fire 5 jin at most... 1-2 jin at the least. I really want one of these.

A lot of those convection ovens only go as low as about 200F or 100C, which is too hot for most teas. You need to keep a constant temp of 80-90C for roasting Yancha, but it is ok to go over 100 for short periods of time if you know what you are doing and have a specific goal in mind... I guess that is a pretty gross generality, but its good to be able to stay under 100 and be acurate for a lot of oolongs.

[nada]

A lot of those convection ovens only go as low as about 200F or 100C...

Yep I noticed that before. At the other end, tray driers don't get hot enough for a decent roast.

Most laboratory ovens let you set temperatures between 30-300C and keep the heat at a fairly precise temperature.

Please let us know how it goes with the taobao roaster though - that one looks good.

[xuancheng]

Unfortunately, I have no money, so I won't be getting one soon. But if I do, I will post!