THE teapot for office work

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lUKAV28
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri May 03, 2019 2:00 pm
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:18 pm

I am really interested in what kind of teapots do you like to use during your office work? I assume convenience is more important here so one pot that can brew them all surely has undoubted advantages in my eyes.

I am asking this because I bring all kinds of tea to the office and noticed that the unglazed teapot that I am using there (nothing worth mentioning) is muting a lot of them and it really started to bother me.

That is why I am leaning towards an idea of getting a porcelain teapot but it would really be nice to hear your experiences with brewing tea in the office beforehand so I and other office drinkers could make better decision.

As of right now I am eying one of these two beauties from tea-masters but have no experience with porcelain pots so I don’t know if light celadon or ivory porcelain would be a better idea.

https://www.tea-masters.com/en/qingbai- ... olume-12cl

https://www.tea-masters.com/en/ivory/75 ... olume-12cl
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Balthazar
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Location: Oslo, Norway

Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:59 am

If you want porcelain, I'd go for a gaiwan (which is what I use most of the time at work). Easy to use, easy to clean, neutral in terms of taste.

I also have a modern yixing pot at the office, which I use for certain black teas and shu puer, but if I had to choose between it and the gaiwan, the gaiwan would surely be my choice.
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Bok
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Location: Taiwan

Sat Aug 17, 2019 11:29 am

I have a different approach. I only do make tea if I have enough leisure to fully appreciate it. So no tea at work normally.

Big glass pot to share with everyone, but the tea is too cheap to warrant anything more serious in terms of setup. More expensive tea would be a waste anyways.

Sometimes, rarely I do gong fu brewing for clients, but that is a perk you can probably only do in Asia without getting looked at funny...
Noonie
Posts: 360
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:30 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Sat Aug 17, 2019 11:40 am

I use a 100ml porcelain Gaiwan and cup. As mentioned above, east to clean. I use it with high mountain oolong and pu’er. Most importantly, I have a kettle that after the water is boiled I pour into a pre heated, insulated water bottle.

I drink a cup at a time, in between what I’m doing...making sure I enjoy and appreciate each cup. I may mess up slightly on timing and I don’t weigh the tea, but it’s so great to be able to have good tea at work. A session may last an hour, and I could be busy on a call at my desk or working on something...but the tea is enjoyable and the work gets done!
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lUKAV28
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri May 03, 2019 2:00 pm
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:13 pm

Nothing’s more convenient than gaiwan eh? :D

I am interested in learning more about that insulated water bottle @Noonie.


Most of the time I drink tea at work if I hadn’t had time to do it at home. I don’t stock the most exciting tea at work as I often don’t have the opportunity to finish it completely nor time to spend quality time with it but I can always benefit from tasty daily drinker.

This reminds me ... how do you guys select what kind of tea to brew on a work day? Are you looking for any special characteristics in tea like potency or calmness etc. or do you listen to your cravings?

Also @Bok when is your preferred time to brew tea?
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Bok
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Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:24 pm

Mostly in the evening, afternoon if off work. Morning I do prefer coffee or at the limit some black tea.
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debunix
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Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sat Aug 17, 2019 9:04 pm

I have a selection of teawares at work. I do brew in thermoses for enough tea to bring to afternoon clinics where I sometimes run out with the 1 liter thermos (3-4 hours plus sometimes lots of people ready to share); I have some very practical pots and shibos fully glazed on the interior (maximum flexibility in brewing) but only a couple of smaller unglazed pieces for occasional small-scale evening sessions with a fine tea.

What I still lack, and very much want, is a 300-400 mL fully glazed shiboridashi with a side handle for ease of handling and not burning fingers. Why do I want this? Ease of cleanup. I do not have access to a kitchenette or proper sink, just a bathroom with a standard small sink. I want to be able to rinse it with hot water from the kettle (into my waste-water bucket); when I do that with most of my current handled pieces it often takes a bit of rubbing with my fingers to get the last bit of leaf out (the inward curve at the top of the pot/shibo hides things and it's not nice to find that you missed a bit at the start of the next session). That level of cleaning is not super convenient in an office where time is at a premium and wet fingers + paperwork & keyboards don't mix well. I have smaller shibos that are terrific, but they don't have handles, and if I want to share something that needs to be brewed HOT and drunk quickly (aggressive young shengs) or brewed not so hot but still goes off quickly (you greens know who you are), trying to get enough volume to share up and down the hallway is an adventure in burnt fingertips or tea going off because sitting too long in the pitcher before being served out.

For travel to an office where I do have a proper sink, I keep a simple fully glazed thick-ish walled teapot by Yi Yong Cheol, which has a flat-filter that is easily cleaned.
.m.
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Oct 11, 2017 3:26 pm
Location: Prague

Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:33 am

This is my favorite one http://www.lasanmarzano.com/en/page/tomato-puree but any jar works great. :lol:
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Noonie
Posts: 360
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:30 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Wed Aug 21, 2019 10:19 am

lUKAV28 wrote:
Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:13 pm
Nothing’s more convenient than gaiwan eh? :D

I am interested in learning more about that insulated water bottle Noonie.
Here is my setup. Enjoying some YS 2000 Bulang Mountain Raw (filled that thermos twice and the tea is still fabulous).
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