Stainless steel thermos bottle: How long keeps the tea warm?

[Cha no yu]

Dear tea-lovers,

I consider to brew my tea in a thermos bottle. And 2 models have my interest: The Bredemeijer Thermo-top, and the Alfi Achat.

The Alfi Achat site tells me '95 °C (203 °K) hot filled content still has it’s temperature of 65 °C (149 °K) after 12 hours.'
How is that with stainless steel thermos bottles? At how many hours the substance stays at a reasonable warm temperature?

1) Bredemeijer Thermo-top:
http://www.bredemeijer.nl/products/THERMO-TOP/1516/8/
2) Alfi Achat (Dutch site, I didn't find a International one):
http://www.merqplaza.nl/productID/23

[debunix]

I use Stanley steel thermoses like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-1-1Qt-Cla ... 293&sr=1-1

I have not measured the temperature, but I can still burn my tongue at 8 hours after filling if I preheated the thermos before filling it with tea, and filled it full.

Once I've started to drink the tea, after 3-4 hours of opening, pouring, closing up again, it cools quite a bit quicker.

[Cha no yu]

Thanks for the info.
I guess the Thermo-top is a good choice.

[Victoria]

The one on the right certainly looks better. You need something for 12 hours?

[Cha no yu]

It depends; Saturday of sunday I'm sometimes the howle day at home. That's when it's handy. Allthough I also have this doubt: I guess the quality will go down after saving it for 12 hours.
By the way, I just started to drink tea, 3 or 4 months ago.

The Alfi Achat has a beautifull design. But what I like about Thermo-Top; It has more capacity.

[Victoria]

Well what about just resteeping? Keeping tea in a thermos is not really optimal. That being said, Tea Gschwendner has some nice pots, is there a store near you?
http://www.tgtea.com/Categories/3/Teapots.aspx

[Cha no yu]

I see Japanese tetsubins at tgtea.com! I've also considered these. But my doubt was that enamelled tetsubins will absorb the taste of the tea. Not handy cause I'm orientating what will be my kind of tea. Further, the warth; will it escape through the scatter-spout (hope this is good English)?
That's why my choice was for the thermos bottle, because I'm not satisfied with the teapot (image below) I have at this moment. After 1½ hour (*) the tea isn't that warm anymore.
But yes, there is a shop here in my town (Alkmaar, Netherlands ), where they sell (also) tetsubins, stainless teapots, ectc.

(*) Maby 2 hours? I'll see this evening.

[debunix]

The thermos is not optimal, but sometimes is the best option when you're away from your teaware and infusion setups.

I find that black teas, oolongs, and puerhs keep better than green teas; sweet notes are often the first thing to go from green teas. While I wouldn't put my best dragonwell in the thermos, I've enjoyed my 'held' teas a lot more than the bagged english breakfast and earl grey that seem to be the standard in corporate meeting rooms.

[Victoria]

The thermos is not optimal, but sometimes is the best option when you're away from your teaware and infusion setups.

Yes, I agree, but he said he's doing it at home on the weekends.

I like the idea of the pot with the cozy cover in your pic and making two steeps.

In addition to what debunix says, small particles in your tea will cause the tea to keep brewing and become stronger and over time, causing the taste to change. Best to brew up a fresh pot if you are home.

But of course you know your needs. If you really want a thermos, and you find it is not changing the taste all that much then go for it. It does make sense that the heat would not be escaping from the spout if you get a thermos type. Maybe buy a cheaper thermos type until you decide that is the way to go, then upgrade.

You are right a tetsubin is not a good idea for you.

[debunix]

small particles in your tea will cause the tea to keep brewing and become stronger and over time, causing the taste to change.

I use my thermos daily at work--but I use a very fine strainer to strain the tea as it goes into the thermos. Very few particles.

The negative changes I note are lighter elements of the green teas and more delicate sweetness of the lighter oolongs vanishing; but also a pleasing loss of some of the bitter notes in black tea--probably due to the tannins making their way to the wall of the thermos to stay and stain it. I don't generally note any increase in bitterness or the off notes from overlong infusion times, except if the loss of lighter/sweeter notes makes the other elements more obvious.

[Cha no yu]

Thanks so far, Victoria and debunix; It gets more clear to me.
Further; do you know a good site, where I can check if the tea I'm drinking a black, a puerh, a oolong or a green tea is?

At this moment I mostly drink hibiscus or licorice tea.