After almost four years of daily service, my IngenuiTea has given up the ghost. Currently, the only brewing vessels I own are a 200 ml porcelain pot for gong fu brewing, and a ForLife infuser mug I use for my breakfast tea.
I loved the ForLife infuser mug until I tried to brew gunpowder tea in it; while the infuser basket is plenty large enough for Irish Breakfast leaves to unfurl, it's nowhere near big enough for larger leafed teas. I also like to share tea with my roommate, which I can't do with a single infuser mug. Does anyone have recommendations for a good 2-3 cup teapot with a large infuser suitable for black as well as green tea? I've seen a few nice pots in Barnes and Noble and Target, but none have infusers wide enough. I could get another IngenuiTea, but I'm trying to eliminate plastic.
Re: Need a New Teapot!
If you want to stay in the 16-24oz category, one option would be to ditch the infuser basket and put the leaves directly in the pot. Then use the basket as a strainer between the spout and the mug as it were.
Re: Need a New Teapot!
I suppose that would work out fine, but I would prefer the leaves stay together for easy clean up. Hand tremors make all those extra steps a bit dangerous. Has anyone tried a Chatsford pot like the one available at Upton Tea Imports? Is the infuser big enough?Devoted135 wrote:If you want to stay in the 16-24oz category, one option would be to ditch the infuser basket and put the leaves directly in the pot. Then use the basket as a strainer between the spout and the mug as it were.
Aug 16th, '14, 02:00
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Re: Need a New Teapot!
I believe that you will have difficulties to find an answer here. Most people here are into artisan tea ware, especially Chinese Yixing pots and Japanese pots, which are generally a lot smaller than what you are looking for.
The traditional method of drinking high quality tea in western Europe, especially up to the late 19th century, in wealthier and aristocratic houses was the two pot method.
People then did not use infusers as this would constrict the tea. Instead, in the first pot the lose tea was brewed for the required amount of time, and then poured into the second pot of the same size, from which it was poured into cups.
If i were you, i would not bother with those cheap mass market pots. One is like the other. They will work all to brew tea, but there is no artistry, no beauty, no atmosphere. Instead, i would look around flea markets and antique fairs, and try to find a set of old pots with style, and use them instead. With the 2 pot method you will find also an increased taste experience over utensils such as infusers or filters. In many ways the 2 pot method is also a lot simpler - no need to fiddle around with hot infusers, etc.
The traditional method of drinking high quality tea in western Europe, especially up to the late 19th century, in wealthier and aristocratic houses was the two pot method.
People then did not use infusers as this would constrict the tea. Instead, in the first pot the lose tea was brewed for the required amount of time, and then poured into the second pot of the same size, from which it was poured into cups.
If i were you, i would not bother with those cheap mass market pots. One is like the other. They will work all to brew tea, but there is no artistry, no beauty, no atmosphere. Instead, i would look around flea markets and antique fairs, and try to find a set of old pots with style, and use them instead. With the 2 pot method you will find also an increased taste experience over utensils such as infusers or filters. In many ways the 2 pot method is also a lot simpler - no need to fiddle around with hot infusers, etc.
Re: Need a New Teapot!
thredbaron, that's great advice, but as a college student sharing a room with two other girls, I don't think that's feasible at the moment! I suppose I'll just have to wait and see how much room we have in the dorm for tea ware...
Re: Need a New Teapot!
I have several of the Chatsford teapots (4, 6 and 10 cup models), and I enjoy using them a lot. What they lack in uniqueness, I find that they more than make up for with ease of use. I use mine only for black teas and the clean up is easy. I just throw out the leaves from the infuser and rinse the infuser and the pot. They're especially nice when making tea for a larger group.