Dec 7th, '12, 20:41
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Best Nontoxic Teapot

by smfree » Dec 7th, '12, 20:41

Hi. I am new to your forum and would like to get my son a teapot for Christmas. I see a lot of teapots, but many of them can't be used on the stove to heat water. Can anyone give me some ideas for nontoxic teapots that CAN be used on the stove? Many thanks, Susan

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Dec 7th, '12, 20:57
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by Chip » Dec 7th, '12, 20:57

Hello Susan, I am moving your topic to Teaware & Accessories where it will receive better response versus the Product Review sub forum.

Generally, what you heat the water with is called a kettle and what you brew the tea in is called the teapot. I cannot think of a vessel that is actually designed to SAFELY do both.

So, you may need to buy a kettle and a teapot.

Do you have a budget in mind? You could get both for a combined 50 USD or even less. Of course, better options are available for more $$$.

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Dec 8th, '12, 00:39
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by bagua7 » Dec 8th, '12, 00:39

smfree wrote:Hi. I am new to your forum and would like to get my son a teapot for Christmas.
That's so nice of you, I wish my mum would give me a Zhaozhuang zhu ni pot as a Christmas present. :mrgreen:

Anyway, I think (correct me if I am wrong) one of those Japanese cast iron pots can be used on a stove, like the following one:

Image

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Dec 8th, '12, 01:17
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by Chip » Dec 8th, '12, 01:17

Tetsubin pictured above.

The kettle versions that are not lined can be used to heat water on a non gas stove, however they recommend NOT brewing tea in them.

Then there are the lined versions of these that should never be placed on a stove of any kind ... but they are made for brewing. But they have an enamel liner that can flake over time ... thus voiding the non toxic requirement! Most of us agree they are not great for brewing anyway. I find they make great paper weights! :mrgreen:

So nix this option ...

Dec 8th, '12, 11:49
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by edkrueger » Dec 8th, '12, 11:49

It depends what you mean by brew tea, but you certainly can put tealeaves in a tetsubin.

Also, I don't think there is any harm of using a tetsubin on a gas stove. As long as there is water in it, it won't crack. I think charcoal puts out more heat anyways.

But I wouldn't put that ugly lined one on a stove. Burned plastic "enamel".

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Dec 8th, '12, 12:26
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by Chip » Dec 8th, '12, 12:26

edkrueger wrote:It depends what you mean by brew tea, but you certainly can put tealeaves in a tetsubin.

Also, I don't think there is any harm of using a tetsubin on a gas stove. As long as there is water in it, it won't crack. I think charcoal puts out more heat anyways.

But I wouldn't put that ugly lined one on a stove. Burned plastic "enamel".
You can routinely put leaves in an unlined tetsubin, it is just not recommended.

You can use a gas stove for an unlined tetsubin, but a byproduct of gas combustion is H2O ... which will hasten its demise.

We agree, never put a lined one on the stove. :mrgreen:

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Dec 8th, '12, 12:56
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by Devoted135 » Dec 8th, '12, 12:56

smfree wrote:Hi. I am new to your forum and would like to get my son a teapot for Christmas. I see a lot of teapots, but many of them can't be used on the stove to heat water. Can anyone give me some ideas for nontoxic teapots that CAN be used on the stove? Many thanks, Susan
I feel like these guys are getting a bit esoteric for you. :lol: My recommendation would be to get a simple kettle from Target or the equivalent (either electric or stove top) for him to boil the water, and then a separate teapot for actually brewing tea. Basically, boiling and brewing are two different tasks that require two different tools. :)

By the way, don't get him too big of a teapot, it should be 16oz at the very largest.

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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by tkellyd » Dec 8th, '12, 13:11

Hello Susan:

I'm big on tetsubin for stove use, but don't confuse a tetsubin (kettle for stove use) with a teapot (for table use only). Using a cast iron teapot on a stove is not recommended as the enamel (or in some cases urushi) will separate over time. I don't think that anyone enjoys the taste of enamel in their tea.

Not sure what your budget is, but a new tetsubin can set you back three or four hundred dollars for a good one. Also, you may have problems finding one in time for the holidays as they are usually sold by the order. I waited three months for mine from Japan.

Another option, though, might be a Purion kettle although I am not quite familiar with them. Teachatters, feel free to chime in on this one.

Best,

- T

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Dec 8th, '12, 13:48
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by minor_glitch » Dec 8th, '12, 13:48

The only all-in-one option that comes to mind would be a glass kettle like this http://tinyurl.com/cpucpsp
But even then you still need to get an induction plate thing for it. Might as well just go with a separate kettle and pot.

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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by Chip » Dec 8th, '12, 14:18

Devoted135 wrote:
smfree wrote:Hi. I am new to your forum and would like to get my son a teapot for Christmas. I see a lot of teapots, but many of them can't be used on the stove to heat water. Can anyone give me some ideas for nontoxic teapots that CAN be used on the stove? Many thanks, Susan
I feel like these guys are getting a bit esoteric for you. :lol: My recommendation would be to get a simple kettle from Target or the equivalent (either electric or stove top) for him to boil the water, and then a separate teapot for actually brewing tea. Basically, boiling and brewing are two different tasks that require two different tools. :)

By the way, don't get him too big of a teapot, it should be 16oz at the very largest.
This is where I was "going" on the low $50 end of things ... hopefully Susan will let us know the budget so we can more clearly offer suggestions. :idea:

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Dec 8th, '12, 14:34
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by AdamMY » Dec 8th, '12, 14:34

I guess not knowing how your son likes to brew tea, I will stick towards safer suggestions. If he likes large pots of tea, that he drinks from for hours. Look into what is called a "Brown Betty" and go with a similar pot.

If he brews his tea a little stronger and gets many infusions out of it, again not quite exactly knowing his tastes, it is fairly safe to go with a 120ml to 260ml ( maybe as high as 300ml) porcelain teapot, or a glass teapot.

Those are if you want teapots. For kettles as most people have been hinting at, it is kind of a huge can of worms. Though honestly as most have said it best that the brewing vessel and heating vessel are not the same, and if he has access to a stove, I have realized most of the budget kettles in your all purpose stores ( like meijer, k-mart, target, etc.) get the job done, even if they aren't the most stylish. Heck I have a stainless steel one I picked up for 15 or so dollars at Home Goods that has served me well for quite a few years now with no issues.

I hope this helps.

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Dec 8th, '12, 23:45
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by ImmortaliTEA » Dec 8th, '12, 23:45

I realize that this is a bit of an expensive and maybe even somewhat "commercial" of an option but when I was first started getting into tea and I drank large western style cups, this device was like a lifesaver for me as it can be used to either boil water separately to any temperature for different teas OR it could be used to brew tea with exact time and temperature parameters of your choosing based on the specific category or type of tea. The best part about it is that the tea gets pulled out of the correct temperature water for itself (of your choosing) automatically by an internal magnetic mechanism that pulls the futuristic looking strainer basket (containing the tea leaves) up and out of the radius of water submersion when the timer that you set (to any given time you want or need) goes off. This represents a possible science-based approach to strive to achieve a "perfect" cup of tea (if that were possible with time and temperature parameters alone as for me science is not nearly enough because tea is more spiritual for me than that and also requires other factors such as mood, feeling, awareness, quietude, etc.). This of course was long before I started brewing Kung-Fu Cha daily and I use many other methods to boil my water now but still feel as though this could quite possibly be perfect for what the OP is looking for!

http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BTM800XL ... s=Breville

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Dec 9th, '12, 06:55
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Re: Best Nontoxic Teapot

by tkellyd » Dec 9th, '12, 06:55

:lol:

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