Tea at work?

[bcos]

Hey all, so here's my dilemma.

Whenever I have my tea, I make it into a very "ritualized" occasion. I always grab my tea tray, scale, themometer, timer, kyusu, hagi, etc. Usually while I have my tea, I'll watch something online. The result is that having tea, greens especially, has turned into something that lasts for 1+ hour at a shot, and is a fairly involved process where all I'm doing is tea in some form.

I'm going to start working in my lab full-time over the summer on Monday, and I'm going to be up early in the morning instead of waking up late for classes. This leads to me desiring tea in the morning while I'm working on other tasks. I can't make tea like I usually do -- I'm going to have to move from office to lab too frequently to really sit down and enjoy 5 straight steeps of tea. However, I don't want to switch the type of tea I'm having just because I'm at work, I still want to enjoy my shincha...

So my question is: how do you enjoy your tea at work (especially sencha since it seems a bit harder to brew on the go)? Does anyone have some good suggestions to optimize my brewing habits for a work environment where I don't have a lot of time? I know this has been discussed form here to there at times, but I figured that it would be interesting to have a big discussion about how people enjoy their tea at work.

[emeraldrobot]

Since I have a cube at my office, I have an area that is devoted to tea (my co-workers think i'm crazy but I also have action figures, nerf guns, and all sorts of other things so I guess a tea corner isn't that outrageous). I bought myself a zojirushi water kettle, and a beehouse teapot (something pretty durable, and I won't miss as much as an expensive kyusu if it broke). I have a couple of teacups my collection of tea.

I typically have my tea while i'm checking email, or doing stuff in the morning that is less demanding of my job that way I can keep an eye out on my tea, and get work done too.

I think the biggest change for me is working the tea in around work. However, I decided in the end that I would not just settle, which is why I went kind of gung ho with my cube (which I might be able to say is a better tea setup than I have at home right now!)

Good luck!

[scruffmcgruff]

Maybe get an infuser cup? The informality of the tools might make you less averse to casual brewing, and it's less likely someone will mess with your teaware. I imagine you won't be brewing in the lab but you could always brew in the office and leave the parts behind while you sip elsewhere.

[teashionista]

I, too, have faced this dilemma. My problem is further complicated by the nature of my work, and lack of a permanent work space (I often work from client sites)... Hence, my cube in the "real" office is only used for short periods of time and I usually don't keep any personal effects there. Mine is a very nomadic approach

I use a mug with a huge infuser, and only brew teas that I'm not overly fussy about. Unfortunately, this takes out pretty much all oolongs and pu-erhs, as I really don't like brewing either kind Western style. High grade greens and blacks are out of question as well: I think it would be a shame to waste great tea without the proper brewing equipment. What I have been doing is drinking lower grades greens and blacks: I don't feel too stressed about brewing them at who knows what temperature!

There are benefits to this approach: it helps work throught teas that otherwise would sit in the cupboard, and makes my tea drinking sessions at home--with all appropriate peraphenalia--much more enjoyable!

[Oni]

I am in the same dilema, and usually my tea session takes 1 h +, and I cannot bring a kyusu to work, but men at work need tea at work. I think a zojirushi water dispenser would be great for tea on the run, no need to wait for the water to boil, saves precious time, and I think oolong would be more forgiving with the brewing time, I was thinking about TGY in a 200 ml gaiwan, just put in a spoon of leaf, and pour hot water from zoji and you can leave it there 10 minutes + and still it wont go bitter, after drinking it out you can refill, japanese shincha needs brewing time to be correct, and amount and temprerature too, so I think it is too time consuming to brew.

[cherylopal]

I have problems brewing tea at work too. Mostly a time and space issue- I'm lucky to get 20 minutes free from the kids (I teach first grade) and that time is taken up with meetings, emails to parents etc. And there's the fact that I don't have a kid free space! I have a microwave and a filter for when I have the time to brew but during this very busy time of year, I find Ocha tea bags to be perfect and very very tasty.

I save the brewing and its enjoyment for home- either I get up early or it is a special treat on the weekends.

If you search, there are threads on this including one of pics of teaware and stations at worksites. You might get some ideas there.

[Dresden]

Ever since I took my new position I am on the road for much of my work day. This presents quite a problem as far as tea at work. I have been loading up a thermos and taking that with me.

I guess it would be kinda dangerous to bring my kettle and plug it into my inverter!

Don't steep and drive!