On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:19:42 -0700 (PDT), Rainy
gmail.com>
wrote:
>
>
>Square Peg wrote:
>> After following this ng for awhile, I have been encouraged to learn
>> more about tea and brewing a really good cup.
>>
>> I have come to the conclusion that I need better tools. One that I am
>> about to purchase is the ingenuiTea from Adagio. This looks like the
>> perfect tool for loose tea and expecially for multiple infusions,
>> which I am just getting into.
>>
>>
>> I have a couple of questions and would appreciate any comments.
>>
>> 1. Infuser popping out. Several Amazon reviewers reported that the
>> infuser would sometimes pop out or float up allowing tea leaves to get
>> into the cup. However, most of these people also put the whole unit
>> into the microwave, which I can imagine might warp things.
>>
>> Has anyone had a problem with the infuser not staying in place?
>>
>>
>> 2. Multiple infusions. One reviewer said that it didn't work well for
>> multiple infusions. Here's the exact wording:
>>
>> "The only problem I have is making that second cup of tea by reusing
>> the same tea leaves. The leaves have a tendency to get stuck in the
>> valve on the bottom and I occasionally have come back to dispense my
>> tea into a cup and have found my tea all over my countertop! I have
>> found that as long as I don't reuse the tea leaves, this product is
>> perfect!!" By akh1060 "akh1060" (Oshkosh, WI)
>>
>> I assume that what happened was the wet leaves kept the valve from
>> closing so when water was added a second time, the valve was still
>> open.
>>
>> Has anyone tried this and/or had this problem?
>>
>>
>>
>> 3. Separate infusers for blacks? One of the complaints against the
>> automatic tea makers was that the pot & infuser would become
>> impregnated with the stronger flavors, which would then affest the
>> taste of greensd and whites.
>>
>> They sell replacement infusers for $3. Should I order a couple extra
>> ones and reserve one just for the lighter teas?
>>
>>
>>
>> 4. Are there any alternatives to this decide that I should look at
>> before buying it?
>>
>>
>>
>> 5. It comes in two sizes: 16 oz and 32 oz. Adagio advertises the 32 oz
>> model as for *iced* tea, but I don't see anything to suggest that it
>> is not just a larger version. Does anyone know if there is any
>> dofference other than size? I am inclined to get the 32 oz model.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Here are some links:
>>
>>
http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html?sid=bd4a511efe0c3df17fee401...
>>
>> and
>>
>>
http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html?sid=bd4a511efe0c3df17fee401...
>>
>> They are also available from Amazon:
>>
>>
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RJDX30/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
>>
>> The reviews on Amazon seem more substantive.
>
>It just feels very odd to me to pour boiling
>water into plastic device.
Glass does "sound" safer. I don't know if it really is.
>The thing is that
>very nice looking (better looking imo) glass
>pots are available for the same price, from
>Jenaer, Bodum, etc.
>For multi-brews you
>can brew the leaves in full volume of the
>pot and pour in two cups, (if you don't
>have a second pot, which works even
>better), and re-brew in the old pot.
Unless I don't understand what you are saying, you can do this with
the ingenuiTea as well, no?
>There
>are ceramic pots that have straining holes
>on the inside of pot before the spout, or
>tea can be poured through strainer, losing
>a few leaves. If you're into tea you'll
>eventually end up with 2+ pots, whether
>you want to or not ;-).
>
>If you don't mind plastic it looks very
>sweet though.
You got me thinking. It may be that a regular teapot with a removeable
infuser may actually be more versatile. I sometimes become attreacted
to gadgets just because they are gadgets. The ingenuiTea is a clever
design and I may have given it too many point for cleverness.
>But I think they miss the point that
>when making tea, the trickier part is
>to boil water to the right temp and
>to infuse it for the right time, so the
>part of the process that they make
>more convenient is already perfectly
>convenient, and this pot doesn't
>address the tricky parts.
>The best thing about this pot is that
>you don't need two pots or 2 cups
>for small spaces like an office, dorm,
>... .
But that is also true of the glass teapots, no?
For both, you need (a) a way to heat the water (stovetop kettle,
electric kettle, microwave), (b) a place to brew the tea (ingenuiTea,
glass teapot, etc.), and (c) something to put the tea (cup or
thermos).
