Brewing tea at the office

[rich_hudson]

I don't know why it took me so long to discover the wonderful electric kettles that are out there. I use one made by Black & Decker (of all companies!) and it's perfect for the office. The base plugs in but the kettle itself detaches from the base so you're not encumbered. I got mine at Target but I'm sure they're widely available. Before, we had a spare coffeemaker that a couple of us tea drinkers (I drink loose-leaf green tea from MellowMonk) were using to heat water for tea, but it never got the water hot enough. We even have one of those 180-degree spigots that dispenses extra hot water. But that's not hot enough, either. (What people use it for, I have no idea. Instant noodles, maybe?)

So this electric kettle is a godsend. Instead of a teapot I use an over-the-cup strainer that's about 2 inches deep, so the tea leaves have room to swirl around during infusion.

I just thought I'd share. --Rich

[phaelon56]

Thanks for sharing. Those same kettles are great for coffee (mine is a four cupper, also B & D brand). Like many offices, mine has "free" coffee btu it's worth less than what you pay for it - rotgut. I have a little one cup Melitta cone that makes a great ten ounce mug and the electric kettle is just the ticket.

[SG-]

Here's what I've resorted to, I fill my cup with leaves bring it to the hot water dispenser and fill directly over the leaves. Water stays hot enough at the bottom and does an adequate job brewing. Will have to do for now...

[jpr54_]

I also resort to the hot water dispenser from spring water cooler-

i use loose tea and have success in making my tea.

the water is not boiling-which is good for most types of tea-

joanne

Edited April 27, 2004 by jpr54_ (log)

[rich_hudson]

Similar to what SG- does, I've often just microwaved water to (or close enough to) boiling right in the cup, then dropped the leaves right in. I don't have a problem with eating a few infused tea leaves.

Isn't there a Chinese expression about "eating a bowl of tea"? I think it refers to undergoing something unpleasant. Which would make it perfect for my office sometimes.

--Rich

[memesuze]

My general tea-at-work routine consists of a Pyrex measuring cup with the appropriate amount of water heated in the microwave down the hall and then cooled to the appropriate temperature measured by a digital intant-read thermometer, depending on whether the brew of the day is green, oolong, or black, and then poured into my Jenaer glass mug [that's been preheated by sitting catty-cornered in the top of the measuring cup] which lets the appropriate gram-weight of leaves [measured either with my pocket digital Tanita scale or my miniature Indian balance weights] steep freely before I pull the glass infuser out to set into the Jenaer top turned over on my desk. [Can you tell I'm into tools and toys?!]

Or if I'm relaxing, I get out the YiXing pot, and do a little gongfu, decanting into a gaiwan with no measuring....

Edited April 29, 2004 by memesuze (log)

[cdh]

When in an office with a hot-water tap on the water cooler, I've always stuck with oolongs and greens that brew well with water at about 180F, as that is the usual temp for such hot-water taps in my experience. No need for boiling water for the teas I happen to like.

[Fat Guy]

I love my Russell Hobbs electric "cordless" kettle. Not that I have an office. Or a job.

[phaelon56]

Don't you run some kind of "bulletin board" with your friends? Since when is that not a job?

[andiesenji]

My boss and I drink a lot of tea at the office and I finally bit the bullet and bought one of the Zojirushi 3.5 liter electric hot pots. It dispenses the near boiling water directly into a mug. I also used one at home until I had an Instant hot water appliance installed at my sink (along with a filter system). Over the years there has been a lot of disucsson on the Teamail list about the various (and sometimes ingenious) ways tea lovers prepare tea at work.

Ordinarily I brew tea in a TeaMate appliance. Unfortunately Chefs Choice has discontinued handling this appliance in the U.S. Unlike the Mrs Tea, which "perked" the tea, the TeaMate operates much like traditional brewing.

I have two and did have one at the office for a while but brought it home to keep as a spare when they were discontinued. I usually only brew one mug at a time at the office so the Zo is perfect because we also have a couple of coffee and/or other hot drink consumers at the office.

[Katherine]

We even have one of those 180-degree spigots that dispenses extra hot water. But that's not hot enough, either. (What people use it for, I have no idea. Instant noodles, maybe?)

You use the water from that 180F spigot for making a cup of coffee in your little one cup melitta that sits on top of your mug.

[Stigand]

I don't know why it took me so long to discover the wonderful electric kettles that are out there.

They're absolutely ubiquitous in the UK; I'd guess that 99% of households have one. And they're popular in offices too.

When I first moved to the US and was confronted with a stove-top kettle, I didn't even know how it worked. I assumed it was some sort of Little-House-on-the-Prairie-style nostalgia, until it dawned on me that it was in fact the norm.

On the other hand, we do drink quite a bit of tea in England, so perhaps it's not surprising that we take our kettles very seriously...

[phaelon56]

You use the water from that 180F spigot for making a cup of coffee in your little one cup melitta that sits on top of your mug.

Good concept but the water's not hot enough - the coffee will likely taste "okay" but not quite good enough. Water should be just off the boil for making coffee - around 205 degrees F is the right place to start because it loses some heat while dripping through the Melitta cone. Before getting a small electric kettle for the office, I would take the hot water from the water cooler spigot and then bump the heat level up near to boiling by zapping it in the microwave for another 30 seconds or so.

I'm not suggesting that your coffee didn't taste good - most likely it did but it could be improved by hotter water. Better coffee is always a good thing

[Cynthia G]

We also have an electric kettle at work. The coffee is drinkable, but I will often have tea instead as that is really very good. We purchased the electric kettle last year at the suggestion of some of our Australian participants.

[stephenc]

We have a big 20 cup kettle at work (the kind with a tap). First one in the morning usually makes the coffee, and then someone else makes the afternoon batch. The company pays for all the supplies, so normally we don't skimp on the grounds. You can usually tell who made it in the morning depending on how strong it is.

[Kahrs]

I agree with FG, my Russell Hobbs is great. Totally reliable. Long ago, as a gradual student, I obtained a small "brown betty" that brews about 2 cups.

That's about right. If I don't use it, then I use one of the strainers.

[Foodie_Penguin]

I don't know why it took me so long to discover the wonderful electric kettles that are out there. I use one made by Black & Decker (of all companies!) and it's perfect for the office. The base plugs in but the kettle itself detaches from the base so you're not encumbered. I got mine at Target but I'm sure they're widely available. Before, we had a spare coffeemaker that a couple of us tea drinkers (I drink loose-leaf green tea from MellowMonk) were using to heat water for tea, but it never got the water hot enough. We even have one of those 180-degree spigots that dispenses extra hot water. But that's not hot enough, either. (What people use it for, I have no idea. Instant noodles, maybe?)

So this electric kettle is a godsend. Instead of a teapot I use an over-the-cup strainer that's about 2 inches deep, so the tea leaves have room to swirl around during infusion.

I just thought I'd share. --Rich

Electric kettles are standard in the UK and virtually no-one (I've never met or heard of anyone who doesn't) boils water for a drink using a stovetop.

When my then-to-be sister-in-law visited me in the UK, she saw the efficiency of electric kettles and immediately bought one for her household back in the US.

The first thing I bought when I moved to the US was an electric kettle, even before we found somewhere to live (i.e. we were using it in the hotel we stayed at for the days before finding an apartment).

I do notice that water does take longer to boil in an electric kettle in the US but that's because the voltage is lower here.

A plus point for me is the element in the kettle doesn't get all fuzzy and nasty from limescale like mine did in London.

Foodie Penguin

[Naomi]

Gosh. Imagine not being able to get a good cuppa at work. Where I work someone makes a big pot of tea at 11 am, 1 pm and 3pm and we all stop for a cup. The coffee drinkers get maxwell house.

Good tea, bad coffee. Pretty much the reverse of the situation across the Atlantic.

[Kenk]

I use the microwave to brew Indian tea.

I put hot water from the coffee station in a cup of leaves, add milk and nuke it untill scum forms on the top and the brew is a deep brown. I have not added spices at work but will try soon.

I have many other office recipes and methods to use office lunchroom appliances.