Looking for something to make a larger quantity of tea

[Deleted User #28561]

Hi,

I've recently fallen in love with tea, it has replaced coffee, alcohol, and a fair number of other (mostly bad) habits in my life. I love the fact that I don't get the jolt awake/death-like sleepiness that coffee tends to induce. I've been using an electric kettle I've had for a while to heat the water, let it cool a bit to the temperature the green tea I drink likes (~140f), then fill a warm cup with it mixed with the tea leaves.

This works just fine, but I'm looking for a solution that would allow me to brew a larger portion of tea at once (I drink a lot - so something on the order of 4+ cups would probably be ideal.) I consume about 1-2 cups every 30 minutes or so during the morning, and it's rather annoying to continually have to get up, warm water, brew the tea, rinse and repeat.

It's also *especially* annoying at work, where it isn't convenient to get up every 30 minutes while working on various servers.

So, if you have any suggestions, I would be very much appreciative. I'd prefer something larger, as I can always brew half the amount when I need less.

Also, I do drink loose leaf tea (gyokuro), so something that would allow me to strain out the tea leaves (either when pouring, or prior) would be great. My electric tea kettle has a filter at the spout, but there are two problems with using it to brew the tea:

#1 - Buildups built inside on the heating element, and it's a pain to clean out.
#2 - It doesn't hold heat well, so the tea would become cold very quickly.

So, I was thinking of something like a coffee carafe, where I could heat 8 cups of water, fill the carafe, put in the appropriate amount of tea, let it brew, remove the "thing" containing the leaves, then pour cups until empty. As the leaves are reusable, something where I could reinsert them and repeat the process would be ideal.

With no disrespect to those who enjoy the act of brewing/making tea, I'm looking more for convenience. If the tea ends up a little cool by the end of the pot, it's not going to kill me. It's still infinitely better than the vices I replaced with it.

Thank you kindly for your input,
David

[Edit]

I found this: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-elec ... tabsection

It looked like it might work, as it has a 140F temperature setting, along with a 180F setting (so if I decide to drink another type of tea, I'll be ok). I'd just need to find some kind of glass that I could do the brewing in, that had some way to filter out the tea leaves when drinking. Suggestions welcomed!

[Edit 2]

Looks like the above mentioned device always boils the water first, and it takes nearly 4 hours to get the water back down to 140F. That won't work too well, I need something that'll just take the water up to X temperature, without requiring boiling it first.

[toastedtoads]

Your post is a little confusing, but I'm going to try and help. ^_^

It initially sounded like what you were looking for was just a large teapot with an infuser and some sort of warmer/cozy.
The volume you are using is large, so in order to keep the tea warm it would take some trickery, but you might drink it fast enough anyway, just make sure you warm up the pot first.

The other option you are looking at is one I prefer. The electric kettle/warmer you posted is very similar to a zojirushi, which is the more widely known brand for that appliance. It doesn't reboil every time you need it, just every time you turn it on. When you turn it on it first boils the water, then it cools it to the temperature you set it for (140F for you it sounds like), then it stays at that temperature the rest of the day. So if you could keep it near you it would be perfect because you could brew on a cup-by-cup basis and always have hot water when you need it.

I'm sure a few others will add to what I've said. Good luck!

Also: The filter at the spout of your current kettle is not to filter tea. More than likely it is there in case you have any mineral buildup from boiling water so that if it flakes off it doesn't get into the tea you're brewing.

[Deleted User #28561]

Thank you. Sorry if my post was a bit confusing, I was having a hard time describing exactly what I am looking for.

The first kettle looks perfect, *if* it would hold water temperature long enough. I don't think it would, however.

The second option sounds best, my only issue is I was reading through the manuals, and while both the model you mentioned, and the one I mentioned boil water quite rapidly, there is a long period of time until the water cools down to the 'warming' temperature. The Panasonic claimed 4 hours (!!) to go from boiling to 140F. That's great, because it means they are well insulated - so won't use much electricity maintaining temperature - but I don't like the idea of waiting 4 hours before I have my tea at work. If I could find something like these, that you could set to 140F (or 180, depending on type of tea), and just have it warm the water to that point then keep it warm, that would be perfect!

Thank you again for your suggestions, they are very much appreciated.

Cheers,
David

[procarel]

When I use my Zojirushi I set it at the temp for green tea(175). After it comes to a boil I just pour in a little cold water to bring it to the selected temp. It will then stay at that temp. Hope that helps.

[toastedtoads]

Check out Adagio's kettle, I don't have one personally but I know there's settings and it works differently than a Zoj, but people seem to love them.

One other note, if we can clear up some vocabulary I think it might help you explain what you want better.

tea kettle - a device in which you boil water

tea pot - item in which you pour the water and tea to brew

[kymidwife]

Why not brew several pots in a row in a large capacity ceramic or porcelain pot (they should be easy to find and inexpensive) and then keep the tea in a thermal airpot for dispensing throughout the day?

I found several Zojirushi airpots that keep liquid hot for 10-24 hours depending on the temperature. And the price is very reasonable. While many tea lovers would prefer to invest the larger amount of money in a variable temperature kettle or water heater like the Zoji Toasted mentioned, it sounds like you don't want to have to stop and brew a new cup repeatedly. So, one massive brewing you could keep warm all day might be an idea to consider.

Click here for an example... And I am in no way affiliated with this listing, btw. Just one of many examples. But this one holds 3 liters and retains heat of 149F for 24 hours.

Sarah

[Deleted User #28561]

Thank you for all the information! toastedtoads - Thank you for clearing up the vocabulary, tea drinking seems to be quite a hobby for some - I'm on the vertical learning curve still!

Ok, to further clarify:

#1 - I have the means to make boiling water already, but I'd prefer something I can heat the water to just above the proper brewing temperature for the tea I drink, so I can avoid the cool-down cycle.
#2 - I do not have a tea pot to brew the tea in, I'd like something that would work well with loose leaves, and preferably something with a large capacity so I could make a fair amount at once. Any suggestions? If it filtered the leaves when pouring, that would be wonderful.
#3 - I do not have a nice item like the airpot mentioned, I think this resolves keeping warm tea warm for me. I'll be putting 140F tea in there, so it probably won't keep things warm for such a long time, but it'll certainly keep it drinkable in temperate for some hours, which will serve my purpose quite well.

Cheers,
David

[geeber1]

Adagio has a product called the IngenuiTEA. It comes in two sizes and works in the way you're describing: you put your leaves in it, add hot water, steep, and then set it on your cup / mug, and it strains the tea into said mug.

You can see it here: http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTE ... 2f8c742590 The large sized one is good for making iced tea (32 oz.)

Most purists don't care for it, but they can be very handy! The drawback would be that it won't keep your tea hot for you.