S-F, sounds interesting! LINK please!
I am getting so creaped about plastics...if I think about it. So, I try not to really think about it too much. This is the kind of thing I could (well, anyone could) get OCD about. But then I would almost have to give up eating...plastic is everywhere. What is good, what is bad, what is realllly bad? Will we ever know the truth?
From what I have read I believe powdered tea was far more common when tea was first making it's way over to Japan from China. Sencha as we know it is a much more recent innovation in comparison, but I will have to check the exact dates.Salsero wrote:Wasn't early tea compressed into ultra tight bricks and prepared like matcha is today? Dust whisked in hot water?
To my recollection, there's a lot of date wise confusion / forms going on here.Jack_teachat wrote:From what I have read I believe powdered tea was far more common when tea was first making it's way over to Japan from China. Sencha as we know it is a much more recent innovation in comparison, but I will have to check the exact dates.Salsero wrote:Wasn't early tea compressed into ultra tight bricks and prepared like matcha is today? Dust whisked in hot water?
This is what I remember off the top of my head:
In Japan, early tea was all powdered. It was used early on as a medicine, brought over by the priest Eisai from China. Sencha was an invention much past this.
The compressed tea bricks though, were a method used a while ago in China. This was where they would compress tea into bricks for trade with Mongolia/ Tibet, and I believe Russia. It was compressed into bricks to survive the long travel and so they could pack more. Compressed bricks are composed of leaf, not powder. I'm not sure what the dates of the caravan trading were though.
Chip, sorry my reply is delayed!Chip wrote:S-F, sounds interesting! LINK please!
I am getting so creaped about plastics...if I think about it. So, I try not to really think about it too much. This is the kind of thing I could (well, anyone could) get OCD about. But then I would almost have to give up eating...plastic is everywhere. What is good, what is bad, what is realllly bad? Will we ever know the truth?
The other day I was trying to find a way to vacuum seal non-liquid things in my Ball canning jars without spending a bunch of money on a "food saver" type of device, when I stumbled upon this forum thread. The people there seem very happy with the preformance of the pump-n-seal when sealing jars and the price was right for me...so I checked out the pump-n-seal website http://www.pump-n-seal.com/. The site has a very infomercial feel to it, which I didn't like, but I ordered anyway. If you go to the site, you can watch a youtube video which describes how the device works. Simple enough.
Mine should arrive next week. When I've had a chance to test it out I'll update this thread with my findings.
About the plastics thing...I've just heard so much about phthalates in soft plastics and how they mimic estrogen and can really screw with the body, especially the bodies of young children, particularly boys (I've got an 8yo). The EU had banned phthalates in childrens' toys years ago, and the US gets the EU's rejected toys. I heard a while back that even China, the country most responsible for manufacturing the toys with phthalates, is planning on banning them in the children's toys sold in China! Here's a link to a great article about phthalates and links with contact info for your congressmen/women http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/412/ban-phthalates.html. There's a bill going through right now. BTW, most plastic water bottle, milk jug, leftover food storage containers contain phthalates. So, I'm happy to use glass and have fresher tea and food as well.
If you're really interested in using less plastic check out Fake Plastic Fish, it's a blog about someone trying to use less plastic. She's having a lot of success, actually. She isn't big on tea, but it sounds like the mason jar approach works fine, they have hardly any plastic in them. Or you could stick to metal tins and drink your tea faster. I think that's my route. I go through my tea pretty quickly, and my palate isn't really sensitive. If I can someday distinguish between one-month-old and two-month-old sencha then I may have to invest in some jars, though!
Thanks for the link! While I'm not nearly as, let's say thorough, as her, I do think we have similar priorities. My slow move away from plastics began about 11 years ago and it's been a gradual process. Only recently did I throw out the last old tupperware-like container and finally complete the food storage conatiner/water jug switch from plastic to glass. I find the glass canning jars to be just as convienent as plastic containers. They come in different sizes, are stackable, and are much more air-tight than plastic. There's only one real inconvience, and it's pretty obvious: you gottsta be careful to not break dems.
Alright, to get back on topic sorta... I've had the pump-n=seal for about a week now and have sucked the air outta around thirty jars now. I've got to say that this thing is great so far. Very easy to use and is simply a great value, providing it lasts. It's fool proof, sturdy, has a 10 year warranty, and is user serviceable...I'm happy.
Alright, to get back on topic sorta... I've had the pump-n=seal for about a week now and have sucked the air outta around thirty jars now. I've got to say that this thing is great so far. Very easy to use and is simply a great value, providing it lasts. It's fool proof, sturdy, has a 10 year warranty, and is user serviceable...I'm happy.
I don't have links to the jars, I just buy them locally. They are made by a company called Ball or Jardin or something, I can't figure it out. I can sometimes find them in supermarkets up here (in Indiana) or stores like target. I pay about $8-10 for a 12 pack of quart size or pint size jars and lids. A six pack of half gallon jars costs about $10 as well. Actually, Ace Hardware stores carry them too. Sometimes they are a seasonal item, and so you may not be able to find them year round in the store, but if you have an Ace Hardware near you, they will probably be able to special order them for you at no extra cost.Salsero wrote:Pricey, linky, how much do the little jars and lids and stuff all cost, etc?
Ok, I just found them on amazon. I'll link it so people can see what they look like but DON'T buy from amazon unless you find it impossible to find them locally, as you will end up paying an arm and a leg for shipping! Pint size jars, perfect for tea storage! I gave a link for the pumpnseal in a post of mine up this page a bit.
I haven't tried these particular ones but from what I have seen - it might be that after about a couple of month's use - the lids may come loose. I wish they made cans like the ones used in high quality matcha.cgencer wrote:I use these porcelain jars from Ikea that I recently got with a rubber sealing.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40112519
They might not look so cheap but they're quite sturdy and feels heavy, I like them.