Reddit mentions: The best beverage serverware
We found 1,221 Reddit comments discussing the best beverage serverware. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 542 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. Hario Cha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot, 700ml, glass
- ChaCha Kyusu Maru: This teapot has a modern look and features Hario’s signature heatproof glass. Minimalist and timeless, this teapot has the sleek look to perfectly accompany any kitchen design or style
- Glass Teapot: With our heatproof glass teapot, you can enjoy the variety of colors of tea as it brews. Hario’s heatproof glass has been treated to resist shattering. Hot water safe, and dishwasher safe
- Full Flavor: Enjoy your favorite tea as it was meant to be brewed. Large tea strainer allows tea leaves to expand easily, allowing for the full flavor of the tea to come through
- Japanese Design: A simple, elegant, practical solution to an everyday countertop essential. Glass teapot designed and made in Japan. Available in 3 sizes
- Product Details: W173 × D132 × H108mm. Glass teapot and lid made in Japan; stainless steel strainer made in China
Features:
Specs:
Color | Glass |
Height | 5.71 Inches |
Length | 6.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 700ml |
Weight | 0.6724098991 Pounds |
Width | 4.72 Inches |
2. Adagio Teas ingenuiTEA Bottom-Dispensing Teapot,clear,16 oz
Great for the office or when traveling, this innovative teapot releases infused tea directly into a drinking cupWhen tea is ready, simply place over cup and tea will drain from bottomA mesh filter retains all the leaves with one of the best infusers on the marketDishwasher safe, the teapot is made i...
Specs:
Color | Clear |
Height | 6.5 Inches |
Length | 5.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 16-ounce |
Weight | 0.75 Pounds |
Width | 4 Inches |
3. Hario Cha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot, 450ml, glass
Ease of use tea potLarge tea strainer allows the tea leaves to expand easilyHeatproof glass that has been heat treated to resist shatteringDishwasher and heat safe
Specs:
Color | Glass |
Height | 4.92 Inches |
Length | 5.71 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 450ml |
Weight | 0.66 Pounds |
Width | 3.74 Inches |
4. Aladdin Perfect Cup Tea Infuser 12oz, Chai
- Brew and enjoy hot beverages on the go
- Works with loose tea, tea bags and coarse ground coffee
- Leak-resistant flip lid
- Dishwasher & microwave safe
- Car-cup friendly & BPA-free
Features:
Specs:
Color | Chai |
Height | 7.5 Inches |
Length | 4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 12-Ounce |
Weight | 0.25 Pounds |
Width | 3.5 Inches |
5. Igloo 10 Gal Orange Seat Top Cooler w/Cup Dispense
- Double loops on lid allow it to be secured to handles on both sides for added water security
- Large-button spigot that will be easier to use for both gloved and smaller hands
- Recessed and Angled drip-resistant spigot for easy dispensing
- Reinforced comfort-grip handles for improved strength, comfortable transportation, and Product longevity
- Keeper cord affixes lid to cooler for cleanliness and loss prevention and flat lid creates a seat when Not in use, and is stackable
- Sport type: Camping & Hiking
- UltraTherm insulation in body to keep beverage cold. Item is meant to store cold beverages only
- Impact resistant plastic bottom
- Reinforced handles for long product life
- Pressure fit lid won't trap dirt
- 10 Gallon capacity
Features:
Specs:
Color | 10 Gal Orange |
Height | 22.047244072 Inches |
Length | 17.322834628 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 10-Gallon |
Weight | 10.582188576 Pounds |
Width | 15.74803148 Inches |
6. Anchor Hocking 2-Gallon Heritage Hill Glass Beverage Dispenser with Spigot, Set of 1
INCLUDES: This Anchor Hocking glass set contains (1) 2-gallon Heritage Hill beverage dispenser with spigot. Made of all-clear glass, perfect for displaying and dispensing all types of drinks, from tea to lemonade.DURABLE: These glass beverage dispensers are thick walled and expertly crafted to preve...
Specs:
Color | Clear |
Height | 13.5 Inches |
Length | 8.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 2-Gallon |
Weight | 8.84 Pounds |
Width | 8.75 Inches |
7. Kamjove Glass Gong Fu Tea Maker Press Art Cup Teapot with Infuser
Capacity:23.67fl oz./ 700mlLength:135mm, width:135mm, hight:155mm, weight:375gTea maker press art cup teapot
8. Epica 18-Oz. Glass Beverage Bottles, Set of 6
- THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EARTH-FRIENDLY JUICE BOTTLES IN YOUR KITCHEN: Your fresh-squeezed juices look gorgeous on your table and in your fridge in these classy air-tight and Eco-friendly bottles.
- TAKE YOUR HOME-SQUEEZED JUICES AND SMOOTHIES ON THE ROAD: It’s easier than ever to take your healthy homemade juices and smoothies with you when you carry them in your Epica Bottles.
- DURABLE LEAD-FREE GLASS WITH AN EXTRA-WIDE MOUTH: Most water and juice bottles are a pain to fill and wash but the wide mouth on these Epica Bottles make everything from filling to cleanup easy.
- AIR AND WATER-TIGHT STAINLESS STEEL CAP WON’T LEAK: Each cap is lined with a rubber O-ring so it will never leave a leaky mess in your car or bag. Oxygen can’t get in to break down the enzymes and ruin your juices.
- 18 OZ. BOTTLES FIT IN YOUR LUNCH BAG OR CUP HOLDER: Take your bottles with you wherever you go - in the car, school or work. At 9 in. tall and 2.5 in. diameter, they fit in most car cup holders.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Clear |
Number of items | 6 |
Weight | 5.7761112644 Pounds |
9. Updated More Durable Beverage Dispenser Replacement Spigot,Stainless Steel Polished Finished, Water Dispenser Replacement Faucet, fits Berkey and other Gravity Filter systems as well
- Quick Installation: This Beverage Dispenser Replacement Spigot requires 5/8 inch or 16mm diameter opening to install. It fits dispenser wall up to 11/16 inch or 17mm thick.
- Multi-Function – The DozyAnt Beverage Dispenser Replacement Faucet is great for Dispensing Tea, wine, water, juices and other beverage. Fits all Berkey Stainless Steel models. Will not fit Berkey Light.
- Premium Quality –The DozyAnt Beverage Dispenser Replacement Spigot is made of fine solid stainless steel, no lead included in the material, surprisingly durable and corrosive-resistant, good for health and with a long life with proper appliance.
- Notice - Wash and tear off the white protective films on the washers before use. If necessary, use 3/4 inch wrench for the nut, do not over-tighten. Rinse thoroughly by clean water with handle in partial open position (45 degree turn) after the usage. If used for sugary drink, we suggest removing the spigot from the dispenser and clean thoroughly.
- Warranty & Friendly Customer Service: We have a commitment to every buyer 100% satisfaction. After all, we are customers, too. So if you have any problems about our DozyAnt Beverage Dispenser Replace Spigot, just contact us, we will settle the issue according to your willingness.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Style 1 |
Height | 1.42 Inches |
Length | 4.21 Inches |
Size | 5/8 to 3/4 inch |
Weight | 0.15 Pounds |
Width | 2.48 Inches |
10. HomeBrewStuff 12" Stainless Domed False Bottom and Silicone Tubing
12" RoundHeavy duty 18 Gauge Stainless steel3/32 holes on 5/32 centers3/8" SS barb fitting Included7/8" hole in the center will fit any 1/2"
Specs:
Color | silver |
Height | 3 Inches |
Length | 12 Inches |
Weight | 1.2 Pounds |
Width | 12 Inches |
11. Brita Slim Water Filter Pitcher, 5 Cup food, White
One small, 5 cup Brita Slim Water Pitcher with 1 filterReduces chlorine taste and odor, to deliver great tasting waterRemoves copper, mercury and cadmium, which can cause illness over timeSticker filter indicator to notifies you when you need to replace the filterChange filter every 40 gallons or ap...
Specs:
Color | White |
Height | 4.2 Inches |
Length | 10.6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | Pitcher 5 Cup |
Weight | 0.06 Pounds |
Width | 9.1 Inches |
12. Hario Cha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot, 300ml, glass
Ease of use tea potLarge tea strainer allows the tea leaves to expand easilyHeatproof glass that has been heat treated to resist shatteringDishwasher and heat safe
Specs:
Color | Glass |
Height | 4.84 Inches |
Length | 4.8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 300ml |
Weight | 0.66 Pounds |
Width | 4.17 Inches |
13. Takeya Patented and Airtight Pitcher Made in the USA, 2 Quart, Blueberry
- BPA-Free Plastic Pitcher: This airtight, leakproof, shatterproof, BPA-free pitcher is as versatile as it is functional. Great for iced tea, lemonade, cold brew, sangria, or a batch of smoothies. Lightweight and airtight, this pitcher is picnic perfect. 2 Quart, Blueberry
- Airtight and Leakproof: Lid twists into pitcher to keep beverages fresh and allow pitcher to be stored upright or on its side and are designed to withstand temperatures from boiling hot to ice cold
- Premium Bottles and Lids: Our innovative line of insulated hydration solutions come in a range of sizes. We offer water bottles in 18, 24, 32, 40, and 64 oz sizes, tumblers in 20 and 30 oz sizes, and beverage makers and pitchers in 1 Qt and 2 Qt sizes
- BPA Free Hydration Solutions: From insulated stainless steel water bottles to beverage makers and pitchers, as well as a variety of product accessories, Takeya USA products help you stay cool, refreshed and hydrated for an active, on-the-go lifestyle
- Innovative Hydration Solutions: Takeya brings over 55 years of Japanese design heritage to our line of insulated, BPA-free water bottles & our sustainable iced tea, fruit infusion, & cold brew pitchers
- Holds 8 servings of beverage (2 Quarts)
- Make, serve, and store all in one pitcher
- Airtight, leakproof lid locks in freshness and flavor.
- Store on its side or in fridge door.
- BPA-Free Tritan
- Made in the USA
Features:
Specs:
Color | Blueberry |
Height | 12.2 Inches |
Length | 4.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 2 Quart |
Weight | 0.78 Pounds |
Width | 6.1 Inches |
14. Yeme Tasteful Bamboo Tea Table Serving Tray 14" x 10.3" - YRYS
- Made by high grade thick Chinese Moso bamboo, polished smooth surface.
- The tray is perfect for your tea set.
- Raised edges catch drips and spills
- Tray Size: 36cm x 26cm or 14" x 10.3"
- Always keep your desk neat and tidy.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Bamboo |
Height | 2.56 Inches |
Length | 14 Inches |
Size | Bamboo 14" x 10.3" |
Weight | 2.42 Pounds |
Width | 10.3 Inches |
15. Takeya 64 Oz Iced Tea Maker with Silicone Handle Avocado Olive Green
- Airtight and leak-proof: A unique lid design keeps air out, and freshness sealed in. You can even store a full pitcher horizontally in your refrigerator with no leaks!
- Perfect Brewing: The fine mesh Tea Infuser is ideal for brewing loose leaf tea, allowing each leaf to expand, unfurl and release its full flavor.
- Non-Slip Handle: The sturdy handle is made with silicone, the perfect material for lightweight traction that ensures a good grip when moving or pouring.
- Tea-Maker Body: Specially-made to withstand rapid temperature changes from boiling hot to ice cold.
- INNOVATIVE HYDRATION SOLUTIONS: Takeya brings over 55 years of Japanese design heritage to our line of insulated, BPA-free water bottles & our sustainable iced tea, fruit infusion, & cold brew pitchers.
Features:
Specs:
Color | Avocado/Olive |
Height | 12.5 Inches |
Length | 6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 64-Ounce |
Weight | 0.9 Pounds |
Width | 4 Inches |
16. Mr. Root Beer Home Brewing Root Beer Kit
Root-beer-making kit offers a fun way to brew 2 gallons of creamy old-fashioned root beer at homeIncludes 1 bottle of root-beer extract, 2 packets of flavor crystals, and 1 packet of root-beer yeastAlso provides 1 packet of no-rinse cleanser, 4 1-liter bottles with caps and labels, and 1 funnelInstr...
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 14.5 Inches |
Length | 14 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | _ |
Weight | 1.5 Pounds |
Width | 12.5 Inches |
17. Primula Half Moon Teapot with Removable Infuser, Blooming and Loose Leaf Tea Maker Set, Stainless Steel Filter, Borosilicate, Dishwasher Safe, 40-Ounce, Black/Glass
TEA BREWING IN GLASS - Crafted from temperature safe borosilicate glass, our Half-Moon Teapot is the perfect choice for tea lovers. The glass in this tea maker does not retain flavors, giving you the option to enjoy a wide range of teasTEAPOT WITH INFUSER – Ideal glass teapot set, for brewing your...
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 6.75 Inches |
Length | 5.75 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 40-Ounce |
Weight | 1 Pounds |
Width | 7.25 Inches |
18. Zojirushi Thermal Serve Carafe, Made in Japan, 1.0 Liter, Polished Stainless Steel
- High quality durable vacuum glass liner
- Easy-to-open twist open stopper
- Accommodates coffee filter cones for direct brewing
- Sleek design ideal for home or office use
- Hand washing recommended; made in Japan
Features:
Specs:
Color | Polished Stainless Steel |
Height | 10.38 Inches |
Length | 7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | May 2008 |
Size | 1.0 Liter |
Weight | 4 Pounds |
Width | 5.25 Inches |
19. Happy Sales HSCT-ABK01, Cast Iron Tea Pot Tea Set Black ARR w/Trivet
One teapot, one trivet, & two cupsHappy Sales Hand cast iron teapot setFinished with a porcelain enamel interior2 Matching Black Tea Cups (3"Dia. 2"H) & 1 Mesh infuser
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 6 Inches |
Length | 12 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 15 oz |
Weight | 0.05 pounds |
Width | 10 Inches |
20. Takeya Patented and Airtight Pitcher Made in the USA, 2 Quart, Black
- BPA-Free Plastic Pitcher: This airtight, leakproof, shatterproof, BPA-free pitcher is as versatile as it is functional. Great for iced tea, lemonade, cold brew, sangria, or a batch of smoothies. Lightweight and airtight, this pitcher is picnic perfect. 2 Quart, Black
- Airtight and Leakproof: Lid twists into pitcher to keep beverages fresh and allow pitcher to be stored upright or on its side and are designed to withstand temperatures from boiling hot to ice cold
- Premium Bottles and Lids: Our innovative line of insulated hydration solutions come in a range of sizes. We offer water bottles in 18, 24, 32, 40, and 64 oz sizes, tumblers in 20 and 30 oz sizes, and beverage makers and pitchers in 1 Qt and 2 Qt sizes
- BPA Free Hydration Solutions: From insulated stainless steel water bottles to beverage makers and pitchers, as well as a variety of product accessories, Takeya USA products help you stay cool, refreshed and hydrated for an active, on-the-go lifestyle
- Innovative Hydration Solutions: Takeya brings over 55 years of Japanese design heritage to our line of insulated, BPA-free water bottles & our sustainable iced tea, fruit infusion, & cold brew pitchers
- Holds 8 servings of beverage (2 Quarts)
- Make, serve, and store all in one pitcher
- Airtight, leakproof lid locks in freshness and flavor.
- Store on its side or in fridge door.
- BPA-Free Tritan
- Made in the USA
Features:
Specs:
Color | Black |
Height | 12.2 Inches |
Length | 4.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 2 Quart |
Weight | 0.47 Pounds |
Width | 6.1 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on beverage serverware
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where beverage serverware are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Sorry, generic tea copypasta coming though here.
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New to Tea? New to loose leaf? Let me help.
Hello, new friend. So you've stumbled your way into /r/tea, you probably though this was a subreddit for the Mr. T, but no worries you're here and you're in good hands. We're all tea fiends and we're all eager to share our fifteen minutes of meditation, our hobby and our little slice of heaven. So why should you consider switching from Lipton to something crazy like leaves some Chinese person picked off a tea bush?
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So, Where To Start??
^^buy ^^theses ^^teas ^^first!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where | Why?
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GoodLife Tea's $7 for 7 Sampler | Free Shipping! Robb has a fantastic variety of tasty high quality tea important for building up your tea pallet.
Verdant's Five Teas for $5 | Free Shipping! Again, Verdant sells some premium quality tea. Think of their sampler as a crash course into the rich people's side of tea. But the catch with tea is that it's a lot more affordable than wine could ever hope to be. The sampler is great for building up your tea preferences and giving you a kickstart in the right direction.
Upton Tea | My personal favorite store, they send a nice little paperback catalog every quater. They sell a huge variety of teas, from traditional English Breakfast to Tie-Guan-Yin. Not only that but they sell their teas in different grades meaning you can dabble in what is traditionally an expensive tea by trying a lower quality (but still delicious and tasty) grade of tea. You can find the grade and variety of tea that matches your wallet and taste. They also sell cheap samplers, if you wish you can take $20 and order around 15 samples and see where your cuppa takes you.
Adagio | A personal favorite of /r/tea if you can find a store nearby! But don't fret, most of us buy our tea online so no worries if you're in Kodiak, Alaska and can't get down to an Adagio. They sell nice quality tea, their stores people are incredibly informed and helpful (unlike a certain Starbucks owned tea store). They also have Adagio XL which sells tea in bulk.
Harney & Sons | Amazon Prime Shipping. I love my Amazon account, that's usually by go to place online shopping and being able to two-day ship a simple tin of Harney & Sons tea without the shipping cost is fantastic. They sell lots of teas and they're all very good. Maybe not the premium tea you'll see Chinese diplomats drinking but they in my opinion sell tea that all tastes great.
Coffee Bean Direct | Who knew a place called Coffee Bean Direct* sold tea too? Again, with Amazon Prime Shipping this seems to be the place to buy tea in bulk. They're well reviewed and their tea seems to be good. If you're like me and cold brew ice tea frequently then this might be the best place to pick up some bulkier tea to last you the season.
Crimson Lotus | Owned by a frequenter of /r/tea, Puerh_Lover stocks a great store with lots of neat little stuff. Be warned, he caters to pu'er which is a type of fermented tea pressed into bricks or pellets. In other words this is a special variety of tea that needs special equipment and special knowledge to brew. Don't fret if you're not walking out of /r/tea after a day brewing in a gaiwan.
White2Tea | More lovely pu'er.
Yunnan Sourcing | Again, more pu'er, but also lots of green and white teas too. They sell teaware for good prices too so if you're looking to pick up a traditional china teacup or gaiwan this is a good place to get that.
What-Cha | Another beloved store on /r/tea, but they're pretty pricey at times. But you can always expect good quality tea and a looser wallet from here.
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Just How Do You Make Tea?
Traditional Western | Gongfu | Cold Brew
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The way you're probably familiar with when it comes to brewing tea, all it requires is a teapot like this one (I highly recommend this teapot). Western or Traditional works well with every kind of tea. It's the universal method of making tea and the best place to start. | This kind of brewing is very specific as it only works with Chinese type teas like pu'er. This method of making tea is hands down the best way to make a Chinese styled tea and does wonders to enhance and bring out the best in the leaves. But this method wont work for a cuppa English Breakfast or Japanese Sencha. To brew Gongfu style you use a gaiwan which is fancy talk for a tiny cup with a lid. The idea behind Gongfu is more leaves, less water and time. You use micro-infusions instead of waiting minutes like Western or hours like Cold Brewing. | Cold Brewing is for those of us who just love iced tea. It's simple to cold brew, a vessel like this will brew a mean pitcher of ice tea. All you have to do is leave the leaves in the filter and wait 5-12 hours for the tea to brew, perfect for leaving overnight. Fair Warning: tea can go bad, the kind of stuff you'd buy at the store has a massive amount of preservatives in it. Keep your cold brewing tea out of the sunlight and don't let it sit for more than 48 hours.
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On Kettles
So you're going to need a way to keep your water hot. A stovetop kettle is probably the most accessible and the biggest no brainer out of everything here. A microwave heats water inconsistently, can leave an odd taste if your microwave isn't properly clean, and you really don't have a good way of knowing how hot the water is. Temperature is important. Brewing a cuppa green tea in boiling water will result in a pretty shitty cup of tea, and brewing some black tea in the water appropriate for green tea will result in a disappointing cuppa.
You also have electric kettles like the Cuisinart CPK-17 which is going to cost as much as a decent coffee machine but if tea is your caffeine fix then it might be worth it. The Cuisinart is a variable temperature kettle meaning you just have to press a button and it makes the water the appropriate temperature for whatever kind of tea you're drinking.
Tea | Temperature
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Black | 212
Green | 175
White | 190
Oolong | 185
Pu'er | 212
Herbal | 212
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Where To Buy Tea Equipment? What Equipment Might You Want To Buy?
Umi Tea Sets sells lots of cute tea sets. They also sell pretty much any kind of vessel you can brew tea in, from Yixing to Japanese tea sets.
Mr. Coffee Tea Kettle A simple, $10 stovetop kettle to boil some water. It seems to have a little hole in it for a thermometer to go in if you need to measure your water temperature.
Glass Whistling Kettle I have one of these, you can tell water temperature from the bubbles if you learn to read them well. It’s pretty handy but if I could I would exchange it for the Mr. Coffee.
CPK-17 Electronic Kettle probably the device that makes most of /r/tea’s mouths water (that might just be the tea). This is pretty much the best electronic kettle you can buy, cheaper than a K-Cup Coffee machine. It has temperatures for making all kinds of tea labeled nicely. I have one and I love it.
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Want to find the right kind of tea for you? Here’s a tea discovery wheel! Try it out here.
No worries at all, I'm more than happy to help as much as I can. I'm super passionate about tea and love seeing new people want to try it out, especially gongfu!
Because you've expressed interest in having a full gongfu set up, below I'm going to give you a couple examples of starter-packs consisting of a tea table, gaiwan, pitcher, strainer, and tea cups (and a tea pet if you're really feeling like going all out).
Nearly everything I'm going to list below is from Yunnan Sourcing's US-based website, because that way you won't have to wait for China shipping. Although, don't get used to US shipping. The deeper you get into this hobby, the more you're going to be ordering from vendors who ship directly from China, which generally takes anywhere from 10-15 business days. It's best to accept that fact up front and just get used to it--honestly, now I don't even notice. It shows up when it shows up.
Okay, without further ado, here's the full gongfu package that I'd recommend for one person just getting into gongfu.
Tea Table: ~$45.00USD (US Shipping)
https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503637708&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=gongfu+tea+tray&psc=1
Gaiwan + Teacup: $10.00USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=1074&controller=product
Cha Hai (Glass Pitcher): $6.50USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=86&controller=product
Strainer: $3.20USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=89&controller=product
^That will have all the brewing utensils that you'd need to get started with gongfu (though some would argue you don't need the tea table, just use a cloth or a dish or something, but since you seem interested in the full package, that's what I'd go with...that's actually the table I use now!)
Now...when it comes to tea...
I'd first highly recommend picking up a scale (this one from Amazon is only $9.00USD and works really well: https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-AWS-600-BLK-Nutrition/dp/B000O37TDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503639369&sr=8-1&keywords=American+weigh+scale
As for strong sweet flavor that doesn't need sugar, I'd recommend starting with oolongs, which are typically very smooth, sweet, floral, and somewhat creamy.
Here are a couple of my personal favorites that are extremely budget-friendly, ship super fast, and are all from Eco-Cha.
Four Seasons Spring Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/four-seasons-spring-oolong-tea-1
Dong Ding Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/dong-ding-oolong-tea
Alishan High Mountain Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/alishan-high-mountain-oolong-tea
If you're feeling adventurous, then I'd definitely pick up some puerh as well. The Basics Puer Tea Sample Set from White2Tea is
one of the best introductions you can ask for. It's $39.99USD for 400g of solid tea (4x100g cakes of Spring, Autumn, Huangpian [large leaf], and 10-year-old tea), and it always comes with a free puerh pick, and ships anywhere in the world for free, which is super nice.
If you purchase everything I listed, you'd spend ~$130.00USD, which would set you up with a tea-set you would grow into, and enough tea to last you roughly 2 months, and that's assuming you drink 10g of tea every day, which is highly unlikely.
If you're on a super tight budget, then I'd recommend ditching the tea table and just getting the gaiwan+teacup, the scale, and the teas. Everything else isn't nearly as important, though if you have the money, it's certainly nice to have the full setup.
Putting my hat in the Scotch camp here. I also like gin, sake, and am getting more into beers, especially homebrew beers. Just had some great porter I helped make. I'm just basically not a wine guy. No idea why, but I just can't seem to get into it. Or vodka. Or any of those notorious spirits that are popular among college students whose main 'virtue' is getting you plastered. I have to have a bit of quality and flavor when I drink. And I know you asked about alcohol, but I also have to talk about soda a little. Only because if you make it yourself (no, I don't mean sodastream, I mean real, from scratch, yeast carbonated soda) it not only tastes amazing, but it's better for you (no high fructose corn syrup and actually natural ingredients are easily possible) AND with yeast doing the carbonation, there's even a very slight alcohol content (something in the range of 1% but still technically there) which is nice.
Current favorites:
Id say get a sample of a couple of different teas to try out. There are many websites to buy teas from, brownestrabbit having listed some of them. There is also Teavana and Republic of Tea as well.
For equipment, I would get a simple teamaker such as this one from Adagio. Other places carry this style of teamaker, but I dont know their pricing. It is a simple cup with a filter at the bottom, and acts like a gravity press when you place it on top of any cup or mug. Theres a video review of it in the comments of that page.
After that, id say get a e-kettle. A cheap 20$ one from walmart or target will suffice. Nothing too fancy, just something to boil water very quickly.
Since you are just starting out, dont buy into all the clay/yixing/cast iron/bone china/etc teapots. You can think about those later in life. Your focus should be on the taste of tea, not on what it comes in.
There are a couple of different types of teas, and ill make a quick and dirty list for ya here. And always try and go whole leaf/loose leaf if you have the option.
Actual Tea
These contain the actual tea leaves, Camelia Sinesis and Camelia Assamica
Other Teas
A couple of tips:
that it often cannot appreciate something that doesnt come up and punch your tongue in the face. So if you smell a very sweet tea, try to stray away from it.
TL:DR- Get a cheap teamaker, get some loose leaf green tea, no sugar.
PS: I like to call drinking earl grey while in my chair "pulling a Jean Luc", in reference to Capt. Picard from Star Trek.
If you want to know more, feel free to shoot me a message, will be glad to help.
I have a few things that I actually need, but I can't link anything right now(I'll come edit with links when I get to a computer).
Not for me, but my bird would appreciate a couple new perches. Getting his nails trimmed is expensive and it's uncomfortable for him. I'd like to make it easier for him to trim them on his own so he doesn't have to go through the stress and pain of the vet visit.
I could really use a water filter. I don't like the taste of tap water, and bottled water is too expensive. I could filter the tap and try to be a little healthier and drink it instead of sweet tea or soda.
What would make my life slightly better would be maybe a vacuum cleaner. My mom gave me her old one when she moved away, but it doesn't really work. I've tried everything I could do to fix it, but no go. Since we have a lot of animals, vacuuming is a weekly if not more often, chore. A working vacuum would be awesome!
On the more expensive side, a mattress would definitely improve my quality of life. I've never had a new one, they've all been hand me downs or bought used. The one I have now could have been super nice, but the previous owners left dents where they slept in it. So there really isn't any support for my body. Having fibromyalgia makes me have a hard time sleeping, so it would be nice to enjoy the sleep I do get. It also makes me overheat really easy, so I often wake up in the middle if the night burning up even when it's 68 degrees.
Sorry for the wall! I just wanted to put the things I actually needed and give a variety :)
This is an awesome contest and I hope everyone's lives get a little better if they need it! <3
The IngenuiTEA is pretty great for a starter infuser. That's what I got when I first began exploring loose tea. Mine has mostly been replaced by actual teapots these days, but I do still use it on occasion to brew a cup to go. Tons of room for your tea to expand, the strainer is nice and fine so you don't get sediment, and it's easy to clean up. I got the 32oz. one because the price difference was negligible, but it depends on if you see yourself sharing with anyone or not. This Hario teapot is what replaced mine, and I absolutely love it, so there's another option for you to think about.
As for kettle, you may just wanna go with something cheap to start out and just use a kitchen thermometer to get it to the right temp (that's what I did for a long time). Temperature control is good, but that one isn't very big. If you decide to get some nice teapots down the road, you may end up having to replace it with something bigger anyway.
Not sure what to tell you about for a cup, it just depends on your needs... how long does it need to stay hot, does it have to completely seal, etc. The ones that come with infusers shouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker. Most infusers are removable and may come in handy some day. This one is on my wish list (I have a different one by the same company that is great but can't vouch for this actual one).
For tea, Adagio is a great place to start, that's what I did. They have lots of little 4-pack samplers that are awesome. Verdant still has their $5 for 5 samples deal which is pretty hard to beat, although some of their stuff may not necessarily be geared towards beginners.
(Warning, this will be a very dense comment.)
there are 2 common approaches when it comes to enjoying tea, western style, and gong-fu style. (here is a link to some photos of my equipment http://imgur.com/a/8NPN3)
The western style approach involves using a teapot with a removable metal mesh strainer to brew tea. You need to simply place your desired amount of loose tea leaves into the strainer, place it in the teapot, add water of the desired temperature (usually 170 for green tea, 180-190 for oolongs, and a full boil for black tea), and let it steep for the appropriate amount of time, once it is done steeping, simply remove the strainer and leaves and enjoy your tea. You will usually be able to re-steep the leaves multiple times depending on the quality and type of tea your brewing. You will usually be able to obtain a decent teapot and cups for around $30 online (http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Cast-Iron-Black-Trivet/dp/B0002AAP5I/ref=sr_1_3?srs=9976066011&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452434419&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=tea).
Gong-fu brewing explained simply means brewing with more leaf, less time, and more times (usually with a smaller brewing vessel). this is usually the preferred method to brew teas if you want to make brewing tea an experience and more than just a casual drink. The easiest way to brew tea in the gong-fu style is to buy 3 things: a gaiwan (basically a lidded cup), a cha-hai (basically a small pitcher to decant the tea into), small cups (to drink from and let the tea cool faster), and an optional strainer (unless you do not mind small leaf particulate in your tea.) First, fill the gaiwan with the appropriate amount of leaf then add water of the appropriate temperature (usually 170F for green tea, 190F for oolong tea, and a full boil for black tea, but feel free to experiment). let it steep for a few seconds and pour the tea into the cha-hai using the gaiwans lid to hold back the leaves. Pour the tea into your cups and drink up. repeat the process until you have either had enough tea or the leaves lose too much flavor to steep again (some teas might go for as many as 20 steeps!!!). I know this might seem intimidating at first, but if you find that you really enjoy fine teas, you will really enjoy having a relaxing gong-fu session. a gong-fu set like this will usually run you around $30 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RTSHXSS/ref=s9_dcbhz_bw_g79_i2_sh)for something usable, but prices can vary, especially if you get into the premium side of things (http://yunnansourcing.com/en/jian-shui-teapots/3768-jian-shui-clay-classic-gaiwan-by-huang-shou-zhen-240ml.html).
Lastly, I will mention another method commonly known as "grandpa style"(http://imgur.com/4OMa3ud). this is as simple as it gets, just add tea leaves into a mug, add hot water, and drink using your teeth to strain the leaves as you drink adding more water as you go. (I only recommend grandpa style for more forgiving, less bitter teas as the less forgiving kind will tend to get unbearable bitter.)
By the way, it goes without saying that these methods will use full, loose leaf tea. Personally, I cannot recommend loose leaf tea enough. It is a significant improvement in taste over teabags, and is not much more expensive considering it can be re-steeped unlike teabags. I was only able to develop a passion for drinking and brewing tea after trying loose leaf tea and actually did not really like it back when I had only tried Lipton tea bags.
As for where to buy loose leaf teas and which ones to try, I will point you to 2 helpful articles that helped me out back when I was first getting into tea. along with the website that I use most.
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/best-tea-where-to-buy.html
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/04/tea-introduction-starterkit.html
I would also recommend giving this article a read if you want to know more about tea http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/01/tea-for-everyone.html
What are you looking for and what does he like? You can get a standard infuser like this one that I use.
Or you could get him a "reverse french press". The reverse french press is one of the best and easiest ways to brew. It lets the leaves float in the water, but allows easy extraction of the water into a mug (it is much harder with a regular french press because pressing down the leaves can cause them to expel a lot of bitter flavor into the water).
Generally speaking, avoid anything that will smash the leaves, or will not let them float easily. If he generally uses a big teapot, make sure to get something for that. If he typically uses just a mug, the two things I listed will work great. I even use my regular infuser in my large tea pitcher/pot.
But, if you give me a price range and a general idea of what you would like him to have, what he already has or what kind of things he likes, I can definitely help you out. I love tea myself, and would hope that my wife would ask someone knowledgeable when she goes to buy something for me.
OH! And if you're looking to get the best bang for your buck, avoid teavanna. They're not bad they're just overpriced.
I just started making it myself. I got a SCOBY from Amazon and here's my general recipe:
Boil the water. Once the water is boiling, add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the tea bags (I usually use 12 tea bags/Gallon) and brew to desired strength. I like mine strong, so I leave the tea bags in the pot until the tea is to room temperature. You can put it in the refrigerator if you want to cool it off quicker. This is very important since hot tea will kill your SCOBY.
Sterilize your brew container by swishing some vinegar around or running it through the dishwasher on the hot cycle. I bought one of these to use as my brew container since it makes bottling into these bad boys easier. This is also very important since you don't want any "bad" bacteria to get into your controlled fermentation environment. Pour the tea into your brew container, add the vinegar/starter liquid, and add the SCOBY. From this point on, do not let the kombucha touch anything metal or any non-sterilized equipment. Cover your brew vessel with a clean dish cloth/coffee filter/paper towels and let sit 7-10 days, depending on how vinegar-y you like it.
That's pretty much it. Just make sure everything is clean and sterile when handling the SCOBY and you will be fine. There are a bunch of recipes and how-to's out there as well, I've just summed them up in this post. Happy Brewing!
Edit: spelling
This one is super highly rated and recommended.
This is nice since it will work with any mug.
Something like this looks really nice and works well.
I had one just like this that I loved.
I had one like this that was cherished until it broke. It worked amazingly well. And there's this if you want to make more than one cup!
You really want to find something large that gives the tea leaves room to expand. The cute novelty ones are adorable, but don't steep the tea very well. You can also reuse the leaves so don't throw them away after one use!!
Also if you have one near you, David's Teas have super cute stuff. There's also a /r/tea subreddit :)
That's awesome he wants to learn more! Hope you also get to enjoy that exploration with him.
My first idea is usually to look around what you have locally, whether specialized tea shop(s) or more commercial tea selection at coffee places. Starting where you are can connect you with the people also interested and supports businesses around you.
Next my question might be whether "black-based" means flavoured or not. The highest-end black teas I have are single-origin and I usually brew them in greater tea (g) per water (ml) ratios, keeping the leaves in the water for short periods (10-20 seconds, increasing after the 3-4th time usually), usually referred to as "gong-fu" style. If that's what your boyfriend wants to go for, a nice simple starting point may be something like this, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MA4WSU4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_wasIDbQBJ6CBZ.
If flavoured, I would usually more go for "western" brewing (less leaf-to-water ratio and longer steeping time) and you could search for "glass teapot" in Amazon or elsewhere.
For tea itself, the vendor list on /r/tea is an amazing place to start, https://www.reddit.com/r/tea/wiki/vendors/page_01. Once you've gotten into them there is a surprising amount of variability in flavours from varying places in the world and he might narrow down what types he likes most.
I'll throw in a plug for what I believe to be the best creamy earl grey you may ever find, http://www.lucasteas.com/shop/black-tea/lucas-earl-grey-cream/ , just in case you're looking for flavoured tea suggestions.
I got this cheap glass pot as a gift: http://www.amazon.com/Primula-Flowering-Half-Moon-40-Ounce-Black/dp/B002T1TUHC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_4?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=0MWNCZMSYM915K4N6NDW The reviews for it suck but I've had mine for 3 years and I love it. A friend knitted me a tea cozy for it and my tea stays hot for hours.
I also have a mystery ceramic Japanese style pot from the thrift store. It was four dollars. It's very beautiful and came with matching cups. I love it too.
I don't think you really need a fancy pot unless you really want one. I'm happy with my cheap pots.
Hey mahm0udin
I use the 5 gal version now, but I think the 10 Gal would be perfect for both methods because you get a healthy grain bed for filtering when brewing big or small.
You will want to install a Weldless ball valve with a Nipple on the inside of the mash tun.
You will also want one of these false bottoms and a piece of silicon pipe to join it to the internal ball valve nipple
Woo, that was a lot of links :) This is my setup and it works a treat :)
Mash tun cooler (this is probably cheaper at your local hardware store or wal mart) Also, this isn't the only cooler that works. Pretty much any plastic cooler works. But you'll need a different false bottom if you use a chest cooler, which may allow you to mash bigger batches.
Weldless Ball Valve Just take the plastic valve off the cooler and screw this one on. Will work on most any cooler you choose.
False bottom Put this at the bottom, connecting the silicon hose to the ball valve and the top of the false bottom.
3/8" barb You'll need to screw this onto the ball valve on the inside of the mash tun to connect the silicon hose to.
Honestly, if you've already got a kettle that can boil 6 gallons, you're good to go there, and just add this to the mix. Otherwise, pick up a Stainless Steel Brew Kettle.
This whole setup comes in just under $200 but you'll need some hoses and some hose clamps as well. But I'm sure that if you shop around (even on amazon) you might find better deals than I linked. But that's the gist of it. And there's no need to stick with the specific brands I linked. But just make sure to stick with stainless steel for the kettle, ball valve, and connecting accessories and food-grade plastic for the cooler. And any hoses need to be high temp hoses. Silicon is ideal.
This is by no means the "only" way to do it, but a great start down the road. You may also choose to use a pump. It has advantages and disadvantages. You can make great beer with and without one.
If you are looking at teas from unusual origins, say the country of Georgia, try what-cha.com.
if you are looking mainly at Chinese teas, Yunnan sourcing and teavivre are good places to start.
you can get some wonderful Taiwanese teas at Beautiful Taiwan Tea, and they have a very reasonable threshold for free shipping. You can also go to Yunnan sourcing's Taiwanese sister site taiwanoolongs.com
If you want to go down the rabbit hole that is Puerh, try out white2tea (they also have some gorgeously yummy black teas and oolongs) as well as the aforementioned Yunnan sourcing.
yunomi is a decent place to go to for Japanese teas, but since it is a marketplace type website, you would have to do some hunting (and Japanese teas are not my speciality, so I will leave much of that to other users.)
for flavored teas- there's really a plethora of places to get those, but the one that I have found with the best tasting flavored teas of the bunch is New Mexico tea company. This is just personal opinion, some people like Adagio better (and I do love Adagio's chestnut tea as well as a few others, so don't take that as a strike against Adagio).
I would stay away from most mall-type stores like Teavana because a lot of their teas are more cheap filler ingredients and less tea, just to cover up the low quality of their teas.
On the subject of tools, seeing as you are a coffee guy, might I suggest a hario teapot? A gaiwan would be the next step in going towards the gong fu style of tea. A very basic 100ml gaiwan would cost you less than 5 bucks + shipping. (shipping is expensive from here, so I would suggest getting more than one item).
For very basic tea drinking there are always in mug basket infusers.
Or you could always go grandpa style, where you just toss your leaves in a mug and refil the water whenever it gets low.
I paid a tile/stone installer to drill my crock with his specialized equipment (diamond bit and a water cooling spray tank) so I could install a stainless steel spigot: http://imgur.com/a/LTlPv
Came out nice, works great, and no leaks: http://imgur.com/PpPneYC
It's an excellent quality spigot: http://imgur.com/QqnhXad at a great great price: http://amazon.com/gp/product/B00RPBQBQ4/
Solid valve, good flow control: http://imgur.com/Hbs7P0x
Nice finish and build: http://imgur.com/sb1XEeT
The diamond tile bit which worked fine on the stoneware didn't work so well on my 2.5 gallon glass jar: http://imgur.com/J8WRDTh Whoops! Almost made it through. Oh, well.
My friend has the Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug. She got it recently (about a month or two ago) but uses it every day and loves it. It is especially great on the go since you make the tea in the same mug you drink it from. Its Microwaveable, dishwasher safe, made of BPA-free plastic and has pretty good reviews.
I've posted this before, but here's my routine.
Every night, I get out a 2L pitcher and a 1L Nalgene bottle. Into the pitcher goes a full back of Soylent and a pinch of salt. I add to that 600mL of water measured in the Nalgene (they are all graduated, which is super convenient). Seal the pitcher and shake vigorously for like a minute. Open up and add the final 1L. Shake again, let set in the fridge overnight. In the morning I add the oil, shake, pour myself 400mL for breakfast, 1L in a Nalgene for use throughout my workday, and then finish off the rest of the pitcher when I get home.
I've found this pattern to be ideal because it reduces the grittiness significantly. I have also been taking a probiotic mixture every morning to help reduce gas and improve overall comfort. If you opt to not get the extra pitcher, anything that holds about 2L or more will work. If you have another pitcher that doesn't seal well enough for shaking, a whisk will get the job done.
Prepared Soylent lasts about two days. Keep it refrigerated of course.
Here is the exact model pitcher Soylent is shipping in the Starter Kit. You will want to have more than one of these so you don't have to wash it every night. Unfortunately, it's actually 5 pieces and kind of a pain to wash.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DCYNP2G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00DCYNP2G&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=jelder-20&amp;linkId=LVAAGHCSEQ6L7HPU
If I hadn't already wound up with three of those, I'd want to get something simpler. Nalgene also makes these awesome looking 2L lab bottles:
http://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-2121-0005-Wide-Mouth-Bottle-Polypropylene/dp/B004O6NFBW/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408564567&amp;sr=8-20&amp;keywords=2L+bottle&amp;tag=jelder-20
I also have a few of these for taking my prepared Soylent to work with me. They never leak and are pretty much indestructable.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048SZ5T6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B0048SZ5T6&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=jelder-20&amp;linkId=7KA7TOMS5RWBHRCR
It depends what you are interested in. Loose leaf is definitely the way to go, all you need is a teapot like this and something to heat the water in. For the teas themselves, r/tea has a list of vendors that covers many different areas. r/tea can be a great resource in general, there are tons of super knowledgeable people for each kind of tea and there are multiple people in the industry there. What-Cha is very well liked and has a variety of teas from all over, they are definitely a good place to order from for the first time. They have an intro to tea collection, though I feel that a white tea like this one should be included in it.
Oh wow, someone said world peace so now this seems to trite. But maybe this could help check someone off your gift list.
These blooming flower teas look beautiful. I would love the experience of putting one of these hand sewn tea flowers in and watching is "bloom" into life before me. Like usual, I didn't buy one for myself but I did get two of them plus the glass teapots for two wonderful women in my life. I hope they enjoy them very much.
Not quite sure if this is what you meant, but I have this teapot (around the size you mentioned, 450ml is ~15.5oz) which has a removable mesh strainer and it's pretty sweet: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-450ml/dp/B0006HINDI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1493529901&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=kyusu+teapot
Pretty sure that pot has been recommended here before. Not sure as far as a plain old infuser, but anything you can get that gives more room for the tea leaves to expand would be best!
>from krisbrad via /r/Charlotte/ sent 1 minute ago
>
>Well good luck finding it, I'm sure with that attitude you won't have any problems.
You've just got your head in the sand, eh? Alternative Beverage is the local place, VS Goliaths like More Beer, Midwest Supply, and Amazon:
Here
are
some
examples...
Well would you look at that... the local place has better prices on some of that stuff. Huh, and here I thought you could only get better prices online.
Hi, welcome!
There's a lot of different approaches to brewing tea, just one of which is the familiar teapot method. A really popular glass one is https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0007WTBQ0/. One really good reason for white/glass teaware is that they allow you to easily evaluate the color of your tea, which is helpful in appreciating it better and learning how to brew your tea.
When you say Japanese style, do you mean the Kyusu teapot, or do you mean teaware with Japanese designs on them?
I would consider adding a rechargeable DVD player, like thisone & have maybe one 'new' dvd for the kids as well as old favorites. Something they can watch together.
I'd tuck back a couple of books/games that are new too as a surprise.
Not a big fan of candles (I have cats - the candles are an accident waiting to happen). If you insist, please make sure you have a couple of fire extinguishers and the adults know where they are & how to use them. I have a variety of solar rechargeable lights in windowsills. One small one I leave in the bathroom all night when power goes out as a night light, then recharge the next day. That one is a cheapie. (I have a number of cheapie/give away ones).
This one is more expensive, not solar, but lasts 200 hours on one charge. It's great. Don't know how old your girls are, but maybe stash some glow sticks back.
Starting TODAY, adults need to follow the basic 'no gas tank goes below half a tank' rule.
Power banks, yes indeed. A couple of them minimum. If you or spouse will be going to work, you can take those with you to recharge at work. Or in the car.
Most everything else was covered by other replies. Water, of course. I'd add in some individual water flavorings & dry milk - it's borderline nasty, but works just fine on cereal for breakfast. Make sure you have food that can be prepared with what you have available. (Keeping in mind that opening the fridge/freezer should be kept to a minimum). Do you have charcoal/gas for the grill you planned on using? Frozen hot dogs grabbed from the freezer at the start will last a couple days in the cooler. Paper plates/cups are the name of the game here as well.
One last thought. Husband and I are both coffee in the morning people. We only run the generator in the evening for a few hours to keep the fridge/freezer charged (and plug in every rechargeable during that time), but we also make our coffee the night before. We have two good carafesthat we keep the coffee in until morning. Hot enough, and still tastes fresh.
edit: corrected link from CD player to DVD player
Yess the good stuff!! This is the one in the video, but I'd actually recommend the IngenuiTea or IngenuiTea2 - they're a bit easier to clean IMO! Happy tea-making! 🍵🙏
This is the cooler I use for a mash tun. It works great. It's selling for a record low Amazon price and ships for free. I link to some pictures of it in that post. The seat top makes it easy to run a thermometer under the lid to monitor mash temps. The product link in that post helps support hbf. Thanks in advance if you use it. If you do not want to help support hbf here is a direct link.
Just realized I didn't answer your scale question.
I use this scale:
WAOAW 500g/0.01g Digital Pocket Stainless Jewelry & Kitchen food Scale, Lab Weight, 0.001oz Resolution https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4KX6JQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8wT7ybYTFX7DC
This beaker:
Emsa Perfect Beaker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BDLWE8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MxT7yb79S2TG0
This blender:
Blendtec TB-621-25 Total Blender Classic with WildSide+ Jar, Black (Certified Refurbished) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TKRQWS8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fyT7yb71ZK449
And this jar:
Takeya Airtight Pitcher, 2-Quart, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CYAIRG8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VyT7yb8J2NX2P
Happy mixing. :)
Also you asked elsewhere on the thread about D3. Here's what I use:
Doctor's Best Best Vegan D3 Vegetarian Capsules, 60 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E816ROU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HBT7ybFJPMH6J
A great intro to pour-over coffee is this Melitta which, imho, makes fabulous coffee especially for the money. Just snag some #6 coffee filters and you're good to go.
I do think that a goose neck kettle makes a big difference in your ability to pour slowly and methodically but if you have a regular kettle already you can start with that.
To keep things warm you can pick up a nice vacuum carafe and you can enjoy hot coffee for about 10 hours. The linked one is nice because if you make a full pot, then pour off two cups for you and the misses, it should hold the rest.
Grandpa style is great and all but some people aren't used to having the leaves in their cup. A simple infuser and a mug is all you need for a western-style tea brew. The reason people are telling you not to use a coffee brewer with tea is that unless you scrub it clean pretty often, you might get some lingering coffee taste in your tea. It looks like a similar device to gravity steepers as well though, you could just get a separate one like the Ingenuitea.
I am an unashamed Sleepytime tea addict...it's a must every night before bed. Yes, it's a mix, but chamomile is the main note. I got one of these and one of these for his recent Happ-Tea Birthday with a bunch of quality loose leaf black teas. He decided he just likes his Red Rose English Breakfast tea bags, so I get to play around with the tea steeper. I quit caffeine, so I haven't tried those, but I've tried Tranquil Dreams so far which I really liked. I think I might get a just straight up chamomile and lavender blend next go around.
Long live tea!! :-D
If you want something simple to make tea for one, I would suggest something like this. I don't like the in-mug infusers. I usually end up having to look around for something awkward to get it out of the cup like a fork or chopsticks otherwise I end up burning my fingers. Tea pots are nice but I find them to be more ceremonial than I feel like dealing with when I just want something quick.
As far as temp goes, usually for green tea you're good to go once small bubbles start forming in the pot/kettle. You don't need to worry about having a thermometer nearby or anything like that.
And the corn pops green tea you're describing sounds like Genmaicha.
Hi! If you want to get into tea, I would reccomend starting by watching Alton Brow's episode on tea here. It's a good background on everything involving tea and tea brewing.
If you have a Peet's Coffee near you, you can go and order mugs of tea (brewed with loose leaf). They will give you free hot water refills so you can drink as much as you can handle. You can find a tea you like without having to commit to a huge container.
I prepare my tea in the morning in a tea pot (I have this one, but I don't like it because it's hard to clean) and pour it into a travel mug.
They make travel mugs that are similar to a frech press (here) where you put the leaves and hot water in and just push down a stopper to stop brewing. I'm really picky about the lids on my travel mugs, so I don't own one.
For resusable tea bags, the most popular style is a [tea ball] (http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Stainless-Steel-Mesh-Ball/dp/B00004RIZ7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1407090137&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=tea+ball) (although the one I linked is a little too small to allow the tea to fully unfold). They are cheap and fairly easy to clean, but you have to be careful where you store them so they don't get bent up.
They also make tea bags for loose leaf tea. These would be easy to pop into your travel mug. You can also find bags made of muslin that can be washed out, but I don't know where you would do that.
Hario 700ml teapot is excellent and pretty cheap as well. The basket is huge, which is a significant advantage, imo. The lack of spout makes it more compact and it's top is very wide, so it's super easy to clean when it stains.
A bottom-dispensing teapot like this one is a super easy way to do gongfu. You can look it up on youtube or something to see exactly how it works.
It doesn't have the same romance as traditional teaware, and you can't build up a patina like with yixing clay or other unglazed ceramics, but it is super convenient. Sticking a coffee filter in the bottom makes cleanup even easier.
Do you have a teapot already?
Nut and Spice sampler
Orchard Black Teas sampler
I'm sure everyone thinks I'm a shill for Adagio at this point, but I swear I'm not! I'm just very happy with their teas.
EDIT: oh, you like herbals!
Tazo Passion (teabags, but sooo good)
Blood Orange
Herbal Tea sampler
There is a pretty thick SCOBY in there but it doesn't show up in the photo I will post a photo of the scobies on my next go round.
Someone on here posted a link to this and I think I might go and buy one soon. But note that if you buy one of these with a plastic spigot you will want to be sure you purchase a replacement stainless steel spigot to swap them out.
Jar
https://www.walmart.com/ip/35588833
Spigot
https://www.amazon.com/Beverage-Dispenser-Replacement-Stainless-Polished/dp/B00RPBQBQ4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1484377655&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=stainless+steel+spigot
I bought mine at a department store and I replaced the spigot and it works like a champ now. =)
What do you think about ingeuinitea?
Am I getting sucked into some gimmick or is it actually convenient?
I would go for the white tea but it's kind of expensive for a beginner, so Alishan Milk Oolong it is.
The reason I'm getting into tea is because it seems like it's a healthy alternative to straight water, but the taste puts me off atm so a fruity, creamy flavor would be nice
This Alishan Milk Oolong brand seem good to you?
Random question: Do you believe drinking tea before sleeping is bad? I've heard it has caffeine but idk if it's tea-specific or what else, the green tea I have doesn't seem to bother me
Lastly, any specific method of measuring water temperature you recommend? Should I just buy a thermostat and wait for boiling water to cool?
Hario Mini Mill
Kettle
Scale
Brita Filter
Aeropress
Thermometer. The one I have is from a Culinary Arts class I took, but this looks to be the same. It's very useful, and to calibrate it, which you'll need to do every once in a while, fill a cup full of ice and then water and put the blue thing on so you can move it (I'm not sure how to explain it, but I'm sure you'll get it), and make sure the dimple is in the water and move it to 32 degrees.
Edit: Also, the mug was from the reddit Secret Santa exchange! It's a really fantastic mug.
Brewing really isn't complicated at all if you invest in the right equipment. You can get a functional variable temperature kettle for ~$40 on amazon and an easy to use tea pot for ~20.
Honestly I would recommend decent equipment first over a wide variety of teas to begin with.
I would also point you to upton tea which has really cheap samples and offers pretty much the best price for any tea I have found on multiple vendors.
You should try one of the many mug strainers. They sell them all over the place. You said you were in Canada so you could try DavidsTea, Teavana/Starbucks, or even Chapters has some. They allow for more room than a tea ball (which I also hate) but allow for less than a pot.
You could also try just getting a smaller pot. I use this teapot as one of my smaller ones. The Hario pots are pretty amazing plus it's nice to see your tea brew in the glass. Some people don't like glass teapots though.
Definitely go loose leaf.
For the tea brewing
This teapot is nice. I also like this style of in-cup infuser - both give the tea a reasonable amount of room to expand.
I would recommend starting with samples - What-Cha do two sample sets - one for a range of blacks, greens and oolongs; and the other just for Taiwan oolongs. They are in the UK and ship quickly. Linky if you're interested
I would probably recommend starting with oolong - iirc roasted have a lower caffeine content, but you'd need to check. Based on what you've said I think there are quite a few oolongs you will enjoy.
Adagio do some flavoured teas which might be worth looking into, too.
My understanding re caffeine in tea is that per-cup it has less than coffee, and one of the other compounds in it (l-theanine?) makes it less buzzy. I've also read - but am not sure how true it is - that if you re-brew with the same leaves each subsequent brew has a bit less caffeine than the previous one.
Beyond that I can't comment on the caffeine content, as caffeine doesn't much affect me (something which I'm incredibly pleased about, as I do have periods of suffering from anxiety and tea helps calm me).
Here's something I think you would really like!
And this tea pot looks really nice!
I would love this cute vaporeaon plush!!
Anchor Hocking Heritage Hill Glass Beverage Dispenser with Spigot, 2 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWC0E42/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f4uhAbF8X8STT
1 X Organic Kombucha Scoby - Live Culture by Scoby Kombucha https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ZW8RP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.5uhAb83TMN5D
Unbleached Cheesecloth 9 Sq ft 100% Cotton Reusable-Great Filter or Strainer for Cheese/Kombucha scoby/Glass jar/Wine making https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M612PJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_j7uhAbFHCHX7S
Adhesive Temperature Strip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0079JZLP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i9uhAbJBGF75D
Red Baron Bottle Capper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D6KGTK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xbvhAbFY4CJN3
Beer Bottle Crown Caps - Oxygen Absorbing for Homebrew (Gold) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZSEH8VW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_YcvhAbCE0836F
Bottles Free: Just start saving old beer bottles (not the twist on style bottle) submerge them in hot water for 5 min, labels peel right off.
Sanitizer: White Vinegar, I prefer Star san.
Prince of Peace Tea, Black, 100 Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AP70BKC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_divhAbY9D73AP
With these products, you will be good to go and your volume is 2 gallons, so by the time your upgrading after your first batch. For me a 1 gallon container never cut it. With the capper you don’t have to worry about giving your friends a bottle of your Kombucha and never seeing your $4 swing cap bottle again. Just save old beer bottles or ask your friends for them.
To answer your question, the temps you listed are to low. For all brewing temperatures are very important. You want to keep your fermentation in the 70s. Here’s how you fix the problem without keeping your home heater on 24/7.
Round Kombucha Heater Kit for Continuous Brew Crocks & Dispensers. 10" Brewing & Fermentation Heat Mat, Works with any Ceramic, Glass, Stone or Porcelain Containers (10"-120VAC 7-Watts) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072S6XBQJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1tvhAb04PYXBK
Enjoy... In the long run you will spend less by starting off with the right equipment.
In case anyone is wondering, this is the best way to steep tea. Many good quality oolong, gunpowder and any other large loose leaf teas need room to bloom and tea balls and bags just can't accommodate that. It's also very easy to clean, especially if you have a sink strainer.
Source: voted best way to steep by America's Test Kitchen, also my ex manages a tea store.
Those look great!
I am a tea fiend, so I can help you out most there. :) I personally own the first cup and am personally not happy with it, despite its good looks. (FYI, tea leaves easily get stuck in the drain slits, not to mention it's incredibly fragile.)
I would instead suggest this teapot instead, which is still glass and the filter is good quality. Pro-tip: For tea that expands into much larger leaves (blossoming or oolong teas), no need for the filter so you can see the beauty of the tea expanding. :) Another suggestion would be the Teavana Perfectea Maker for a gravity brewer that lets you see the tea leaves brewing.
>This might work for you: http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0
>The mug is microwave safe, so all you need is it, a way to measure the tea, and the tea itself. It's worked very well for me so far.
u/BouncingYeti made a good suggestion! It's something I'm looking into. Hope this is what you're looking for as well :)
I picked up some 18oz/532mL glass bottles today. They're very similar to the Epica bottles /u/muxon uses.
Some thoughts so far:
Here's a bottle I filled for tomorrow.
I used a blender to prep 72oz/2.1L then split into 4 bottles. This works fairly well, but it's easy to lose a little even when using a funnel. Ten cuidado.
Thanks! I love them too. All credit goes to LootCaveCo. He's the one who originally made this post of his brewing station and I asked him where he bought his stuff. So i'll just show what he told me:
"Here is my list of stuff
Jars (the valves that come with them are apparently flimsy so he recommended replacement valves):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W21D2B6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Stainless valve
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RPBQBQ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Brewing cap
https://store.kombuchakamp.com/Brewer-Cap-3-pack.html
"
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
hope this helps! :)
Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot, 700ml - $15
Teaology Luna Double Wall Borosilicate Tea Cup - $3.95
I'm very much still learning, but I love this cheap little setup and it's been working especially well with my Oolongs and Greens. I picked up a sample of Pu erh Pearls from Adagio (pictured), and it works just fine for that as well if you're okay with western brewing techniques.
You don't need much in terms of apparatus. Personally, I would begin with the following. Keep in mind I am only talking about loose leaf tea.
The above combined will set you back <$60. Honestly, you can substitute the Kamjove tea maker with a simple all purpose teapot, eyeball the dry leaf instead of weighing it, and guess the temp of water and do without the variable temp kettle - I personally wouldn't do it for a variety of reasons, but if you're on a budget...
The next step, and the most important one, would be to get your hands on samples of tea. A lot of vendors, incl myself, offer samples. Get small quantities from a variety of vendors so that you have enough tea to experiment with, but not so much that you're stuck with a large quantity of tea you don't like. Once you have sampled enough to determine your likes and dislikes, invest in larger quantities of tea.
Good luck!
I've been using [Finum Brewing Baskets] (https://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-large-black/dp/B000J3JFJU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1479061928&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=finum+basket+large) for the last decade or so for brewing one cup of tea at a time. The fine mesh is easy to clean if you rinse is out right after steeping. The large one is ideal for most mug sizes. I find the medium-sized basket to be a little too small for mugs larger than 10 oz.
EDIT: If you're looking for a decent and affordable tea pot, [Hario] (https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1479062141&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=hario+tea+pot) makes some good ones. Despite the glass looking thin, it's actually quite sturdy.
You sya you don't have the tools to make the mash tun and brew pot. I assemlbe my mash tun, HLT, and brew pot with two 10inch adjustable wrenches, a standard dewalt drill, a carbonate cutting bit, a stepped cutting bit, and some cutting oil. If you have the drill everything else would cost around 50 bucks, then you also gain tools with your equipment. The hardest part is cutting holes in the pot for a thermometer.
Either way to make the Mashtun and MTL you would only need 2 10 inch adjustable wrenches.
Up to you, but here is some all grain kits you could look at:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/10-Gallon-Igloo-Cooler-Mash-Tun-With-False-Bottom-AND-Hot-Liquor-Tank_p_6699.html
https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Cooler-Stainless-Steel-Screen/dp/B013KJKAC0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486068034&amp;sr=8-9&amp;keywords=10+gallon+mash+tun
You can make a 10 gallon mash tun for under 100 dollars:
10 Gallon cooler (~$50)
https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Gallon-Beverage-dispenser-Dispenser/dp/B000F6SHTK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486068151&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=10+gallon+cooler
Ball Valve(~$15)
https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Brewing-Wl301-Stainless-Weldless/dp/B00OC8DXPA/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486068175&amp;sr=8-2-spell&amp;keywords=wedless+ball+valve
Screen (~$8)
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Bazooka-Screen-Fitting/dp/B003ISY2DC/ref=pd_sim_468_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=B003ISY2DC&amp;pd_rd_r=45GNPGH763R20241728C&amp;pd_rd_w=MCZcu&amp;pd_rd_wg=n4Wsv&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=45GNPGH763R20241728C
1/2 female npt fitting(~$5)
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Fitting-Coupling-Female/dp/B003GSKXUU/ref=pd_sim_328_6?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=B003GSKXUU&amp;pd_rd_r=SMJAVJR6CYZ7P9ZBQBQQ&amp;pd_rd_w=h6v7j&amp;pd_rd_wg=eclPX&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=SMJAVJR6CYZ7P9ZBQBQQ
Total: 78 dollars. You can buy 2 10 inches adjustable wrenches for 20 dollars (https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-90-949-10-Inch-MaxSteel-Adjustable/dp/B000NIDIXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486068379&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=10+inch+adjustable+wrench)
so even having to buy tools its still under 100 dollars to make the Mash tun. The hot liquor tank will be the same price minus the screen, npt fitting, and tools. I personally made mine even cheaper buy using a 5 gallon htl instead of a 10 gallon and that will drop the price 25 more dollars. There is 0 drilling involved you simply unscrew the old plastic tap and put the weld ball valve in its place, it took me less than 10 min to make my new HTL on Monday.
Also, and this is really important to why I say build yourself, any mash tun you buy is going to be put together the same way it just matters whether you put it together or someone else does, either way the quality will be identical.
If you need a sparge arm for fly sparge you can make that out of pvc pipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-jgmgbwvg4
My two cents, even though you don't believe in you. I do, if you feel like saving money you can absolutely make all this stuff yourself and it doesn't require you be good at anything more than thinking like a logical person.
rah is of course right to suggest you spend more of your budget on tea, and less on ceremony. however, then you should instead invest in an effective tea brewer/seeper that makes good tea and skip the ceremonial pieces altogether. like a "french press" for coffee, there are various contraptions that may do a better job at making tea than ceremonial pieces. or as rah suggests, simply get any teapot with a large mesh center basket and go from there. I'm not advocating these products, simply giving you more to consider.
http://www.amazon.com/Teavana-PerfecTea-Tea-Maker-16oz/dp/B004X7DIHI
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0
Hario. I own this particular size (450 ml), and it's perfect for 1 big cup or 2 smaller cups. The glass will get hot where the tea contacts it, but the handle has never gotten hot on me. It pours really well and is easy to clean too -- always a plus at work.
I added Davidson's Christmas tea to my WL recently. What I recommend is good gear. There are $10 digital scales accurate to 0.1g, so once you find out how much tea you like for a large mug (I like 6g), you can get it right every time. And an IngenuiTEA teapot makes it fun to brew, too.
Hint: You probably don't need to buy a 500g weight to calibrate the scale. A roll of brand-new pennies, 2.5g each, will probably give you plenty of material to work with.
Get two of [these(https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-Heritage-Beverage-Dispenser/dp/B00BWC0E42/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1505181882&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=2+gallon+glass+jar+with+spigot)] jars.
Get two gallon stock pot to brew your tea with sugar. Fill a jar with the sweet tea almost full leaving room for the gallon you are adding.
Wait about 7-10 days and then brew another two gallons of sweet tea. Pour half of the first ferment jar into the second empty glass jar and then split the two gallons of sweet tea between the two glass jars..
The first jar is your continuous brew jar. The second jar you may sweeten with whatever juices. I been doing Honeydew Jalapeño with great results. Bottle the second jar for a few days. I use growlers and honey jars and recycled beer bottles with a bottle capper.
In another 7-10 days you can repeat the process.
When I was in college, I ate so much cereal, the ones in the bags!
Right now I'm using Schmilk (chocolate). I do weight training so I add protein (double rich chocolate, but they have tons of flavors); really speeds up the healing process, no muscle pains the next day.
Benefit of Soylent was that you didn't need a blender, but it's recommended for Schmilk, so I got an immersion blender. Felt a bit bummed that I had to buy an appliance, but it's so much faster and better than shaking a half gallon of liquid!
I backed Soylent's Kickstarter, and it came with this pitcher. It's so awesome that I bought a second one, so I can have one in the fridge while I wash the other in the dishwasher. I fill 1/4 of the pitcher with milk, add 4 meals worth of Schmilk/protein, little more milk to cover the powders, and blend right in the pitcher. Add some more milk, blend again, and top off. It's ready to drink right then or chill overnight (my preference) -- done for two days!
The ready-to-go bottles of Soylent seems convenient, but it's a little less than what I'm drinking now (414ml vs 500ml), it won't save me any time if I want to add protein (adds a lot of flavor/variety for me), and costs a bit more.
Try making what i call 'tea water' too, which is simultaneously a lazy person's iced tea and actually surprisingly good. It's cold brew tea, so just toss some tea bags in some room temp water and throw the whole thing in the fridge for a while.
I usually take one of my pitchers (amazon link, although costco has a better price if you can find it there), fill it up to the top, put in two jasmine tea bags, and leave it for 12 hours in the fridge for a lightly jasmine'd flavored water. If the tea gets too concentrated for your taste then you can just mix in more water! Add more tea bags and/or time for a more serious iced tea.
---
If I don't do that with cheapo $3 for 100 tea bags though (Asian markets!!!!) I usually drink really high quality loose leaf tea. I'll either use a teapot/mug for one or a gaiwan and bring the water kettle over to my desk and just keep on making more infusions of the tea with a timer. Having the brewing device next to me or even straight up being the drinking device too makes it a lot easier for me not to forget about the tea, and it means I won't reach for sugary drinks too :)
Happy Birthday! Have a fantastic day! <3
I'd use it to buy a filtered water pitcher :)
Starting out, all I'd get is a simple pot with a removable infuser such as this. Something like that will make perfectly great tea. You can always get a fancy tea set later; it's mostly an aesthetic thing.
We've had really good luck with these ones. Beautiful booch by the way!
Epica 18-Oz. Glass Beverage Bottles, Set of 6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I0YNYSI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YbtzDbYTHT6FZ
Try an insulated/double walled mug (I have several), and you could also invest in a mug warmer to keep it warm.
I also just started using a cast iron tea kettle that is heated underneath by a tea candle, and use small tea cups such as these. So the amount you pour is less, but the amount you drink will always be at that sweet spot and you just refill.
Hope this helps!
Here is my list of stuff
Jars:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W21D2B6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Stainless valve
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RPBQBQ4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bottles (not a great option for cost effectiveness)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0YNYSI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Brewing cap
https://store.kombuchakamp.com/Brewer-Cap-3-pack.html
I would recommend bottles form here https://www.containerandpackaging.com/catalog/glass-containers/glass-bottles?gclid=CjwKCAjw1rnqBRAAEiwAr29II0Oe4vUh5C7rvnfqRKQaHJOFxO4fFJWvYcxibwmRDP_hJKp2GNsOBBoCiPgQAvD_BwE&capacity=12%20oz&sort=products&page=1 or HDPE bottles like naglene as the high density poly ethylene is so chemical resistant it wont leach into your booch.
I use an IngenuiTEA to make my kratom tea. It steeps it for as long as I like (usually at least 15 minutes), and dispenses when I put it on top of a glass. I usually fill the glass it dispenses into with sugar and stir to dissolve, before pouring into another larger cup filled with ice. Cold, sweet, perfect.
A tray is handy but if you just have anything to hold/collect the water it should be fine. I found my exact tray on amazon
Honestly I’d just start with a gaiwan and a cup. If you’re making it for yourself you shouldn’t need a sharing pitcher, and if small bits of tea dust isn’t an issue then you could almost do without the filter.
I think Yunnan Sourcing has $5-$10 porcelain gaiwans that are affordable (being 60 or 100 ml)
I have this and it's awesome! I love it! You add hot water, stir and just put the cup on the bottom.
Would you like a falafel with that? awesome tea infuser? My sister is a college student and lives in the dorms so she's pretty limited in what she can do in the way of tea. She got me hooked on tea and I'd love to get her one of these!
EDIT: Check out your college's website. Usually they include a list of stuff to bring. I highly suggest flip flops (crappy ones to wear in the shower), disposable cleaning wipes, a first aid kit, rain boots (seriously. there's nothing like a crap load of rain to keep you from going to class, a nice umbrella or poncho, and lots of tupperware (big and small) to keep things organized. Also, you may want to invest in a small safe to keep your awesome stuff locked up tight. Your roommate might be great, but you never know...
Yeah, the process is fun. :) I have one of these teapots, which is the perfect size for 3-4 servings, along with some simple Japanese ceramic teacups. Nothing fancy (maybe $25 all told) but Asian green teas aren't meant to be drunk in huge American mugs. If you have a decent digital thermometer then that helps to dial in your temps/timings.
I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Takeya-64-Ounce-Silicone-Handle-Avocado/dp/B003DTLNI8/ref=pd_sim_k_6
But I got it at TJ Maxx for $12.99. But now that I have it, I think it's definitely worth the money. It's really easy to clean, too.
This teapot is by far my favorite. I feel like Hario needs to hire me as a sales rep, I love these things so much. It is easy to clean, damn near unbreakable, and still looks brand new after years of regular use. I have all three sizes, but the 100ml is the one I reach for most often. I have clay pots, glazed, non glazed, and numerous other styles, but they all sit in a cupboard while the Hario is on the counter. I like to think that I learn a lot about a tea via color and how it changes, so I gravitate towards glass pots.
Morthy demands:
Item which would most make you seem like an old posh Englishman:
Most "oh god, I would never be seen with this in public" looking item:
Most phallic looking item:
Akeleie demands:
Most geeky item: Read by Alex Kingston ;_;
Item which would most help you achieve a goal: This is actually for a class next semester
Best item to bring to a deserted island: So I can see? I have no idea
This depends primarily on how much you want to brew and what style (batch vs continuous). The easiest first step would be to go with a glass gallon jug. If you want to go a little bigger, get a 2 gallon with a non metal spigot (plastic and stainless steel are ok). Spigots make it way easier to pour for 2F. Not sure it’s worth it for a 1 gallon jug but for sure for 2+ G.
Pakkon Wide Mouth Glass Mason Jar with PlasticLid/Ferment & Store Kombucha Tea or Kefir/Use for Canning, Storing, Pickling & Preserving Dishwasher Safe, Airtight Liner Seal, 1 gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012BAWVU8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_sjiIAbZAY63RN
Anchor Hocking Heritage Hill Glass Beverage Dispenser with Spigot, 2 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWC0E42?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Stand by:
Ball Valve
False Bottom
10 gallon cooler
False Bottom - Valve adapter
Please shop around. I have no doubt you could get some of this stuff for cheaper. I was restricted in that my only form of currency was Amazon gift cards. Especially the adapter could be built / constructed for much cheaper than I paid.
Additionally, instead of the false bottom / adapter, one could simply employ a Bazooka Screen instead of a false bottom, I have just read that false bottoms are more effective and less prone to problems.
DISCLAIMER - Always do your own research and make sure the parts that you are buying are all compatible and properly sized, etc. etc.
Having said that, the parts I listed above are exactly what I ordered and all fit together perfectly, I just needed to go out and buy a female coupler (to attach the valve to the hose from the false bottom) and a washer (per the included instructions with the valve, which had a additional washer for my configuration).
I'm glad you posted this. I have tried cold brewing a few times and it never comes out as crystal-black as coffee shop cold brew. Mine always looks a little darker than tan. I don't know if I'm not using enough coffee grounds, or if the roast I'm using isn't dark enough, or if I'm not steeping it long enough. I think I'm filtering it well enough.
I use a Takeya that looks exactly like this but I leave out the filter insert and just put the grounds into the pitcher.
I have been trying to go cheap on the coffee until I get a result I'm happy with. I've used Starbucks French Roast, a Kirkland medium roast which was roasted by Starbucks, and a dark roast from an online coffee seller. I weighed 4oz of ground coffee and put it into the pitcher. Then I poured unfiltered water on top to fill the pitcher. Then I put the pitcher in the fridge for 16 hours. I inverted it probably 4 times in the steeping process in an attempt to mix the water through the grounds.
After 16 hours elapsed, I filtered first through a French press. Then I filtered it through a basket filter in a drip coffee maker. I did not run it through the coffee machine, I just poured the grounds/water directly into the filter and waited for it to run through.
Anyway, the result I'm getting just doesn't seem strong enough or black enough. So I'm wondering if I need a darker roast, or simply to use more grounds, or to steep it longer.
I always recommend Japanese Hario Maru teapots, as I feel that they are relly well designed and made.
The infuser basket is big and easily removed when the steeping is done. It pours well without dribble and the short lip is not as frail as a long glass spout. The whole thing is easily washed. They come in three sizes.
I've had a gaiwan for a while, and like everyone has said, they're versatile and inexpensive. But like you, I started out with one of Teavana's steepers and I think at first the transition to gaiwans and gongfu style brewing was a bit intimidating- so my intermediary step was a glass teapot with a large infuser basket. I got the Hario ChaCha and I still love it and use it all the time, in addition to my gaiwan =)
Steeping tea is enjoyable to me. At minimum, you'll need a device for heating the water (kettle, either electric or stovetop), a container for steeping (teapot), a filter to catch the leaves (can be part of teapot or separate), and a cup for drinking.
I use these:
The process is simple.
You can alternatively place the leaves in the strainer and stick it inside the teapot to steep. That's slightly simpler, but it doesn't allow the leaves to fully expand.
Some teapots are also designed to ease the steeping process further, like Adagio's Ingenuitea, which I own and yet don't use as much. You place the leaves inside, steep, and then the tea flows out from the filtered mesh bottom, directly into a cup.
Once you've developed tea as a hobby and have certain regional or style preferences, such as Japanese sencha (green tea) or Chinese oolongs, you can invest in steeping equipment specific to those, such as kyusu or tetsubin and Zisha teapots or gaiwan. These are by no means required, but they can heighten the experience, especially if you decide to prepare the tea in the culturally traditional manner; see Japanese and Chinese tea ceremonies.
Check out /r/Homebrewing and just start saving. Even 2 dollars a day with you and a friend and you could be rolling in a couple months.
edit: also start saving glass bottles that require a bottle opener. Those are reusable.
edit2: Things you'll need. Feel free to find similar products.
cooler with spigot
valve(I'm not sure of the size on that igloo)
bazooka screen
bottles(make sure they're brown)
caps
capper
some sort of gas stove. say a propane stove, a turkey fryer, or a kitchen stove.
a large pot
starsan
I'm probably forgetting things.
I would advise against getting the NB cooler kits because of the crazy markup on the coolers themselves. If you look at the products, you have to assemble everything yourself anyway. They charge $100 for the igloo coolers, but you can get them for $42 on Amazon. Actually, the fittings that NB offers are a pretty comparable price to other places. Maybe just get the fittings, but uncheck the cooler and order it separately.
Also, as others have said, you may not really need the HLT. Just try to visualize your brew day and see how you can finagle things optimally. Personally, I use my boil kettle as my HLT, and things work out well.
So I currently have 2 teapots; one is about 450ml and was a second-hand gift, but sadly it's too small to fit my infuser basket in. The other one is a fancier porcelain one, but the issue is that it's a litre. My infuser basket fits great, but unless I fill it rather full (900 or 1000ml of water), it doesn't work amazingly because it's one of those taller, thinner ones.
After browsing the sub I found http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hario-Stainless-Glass-Teapot-Infuser/dp/B0006HINDI/ (which is 450ml) and it seems to have a much bigger infuser basket than I currently have. I really want to try gongfu, too...blah, I'm going to end up with far too many teapots at this rate.
Can you link to that Amazon deal? I don't see it there. A friend of mine is looking for a mash tun and that would be perfect for him.
Edit: Never mind... I found it. Was looking for Gott and it is an Igloo.
I've used this as my only teapot for several years:
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0
It's pretty minimal and maybe not what you're looking for. I've fumbled it several times and never broken it. Works great with every kind of tea.
The link for the mug on Amazon is here for the people who asked. :)
I personally love it, so give it a try.
https://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Perfect-Infuser-12oz-Chai/dp/B001Q3L9P0/ this one?
I rec this one, Davidstea Tea Press stops the infusion, though the tea is on the bottom. Similar to a french press, but the mesh style stops the infusion. Better leaf expansion and less moving parts. https://www.davidstea.com/us_en/teaware/teaware/travel-mugs-and-tumblers/tea-press-black/902592US01.html?cgid=teaware-travel-mugs-tumblers&dwvar_902592US01_color=101000#sz=24&start=25
There are many like this one https://www.theteaspot.com/products/urban-glass-tea-tumbler where you can flip and pull out the filter from the bottom. Or others with a basket that you can remove from the top.
20 bones not that bad really considering you would have to be preparing enough booze for an apartment complex of Texans before you would have to replace the filter (and the filter is only like 5 bucks).
I did this once with an HEB brand knock off when it was getting close to replacement time, and it worked pretty well. Not a hangover was found in the bottle.
Also a root beer lover and homemade root beer kits were my favorite thing to do when I was a kid. You can find a few different kits on Amazon. Bed, Bath and Beyond has a selection of different root beers, varies by store.
https://smile.amazon.com/Mr-Root-Beer-Home-Brewing/dp/B0033UX8A8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1494083459&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=make+your+own+root+beer+kit
Hey,
Yup, it's this one - https://www.amazon.com/HomeBrewStuff-Stainless-Bottom-Silicone-Tubing/dp/B004B7GIV8
Added this high-flow connector to it, I should be able to dig up the original elbow as well - https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/fbelbow.htm
I have a piece of silicone tubing that is sized well for a Rubbermaid 10gal cooler, I'd throw that in too in case it would work for you.
It's all stainless and in good shape. I can take a pic after work later. I'm thinking shipping/packaging should be ~$10 depending on where you live, and if you could include enough extra to buy me a pint at a bar that'd work for me.
Invest in an infuser and start drinking loose leaf tea. The dust/scraps that go into bagged tea can't hold a candle to the fresh, rich flavour you get out of the full leaf. You can find single-serve mugs, mesh strainers, and full-size kettles. The difference is noticeable and makes the whole experience more enjoyable.
You actually can do that if you have a big enough tea basket or a small enough cup. You do it a little different tho.
You want to put the strainer in the cup or gaiwan first, then put the leaves in the strainer. Then when you're done steeping, instead of pouring the tea out of the gaiwan into the cha hai, you can just lift the strainer out and drink from the gaiwan.
So it's basically like standard western style tea brewing, but with very short steeps and a lot of leaf for the amount of water. I use about 8 grams of tea leaves for 90ml of water and then start steeping 8 to 10 seconds. Every steep I increase by a couple of seconds. You can often get 10 steeps from a tea, which at 90ml of water per steep is almost a liter of tea! For good puerh I sometimes can get 20 steeps or more.
They also make a device that is a self contained gaiwan and cha hai. I have one but they're a little difficult to clean. https://www.amazon.com/Kamjove-Gongfu-Teapot-Infuser-TP-757/dp/B00MA4WSU4
An electric programmable kettle with different temperature settings will cost you about $30-$40 I just picked up this one, pretty decent, probably a bit too much water for one sitting to be honest. It's pretty important to get the right temperature for tea since too hot scalds certain types, and too warm doesn't get the full benefit of others.
At work, I'd go with those infuser cups, since it's really convenient. I don't have this one but I've got something similar to it.
With about $60ish left, you can get quite an assortment of teas.
Amazon! There are plenty of options but this is the one I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWC0E42/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_rIJxwbSZFN1VY
Very happy with it so far
My dream, it has become real. I wanted to do something similar for years, well done finding the motivation to actuate it.
&#x200B;
I'd always picture using something like: https://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-ingenuiTEA-Bottom-Dispensing-Teapot/dp/B000FPN8TK/
Anything you can seal up and shake works well. I use one of those shakers you mentioned. Some people like glass jars. If you're interested in pitchers that can mix the whole bag at once the same pitcher sold by Soylent is available elsewhere. Here are some previous threads about the topic as well.
One 500 calorie meal is 106 grams of powder (1/4 pouch). Approximately 112 ml or 1/2 cup by volume.
I was kind of being sarcastic about being a snob. I'll drink folgers or earl grey or w/e is available and it won't bother me, but I like making good stuff when I'm at home.
The grey jar is dried lavender I use for lavender tea sometimes. The "french press" is actually a nifty thing for brewing tea.
The pu-ehr I got was just some random one I found on amazon called "yunnan longrun". One of these days I'm going to put in a big order on yunnan sourcing or something and try out a bunch of different teas.
That looks like a fairness pitcher:
More glassware here:
Hario glass teapots are nice and sell on amazon:
Lots of teapots ranging from 100-1000ml here:
I go to BU and MIT for biomedical engineering or course 20. I'm going into my sorta senior year. I probably need to take an extra semester so I'm in an odd situation right now. My senior project yearly class thingy needs to be delayed cause I haven't taken thermodynamics yet.
I'll be moving into a nice off campus studio and let's see...
This Brita pitcher is really nice for dorms. It's right above $10, but quite useful cause dorm water sucks.
I personally need these ice-cube trays cause it's bloody hot in Boston and I realize I haven't been making ice! XD
If you want a cheap teapot that will work well with any type of tea (as I did) I got this. For <$20 it gets the job done. As a bonus, if it breaks, you're not heartbroken.
http://www.amazon.com/Primula-40-Ounce-Teapot-Infuser-Flowering/dp/B002T1TUHC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318022254&amp;sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Cha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0?th=1&amp;psc=1
Its glass but 300 ml pot. Large basket. I have the 700 ml one and love it.
I use these: https://www.amazon.com/Epica-18-Oz-Glass-Beverage-Bottles/dp/B00I0YNYSI/
I usually split a pitcher into five servings (roughly 450 calories each with my add-ins). I just make sure to rinse them out thoroughly after use and they pretty much stay fresh.
I actually got it on Amazon (here's the link... if it doesn't take you to the model I pictured, just click the little options boxes on that page.)
However, this is a really popular model and you can find it sold elsewhere, sometimes for less. For example, here it is on Dragon Tea House for a few dollars less (also free shipping).
I think I have seen this one on AliExpress before too.
You want Manly?
I'm the Manliest, Man that ever Manned uh..a man...ok, that doesn't work. But damnit I'm practically dripping with testosterone and so is my wishlist!
Don't believe me? Here..Take a look at all this glory. Just looking at this shizz will grow a magnificent beard upon your face, callous your hands and beat a lion into submission!
Aint no man, manlier than Darth Vader. He's voiced by James Earl Jones and chokes people for a living!
Cause I like to shoot people*
Because MEAT!
I still like to shoot people!**
Because real men cry at this movie
Bacon beer, yeah.. That's how I roll!
Real men brew their own beer....ROOT BEER that is!
*Virtual people, sure..wanna fight about it?
**With their permission and with plastic pellets...
Get me whatever you want if I win, I trust you to pick something appropriately MANLY from my list.
I've tried a few different pots and by far, like really really far this is the best one.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007WTBQ0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
I've since bought 3 of them. One for work, one for the kitchen, and one in my office.
I use these. They fit perfectly in the door of my fridge. Use them for Simples, Orgeat, and Pureed Fruit
https://smile.amazon.com/Epica-18-Oz-Glass-Beverage-Bottles/dp/B00I0YNYSI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1504719096&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=glass+bottles
One of these
https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1494108554&amp;sr=1-7&amp;keywords=tea+tray
They have removable water trays and are pretty nice looking / build quality isn't terrible. when i was looking, ones cheaper than this didn't seem high quality/would have issues. I looked around quite a lot and that is the cheapest price for those that I found.
Looks like they went up to $33. Still a great deal. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B7GIV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EPZOAbDVCD667
I have this one which I use at work:
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1417840377&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=glass+tea+pot
It's about the right size for 2-3 cups of tea and works really well. Added bonus is that if you take the mesh out you can steep a flowering tea and watch it bloom!
I use a 2 gallon glass jar, like this, fill it with sweet tea, and add kombucha. A scoby will form in week or so. Leave it alone for a couple of weeks, and that's really all there is to it for the first ferment. For the second ferment, I put it in 2 liter soda bottles and add what ever I'm using for flavor- really like raspberries. It will be nice and fizzy in a week or so.
If I go to re use the loose leaf how do I do it? I usually only drink one cup at a time. Do I just take the infuser out, let the tea dry lol? Or is it only intended on steeping again right after the first?
Also, i was looking at this combo https://www.amazon.com/Epica-6-Temperature-Variable-Stainless-Cordless/dp/B01G7OL9ZW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1486621787&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=variable+kettle plus https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B000NVMC4I/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;refRID=W6562BAB0YZQKH1YGCTM&amp;th=1 i assume I get the water to the desired temp then pour into the infuser then straight into my mug?
Finally, as for the variable kettle is it okay to only pour one cup into it? Also, I heard a complaint that it didn't heat the water all the way up to the desired temp?
I'm pretty sure this is the same pitcher as I received with 1.6 order:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CYAIRG8/
$15.99 - $19.99 on Amazon (Lowest $11.84 - Apr 24, 2016)
I've had significantly better luck with black tea based teas, but I've also done a peppermint tisane and it turned out well. I usually use my takeya, or I just got a Teavana Tristan to give the leaves more room to expand.
About half the time I use teabags to make my cold brew tea; and the last time I used a loose leaf black, I didn't notice as much unfurling of the leaves as I expected.
Damn, that's unfortunate! this teapot seems to be pretty good, I hear good things since the infuser is so big it allows a lot of room for the leaves to expand - also cheaper!
My favourite western-style teapot is the Hario Maru. The Ikea Riklig mentioned earlier also looks nice. IMHO the most important thing about glass pots, if you go for one, is that they are easy to clean: No bamboo parts, and no curvy spouts.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007WTBQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_t.bYDbFZ2G82Y 😊
Or the smaller (300ml) version of the Hario teapot. I bought one after it was recommended here, and I love it.
Well That item looks mighty fine. I think you are going to buy the teamaker because it is summer, hot and you want some nice iced tea.
I have this mug! I use it basically every day at work. It's awesome and you won't regret having bought it.
Edit: For those wondering which mug this was.
Water is free since it's included in my utilities, however, it tastes awful. I would love to be able to purify it up a bit with this pitcher. Rockstar!
I highly recommend a tea brewer like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Adagio-Teas-ingenuiTEA-Bottom-Dispensing-Teapot/dp/B000FPN8TK/
It'll open the world to loose leaf and your options become vast. Otherwise check out Adagio or David's Tea for Mightly Leaf like teas.
> hario teapot
Like these:
Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot (700ml) Hario https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007WTBQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_bxaHzbVRCQ14M via @amazon
Hario Fukami Tea Pot (700ml) Hario https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BD1O0WO/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_wAaHzbACZRYP5 via @amazon
Hario Pure Glass Tea Pot (700ml) Hario https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GYVDKO/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_exaHzb99HJJDR via @amazon
At 700 mL (23.7 oz) they seem a bit small compared to the other 40 oz pots I've been looking at. Thanks for the recommendation, though!
Is something like [this Hario kyusu] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006HINDI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_AvJgVokcDe4Tk) what you're looking for? I recently bought one and absolutely love it. The infuser is removable so I just use it as a strainer to avoid that metallic taste. Works wonderfully and at $14 it's a steal.
Amazon reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I don't have one since I'm happy with my current infuser, but if you're interested I would say go ahead.
Thats why i actually like this one better. It lets you put the tea back into the lid after steeping. I bring it to work and use the same earl grey leaves all day re-steeping for a couple minutes with hot water.
The forlife is a good infuser, I have used it in the past. At work, I used to use an Ingenuitea because it is really straightforward to use and clean. And then any old mug is fine.
The leaf and water matter the most, but make sure your leaves have room to bloom and move around, or you'll get a weird brew.
I got it from Amazon There are a few different sizes. I really like it and I would highly recommend it. It's the same one the guys at TeaDB use.
Hario Chacha Kyusu Maru Tea Pot glass teapot w/ large stainless steel basket, makes 2 cups of tea or other herbal drink. I love this teapot!
The Keuring aint mine. It's my roommates. If I were to donate it, it would end very badly. Haha.
He also bought me a tea thingy and a bunch of teas.
I love all of it.
I recommend the Adagio ingenuiTEA, which I've used for years. It's dead simple, and brews a nice big cup. Plastic isn't usually BIFL material, but mine's withstood 5 years of regular use without failing at any point. It's dishwasher safe, so you won't have to hand wash. I wash mine in the dishwasher maybe once a month to give it a good cleaning, and just a dump and rinse in between.
You can also get it on Amazon for a decent discount.
I swear by ingenuiTEA (they also have a 64oz one). I've bought all the tea lovers in my life one. It's dishwasher-safe, the handle never gets hot to the touch, and you can steep as little or as much loose-leaf as you like. It's freaking magic to everyone who sees it for the first time, because it's gravity-fed and all the tea drains out through the bottom into the mug.
Make sure you buy at least one spare filter, though. I've accidentally thrown one away when throwing out the used tea leaves (look, I don't function well in the morning before I've had my first cuppa, okay???) and another time I accidentally popped one out in the sink and it fell down the garbage disposal, I didn't see it, turned on the disposal, and it made the most god-awful noise. Whoops.
\ They recommend the 64oz size good for "brewing a pitcher of iced tea". Well, screw that, I have a 72oz monster mug and you bet your ass I'm going to enjoy every last drop. Pitchers, hah.
This might work for you: http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0
The mug is microwave safe, so all you need is it, a way to measure the tea, and the tea itself. It's worked very well for me so far.
Okay so maybe it barely breaks the $20 limit, but I've had this root beer home brewing kit in my wish list for a while now. Who wouldn't want to home-brew their own root beer?
I do. I have been using the Takeya pitchers that Soylent sends out to new customers, I liked them so well I bought a total of 7 during the crowd-funding, so I can just throw them in the dishwasher every day. It looks like the amazon prices have started going up, but you "should" be able to get them for about $10 ea, and I've heard Costco has them in a 2 pack for $15.
I use 24oz Thermos hydration bottles when I go out, I bought mine at Walmart for about $20 ea.
Some recipes will need a blender, but I've stop using it for my current recipe. Just shake well in the Takeya, my current recipe also emulsifies really well and tends to stay that way.
I have this in the 700 ml and love it https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Chacha-Kyusu-Maru-700ml/dp/B0007WTBQ0
This has been my go-to for a few years now. Makes the best cup of tea I've ever had.
Takeya Airtight Pitcher (Black, 2 Quarts) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CYAIRG8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wPQSCbD6JCMK6
I use this for my iced coffee. It withstands heat, never have had an issue. I love them for iced coffee.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MA4WSU4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491921419&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=gongfu+teapot
My advice for a simple way to brew that is really tasty is: get one of these, learn how to use the gong fu style of tea brewing in it. Your tea will taste less biter, have stronger aromas and you'll get many infusions out of each brew.
Here's a good video that explains how it works, go to the 25 minute mark. Or watch the whole video for education on all brewing styles. It's a great YouTube channel for tea education.
https://youtu.be/puldqGnW9P0
Don't worry about the short brew time, caffeine dissolves very quickly 😉
I just ordered this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007WTBQ0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=A3TCNCNGLOHBSA. It gets great reviews--check out the review by stevek216. I can update when I get it.
I got my wife one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FPN8TK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_B8k3AbCXHXN9Z
Does great at keeping leaves out.
Zojirushi AHGB-10SE
I bought this to keep coffee hot for my office. It has kept coffee hot for 7+ hours and the coffee still tastes great.
The only con I have is that I should have bought a bigger size...
I've got one of these.
I'm usually lazy and do the cold brew method overnight. The filter on the basket is great. I've never had an issue with tea leaves getting through the filter. The only thing is that the pitcher is tall and will only fit in the door of my fridge.
As much as I love Canada, sometimes it really sucks for getting access to goods at a decent price. I see so many posts of people picking up brewing supplies off of craigslist for cheap, and there is nothing in my neck of the woods like that.
This cooler on .CA : http://www.amazon.ca/Igloo-42021-Beverage-Dispenser-10-Gallon/dp/B000F6SHTK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1422645011&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=igloo+10+gallon $106 CAD (approx $83 USD)
I've done it. I usually throw all of my tea in one of these. I'll tear open one or two green tea packets and throw them in sometimes to compliment whatever else is in there. It's not bad, actually. I've never tried with anything other than green tea, though.
edit I wouldn't suggest putting it in an infuser, though. I've tried that and it makes for gritty tea.
I have 2 tea trays from this seller and I love both of them. I recommend spending a bit more than you'd expect on a tea tray as the quality of the cheaper budget ones really shows (before I bought the second I bought a 20 dollar one from another manufacturer and it fortunately arrived damaged so I sent it back and picked up one that wasn't so awful)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?qid=1463497355&amp;sr=8-11&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=tea+tray
This is the pitcher it comes with:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CYAIRG8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00CYAIRG8&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=mlb07f-20&amp;linkId=P5L7B4OC4BLQJRBZ
I've tried cheaper ones that don't work as well. This pitcher is awesome.
One of these,
http://www.amazon.com/Brita-42629-Slim-Pitcher/dp/B0000AP7NV/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1343830954&amp;sr=8-3-spell&amp;keywords=brita+filtert
Unless you've got a suite, unlikely for a freshman, you will not have a tap in your room. Stick it in your tiny fridge, and this will be the messiah for your parched mouth on many hungover mornings. Also save you from amassing huge quantities of empty bottles or cans.
I use the Aladdin Perfect Cup as my travel mug.
http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Perfect-Infuser-12oz-Chai/dp/B001Q3L9P0/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1451776613&amp;sr=1-12&amp;keywords=aladdin+mug
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007WTBQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_bxaHzbVRCQ14M <-----LOVE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a reason they have like 1000's of reviews. It's a lot more sturdy than it looks, too.
Takeya 2 Quart Pitcher. It came free on your first order of powder.
You'd pour an entire bag in with water and that was an entire days worth of food.
You can still buy it... but only on Amazon. Not on the Soylent site.
See this Old FAQ at the bottom
Consider replacing the plastic spigot with something like this like I did with my similar setup.
More Durable Beverage Dispenser Replacement Spigot,Stainless Steel Polished Finished, Water Dispenser Replacement Faucet, fits Berkey and other Gravity Filter systems as well https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPBQBQ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yul7Cb2BVPTW8
Regarding the tea, maybe get big beverage containers like this (http://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-Beverage-Dispenser-Heritage/dp/B00BWC0E42/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1420985567&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=glass+beverage+dispenser) and brew a whole bunch at once? You can probably just stick it in your fridge so it doesn't go bad and only have to brew it once every few days.
$600? Let me see what I can do here.
Brew Kettle:
Mash Tun:
Propane Burner:
Wort Chiller:
That's $540 and would be a pretty incredible setup.