Do you wash out your teapot?

[Magicscreen2]

I'm serious. Really!

No, it's not a cheeky metaphor, babe!

The crud that accumulates on the inside of my teapot. Sometimes I wash it out, and sometimes I don't. It doesn't seem to make any difference to the taste, whatsoever. So, I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble.

I just wondered if you did, or didn't.

No cream. No sugar. Just tea.

Really, I'm not joking. Really.

(Really)

 

[pollynova]

I only use my teapot to boil water, nothing else goes in there so I never have washed it.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Thank you for the quick reply, Polly.

You make all of your tea in a cup then?

 

[cfuhrer]

I wash mine every time. Granted mine is a terra cotta set that I brought back from China so it means quite a bit to me and I want to keep it as nice as possible.

 

[Sinny]

I agonize over this, believe it or not. All that goes into mine is tea and boiling water, so the bacteria is not nearly as prolific as it would be if I put cream and sugar in there. So I rinse it well after I am done with my morning cuppa, then I give it another good rinse the next morning before using it again. It goes into the dishwasher for sanitizing at least 2x a week.

I only use clear glass pots, so nothing ever really accumulates in mine.

What's your daily drinker?

I am a PG Tips fanatic right now for my morning cup. Fancy stuff later in the morning. Sometimes straight lapsang souchong or Russian Caravan if I need a slap in the face.

 

[pollynova]

Thank you for the quick reply, Polly.

You make all of your tea in a cup then?

Yes, i usually just have one cup at a time. Or hot coco and things like that.

 

[Vagina_Dentata]

I don't wash my work coffee cup. I'm sure it's teeming.

 

[Magicscreen2]

I wash mine every time. Granted mine is a terra cotta set that I brought back from China so it means quite a bit to me and I want to keep it as nice as possible.

This is helpful. Thanks!

I agonize over this, believe it or not. All that goes into mine is tea and boiling water, so the bacteria is not nearly as prolific as it would be if I put cream and sugar in there. So I rinse it well after I am done with my morning cuppa, then I give it another good rinse the next morning before using it again. It goes into the dishwasher for sanitizing at least 2x a week.

I only use clear glass pots, so nothing ever really accumulates in mine.

What's your daily drinker?

I am a PG Tips fanatic right now for my morning cup. Fancy stuff later in the morning. Sometimes straight lapsang souchong or Russian Caravan if I need a slap in the face.

Hey, Sinny!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. And, you have significant kitchen cred, so it's not just that I'm a knob from the country.

PG Tips for me, too... the pyramidal bag in the morning, yo! I usually go with something herbal in the evening, as I need not another reason not to sleep.

I have a ceramic pot (so it isn't clear). The crud accumulates for a week or so, and then I throw a vinegar solution in it, and it comes right out. But, I never notice a difference in the taste, so wonder if it's worth the trouble.

 

[Magicscreen2]

I don't wash my work coffee cup. I'm sure it's teeming.

It's not the bacteria I fear. There's nothing much for it to live on, and the boiling water should take care of anything that tries to colonize the place.

But, that brown stuff that builds up in your cup... that's probably similar to what I'm talking about.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Teapot not kettle, right?

Teapot just gets rinsed well. No soap, well maybe a tad. Treat it sort of like a cast iron pan, needs to be seasoned.

Only hot water and tea. Never milk and sugar.

Not a tea drinker myself. But I always have a nice teapot and some fresh teabags around for my mum and a couple of girls I know who are tea nuts.

My mum drank like 8 cups a day of tea. Red Rose. milk and sugar

 

[Vagina_Dentata]

It's not the bacteria I fear. There's nothing much for it to live on, and the boiling water should take care of anything that tries to colonize the place.

But, that brown stuff that builds up in your cup... that's probably similar to what I'm talking about.

If it builds up in the cup...I wonder where else it's building up.

 

[Sinny]

This is helpful. Thanks!

Hey, Sinny!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. And, you have significant kitchen cred, so it's not just that I'm a knob from the country.

PG Tips for me, too... the pyramidal bag in the morning, yo! I usually go with something herbal in the evening, as I need not another reason not to sleep.

I have a ceramic pot (so it isn't clear). The crud accumulates for a week or so, and then I throw a vinegar solution in it, and it comes right out. But, I never notice a difference in the taste, so wonder if it's worth the trouble.

I love the pyramid bags! A real plus is that the PG Tips bags don't have a tag with a staple I have to remove before I put the bags into the compost bin. I am so lazy in the morning.

I am glad you are coming around here more. I missed our food banter from the other place.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Teapot not kettle, right?

Teapot just gets rinsed well. No soap, well maybe a tad. Treat it sort of like a cast iron pan, needs to be seasoned.

Only hot water and tea. Never milk and sugar.

Not a tea drinker myself. But I always have a nice teapot and some fresh teabags around for my mum and a couple of girls I know who are tea nuts.

My mum drank like 8 cups a day of tea. Red Rose. milk and sugar

Yes, tea pot. And, no, I'd never put anything but tea and hot water into the pot.

The "cast iron pan" was the metaphor I was considering. Maybe somehow the tannins that accumulate are "seasoning" the pot. It could also just be an excuse not to wash it.

 

[Magicscreen2]

If it builds up in the cup...I wonder where else it's building up.

I've wondered that, too. But, unless you struggle with caffeine, the health folk seem to think nothing but good things about tea.

Now coffee... that's the devil.

 

[Magicscreen2]

I love the pyramid bags! A real plus is that the PG Tips bags don't have a tag with a staple I have to remove before I put the bags into the compost bin. I am so lazy in the morning.

I am glad you are coming around here more. I missed our food banter from the other place.

Yes, me, too. Especially the Sideways wine chats.

I compost my bags, too. Though, wouldn't even hesitate to toss in a little teabag staple into the compost twin. That thing would eat a staple right up!

 

[Sinny]

Yes, me, too. Especially the Sideways wine chats.

I compost my bags, too. Though, wouldn't even hesitate to toss in a little teabag staple into the compost twin. That thing would eat a staple right up!

I use my compost in my veggie garden and I hate hate hate wearing gloves. I am a god damn delicate flower, I am afraid my finger will get poked.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Hot sweet tea. Drank all over the warmer parts of the world. Coffee/caffeine is a diuretic in hot weather but tea/caffeine seems to be okay.

Treatment for cholera and explosive diarrhea is sugar water with just the right amount of salt to replenish lost body water. Maybe something in tea acts like the salt and allows water with sugar to cross over cell walls. Maybe?

Hot tea also boiled so probably safer to drink in 3rd world tropic type climes than straight water.

 

[Magicscreen2]

I use my compost in my veggie garden and I hate hate hate wearing gloves. I am a god damn delicate flower, I am afraid my finger will get poked.

I don't wear gloves either, but have just never had anything survive the 'poster.

I should probably live in more fear of this.

 

[Magicscreen2]

Hot sweet tea. Drank all over the warmer parts of the world. Coffee/caffeine is a diuretic in hot weather but tea/caffeine seems to be okay.

Treatment for cholera and explosive diarrhea is sugar water with just the right amount of salt to replenish lost body water. Maybe something in tea acts like the salt and allows water with sugar to cross over cell walls. Maybe?

Hot tea also boiled so probably safer to drink in 3rd world tropic type climes than straight water.

That's interesting. I think caffeine is caffeine -- there's just usually quite a bit more of it in coffee. I actually read an article recently making the argument for using tea as a post-exercise rehydrater, as the caffeine level was low enough it didn't seem to function as a diuretic. So, that might explain the difference you reference, too.

 

[Noor]

I agonize over this, believe it or not. All that goes into mine is tea and boiling water, so the bacteria is not nearly as prolific as it would be if I put cream and sugar in there. So I rinse it well after I am done with my morning cuppa, then I give it another good rinse the next morning before using it again. It goes into the dishwasher for sanitizing at least 2x a week.

I only use clear glass pots, so nothing ever really accumulates in mine.

What's your daily drinker?

I am a PG Tips fanatic right now for my morning cup. Fancy stuff later in the morning. Sometimes straight lapsang souchong or Russian Caravan if I need a slap in the face.

I love Russian Caravan with dark chocolate.

 

[Noor]

Hot sweet tea. Drank all over the warmer parts of the world. Coffee/caffeine is a diuretic in hot weather but tea/caffeine seems to be okay.

Treatment for cholera and explosive diarrhea is sugar water with just the right amount of salt to replenish lost body water. Maybe something in tea acts like the salt and allows water with sugar to cross over cell walls. Maybe?

Hot tea also boiled so probably safer to drink in 3rd world tropic type climes than straight water.

Sugar tea with a tinch of lite salt always helps me when I get dehydrated. It's the sugar that helps it cross over.

 

[Noor]

I rinse my teapots but I pot the stainless through the dishwasher when it gets stained.

My favorite tea these days in gunpowder but it's not normal for me.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Sugar tea with a tinch of lite salt always helps me when I get dehydrated. It's the sugar that helps it cross over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_rehydration_therapy

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent or treat dehydration especially that due to diarrhea. It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salt added, while continuing to eat. Routine therapy also includes supplemental zinc.

So not really an ORT but if your dehydrated (not fatally so!) is probably as good as anything else you can drink if not better than most.

 

[Noor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_rehydration_therapy

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent or treat dehydration especially that due to diarrhea. It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salt added, while continuing to eat. Routine therapy also includes supplemental zinc.

So not really an ORT but if your dehydrated (not fatally so!) is probably as good as anything else you can drink if not better than most.

Actually, I have my own formula that I use that is trader joe's cherry juice, water, lite salt (1/2 regular & salt 1/2 potassium salt) and sugar that is based on the WHo formula. Without the cherry juice, it is undrinkable.
I start drinking/sipping that the moment I get sick if I can get anything down.
1/2 water, 1/2 red powerade also works but it's evil.
I hate being rehydrated in the ER!

 

[Libsam]

Kettle, no.

Teapot, yes.

I always wash out my coffee french press and tea pot. I've noticed that used coffee grinds and tea leaves grow mold very quickly.