good morning!

[aimeekitty]

this morning I am having Pai Mu Tan White tea (which, along with the tea cup was a gift from super sweet DoA moderators). Also some little japanese cakes.

The reason I can have tea this morning...? I finally got myself a water kettle. AJ and Judy had one forever, and I loved how fast it boiled water for tea, plus I just find it soothing somehow. Better than putting the water in the microwave. Well... right now we still don't have a microwave due to construction (or a sink or a dishwasher),... so I finally got a kettle. The man doing our tile this morning loved it, too. He is from Europe and was happy to hear that they have this type of kettle now in the US, too.

The card is one I saw at Whole Foods. I just really liked the colors and style. Maybe I will redo my webpage in those colors! We'll see! Too busy right now!

Can anyone help me figure out the steep time on this Japanese tea? I can't read the box. *_*

Comments

[mojuko.livejournal.com]

I have had a electric kettle since I was i England, where I was first introduced to them, it is so much nicer then using the stove or microwave.

As for steep time, it will depend on the quality of the tea (smaller pieces ie. dust and fannings = lower quality) but the general rule is White Tea, 180 degrees F, 4 - 8 minutes. Pour the water into the cup first, place the tea into the pot and pour the water over the leaves, steep and pour. The heating of the cup will drop the water temp to the best level for the tea. The second brewing can be at full heat.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

this tea, it is a kind of grain. I think I remember it being called soba tea or something like that. What do you think?

[mojuko.livejournal.com]

Pai mu tan is a high quality white tea from China and is usually comprised of full leaves, though they may be rolled. If it appears to be a grain, it might be a flavored tea.

This tea is also called 'white peony".

[lizzu.livejournal.com]

I hate a kettle like that in Scotland. I miss it so much. ;_;

[mognetcentral.livejournal.com]

Though I love hot water dispensers, it seems a waste of energy to keep it on year-round for 1 person. Zack is a coffee drinker, so we both end up using our electric kettle. I'm glad they're are easy to get here now.

The ones I used in England were all pretty old and they had the metal coils exposed inside which would get encrusted with a thick layer of minerals from the water. Once in awhile, the green mineral bits from the water would flake off the metal =LOL, FLOATERS. My Brit friends would try to convince me that this was ok ;D

[digitalis.livejournal.com]

Omigosh the little tiny fish cookie is so cute! :D

[kaylamay.livejournal.com]

i love the cup. so oversized

[kattykinns.livejournal.com]

I thought everyone had a kettle, It's like an essential thing here in fact I've never thought of how I would boil water without it LOL! :p

I do go through a lot of tea though especially as the weather is cold there's nothing like tea to warm you up! I have a cupboard full of different teas to XD

[twotone]

Oooh, a cordless kettle! I've been using a cheap plastic probably-carcinogenic plug-in kettle for years now. LOVE it.

The soba tea actually doesn't give a steep time for when you're drinking it hot! It just says '2 tsp in a kyuusu (Japanese teapot), brew just like Japanese tea'. However, the iced tea directions suggest brewing it for 1-2 minutes before chilling, so that's probably a good guideline to work from.

[domkitty.livejournal.com]

Agreed. As a Brit I just about passed out at the suggestion that a home could exist without a kettle. I guess we *are* tea drinking capitol of the world, though :P

[kattykinns.livejournal.com]

I know right the kettle is the most important thing to have here! It's like the first thing you unpack in a new place, the first thing you do in the morning and, if you're like me, the last thing you do before going to bed LOL!

[ashbet]

I love my water kettle!! Glad you have one so that you're still able to take tea breaks while your kitchen is under construction ^_^

-- A <3

[amanda-now.livejournal.com]

Cordless electric? Does it run on batteries or something? What's the difference between this and one you heat up on the stove?

[mayuka13.livejournal.com]

I have a water kettle too! Its very convenient for making tea or instant soup! XD

[kemica.livejournal.com]

My big ol blue cordless water kettle is one of the things I <3 about Denmark. :D

[amanda-mont.livejournal.com]

That sounds like an absolutely delightful breakfast! Tea kettles are wonderful-- I'm sure you'll love having that.

[snapdragon76.livejournal.com]

Ooohhhh, an electric kettle! I love ours! It's used all the time!

[jinyo.livejournal.com]

I clicked that kettle link, and I thought it said Toastless, not Toastess. And I was thinking, "why would they mention that it is toastless? Do they usually come with toast?"
._.

[domkitty.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. When people help you move house whats the first thing you do when all the boxes have been moved in? Down tools and make everyone a cup of tea, naturally.

When our kettle broke recently I just couldnt be bothered to boil water in a pan to make my morning cuppa. I went without tea for about a week before my housemates clubbed together and bought a new kettle so they wouldnt have to deal with my withdrawl snappishness :D

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of people have kettles here, but not so many people have a cordless electric kettle!

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Shuji-san says for sobacha, probably 3 minutes. The box totally doesn't say.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think you are misunderstanding. I drank Pai Mu Tan (leaves) today, but I also have a grain tea (which I scanned the package of, if you click the link)

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

wow, thankyou! :) I think I steeped it too much yesterday, it was too bitter or something. Thankyou!

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

I had to explain why I was asking and who my random Internet friend was, so Shuji also took a look at the preview for "Japan Ai" and thinks it's the best thing ever and that you're a really talented artist and you should see if you can get it released in Japan. :) (He's been here since August and is still learning English. He says "Japan Ai" is "maji-kawaii" (seriously cute) and sugoi. Heehee.)

(Edited for random repetitiveness and typos. I blame my husband's snoring last night. :p I'm totally sleep deprived.)

[damagedgarden.livejournal.com]

Ho wonderful! I really adore tea in the morning over coffee. I like mine with toast and honey or an orange. I am more of a black tea person myself, but I have been totally in love with nettle lately. :) I also need a good kettle. My boyfriend's mom has the best old fashioned one. It's hard to find one like that these days.