enamelized tetsubins - actually useful for something? maybe?
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:40 am
Wwhile looking for pots or kettles and tetsubins or even just when poking around in thrift stores these mass-manufactured enamel lined tetsubins come up over and over again all over the place, particularly from European vendors. Of course they aren't made for stovetop use with the enamel lining, but they do bring up some ideas or questions for me...
biggest thing I guess being how or why they came about. I feel like they typically seem more like decorative items or made for those who don't drink the type of tea we do. were unlined small iron tetsubin actually used for brewing and at some point not so long ago and the lining came about because people can't be asked to dry out their teapot? or was the entire thing developed by or marketed to Europeans looking for some sort of asian-inspired thingy to have look nice on their cabinet? I suppose if it has an infuser one can just pull the basket out but because of the heat retention I always found them especially odd since I think it would be really prone to overcooking and making teas like sencha super bitter.
I always wonder how hard it would be if it were possible to remove the lining on some of these to make for a rather cheap smaller tetsubin. I suppose the issue there even after that is done is if the purity of the iron is good enough, as well as that the newly exposed iron would probably need some sort of seasoning or protection. Its funny that in many cases when you see warnings not to use them on the stove its because if the enamel cracks the iron will affect the tea which is what we are actually after- I'm much more worried about what might leach out of a cracked low grade enamel lining. while good cast iron tetsubins seem to run in the $250-infinity range (and I think are completely justified given the process/materials and intensity) I imagine there is also a market for mass-produced less crafty tetsubins out there, but its funny to see them being made but always having this stupid liner being put in them.
Has anyone actually used these for slow brewing? Is the enamel that delicate or is it just a thermal shock thing? If it can't handle direct stovetop heat, or at least maybe not for consistent boiling, I'm wonder if placing them (pre-warmed) on an alcohol burner or over even just a candle would also be a bad idea? I've seen many that do come with little tea light trays. Since they tend to come pretty cheap second hand and in a variety of smaller sizes I could see having it over a small flame being a pretty handy way of extracting the last bits from a spent tea, or just having a pot of shu slowly cooking away all day. A lot of heat resistant glass pots I find tend to run on the bigger side, plus the iron is a little less fragile and prone to breaking.
biggest thing I guess being how or why they came about. I feel like they typically seem more like decorative items or made for those who don't drink the type of tea we do. were unlined small iron tetsubin actually used for brewing and at some point not so long ago and the lining came about because people can't be asked to dry out their teapot? or was the entire thing developed by or marketed to Europeans looking for some sort of asian-inspired thingy to have look nice on their cabinet? I suppose if it has an infuser one can just pull the basket out but because of the heat retention I always found them especially odd since I think it would be really prone to overcooking and making teas like sencha super bitter.
I always wonder how hard it would be if it were possible to remove the lining on some of these to make for a rather cheap smaller tetsubin. I suppose the issue there even after that is done is if the purity of the iron is good enough, as well as that the newly exposed iron would probably need some sort of seasoning or protection. Its funny that in many cases when you see warnings not to use them on the stove its because if the enamel cracks the iron will affect the tea which is what we are actually after- I'm much more worried about what might leach out of a cracked low grade enamel lining. while good cast iron tetsubins seem to run in the $250-infinity range (and I think are completely justified given the process/materials and intensity) I imagine there is also a market for mass-produced less crafty tetsubins out there, but its funny to see them being made but always having this stupid liner being put in them.
Has anyone actually used these for slow brewing? Is the enamel that delicate or is it just a thermal shock thing? If it can't handle direct stovetop heat, or at least maybe not for consistent boiling, I'm wonder if placing them (pre-warmed) on an alcohol burner or over even just a candle would also be a bad idea? I've seen many that do come with little tea light trays. Since they tend to come pretty cheap second hand and in a variety of smaller sizes I could see having it over a small flame being a pretty handy way of extracting the last bits from a spent tea, or just having a pot of shu slowly cooking away all day. A lot of heat resistant glass pots I find tend to run on the bigger side, plus the iron is a little less fragile and prone to breaking.