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Jun 25th, '07, 08:10
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Got a tetsubin

by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 08:10

Someone gave me a cast iron teapot today. Yay :) I heard a few people say that some of them possibly have lead in them? I searched on the boards a bit, but decided to just ask in here. What's that all about?

I searched on the net a bit and it's made by Kafuh i think. Its the one that is displayed in here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cast-Iron-Tetsubin- ... dZViewItem

Although mine came from a local asian supermarket. I didn't really dare to ask that many questions about a gift :)

The packaging is exactly the same as the one in here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kafuh-Japanese-Cast ... dZViewItem

Only, my box says "Kufah" where that one says "Rikyu".

So... i'd like to brew in it. Can I? Can I? (you know, without contracting lead poisoning or something :) )

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Jun 25th, '07, 08:33
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by Space Samurai » Jun 25th, '07, 08:33

If it is made in Japan, it is almost surely safe.

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Jun 25th, '07, 08:42
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 08:42

Ah, thanks! :)

I hope so, because figuring "once won't hurt anyway", I went ahead and gave it a try anyway. (am trying currently actually)

Sonuvacrap does that stuff hurt when you touch it! :D Hothothothothot!

Edit: Made in china :)
"This tea kettle is made in China by the Japanese tableware maker Kafuh"

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Jun 25th, '07, 10:47
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by Mary R » Jun 25th, '07, 10:47

Hehe, yeah...unless you're an Iron-Fingers McGee, grabbing the lid of a tetsubin can be painful. All hail the mighty powers of the tea towel. Absorbs and insulates...what more could you want?

The kettle is probably fine even though it was made in China. You may want to get a lead checking kit just to be certain. You might be able to pick up one at your local Wal-mart/other evil conglomerate. Various kits can be found on the web from between $12 and $20. Just google "lead check."

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Jun 25th, '07, 12:18
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by Chip » Jun 25th, '07, 12:18

It is ashame that it is made in China when there are still companies making them in Japan.

I guess the USA is not the only country importing stuff that can be made domestically.

I live around 30 miles from Hershey PA, "Chocolate town USA." You go to this town and all you smell is cocoa. They have been making chocolate for probably over a century, making chocolate affordable to everyone. Well, they recently announced they would begin making all their chocolate in Mexico. Go figure.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!

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Jun 25th, '07, 12:50
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 12:50

hehe, I found some more about them on http://www.buy4asianlife.com and they make stuff for restaurants, so I'm pretty sure I'm fine :)

It wasn't just the lid though. Oddly enough, I had the foresight to get a towel take off the lid. Then, for the sheer stupidity of it, I just had to full-out touch the *cup* :D

It's a pretty perfect gizmo though... I study at my desk upstairs, and it's a hassle to do all those stairs for a single cup of tea. This one holds 3 none-too-big cups and keeps its heat an amazingly long time. Painfully long time.

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Jun 25th, '07, 12:53
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 12:53

Heya Chip :)

Can't look a gift tetsubin in the spout. Even if it's from China, I like it much! :)

Heh... I'm from Belgium... Chocolate... stuff... everywhere :) Some guy did find it necessery to suddenly get some of our beer brewed in Brazil though. Oddballs.

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Jun 25th, '07, 13:20
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by Chip » Jun 25th, '07, 13:20

Tony wrote:Heya Chip :)

Can't look a gift tetsubin in the spout. Even if it's from China, I like it much! :)

Heh... I'm from Belgium... Chocolate... stuff... everywhere :) Some guy did find it necessery to suddenly get some of our beer brewed in Brazil though. Oddballs.
Heyo Tony, well, people around here are truly POed about the Hershey chocolate manufacturing being moved to Mexico. A lot of lives will be changed for the worse.

Belguim = Beer too, right. Seems crazy to import it from Brazil.

Hmm, I have a few tetsubin. 2 are Iwachu which I know were made in Japan, but I recently got one that was "too cheap," bet that was made in China too.

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Jun 25th, '07, 13:49
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by Mary R » Jun 25th, '07, 13:49

Holy...crap. I hadn't heard about Hershey moving their production. That's awful. My hometown in Indiana, Anderson, was a big General Motors town. Practically every body had a relative or ten working for GM in some capacity. They'd been here for years, then about 10-15 years ago, announced they'd be shutting down bit by bit and sending production to Mexico. It ruined a lot of people's lives--especially those who were thisclose to the retirement benefits. It's completely destroyed the town. There are no jobs. The only people left are the people too old or too poor to go anywhere. I really hope Hershey handles the whole situation better than GM...but it sounds like the paths will be somewhat similar.

Nestlé announced last year that they'll be opening a plant in Anderson...that had everyone excited. For months, we've been seeing "WELCOME NESTLÉ" signs and banners. Not that many jobs are supposed to open up--maybe about 400--but I guess it's supposed to make a difference. I wonder how long Nestlé will stay around.

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Jun 25th, '07, 13:51
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 13:51

Dang... Hershey... That suddenly rings a bell. In the movies, a hershey bar is to chocolate what a "baxter" used to be for any IV, and a "hoover" still is (hoovering?) to vacuum cleaners, no? (or singer to sewing machines)

Huh... Belgian bars stopped serving a lot of InterBrew's stuff but heck... It's an international conglomerate now... What are they gonna care if a handfull of bars in a country the size of a poststamp stop serving their industrial crap if they can stamp a "Belgian Beer" label on their stuff and export it all over the world! (huff huff huff)

Wow... I've seen an Iwachu go for 500 bucks once. I think mine was 50 :D Still, for a teapot, that's not bad, I suppose. For a teapot that's only been washed with water, my tea is oddly foamy though. :?

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Jun 25th, '07, 13:56
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 13:56

Mary R wrote:I wonder how long Nestlé will stay around.
Untill the very second the spreadsheet shows that the costs of transportation from abroad is lower then the cost of domestic labour?

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Jun 25th, '07, 14:00
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by rhpot1991 » Jun 25th, '07, 14:00

There is a big stink going on with the union as far as Hershey moving work to Mexico. If I remember correctly they are shutting down their Ottawa plant also.

Which Belgian beers are made in Brazil? Hopefully none of my favorites.

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Jun 25th, '07, 14:28
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by Tony » Jun 25th, '07, 14:28

rhpot1991 wrote:Which Belgian beers are made in Brazil? Hopefully none of my favorites.
Interbrew was taken over by Ambev (Brazilian). It's called InBev now and they produce Jupiler and Stella Artois, Leffe and Hoegaerden, amongst others.

It's not the actual production that has moved. more like getting shofted around. Brazilian management just doesn't care about the quality of beer, they want money. They want money. So they can lay off 200 people in Belgium and open a factory in China. They can brew their stuff there, for instance (or in Brazil, where they treat people like slaves.) and their main seat stays in Belgium. (yay, you get to say it's Belgian!)

The last thing they pulled was to increase the size of their glasses and raise prices, so their kegs would be emptier faster and they could make more profit. Bastards, I tell you!

For your brands it won't matter really... We actually export the best we have. :D

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