Gushing praise for my Zoji

http://www.zojirushi.com

A few months ago I got one of THESE, and ever since then I have not been able to contain my enthusiasm when the subject of new kettles comes up. So rather than continually ranting whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a new kettle, I thought I'd just make a post about why I recommend the Zojirushi. If you're not interested in reading a gushing rant about why I like the Zoji so much, then you can skip this post.

Zojirushi has several models with a few sizes of each. I just got the standard 3 liter model, which you can see in the link above. The main features that make Zoji's worth while are:

• Has three temperature settings: 208, 195, and 175 degrees Fahrenheit
• Maintains the proper temperature all day long
  
• Has a digital temperature readout to show you the current temperature
• Dechlorinates water by bringing it to a boil slowly
• Saves a lot of energy
• Has a 7 hour timer
• Has a 1 year warranty, and is made for continual use

The Zoji is a bit expensive, however it should pay for itself in the long-run and is one of the only purchases that I have been glad I made just about every day. While most things end up being taken for granted after it stops being new and shiny, this is one item that I have never stopped appreciating on a daily basis.

It works by bringing the water to a (relatively) slow boil, then lets it cool to the temperature that you set it to and keeps it there. You put the cup/teapot under the nozzle and dispense by pressing the "Unlock" and then the "Pour" button. The "Unlock" button prevents anyone from accidentally pressing the button to pour when there's nothing for the water to go into. I'm sure this also provides some rudimentary child-resistance.

The first and foremost thing that I like so much about it is that I always have water ready and waiting, and at just the right temperature. Having it ready when I first wake up is very very nice. At the end of the day I set the 7 hour timer, so it powers the device off but has water ready when I wake up. When I wake up I can just put some shu (cooked puerh) in my infuser cup, pour hot water in, and walk to my desk. The tea is ready to drink by the time I reach my desk, so the first cup in the morning only takes as long to make as it takes me to walk to the kitchen and then back to my desk.

It doesn't have it's own spill tray underneath, so I decided to put a small-ish bamboo gongfu tray under it to catch any spills (I'm using the "large" bamboo tray from SensationalTeas.com, which is a very well-made tray that is made for frequent use and does not seem to warp easily). The Zoji is very good at not dripping, however I can't say the same for myself.

I could have just as easily used a folded kitchen towel, however the added benefit of the bamboo tray is that it actually got me doing gongfu brewing on a more regular basis. While it may detract from the experience in a more ceremonial setting, it is perfectly suited (not to mention convenient) for when you just want a good cup of tea brewed 'right'. Rather than having to clear a space and set everything up, I can now do gongfu brewing on a more casual basis, even when I'm short on time. The variable temperature settings does help this, however I've found that keeping the Zoji set to 208 is perfect for me. If I pour into a room temperature cup/pot, then the water immediately drops to 180, which is perfect for green teas and not bad for some of the greener wulongs. If I'm going to brew something a bit darker, I simply rinse the vessel with hot water to preheat it. Since the Zoji keeps the water at the same temperature at all times, I've found that I only need to use a thermometer the first time I use a new cup or pot to see how much it cools it off, unless I am making something like Gyokuro that requires an unusual temperature. I've found it very easy to pour over the side of a gaiwan, as well as letting it splash down into the vessel if appropriate. I can also easily position a yixing pot underneath the nozzle (on the bamboo tray) to pour hot water over the outside of the teapot.

I do usually filter water with my Brita before pouring it in the Zoji to heat, however this is mostly out of habit. I guess I use it primarily to keep the unit as clean as possible, but to be honest I've not noticed the difference when I put plain tapwater in it. The fact that the Zoji dechlorinates the water does make better tea. Unfortunately the Brita only removes chlorine smell, and does not actually dechlorinate the water fully, so the Zoji does make a noticeable improvement even over water filtered in the Brita.

The fact that it saves energy is also a huge plus. They say that the Zoji uses a combined total of approximately 500 watts per day, instead of the 1500 watts per boil of traditional electric kettles. Obviously this will save money on the electric bill for those of us that drink a lot of tea. They have a more expensive model that also creates a vacuum to reduce heat loss. If you remember high-school physics, then you will recall that heat cannot transfer through a vacuum, so even less electricity is needed to maintain the temperature you set.

At first it might seem inconvenient that the Zoji takes 25 mins, or so, to boil water, however keep in mind that it then maintains the water at that temperature all day long, so you don't have to wait. This is also why the timer is 7 hours instead of 8, so that it's fully ready when you wake up. I also top it off when it gets about half way down, which reduces the time it takes to warm it up and also keeps the water fresh.

One of the common problems with electric kettles is the quality. I'm always hearing about people having their electric kettle die out on them after a couple months. While I've only had mine for a few months now, I can say that it is working just as well now as when I got it, and I have not yet heard anyone ever talk about a Zoji dying on them (and I've heard from several people with Zoji's, who are also as enthusiastic about it as I am). These are made for the Asian market, to be used by folks that drink tons of tea every day. The local tea shop that I frequent uses one in the store for brewing up samples (gongfu style), as well as frequently having tea with employees from neighboring stores in the shopping center. So while I can't say that I've been using mine for years, I think I can say that I am quite confident with the quality.

So the bottom line is that the Zoji provides an immeasurable amount of convenience, produces better tasting tea, and even saves money on electricity and filters. What probably makes me appreciate it most frequently is that it allows me to make tea when I would otherwise not have time to do so, even allowing me to make good tea when I might have to otherwise settle for teabags.

So that's it: my gushing rave review for my favorite kitchen appliance. If you are looking to buy a new electric kettle anytime soon, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Zoji. I know they're a bit expensive to buy, but they are more than worth it in the end.

Bad caddy, bad!

I had gotten one of these tea caddies from EnjoyingTea some time ago. It seemed perfect - double lid, airtight, nice and large, decorative; what a mistake. I filled it nearly all the way with some Xing Yang Mao Jian from Serenity Art, and not only did the tea go stale, it almost entirely replaced the aroma with an overwhelming metallic smell and taste. Drinking the tea was a bit like sucking on a coin. Luckily the tea didn't cost me much.

It looks nice but if you're ever thinking about getting one to keep tea in, STAY AWAY!!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid...

So I decided I wanted my very own gaiwan. I went online and found the cheapest one I could find, which was a small white one with bamboo painted on the outside from taooftea.com for $15. I got it in the mail yesterday, then later the same day I went to Serenity Art to get some of the silver tip pu-erh he gave me as a sample the last time I was in there.

What's the first thing I see when I walk in the door? You guessed it: the very same gaiwan I got in the mail just hours previously, but for $2.99.

In fact they had a whole big lot of different gaiwans, all for $2.99.

So, feeling cheated, I grabbed another one that's a little different and will brew a little different. When I got home I looked online and found the same one going for $24 on up to $35. Astounded, I've decided I'm not buying anymore teaware online.

For the record, they also have a lot of other teaware there that I've seen sold online for ten times as much. I've seen sites sell the little yixing tasting cups for $11.50 for 3, while Serenity Art sells even fancier ones for $0.85 each! At that price, we even bought some as art supplies. So the moral of the story is that if you have a local Asian market in town, particularly one that sells tea and teaware, check there before you buy teaware online. And take your time looking around, I had been in this store numerous times, and for some reason never saw these gaiwans.

Oh well, lesson learned. At least he gave me about $10-$15 of one of the best jade oolongs (it was a Tie Guan Yin) I have ever had. That kinda makes up for it, even though I'm sucker enough to go buy some more today...

Storing Tea

Just a quick one about storing tea, and I will try to get another tea review out in the next couple of days. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately with work and haven't really been doing much of anything, which includes the things that I want to do. Don't worry, though, I'm still drinking plenty of good teas and definitely going to keep up on the blog. I'm also considering a couple of ways to present and describe the teas, so stay tuned!

Storing tea properly is very important, and more important than some might think at first. If you have a high quality tea, you obviously don't want it to go stale. If you don't keep it in an adequate container, however, it can go stale quite quickly, rendering a perfectly good fine tea flat, bland, and uninteresting in no time at all. A good container may set you back a few more bucks than you were really wanting to, but it's very much worth the investment.

Here's the main things you want to protect your tea from:

• Light - This is one that most people probably won't think about, but just think about that book, magazine, or piece of decor that got left in front of that window last summer that got sun bleached and it should make sense. Even incandescent lights contain a certain amount of UV light, and tea is very good at absorbing things. Light can and will ruin the tea, so if you insist on using a transparent container, you are going to want to keep it in a dark cupboard, keep that cupbord closed, and not open that cupboard any more than necessary. This is also something to keep in mind when you're buying teas, because unfortunately this is a point that some tea merchants either don't know, don't take seriously, or don't care about, and you could very well end up with a stale tea if it's been sitting there for any length of time.
• Moisture - Teas are dried to pretty specific individual levels, and if they absorb excess moisture then it can deteriorate the taste and overall quality of the tea. By the same token, you also want to make sure that the tea in the container isn't going to dry out. Like I say, each tea is dried to a specific degree, and you want it to remain at the level that the farmer intended. This is also the reason you do NOT want to keep the tea in your freezer. It can introduce more moisture and/or possibly alter the existing moisture.
  
• Air - This is the most obvious one. Obviously you want an airtight container. What may not be so obvious, however, is that plastic is oxygen permeable! Because of this, plastic containers are not suitable for storing your tea. I had an exceptionally fragrant high-grade monkey pick oolong lose ALL of it's fragrance this way in a matter of just a couple weeks. Plastic containers may be okay for very short term storage, but not very long. This also means no ziplock bags for anything more than transporting tea. Air is also something you want to consider when looking at the size of the container. The more completely the tea fills the container, the less air will be trapped in with it when you close it. Lastly, I would not trust those single lid tins with the lid that just slips over the top. The best tins are the ones that have a pry out lid as well as a slip-over top. Otherwise I would look for a tin with at least a pry-out lid.
• Odor - A lot of teas are most well definied by the scents they have absorbed. Tea is VERY good at absorbing odors. Some of my favorite teas have strong and definite fruit and/or flower fragrances and tastes, but without being artificially scented at all - the tea picks up the scents from plants growing near by the tea tree/bush itself! This is made obvious by the fact that the dry tea leaves smell just like.. dry leaves.. until you brew the tea. So anyway, make sure the container doesn't have it's own odor, can't pass odor, and won't retain the odor of the tea you're keeping in it. I would also refrain from keeping your tea in the same cupboard as things like spices.
• Temperature - Just like most things, you want to keep it relatively cool. A regular cupboard would likely be fine, just probably not a cupboard above your stove or fridge. You don't want to roast your tea!

The best containers I've encountered are BeeHouse brand ceramic containers. They have an airtight rubber seal with a metal latch. One thing that you may not realize (I didn't realize until I started actually sculpting with clay) is that the glaze on ceramic is actually glass. Clay itself can actually turn to glass if heated to extreme temperatures or fired too many times (it just won't make clear or even glass). So this way you get a completely opaque canister with a good airtight seal and that is completely odor-neutral. These are a bit expensive, but you might be able to find the same basic container at a kitchenware store for less. For the top grade teas, though, they are very definitely worth it, and the larger canisters are only a few bucks more than the small ones, and if you're going to buy that much tea then, particularly if it's a top grade tea, having a top-notch container is definitely going to be worth it. Specialteas.com has a good selection of these canisters, and they have pretty decent prices compared to other websites.

My next favorite types of containers are the double lid tins from The Tao of Tea. They are attractive round tins that have a pry-out type inner lid with a knob for easier removal and a slip cover type second lid. These are $4 each and hold around 3.5-4 oz of an average density tea, and about 2oz of a light and fluffy type tea. They also have smaller canisters (also double-lid) for a little less that are great for keeping things like samples (holds around 2oz of a relatively dense tea). These also stack pretty well, and I find this size to be perfect - it's the amount of tea I prefer to buy when it's something I'll drink regularly but not enough to justify a large amount.

After that I like the plain-Jane pry-top tins from Upton Tea Imports. These are pretty basic, but work well. Unfortunately they don't stack quite as well as the others, but they are cheap and space efficient. Upton has two different sizes, and I use these mainly when I have more or less of a tea than what fits in the Tao of Tea's tins.

Obviously there are others you could get as well. Plain old canning jars or the glass jars with rubber seal and metal latch that are common would do well, so long as they're not exposed to much light. You could always cover up the bulk of the jar or even paint the outside. If you have a vacuum sealer with a canning jar attachment, then so much the better!

So just a quick bullet-pointed recap:

DO:

• Get an airtight canister with a very good airtight seal
• Use a container made of glazed ceramic, tin, or glass (opaque or covered)
  
• Keep it in a cool, dark, and dry place like a cupboard
• Keep the container closed as much as possible, and just generally keep the tea protected from the elements as much as possible
  
• Use an appropriate size container for the amount of tea
• Invest in a good container that will protect your expensive tea!
  

DON'T

• Trust single lid tins or generally cheap containers
  
• Use plastic containers, or containers with plastic lids
• Use anything that has, or will retain, an odor
  
• Store tea out in the open
• Store above appliances that generate heat (stove, fridge, etc.)
• Store with anything aromatic, eg spices
• Store in the freezer
  

So that's it for now. If you know any sources for great storage containers, then please leave comments (with links if possible). I would also be very grateful for any corrections or additions for anything I may have gotten wrong or missed.