How to keep tea at 145° for 2-3 hours?

[Jennifer Murphy]

I work at my computer most of the time. I like to have a nice, hot cup of tea nearby to sip on from time to time. The problem is keeping it hot. I like it about 145°.

I've tried several of those cup warmers. None of them really work and they are a little dangerous. I currently use a thermos, which works OK, but I have to start it off too hot and it ends up too cold.

Does anyone make an effective way to keep 2-4 cups of tea at about 145° for several hours?

[Poseidon]

I think youre doing everything you can. Double walled thermos' are pretty much the best option unless you keep topping off your tea with boiling water to bring it back to temp.

[PaddyB]

I recall an old topic on a similar subject yet I can't find it. The folks advised to make really strong tea concentrate beforahand and cool it down quickly. Later, when you want hot tea, you just take some concentrate as a base and pour hot water over it. But if you don't have hot water at your disposal, that can be tough. In that case you may be already doing everything you can.

[ethan]

I saw two thermos that keep heat well. I don't where you can buy them. My friend bought them in Japan. When I looked at them, they looked the same as many, but I was told that they were superior, keeping my friend's tea hot all day.

[yalokinh]

check out yerba mate thermoses. I think the inside is double walled, made of vacumed glass, and apparently hold heat better than any thermos out there. I don't have one so I can't vouch for its claims

[wyardley]

I'd keep your water hot, and spend the extra time to brew another round of tea, rather than trying to keep the tea hot for that long.

[Chip]

I'd keep your water hot, and spend the extra time to brew another round of tea, rather than trying to keep the tea hot for that long.

+1 ... generally speaking and if possible.

[wyardley]

And if you really need to do this, I'd brew in a thermos with a lid (like the Zojirushi ones). Once it cools down to a drinkable temperature, keep the lid off when you're not drinking. But once you have a certain amount of empty space, the tea is going to cool down, so you need to top it off with hot water occasionally if you want to maintain the temperature.

[anastasia]

You could go with an old school method of a down cozy which slides over the container; especially if you can sew, or know someone who does. I have a vintage one I use for my teapot and the tea stays hot for hours. The filling is important, because the down feathers trap the heat incredibly well, whereas polyester fiber fill does poorly. It's like a puffy parka for your tea!

[Drax]

A couple of months ago, I posted a Kickstarter that had proposed an idea for a special thermos. It was basically a vacuum style thermos, but it had a liquid-gel around the interior cup (sealed away from the inside, of course).

The idea was that the interior cup with the gel sheath would absorb heat from your very hot beverage and bring it to a cooler, drinkable temperature. And then, because it had stored all that heat (and thanks to the vacuum surrounding it), it would hold at that temperature longer.

The TeaChat thread is here.

The Kickstarter (which was over on 1 Jan) is here. Taking a quick glance, they claimed near 3 hours in the temperature range you want. A quick look at the comments suggest they're still in production.

[Jennifer Murphy]

Thanks, Drax.