In Hot Water

I finally must speak up about something that has bewildered me for years.  I have seen numerous articles on the most efficient way to heat water for coffee or tea; Is it better to use gas? electricity? the microwave? (Microwave did not score highly overall, by the way) None of them, however, addressed what I term:

The Strange Occurrence of Volume

In the countless homes in which I have been offered countless cups of tea, I notice that the tea kettles were filled to the brim despite the fact that there are only two to four cups of tea, or the one small teapot being planned.

Full kettle.  The wait for the boiling water is endless.  And then, in the end, all that hot water sits in the kettle and becomes cool again.

My tea drinking darlings!  It can be so much easier!

Just put in enough water in your kettle for your current tea drinking needs!  You save energy (whether gas or electric) and time.  You will be surprised how quickly your kettle begins to sing!

Also remember your hot water temperatures for the various kinds of tea.  Boiling water is not so common a necessity as you might think.  Please review my article on water temperature for brewing tea.

The foregoing, however, does not necessarily apply to the world of Chinese tea.  If you are an avid Chinese tea drinker, you probably will want to fill the kettle, but add to your kitchen’s arsenal a large thermos to keep the hot water handy for hours of fragrant green, oolong, white, or black tea.   For more information on Chinese tea, read my article: A Short Introduction to Chinese Tea.

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