Jul 9th, '13, 11:31
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MacGuffin » Jul 9th, '13, 11:31

looseTman wrote:- MW Durascale D2 660 with German HBM weighing sensors?
OR
- Jennings JT-2 1000 1kg with 4.5" diameter platform?
I think you're making "weigh" too much of this. As was previously mentioned, we're not dealing with lab work here, or precious metals or stones. Chip probably has more "tea sense" than anyone else here; he's using an inexpensive, accurate scale. He's not alone. It seems to me that you're looking for validation of your own preferences (more expensive, more bells and whistles, bigger) and I don't think you're going to find it and that's okay. Just buy what makes you happy. That's what I did, and I continue to be perfectly satisfied with my choice. It performs exactly as expected.

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Jul 9th, '13, 12:16
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MEversbergII » Jul 9th, '13, 12:16

Avoid extra frills. It's a scale. You only need .1 resolution, because you're never going to need to measure milligrams of tea. Never ever. And if you do, it'll be 10's of milligrams, which is .1 resolution anyways.

M.

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Jul 9th, '13, 12:25
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MarshalN » Jul 9th, '13, 12:25

dgm wrote:
So true. I use filtered tap water, and replacing an old filter with a fresh one makes a huge difference in tea quality.

I mean, think about it. Tea is probably 99.99% water, so of course the quality of water is a significant factor.
Yes, and my point is that controlling the weight so precisely is putting the cart in front of the horse - there are a lot of other things to worry about, many of which are not really measurable (like how you pour your water).

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Jul 9th, '13, 12:26
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MEversbergII » Jul 9th, '13, 12:26

I have heard pouring around the leaves is different from pouring on them. Guess it has something to do with scorching, but I do not know.

M.

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Jul 9th, '13, 12:28
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MarshalN » Jul 9th, '13, 12:28

It affects the temperature of how hot the water is when it hits your tea, and also of course mechanically how it flows down the leaves, etc.

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Jul 9th, '13, 18:12
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by tenuki » Jul 9th, '13, 18:12

Chip wrote: Sensing versus intuitive.
My feeling is that this is a false dichotomy, similar to right brain left brain. I personally strive to integrate both - to be a balanced and fully actualized human. My meditative practice is all about becoming aware of my senses and ignoring my flights of fantasy. It isn't an either or proposition. Do both.

For the sake of argument let me invert the conversation a bit maybe:

Because I don't use a scale my senses are more highly relied on. I am highly aware of every aspect of the tea I'm trying to brew, it's look, it's feel, it's weight, etc. I can't ignore anything, I'm fully in the moment. I'm not looking at just three ( timer, thermometer, scale ) externally measured qualitative parameters and ignoring my senses altogether.... ;)

My proposal: Not using a scale is more sensing than using a scale. :twisted:

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Jul 10th, '13, 16:13
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MEversbergII » Jul 10th, '13, 16:13

I am with Tenuki on this one.

M.

Jul 11th, '13, 23:56
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by MacGuffin » Jul 11th, '13, 23:56

tenuki wrote:
Chip wrote: Sensing versus intuitive.
Because I don't use a scale my senses are more highly relied on. I am highly aware of every aspect of the tea I'm trying to brew, it's look, it's feel, it's weight, etc. I can't ignore anything, I'm fully in the moment. I'm not looking at just three ( timer, thermometer, scale ) externally measured qualitative parameters and ignoring my senses altogether.... ;)
It hasn't been my experience that the aspects you cite and using a scale are mutually exclusive.

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Sep 2nd, '13, 11:35
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by looseTman » Sep 2nd, '13, 11:35

I purchased the MW Durascale D2 660 with German HBM weighing sensors nearly 6 weeks ago and have been very pleased with it! :D As soon as I unpacked it I could easily appreciate that it was very well-constructed and quality-oriented. I was amazed how much it weighed especially for its small size.

The two pre-purchase concerns I had turned out to not be an issue at all:

1. Auto-off battery-saving feature: The auto-off provides sufficient time to weigh loose tea especially if you gather everything you’ll need first before turning on the scale. After 60 seconds of inactivity it will turn off. If you need additional time, a light tap on the scale resets the inactivity timer for another 60 seconds.

2. Weighing larger items: Simply remove the scale cover and flip it over to use it as a weighing tray. Tare the weight of the tray. Then one can easily position a 1-Lb bulk tea package on top of the lip of the tray to accurately weigh it.

This pocket-sized digital scale is easily stored in a kitchen drawer, which keeps it dust-free and reduces clutter on the kitchen counter unlike larger kitchen scales. I couldn’t be happier with our new scale. :D

Thanks to everyone for your advice and suggestions!

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Oct 27th, '13, 16:05
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Re: Do you guys use scales?

by Chip » Oct 27th, '13, 16:05

My scale just died. It served me very well for approaching a decade. I have been doing a LOT of weighing this past week.

Amazingly I did fine w/o for this morning's sencha. :mrgreen:

But now I am under duress to pick another one. :?

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