Tetsubin

DailyTX
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Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm

@gatmcm thank you for the Amazon.co.jp recommendation. It seems there’s a lot more to browse aside from tetsubin
gatmcm
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:46 am

Balthazar wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:28 pm

How much water do you find you can fill the H-200 with, before overspilling when boiling becomes a problem? Do you mind sharing a few photos of yours? :) (It's this one, no?)
Yes it is indeed that one, it is quite small, probably 700ml usable, I boil without the lid too or with it tilted otherwise it does spit out the spout.
Balthazar wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:28 pm

Are your friends satisfied with their H-159 kettles? (The size of it appeals more to me than the H-200, but the single photo from Amazon.co.jp looks kinda ... strange? Almost blue-ish.)
They are pretty satisfied yeah, one thing I will say is that unlike the H200 the H159 handle is fixed which imo can be a bit anoying because of the steam condensing there, the amazon pics for the h159 are indeed quite bad, this link has more representative pics.

My phone camera isnt the best but you can get a gist.

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gatmcm
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:58 am

DailyTX wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm
gatmcm thank you for the Amazon.co.jp recommendation. It seems there’s a lot more to browse aside from tetsubin
Yeah theres a lot of teaware to browse though the search is a bit temperamental, some stuff pops up easier if you search using japanese characters, some if you use it romanized others show up if you type in english, most of it isnt exactly worth it to me sadly, shipping seems to be more or less flat to my location, relatively low cost when considering a heavy tetsubin but quite expensive for a few cups or other small items. Assume its a lot more favorable to the US though.
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Balthazar
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:21 am

@gatmcm: Thanks for the photos, looking good! I ended up ordering the H200 after all.

One reason I had been holding off is that I assumed shipping would be much higher. Again, thanks for sharing your experience which taught me both that Amazon.co.jp has really good shipping prices for heavy items (if the expected delivery time turns out to be true then it's really fast too...) and that there are tetsubins made specifically with IH in mind. Don't know if warping is a potential problem for tetsubins with "normal" (thinner) bottoms, but always good to be on the safe side.

Should have ordered one way earlier, seeing how much tea I've been brewing at home this last year, but then again it doesn't look the it's back to the office anytime soon.

Will be browsing Amazon.co.jp more, seems like a good alternative now that Rakuten Global is closed.
gatmcm
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:00 am

Balthazar wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:21 am
gatmcm: Thanks for the photos, looking good! I ended up ordering the H200 after all.
Hope you enjoy it!
The shipping is indeed quite fast, they use DHL express, mine was delayed by a day or two by customs asking for some details and it still arrived in under a week.
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wave_code
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:39 am

nice tip! these seem like good starter tetsubin, as well as for a smaller/lighter option. I have a good stainless steel camping kettle I've been using for when I want continuous boil water over my electric kettle and for boiling spent leaves- its only 1l and its actually been a fine size for me for solo drinking, especially since I tend to drink teas that don't go for 15 steeps refilling and reboiling at that size a couple times per session is pretty quick and no big deal on an electric burner. I'd like something that has a better pour without breaking the bank so this looks ideal.

I'm curious how you both find if it has much of an effect on your water and how the pour is on full boil.
gatmcm
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 12:25 pm

wave_code wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:39 am
I'm curious how you both find if it has much of an effect on your water and how the pour is on full boil.
Think it might give some body and maybe some sweetness, didnt do AB tests or anything though.
About the pour when its boiling im not sure, I use it more or less like an electric kettle, turning it off before i pick it up, my induction plate doesnt work too well at low power and it makes a high pitch whine so i dont really do the constant boiling thing.
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Balthazar
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Sun Jan 03, 2021 1:30 pm

wave_code wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:39 am
I'm curious how you both find if it has much of an effect on your water and how the pour is on full boil.
I'll do a write-up once I've had it for a while, but assume it'll provide a slightly different tasting water (sweeter). That has been the case when I've boiled water in non-enameled cast iron (cooking) pots. In fact I've made it a habit to let my finer heizhuan teas simmer for a while in a cast iron pot when the leaves are more or less spent, to squeeze out the remaining flavors in delicious "iron water" :)

Increased sweetness is also what most other users seem to report.
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Balthazar
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Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm

... so, completely coincidental, i had a blood test on Monday for the first time in a few years and the results came in today.

Turns out my iron levels are (slightly) above the reference range. Don't take any iron supplements - haven't done so since I was a child (when my values were periodically too low).

Tetsubin set to arrive on Friday. Got to appreciate the small ironies life throws at you. :)
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Youzi
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Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:08 am

Balthazar wrote:
Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:31 pm
... so, completely coincidental, i had a blood test on Monday for the first time in a few years and the results came in today.

Turns out my iron levels are (slightly) above the reference range. Don't take any iron supplements - haven't done so since I was a child (when my values were periodically too low).

Tetsubin set to arrive on Friday. Got to appreciate the small ironies life throws at you. :)
Seems you have to drink more tea. :D

Supposedly decreasing iron levels. :D
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Balthazar
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Wed Feb 17, 2021 1:55 pm

Youzi wrote:
Tue Feb 16, 2021 4:08 am
Seems you have to drink more tea. :D

Supposedly decreasing iron levels. :D
Perhaps if I drink my tea immediately after meals the reduced iron absorption evens out the iron added by the tetsubin :)

Also, after one and a half months of daily tetsubin usage I'm a bit surprised to see how the effect it has on the teas I brew is less uniform than I had expected. For some teas (Taiwanese oolongs and fuzhuans in particular) it seems to work particularly well. For others (surprisingly senchas being among them) I think I may actually prefer the water boiled in my stainless steel kettle. On some teas the added sweetness seems to come at the expense of some lost nuances, although it's still a bit early to conclude.

Actually, most of the water I drink throughout the day is boiled (and kept warm in a thermos). It's when drinking my plain 白水 boiled in the tetsubin that I notice the biggest positive change in taste, the added sweetness is really quite delicious...
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Balthazar
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Sun Mar 07, 2021 3:13 am

Question for the more experienced tetsubin users: When brewing teas at less than boiling temperature (e.g. sencha), do you first boil your water and let it cool down, or do you heat the water only until it reaches the desired brewing temperature?

With my stainless steel kettle I used to do the latter. Tried both; might have been my imagination, but always felt the teas came out slightly richer when using water only heated to e.g. 70 degrees C rather than boiled and then cooled to the same temp before brewing. With the tetsubin, due to the iron factor, I imagine people might prefer boiling and then cooling?
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Bok
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Sun Mar 07, 2021 3:22 am

gatmcm wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:58 am
DailyTX wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm
gatmcm thank you for the Amazon.co.jp recommendation. It seems there’s a lot more to browse aside from tetsubin
Yeah theres a lot of teaware to browse though the search is a bit temperamental, some stuff pops up easier if you search using japanese characters, some if you use it romanized others show up if you type in english, most of it isnt exactly worth it to me sadly, shipping seems to be more or less flat to my location, relatively low cost when considering a heavy tetsubin but quite expensive for a few cups or other small items. Assume its a lot more favorable to the US though.
One thing to consider is that although a Japanese thing, a lot of Tetsubin are actually mass produced in China.

Seeing that yours is missing the Urushi spot of a properly cast Tetsubin, it’s possibly one of that kind.
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OCTO
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Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:13 am

Bok wrote:
Sun Mar 07, 2021 3:22 am
gatmcm wrote:
Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:58 am
DailyTX wrote:
Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm
gatmcm thank you for the Amazon.co.jp recommendation. It seems there’s a lot more to browse aside from tetsubin
Yeah theres a lot of teaware to browse though the search is a bit temperamental, some stuff pops up easier if you search using japanese characters, some if you use it romanized others show up if you type in english, most of it isnt exactly worth it to me sadly, shipping seems to be more or less flat to my location, relatively low cost when considering a heavy tetsubin but quite expensive for a few cups or other small items. Assume its a lot more favorable to the US though.
One thing to consider is that although a Japanese thing, a lot of Tetsubin are actually mass produced in China.

Seeing that yours is missing the Urushi spot of a properly cast Tetsubin, it’s possibly one of that kind.
Words of wisdom... TQ master @Bok. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
gatmcm
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Sun Mar 07, 2021 6:18 am

Bok wrote:
Sun Mar 07, 2021 3:22 am

One thing to consider is that although a Japanese thing, a lot of Tetsubin are actually mass produced in China.

Seeing that yours is missing the Urushi spot of a properly cast Tetsubin, it’s possibly one of that kind.
Oigen is a decently known japanese brand, yes its mass produced, its a company that makes pots and pans after all...
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