Variable Temperature Tea Kettle

Now that I'm getting settled into my new apartment, I had time to sort through my some papers and find a note about a product from Adagio. It's a variable temperature electric tea kettle. It's the first of its kind, it can go all the way from white to pu-erh and tisanes, and it has received excellent reviews.

Zarafina also has a similar variable-temperature product. It brews the tea (with variable time, for mild to strong for each type of tea) AND pours it into a pot (like a coffee-maker). I got word from a client who has tried it that it's "pretty good," but not something she'd want to sell in her tearoom. Interesting product, nonetheless.

If you (like me) prefer to do things the "old fashioned way" and you need some guidance, read my article on water temperatures for brewing tea.

Randomness: I love having a farmers' market near my place. The other night I made squash blossom soup (with farmers' market squash blossoms) for the first time. (Squash blossoms need to be stored carefully and used as soon as possible. That's why you rarely, if ever, see them in grocery stores.) I served it with an Oolong with dried apricot and grapefruit notes. Yum!