/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Teavana.com is my go to. prob a bit expensive though.

>>4300514
I looked there, their yixing teapots look a bit tacky and their cast irons are indeed quite expensive.
But, while I go look for other places, what do you prefer to drink?

>>4300511

Dude.... seriously. Just get one of those plain little enameled affairs.

If you going to actually use the thing, you need it to be functional, not fuck-all expensive. If all you want is for it to look "cool" and leave it lying around in your kitchen for the sake of being a hipster faggot, then by all means, splurge.

A teapot and a kettle aren't the same thing -- if you want a kettle for just boiling water (for a variety of uses), then pretty much anything can and will do. I would still, again, recommend one of those plain enameled metal ones because imo the raw metal ones show spots and stuff too much.

Teapots for brewing in and serving from need to be carefully inspected in person if they are ceramic. You definitely don't want there to be any cracks or pits or flaws in the glaze.

Also, just as important as the teapot being safe to drink from, you want to be able to pick it up and feel how it's balanced in your hand. Some are really shaped like shit and will be awkward or painful to pour from.

And avoid anything with a whistle that you have to flip up when you pour : the whistle lid will flip droplets of boiling water onto your hand... you've been warned!

>>4300514
teavanna overprices their stuff by like 400% dont buy there

>>4300549

Oh yeah, other general tips: avoid kettles with handles that rotate, you want the handle fixed so that it doesn't flop onto the hot kettle and melt/heat up itself.

similarly, your teapot will almost certainly be easier to use if its handles are fixed because... not having fixed "grab onto this hot object with boiling liquid inside" points is just fucking stupid.

If you're only ever gonna make tea for yourself or one other person, a kettle will do you. Get one of those "tea infusers" that look like tongs with a mesh basket, put your tea in the basket, and then remove when you wanna drink it. Or be a real man and just throw your tea in your cup direct.

Almost all paper bags that tea comes in... you can pretty much taste it. I know, I know, it seems like such a snobby thing... but you really can taste the bag almost every time.

>>4300549
Actually, I just want a 500mL teapot because the one I have, a 1L teapot, is just too damn large for me to finish. Sure, I could use less water, but then I'd have to leave the leaves inside the teapot because the infuser doesn't reach the bottom of the pot. Then I won't be able to control the infusion unless I pour two cups, but I always drink my tea alone.
And I actually have a kettle with that whistle thing, I just very gently flip the whistle lid up, so it doesn't splash everywhere.
As for the looks of the teapot, I figured that I might as well pick a cool-looking (and functional) one while not being too expensive.
>>4300556
I think I've become sort of a tea snob myself, it's become hard for me to drink tea blends because I have no idea what the actual tea is, and can't actually taste the tea itself because they tend to put so much shit in it nowadays.
But anyway, I have an experienced with a floppy-ass wooden handle... not fun to use. I already have an infuser basket, but depending on the tea that's being infused, the leaves on top often don't get completely submerged, making the infusion uneven. And as I said, if I just put the leaves directly in the teapot, I can't control the infusion. Call me a fag, but an astringent, bitter brew just ain't good for me.

>>4300576

Why don't you just put the infuser in your cup/mug and then pour your water into your cup/mug over it...?

Also, functional is cool-looking. Always has been.

Depending on your area, check for Chinese/Asian markets. They'll have a range of stuff from worthless shit to high grade, but almost all of it at a good price.

>>4300602
I do, except for those times the leaves are so damn large that they don't fit in the infuser. Especially tightly-rolled leaves. Well, I guess it's not really worth spending money on a new teapot only for a few teas until I actually get a job.
>>4300609
I'll go check that out. Probably would've helped immensely if I spoke Chinese, though, I really want to see if teas carried by actual old Chinese guys are much better than the rest.
Thanks /ck/.

>>4300616

confirmed for hipster faggot?
confirmed for hipster faggot.