291138 Sat Dec 07 12:33:21 -0800 2002 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1582886 i'm trying to switch over from using tea bags as much as possible for both health and taste reasons. i got seduced by the beautiful bodum presses at their company store in the meat packing district in manhattan. they sure are expensive but i really love the little one that has a metal filter (instead of the plastic one) i picked out. haven't used it yet and i'm thinking about giving it anyway and sticking to brewing in an old fashioned tea pot. what is the advantage to brewing in a tea press or is this just a gimick? sure the press seems to squeeze out more flavor from the tea, but once you use the press, tea steeping ends because the water is no longer circulating in the tea leaves. this way you lose the extra steeping time that usually enhances the second cup. decisions, decisions...oy, the pressure's killing me...so, what should i do tea experts? thanks, epicure-us Sat Dec 07 12:33:21 -0800 2002 0 epicure-us 1 1582888 I did not know Bodum had their own store. Could you give me their address? Sat Dec 07 12:51:02 -0800 2002 1582886 0 Bill 2 1583015 415 West 14th Street (between Ninth and Tenth Aves) 212 367 9125 Mon Dec 09 11:54:52 -0800 2002 1582888 0 Peter McCarthy 1 1582891 From what I know about tea, I would stick with an old-fashioned tea pot, rather than going with the sleek and stylish bodum tea press. Pressing on tea leaves extracts the bitterness, so, unless you like bitter tea, the press might not give you the taste you desire. Apparently, tea pots are spherical because that shape promotes the circulation of the boiling water and tea leaves, thus gently extracting flavor from the leaves. Therefore, for maximum tea pleasure, you should not even use an infuser ball or basket, because they prevent the free flow of the leaves. However, I'll admit that using a tea pot with loose leaves is sort of a messy pain, and I'm not so sure that my palate would be able to tell the difference between tea that has circulated throughout the pot and tea that has sat in an infuser basket. I guess you'll need to try for yourself. Sat Dec 07 13:24:53 -0800 2002 1582886 0 kjhart 1 1582895 14th street, way west. next to markt and little pie co. it's like a cross between a gallery, a coffee bar and ikea. Sat Dec 07 14:15:05 -0800 2002 1582886 0 epicure-us 1 1582909 i alternate between a round tea pot and a tea press. to tell you the truth, i haven't founf an appreciable difference between them. and the press is certainly easier to clean. Sat Dec 07 17:33:54 -0800 2002 1582886 0 lynn 1 1582934 Sounds like a terrible thing to do with tea. In Shanghai, where I learned to love tea, the prevailing method is to just toss your leaves (preferably longjing or biluochun) in a glass tumbler and pour the hot water on top, period. Of course, it helps to start with good quality leaves, or you might have some "issues" with the appearance of what's sitting at the bottom of your glass. Sun Dec 08 00:28:05 -0800 2002 1582886 0 Gary Soup 1 1582938 I've never used the Bodum Tea Press but I do prefer using teapots with strainers - in particular a Chatsford Teapot. It comes with a strainer for the pot but the difference between it and most other teapots with strainers is that the actual strainer is quite large and takes up a good amount of space in the pot. So, when you pour the water into the pot, the leaves have much more room to move and unfurl then in other pots with strainers. They also make a mug strainer - which I use to make tea at work. They're available at Upton Tea for a reasonable price. Link: http://www.uptontea.com Sun Dec 08 08:01:05 -0800 2002 1582886 0 Pru 1 1583013 I love my "brown betty" teapot - the traditional English style. I can't say that the round shape makes that much difference, but I really *feel* like I'm making a proper cup of tea. I use it with a strainer over the cup. I suppose it's a little messy, but cleanup really doesn't take much more than a minute or two. I got mine at Empire Coffee & Tea (9th Ave btwn 41st St & 42nd St) in Manhattan. Link: http://www.empirecoffeetea.com/start.htm Image: http://www.empirecoffeetea.com/coffee_i/tea_machines_px/teapot30m.jpg Mon Dec 09 11:54:27 -0800 2002 1582886 0 iain