Comments on: Green Me Tea: an eco-friendly teapot?

By: Green Your Apartment » Blog Archive » Fourth “Tips for Green Living” Carnvial

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:39:21 +0000

[...] my British and Asian pals, Alison discusses the repercussions of improper tea brewing in her post Green Me Tea at Green Me. And what discussion of food would be complete without discussing Why Learn How To [...]

By: Green Me

Green Me — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:09:16 +0000

Pamela you might want to try one of the following Stainless or Glass Kettle Options:

Chef’s Choice Cordless Electric Kettle-Stainless

Capresso Glass Water Kettles

Unfortunately both the Chef’s Choice and the Capresso are made in China. So you might want to consider another option or buy your product in person. Kalorik makes stainless and glass kettles sold through Target, Costco and some other retailers, but I couldn’t find a country of origin.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:41:57 +0000

Hello,
I’m researching healthy teapots and read your article. I’m looking to buy a new teapot but I want one that is healthy. Have you taken into to consideration the health aspects of the teapot you recommended, the Braun? I’m not comfortable drinking out of a plastic vessel, especially at hot temperatures. Do you have any recommendations for a teapot that is both energy efficient and healthy for your body?

By: Fickle Pixel » Form or Function

Fickle Pixel » Form or Function — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:40:01 +0000

[...] Allow me to get consumeristic for a minute. Our drip coffee maker kicked the bucket and we’ve quickly replaced it with a ceramic french press. Of course, one purchase leads to another, and now we’re finding ourselves microwaving water, two cups at a time in a pyrex cup. Seems awfully silly to waste the power of the microwave on boiling water when an electric tea kettle could do it much more efficiently. [...]

By: Fourth “Tips for Green Living” Carnvial « Green Your Apartment

Fourth “Tips for Green Living” Carnvial « Green Your Apartment — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:48:32 +0000

By: Green Me

Green Me — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:44:00 +0000

Perhaps I should have posted about being mindful of our kettles. I too have a bad habit of leaving my kettle on the stove top. And, when using the microwave to heat water, I’ve been known to wonder off and have to re-heat the water more than once! Sigh. I suppose that we should both work on taking a moment to both make AND drink our tea. Being mindful of what we do and how we spend our time is a big part of being green!

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Thanks for the reminder to descale my kettle–it’s been a while. And I’ve started to pay more attention to how much water I put in it.

I have an electric kettle with an automatic shut-off. A bad habit I have is turning on the kettle, going off to do something while I wait for it, coming back 15 minutes later, turning it on again, etc. Maybe I’ll keep a book or a knitting project in the kitchen and do that instead of wandering away.

With the amount of tea I drink, I won’t be surprised if I see a drop in my electicity bill just by being more careful in how I make my tea.

By: Green Me

Green Me — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:08:00 +0000

Indeed, I did not forget the trusty microwave, so perhaps I should clarify. When it comes to preparing a single cup of water a 1000 watt electric kettle and a 1000 watt microwave, should both be able to do the job in 60 seconds or less. However, when you increase the water, the microwave takes more time, and the electric kettle wins on efficiency. The new Braun models that I profiled claim to boil up to 7 cups of water in 60 or 70 seconds, which is faster and more efficient than your average microwave. So, depending on the wattage of your microwave and how much water you are trying to boil, the microwave may or may not be as efficient as a newer electric kettle.

I also put greater emphasis on electric kettles, because most tea drinkers tend to be a bit romantic, and they prefer a tea kettle to a microwave. Electric kettles are also more convenient for those that prefer to drink their tea in china or otherwise microwave unsafe cups.

By: Matt Sturtz

Matt Sturtz — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Don’t forget the other electric tea kettle — filling your ceramic mug with cold water and putting it in the microwave. A properly maintained (clean and dry on the inside) microwave is about the most efficient way to heat up food and liquids that you could possibly get. Think about it — turn on the kettle, and it heats up the whole kettle, and the air around it, in addition to the water you want heated (and that’s assuming, as you advise, one only heats the required amount of water to the required temp); nuke the water instead, and only the water gets hot, while the microwave itself, and the air around it (except maybe right around your mug) remain un-heated. Today’s microwaves are perfectly safe to use, and they are more than capable of bringing water to a boil, plus, you don’t ever have the problem of yuckies remaining inside the kettle.