Electric Kettle or TriniTea?

[tigerlily42]

I'm tired of dealing with temping water from my stovetop kettle and am trying to decide on an electric kettle or an all in one tea brewer. Specifically I'm trying to decide between the Trinitea on Adagio and the Cusinart CPK PerfectTemp. If anyone can give me feedback on either to help me make a decision, I'd really appreciate it.

I brew 4-6 cups of tea a day at home and really need a more efficient system.

Thanks.

[Chip]

What about a kettle like adagio's varieTEA that has 5 electronic temp settings, plus a stay warm feature. That way you can still brew without the all out automation of the trinTEA.

[Stormlight]

I was just going to ask the same question of how people address water temp at a sitting without having to get up to the stove all the time.

I was looking at boiling water and letting it stay in a testubin.

Or this:

http://www.redblossomtea.com/teaware/ac ... ettle.html

Does the tetsubin hold the hot water temp for an hour?

Any other methods?

[Poohblah]

There are easy ways to figure out the temperature of your water without using tools. The most reliable, in my opinion, is by watching the bubbles on the surface of the water as it boils. The smallest bubbles start to appear around 160 degrees. See this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling#Levels_of_boiling I have figured out what bubble sizes work best for the teas that I drink, even if I don't know exactly what temperature the water is (e.g., for my preferences: Chinese greens, shrimp eyes to crab eyes; most oolongs and pu, rolling boil; black tea, usually fish eyes; etc. YMMV). Alternatively, you can stick your finger in the water. This works better with cooler water (obviously), since most people can't stand to stick a finger in boiling water. It's a nice technique for sencha or gyokuro, which are usually brewed with bathwater-temperature water or cooler. Also, you can use the pouring-between-cups to cool down water off the boil to a certain temperature.

Personally, I have found the temperature controls on electric kettles (I have a trinitea) to be unreliable, since they rely on water vapor to determine the temperature of the water, and the vapor pressure varies depending on the amount of water in the kettle. Even on the lowest temperature setting, the kettle can boil the water if it is below the min fill line, and it doesn't always boil the water on the highest setting if the water is above the max fill line.

[blairswhitaker]

I use a portable electric coil burner and a tetsubin. I would not consider this convenient other than the fact it is right by my side and I do not have to get up ever, it is slow to boil and you need to use a water cooling container for greens and requires care and upkeep for the kettle plus you have to dry it extremely well after each use, it is not for the quick and casual brewer.
however I have many friends who swear by zojirushi, for extreme convenience and reliable water temp. I have used them many times myself and they are extremely easy to use and reliable. they are a bit pricy compared to the options you have suggested but a good investment

[Chip]

I prefer the electric kettle (varieTEA) mostly out of convenience and SPEEEED! I always bring water to a boil then cool via a series of pours ... for greens. This usually includes preheating the teapot and cups. It is a little like a dance and mad scientist combined.

And the water stays quite hot for 15-20 minutes. But an added benfit and added convenience, no need to run to the stove, the electric kettle with base can be plugged in almost anywhere.

Back to the OP, I personally would not ever use a triniTEA since I enjoy brewing tea as much as I enjoy drinking it.

[debunix]

I like my temperature-controlled electric kettles, since I can quickly and easily change the temperature through extended gongfu sessions especially with green and white teas, and because I brew in a separate vessel, I have full control over the brewing parameters, and an excuse to collect and use some nice artisan-made pots and gaiwans.

[exmechanistic]

I actually have the Cuisinart electric kettle you mention although it looks like at least on Amazon it's gone up in price since I got mine. It's a big step up from the $10 electric kettle I was using. Personally I like the variable temp because while I know it may not give me a super accurate temperature, it's nice to not have to wait as long/pour water into as many things to get a reasonable water temperature for greens. The keep warm feature is really nice too.

[teaisme]

it's nice to not have to wait as long/pour water into as many things to get a reasonable water temperature

sometimes it is nice to wait and take some time to watch the steam from the kettle and yuzamashi dance together

[Stormlight]

@blairswhitaker I assume you are using a tetsubin without some type of insert. Thats why you need to dry it quickly to prevent rust?

To everyone, what do you think about a high boil then into a tetsubin with some type of liner to hold hear over the next hour or two?

[blairswhitaker]

@blairswhitaker I assume you are using a tetsubin without some type of insert. Thats why you need to dry it quickly to prevent rust?

To everyone, what do you think about a high boil then into a tetsubin with some type of liner to hold hear over the next hour or two?

When I say I am using a tetsubin I mean an actual tetsubin not a cast iron tea pot being called a "tetsubin", the difference is that a tetsubin is made for boiling water in. A cast iron teapot (and they are frequently and incorrectly called "tetsubin") have a coating inside that is made of either enamel or a poly material. They also usually have some type of strainer this is a dead give away, they should never be put on a heat source other than a tea candle.

below is my tetsubin as an example of an actual testubin

It's not a pot or a cup but I didn't know where else to post this.

Oni Arare Tetsubin with fukuro tsuru by Kunzan

Holds 1.8 liters, 60.8 ounces. This is where all my tea begins, HOT WATER, I have upgraded from a smaller tetsubin to this one and I am ever so glad I did. This kettle really is a piece of art, I love the sound it makes when it is heating on the burner, and yes you can really taste a difference in the water. Does it make tea taste better? Well it certainly brings out some more character and adds and great emphasis to the finish. plus the water stays hot for a LONG time.



great attention to detail, this is true craftsmanship!


Here you cans see the mushi kui or "bug bite marks" this is a special feature for kettles with hollow handles.


and of course it has picked up the initial rust, it is too early for scale to have developed.

You could use a cast iron tea pot to put the water in and place it over a tea candle on a type of trivet made to house the candle. I have seen them designed for this purpose, if you look around on the web you can most likely find one.