Serve Tea As It Should Be Served- in a Cast Iron Tea Pot

The cast iron tea pot is often generically referred to as ‘tetsubin,’ the traditional Japanese iron tea pot. The original usage of such thick cooking vessels was not simply for boiling leaves. The first people to use cast iron tea pots must have been the local herbal doctors. The need for a vessel capable of a good amount of heat was because very often, the roots, the bard and the stems of plants were necessary components of the medicinal brew. That is the reason why cast iron tea pots are thought to have first been used for medical preparations in Asia. It may have primarily been a kettle used for medicinal teas which enjoyed wide application in curing various types of ailments in Asia. We have to remember that medicinal tea was not always just concocted from leaves. Sometimes, the bark, the stems and the roots of plants would be included in the mixture. Obviously these would require a much longer cooking time in a vessel similar to the kind that was used for softening animal meat and root crops.

Cast iron tea pots are capable of boiling the liquid uniformly and with high temperatures

Cast iron has all the properties that are needed for making the most complicated brews. It can withstand intense heat and therefore can reach temperatures that are not possible with other types of common metal vessels. Once the brew is done, iron keeps it hot for a longer time. The peculiar physical structure of iron makes for even distribution of heat. This ensures that no portion of the ingredients is either over-cooked or under-cooked and that the whole brew is boiled as it should be.

When the pot boils, it infiltrates the liquid with healthy iron molecules

Besides its excellent heating capabilities, cast iron tea pots give out the mineral iron into the liquid, in this way enhancing the healthiness of the tea. Red blood cells need iron to stay healthy. This is actually part of the continuing popularity of cast iron tea pots today. They are particularly beneficial to anemic people. Remember that iron is essential for healthy red blood cells. This must be one of the principal reasons why even today, people prefer to use cast iron vessels for their brews.

Cast iron tea pots retain the flavor of the tea on its inner walls

Old and frequently used cast iron pots retain the oily residue from all the brews that have been boiled in it. These oils can enhance the flavor of the tea. This may or may not be an advantage.

However, be sure not to boil non-compatible blends of tea in the same cast iron tea pot. Instead of make your tea taste better, the residue may only spoil its taste for you. Of course the question of whether tea blends is complementary or not depends on the particular person’s individual taste On the other hand, using one pot for different tea mixtures with conflicting flavors may make the taste of the tea disagreeable, depending on the sensitiveness of the person’s taste buds and nose.

How to clean cast iron tea pots

If you use your teapot to concoct different and conflicting tea flavors, you should wash the inside of the pot well with cleaning liquid. Take care to rinse the cleaning solution out very thoroughly other wise it may flavor the succeeding pot of tea that you make. But if you like brewing just one type of beverage, you should simply wash out the pot by shaking it vigorously with warm or hot water. This is to prevent the growth of microbes inside. Additionally, the inside of the pot has to be completely dry before you store in. Remember, microbes do not thrive on a surface that is completely dry. Be careful to rinse it thoroughly to avoid your tea tasting like the cleaning agent you used. On the other hand, if you drink one kind of tea all the time, you should not bother washing the pot with a cleaning liquid as that will remove the taste-enhancing oils. Just rinse the pot with boiling water to make sure the microbes are killed and then thoroughly dry the inside before keeping it.

Modern cast iron tea pots are often coated with porcelain

A porcelain coat prevents the cast iron tea pot from rusting, beautifies the outside of the pot and allows it to keep the tea hot for an even longer time.

With a keen interest in belts, Jackie Reese researches and writes about wallets and all other types of mens leather belts. Click here for more information about money clips and here for front pocket wallet.