TGFOP Tea Reviews (c) Silverneedles est.2005

When you really want to know something, do it yourself.

Long overdue testing of heated water here forth begins:

Thing was i been using the microwave for boiling water at work to heat me a cup of water for a taj mahal assam bag. Sure, not great quality tea but i kept wondering…am i missing something?

Didnt really believe the rumors that microwaving water made tea taste different, since i dont have such fine taste buds, but i really wanted to know if i could feel a difference.

leaf: monkey picked oolong. Not the greatest quality tea, but pretty pungent and complex in flavor so to better differentiate any potential changes.

water: Trader Joes mountain spring bottled water.

boiling devices: das electric kettle hot water dispenser, the microwave, pot on the gas stove.

double blind randomized: put some stickers on the bottom of the glasses before pouring the water representing the boiling device. poured hot water, switched the glasses around a bit until i forgot which was what. even the glasses didnt know whose water they were holding!

results:

aye! pretty clear! yearrrh…first sight - i say yup #2 is the microwave… sure looks different.

taste test:
#2: the regular taste i know,
#1: uhm somethings missing, no excitement in the taste… feels boring.
#3: the regular taste i know.

And there you have it, u can now guess #1 is microwaved, #2 electric (dont know why the leaf didnt fall), #3 boiled on the stove.

Conclusion: i concur with the rest: tea in microwaved water tastes ‘flat’ boring, not exciting on the tastebuds.

Public service announcement: Please DO NOT MICROWAVE WATER FOR TEA ! (for the good quality teas anyway, for crap tea and ‘fast’ hot water…why not)

UPDATE: this doesnt really work due to the following:

… you still get coffee taste in the cup because the
1. coffee vapors condensate on the cover drip back into the water chamber and dry around there…
2. people use the dirty caraffe to refill the water back in the machine.
oh well.

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*** i take no responsibility for the words i have written, dont sue me, thanks ***

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victim of the day, awaits patiently for customers…

remove coffee parts. fill your cup with water and drop it in the tank. don’t turn it on yet.

easy choice #1= stick the cup under the hole (pressing it upwards so water does not drip around). requiring some muscle you got to hold the cup there until all the hot water gets dripp’ed into your cup. *complications: 1. the filter holder can have some residual coffee dried up , so you could get coffee tasting water… and 2: burning of the hand by the hot water, or even breaking the machine or shorting out your entire office or building, requiring the electric company to come and fix the breakers.

easier lazy choice #2= turn the drip head and stick your cup inside the machine. turn the drip back above your cup, turn on the machine, and your clean hot water is done, no muscle required. *complications: fracture/break of the drip head (you’ll have to replace the coffee maker, or just play it like you dont know how it got broken).

*** i take no responsibility for the words i have written, dont sue me, thanks ***

$80 at the local Fry’s.
manufacturer’s website product page.

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update: just got a cheap electronic thermometer and naturally sticked it in everything, just fyi my freezer is at -20C/-4F

this machine’s water temperature measurments are as follows:

77F water 1.5L finished the 208F program in ~15min

steam release before the beeping (program end)  was at 189/87C

in “77F/25C” room temp gaiwan –> 177F/80.5C –> 161F in 2 min

in “107.6F/44C” gaiwan –> 185F/85C –> 177F in 1min –> 168 in 2nd min

after 1hour the machine’s internal water temperature was 206.8F/97.1 (thats pretty close to the 208F program’s temp, but i will keep measuring after more hours see what happens).

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update: [see rightmost picture] : after 5 months of 24h on, opened it up, drained the water, what do i see inside? mineral deposit on the inside walls of the pot! had to scrub at it for 15 minutes with paper towels, but removed most of it ( the manual said something about putting in citrate, maybe i’ll try lemon juice). i wonder what its like inside the pipes…cant clean that up… interresting turn of events… eventually is this going to have a stroke???

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This is not specific for tea needed temperatures. its a general use water heater. A tea water heater was about $150 which…is kind of steep. (i read the zojirushi brand is a good choice for that).

My take on the useful features encased in the “dent proof” body:
- 2.2 Liters of water (after using it, i think its enough, not too much, not too little) - 2L is good for cup - by - cup dispensing.
- selectable temperatures: 208F/ 194F/ 140F (at 194F the water is hot enough, and in a cup it gets cooler in good time)
- takes 11 minutes for 1.5L to reach 194F in an already hot heater, 15 minutes from cold start.
- the plastic body is hot, don’t know what that does to keeping temperatures stable.
- 6 hour delayed boil timer.
- push button to dispense water (it has a pump, but when the water is low, but not empty, the pump doesnt pump anything out.
- dispensed water stream is pretty exact and well controlled, 95% no splattering.
- electronic lock - you have to push an unlock button first, then push the dispense water button. (i think this is very good, it prevents accidental spillage)
- it has a rotating base! cute, and useful. but the feet are not too sticky, so it kinda slides on tile.

Why an electric water dispenser?
- no need to clean the pot every time i brew a tea. (except at monthly intervals to remove salt deposits)
- no time to fiddle with gaiwans, yixings, etc. (i’d like to, but …time).
- don’t have to run to the kitchen to turn off the a n n o y i n g loud whistle some pots make.
- water is always hot (you need to leave it plugged in).

got some no namebrand, made in china,

but its not useful,

the thing whistles like crazy, its louder than my house alarm!,

the handle gets hot,

when you pour, the steam rising upwards burns the hand on the handle! real unpleasant, makes for lots of cussin.