heatherb

I was looking at the Upton's website and I noticed that not only do
they sell the replacement infuser baskets for the Chatsford teapots,
the basket rims come in different colors. Thus far, I've been using the
basket that come with the teapot for all my teas, but I'm wondering if
it might be a good idea to see about getting different colored ones for
the different types of tea (one for black, one for green, etc.). The 1
basket I have is gotten somewhat stained with black tea, so I'm
wondering if that's going to affect my other teas.

Thanks!
Heather

BTW, I did try the Upton's Extra Bergemont Earl Grey iced and all I
have to say about that one is in order for me to enjoy Earl Grey, I'm
going to need one where the bergemont doesn't scream at me.

gavin

Warning: inexperienced answer follows.

If you were going to use a different basket for different kinds of tea,
you should probably consider a different pot for different kinds of
tea.

Some pots are thought to assume the flavour of the teas brewed in them
over time, and English wisdom is that you should take advantage of this
and never thoroughly wash your pot. The corollary is, of course, that
you should use different pots for black, green, etc.

I consider my teas to be tasty enough without the pot interfering, and
drink a variety of teas all the time in only a couple of pots, so I
ignore the conventional wisdom and give the teapot a good rinse after
each use.

If my Teeli strainer at work starts to get stained and/or smelly, I'll
be looking for a way to "reset" it. My first guess would be to wash it
with some lemon juice. My second guess would be to search the net and
this newsgroup looking for advice!

Cheers,
Gavin

aloke prasad

I periodically wash my Teeli infusers in the top rack of the dishwasher.
--
Aloke
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kludge

The different colors are for the different sizes, so you don't accidentally
put the infuser for the two-cup pot into the four-cup pot and have it
fall in and let all the leaves out. I think that if you want a particular
size you have only one color choice. --scott


Take it, then, and cut it fifty-fifty with a Keemun or English Breakfast
and see if that isn't better. Or maybe one to four...or one to six...
that stuff is strong.

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

ferrante

I just wanted to add that while I have thought about getting a teapot,
I have a 2 cup coffee press, everything gold except the glass (fake
gold of course) and I just love to watch the leaves when I pour in the
boiling water. The agony of those leaves becomes my ecstasy!

Jane Hudson

bluesea

That nylon mesh isn't supposed to retain flavors so, you should be okay just
rinsing it with hot water and letting it air-dry like you do the pot.
However, the pot itself may affect taste. Cleaning with a solution of baking
soda in water will keep odors and flavors from transferring to other teas
and the occasional brushing with the solution will keep your pot looking
pretty, too. Soak it awhile if you let it go very long between cleanings to
remove stains.

If you're going to be a purist, you might consider getting a pot for each
type of tea: one each for black, oolong, green, white. Some further
differentiate by flavors: one for jasmine, one for ... but I haven't gone down that road.

The Extra nearly knocked me down. I found the Original (TE10) suits me best
and Bigelow's is in-between. Here's a link that may keep you busy for
awhile:
http://www.concentric.net/~Dusted/.


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bluesea

Err...no. The 2-cup and 4-cup baskets are available in the same 6 colors
while the 6-, 8-, and 10-cup pots have the options of red or brown:

http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/catalog.asp?UTid=227-17-1370627&afterCart=/shopcart/catalog.asp&begin=0&categoryID=70

or, http://tinyurl.com/hnldf.

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bluesea

Yes, that's why glass teapots and mugs are my favorites.

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jenn

Gavin
Hi Gavin, I put my strainers basket in the top rack of the dishwasher,
comes out brand new. I certainly wouldnt do this with teapots, but just
the diswasher has several rinses and to me, good as new.
Jenn