30 November 2008

My Teapot priming method - Part 2

In the past, I had simply put hot water into a teapot, scrubbed it with a brush, then boiled it with tea leaves and let it air dry. That took about an hour. Daniel's process will take more than five hours, but he is a devoted lover of teapots and tea culture and his procedure is the result of his experience.

I ended up using a shortcut method that took about 3-4 hours. My method uses less time for boiling and substitutes baking soda for the effervescent tablets. The concern I have about baking soda is that it contains a fair amount of sodium that can impart flavor to the pot, so I use the product sparingly.

1) Soak teapot and lid in hot water.
2) Use Sonicare and baking soda to scrub the teapot and lid.
3) Rinse teapot and lid.
4) Place teapot and lid on top of a towel in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Add baking soda. Reduce to a simmer for an hour.
5) Dump the water and rinse the teapot. Use Sonicare and baking soda to thoroughly clean the teapot again.
6) Place teapot and lid on top of a towel in a pot of water and bring to a boil again. Reduce to a simmer for 30-60 minutes. This step is meant to remove any baking soda taste from the teapot.
7) Dump the water and rinse the teapot.
8) For the 3rd time, place teapot and lid on top of a towel in a pot of water. Add in a handful or two of good tea leaves and bring to a boil for about an hour.
9) Dump the water and rinse the teapot well. Let it dry for a day or two. Begin brewing with good tea.
 
teapot - done Drink good tea and enrich your life

No comments:

Post a Comment