Comments on The Half-Dipper: The Aging Tetsubin

Dear Chris, The water has always come out clear...

2009-07-31T15:03:11.911+01:00

Dear Chris,

The water has always come out clear, to date, but it's a very new tetsubin. I can imagine older tetsubins are going to impart more of their interior to the water. However, it should ideally be coated in a white layer of chalk from lots of use, deposited over the years. The sediment would protect it against rust, of course.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes, Another question. Have you noticed any col...

2009-07-31T13:58:30.200+01:00

Hobbes,
Another question. Have you noticed any coloring to your water or is it always clear?
I will sometimes, but not always get a reddish hue to the water. I am sure this is normal.. I hope.
Thanks,
Chris

Dear Eileen, I wouldn't be too concerned about th...

2009-07-15T13:41:43.825+01:00

Dear Eileen,

I wouldn't be too concerned about the inside of the kettle - the Japanese have been using them for ages, and have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Thanks for the photos! My tetsubin has been used f...

2009-07-14T17:19:06.247+01:00

Thanks for the photos! My tetsubin has been used for quite awhile and I was worried about its innards but now that I've seen your photos, I can relax. I've continued using it but had a little anxiety about its appearance and no local tetsubins to make a comparison. Thanks again.

Dear Jason, Great to hear from you! Let's see ...

2009-07-10T15:39:32.821+01:00

Dear Jason,

Great to hear from you! Let's see now - the bottled water does indeed have dissolved limescale / chalk in it. It's about two orders of magnitude lower than the quantity of chalk in our local water supply (southern England is notoriously chalky), but it definitely still exists. I'm sure that's a good thing - I'm suspicious of reverse-osmosis waters

--Jason Witt

2009-07-10T13:46:28.592+01:00

--Jason Witt

I wonder how much limescale there is in that bottl...

2009-07-10T13:45:16.260+01:00

I wonder how much limescale there is in that bottled water. That's a good question because those waters come from various natural sources unless they're distilled. I didn't know a Tetsubin was ideal for Puerh. I thought Yi Xing might be better for that. I take it I'm correct that Shengpu is Puerh Tea. If not, educate me.

Dear Chris, A fine choice, sir! I use it when ...

2009-07-09T19:09:46.424+01:00

Dear Chris,

A fine choice, sir! I use it when fortunate enough to be drinking at home, yes indeed.

Dear CB,

My strategy hinges on eternal flippancy via immaturity, so we'll see what happens. :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Ah, maturity. It'll pass.

2009-07-08T14:52:34.040+01:00

Ah, maturity. It'll pass.

Nice kettle! I believe I have the same one in my t...

2009-07-08T13:10:40.007+01:00

Nice kettle! I believe I have the same one in my tea room. I use it often and especially love it with shengpu.
Do you use yours exclusively?
Chris