Im looking into buying a tetsubin on ebay, but most seem to have rust inside of them.
Is it still okay to drink water boiled in them?
Jun 27th, '08, 12:42
Posts: 281
Joined: Mar 6th, '08, 18:02
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trent
Yes, it is OK. All Tetsubins get rusty, and you will always be drinking a trace amount of rust. Too much rust will effect the tea [make it taste like rust]. To avoid rust I always rinse and dry my pot 3 times before and after use. For a side note, the tannic acids in tea do their part to prevent rust.
Jun 27th, '08, 19:48
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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chamekke
I have several old, unlined tetsubin, and I use them without problem.
Certainly a lot of them were very rusty when they first arrived. I filled them with boiling water and scrubbed off as much of the rust as I could, then did another boiling-water rinse so that the iron would dry off fast. Then a quick pat-dry with a cotton cloth to remove any remaining moisture, before leaving the tetsubin to air-dry. It worked pretty well, I thought.
Lots of people take iron supplements, and the Japanese attitude seems to be that any traces of iron you ingest are actually good for you. Provided you get rid of an excess of rust, a little iron will be just fine - and may actually be very beneficial, if you are a woman and/or anemic.
Certainly a lot of them were very rusty when they first arrived. I filled them with boiling water and scrubbed off as much of the rust as I could, then did another boiling-water rinse so that the iron would dry off fast. Then a quick pat-dry with a cotton cloth to remove any remaining moisture, before leaving the tetsubin to air-dry. It worked pretty well, I thought.
Lots of people take iron supplements, and the Japanese attitude seems to be that any traces of iron you ingest are actually good for you. Provided you get rid of an excess of rust, a little iron will be just fine - and may actually be very beneficial, if you are a woman and/or anemic.
______________________
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly