Sunday, February 24, 2013

Boiling Water In a Stone Pot

My desire for a tetsubin came about when drinking tea with Ira- her's produced a noticeably sweet delicous rounded water.  Even though I've budgeted sufficiently for a tetsubin iron kettle, even picking a reasonable candidate out from the ether is sapping my brain strength.

I've been hit with a fit of spring cleaning lately and a solution for deferring a tetsubin purchase presented itself to me. I used to make rice in this Korean granite stone pot called a dolsot and the rice tastes extra nutty when cooked thus. And although this particular stone pot can boil only small amounts of water which has to be ladled, it was worth trying with tea tonight.

As it is Sunday night, I made mugwort tea for winding down.  The tea brews extra refreshing and smoother than usual-  the tea just glides across my tongue. When I taste just the water- I can taste a slight mineral profile. I hope I don't get kidney stones but probably I need the trace minerals.

A small part of me knows I'm not the kind of mindful person who can take care of a tetsubin. (Actually I already have a rusting one on top of the fireplace that I use as a steam maker.) You can definitely leave water in this stone pot overnight- one just has to be careful not to pour cold water in a hot pot. And if it does break, it's less than $30 to replace. 

2 comments:

  1. I think that's a great compromise!

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    1. Dear Steph,

      Are tetsubins are strictly a matter of desire not need? Many a happy tea drinker lives and dies never tasting the sweet water from a tetsubin.

      H

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