Carolyn Broadwell on sat 13 sep 97
In both Sweden and Holland, I have come across a neat gadget for
straining tea. It is a little bag attached to a loop of metal with a
handle. Loops come in three sizes; bags come in at least two lengths (to
go down into the teapot). The bag is placed in the teapot, hanging down,
and the loop holds it from falling in (various sizes for various
openings); tea leaves are put in, then hot water, and when the desired
strength is reached, the bag is removed, leaving the tea at a constant
strength, with no tea leaves at all to bother about. The leaves in the
bag can be rinsed with cold water, sqeezed, and then tumbled out into
your compost pile or garbage disposal. (I give one of these with each
teapot I sell, and people love them! I still put in the holes, though.)
Most are made in Germany, but I've been getting mine from the following
shop for about $1.00 (I am pretty sure they will send, also):
Geels & Co. bv
Koffiebranderij en Theehandel
Warmoestraat 67
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Telephone: 020-240683
There should be a "zip code" in there, but I don't have it. However, I
am sure that address will reach. It is a very elegant, old fashioned
store, with wonderful coffee and teas, candies, and accessories, and
next door to a gaudy sex shop. Only in Amsterdam would such a
juxtaposition occur!
Roger Bourland on sun 14 sep 97
I have heard several potters say recently that teabags have pretty well
made built-in strainers obsolete. The little holes are no longer needed.
My problem with this is that the teas I see available for purchase in most
stores in teabags are the most popular, but not always the best or most
interesting tea.
Wouldn't the average buyer of hand-crafted teapots be a pretty
sophisticated tea-drinker? If so, wouldn't he/she want a built-in strainer?
Roger
Jeremy/Bonnie Hellman on mon 15 sep 97
Roger,
I suspect there are markets for teapots with and without strainers. I
enjoy a wide variety of teas, and like the convenience of teabags, but
will not let that stop me from buying and enjoying loose teas. In
reality, even built-in tea strainers won't catch fine tea leaves. If you
don't want little teas leaves in your cup you need to use mesh (metal or
plastic) tea strainers. You can use tea ballers (those mesh cages that
hold tea leaves for brewing, or herb leaves) or generic kitchen
strainers. Those fine-mesh kitchen strainers catch the leaves as they
leave your pot, before they land in your cup.
Actually, there might be a market for little cups to hold those kitchen
strainers full of wet tea leaves.
Bonnie Hellman in Pittsburgh
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have heard several potters say recently that teabags have pretty well
>made built-in strainers obsolete. The little holes are no longer needed.
>
>My problem with this is that the teas I see available for purchase in most
>stores in teabags are the most popular, but not always the best or most
>interesting tea.
>
>Wouldn't the average buyer of hand-crafted teapots be a pretty
>sophisticated tea-drinker? If so, wouldn't he/she want a built-in strainer?
>
>Roger
"Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too
dark to read" Groucho Marx
" " Harpo Marx
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like an avocado" Att. to GM
Liz Willoughby on mon 15 sep 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have heard several potters say recently that teabags have pretty well
>made built-in strainers obsolete. The little holes are no longer needed.
>
>My problem with this is that the teas I see available for purchase in most
>stores in teabags are the most popular, but not always the best or most
>interesting tea.
>
>Wouldn't the average buyer of hand-crafted teapots be a pretty
>sophisticated tea-drinker? If so, wouldn't he/she want a built-in strainer?
>
>Roger
This issue of teapots made with holes for straining the tea or not, brings
up a LOT of issues.
Yes, people HAVE to like having hand-crafted pottery in their home to buy a
teapot hand-made from clay. That's because the time spent on making one
makes it an expensive item. If potters take the time to put holes for tea
leaves that makes the price even higher. I even put a hole in the flange of
the lid, for the option of hanging a teaball. It's so unsightly when you
see a teapot with a metal chain hanging out from the lid.
Then there is the competition of the wonderful "brown betty", which isn't a
bad looking tea-pot, and it even makes a good cup of tea. And if it breaks
it's cheap to replace.
But I spend a lot of time on a teapot, and they aren't cheap, but I still
want them to be used. But quite often, people tell me they have them on a
shelf, so it doesn't get broken.
So, as I see it, it's a Catch 22 situation. But I'm still going to make
teapots with holes; I'm a sucker for attention to detail, and it matters
to ME.
I do think that the more I read Mel's posts about Japan, the more I realize
that somewhere there is a reverence for work that is hand-made. They use
it, and treat it with respect. From that meticulously loose potter, Liz
Liz Willoughby
R.R. 1
Grafton, Ontario
K0K 2G0
e-mail lizwill@cyberion.ca
millie carpenter on mon 15 sep 97
Roger Bourland wrote:
>
> Wouldn't the average buyer of hand-crafted teapots be a pretty
> sophisticated tea-drinker? If so, wouldn't he/she want a built-in strainer?
>
> Roger
One of my mothers teapots (pre WW II) had a cylindrical insert that had
little holes in the sides to let the water flow thru and after it had
steeped the requisite ammount of time, it and the greater majority of
the tea leaves were removed. the lid was fairly wide and the gallery
was deep enough to accommodate both the lid and the insert. I
periodically think that I will do this. But...like all good intentions.
Millie
--
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% %%
%% Millie In Maryland %%
%% %%
%% mcarpent@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us %%
%% %%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Gavin Stairs on tue 16 sep 97
One of my favorite teapots is a stainless steel globe, with a straight
spout at a jaunty angle, and a strong black plastic handle. About as far
from clay as you can imagine. No chauvanism here. It has an integral tea
strainer/steeper. It fits into the pot like a bain marie (double boiler)
and hangs down into the pot. You put your tea in, pour the water over, and
steep as long as you wish. There's a little tab that you can lift it out
with when you're done. When the lid's on you can't see the strainer at all.
This pot has a tight fitting lid and a very small air/steam hole, about a
millimeter or less. Maybe 1/32". The spout edge is very sharp, and it
pours very nicely. But if you lift the lid just a touch, it pours even
better.
This pot breaks several of the 'rules' of teapot design, but it is
perfectly functional, and pretty too. I particularly like the integral tea
strainer, and
I would like to make some teapots with metal strainers like this myself.
Pottery, of course. Just make a normal lid shelf, but make the lid to rest
above it, and then fashion a wire mesh strainer to fit below. Of all the
things to make, the strainer is the most difficult. Perhaps a cloth bag on
a wire hoop is a effective compromise. I would guess that a pure muslin or
linen bag, loose weave, would last for a while. Or silk screen fabric,
made of polyester or nylon. Make it conical, about 60degrees cone angle.
Or, for a small investment, get some job shop to make me a lifetime supply
of the metal ones.
So many ideas, so little time.
Gavin
Gavin Stairs on tue 16 sep 97
At 08:33 AM 15/09/97 EDT, Bonnie Hellman wrote:
>...I suspect there are markets for teapots with and without strainers...
>Actually, there might be a market for little cups to hold those kitchen
>strainers full of wet tea leaves...
and Roger wrote:
>>...I have heard several potters say recently that teabags have pretty well
>>made built-in strainers obsolete...
Even tea bag users should want the internal strainers in the spout. It
helps to prevent the bags from clogging the spout, and makes pouring more
even.
The spout strainers were never good enough to catch all the tea leaves,
except for very coarse (unbroken) leaves. Hence the little strainer that
you place over the tea cup as you pour. Tea bags and the more efficient
removable strainers retain all but the dustiest of teas, and with these,
the over-cup strainer is largely unneeded.
However, if you examine a complete tea service from the era of high tea
(e.g., in Great Britain) you will find not only the tea pot, the hot water
pot, the sugar and milk, but also the tea strainer and its little receiver.
You may also find a little glass lined tray for slices of lemon. And of
course servers for small sandwiches, cakes and pastries, along with their
condiments. Perhaps Scottish scones with clotted cream and berry jam.
This is the requisite for a jammy tea.
There are as many traditions and accoutrements for the service of tea as
there are countries where it is consumed. In Great Britain tea is the very
embodiment of welcome and hospitality. It is also the accompaniment of
repose. In Japan, it serves several functions, one of which is
contemplative and another of which is ceremonial and respectful. In China,
it is everyday and trancendant. In India it is schitzophrenic, both the
national drink and something still a bit foreign, a bit colonial.
Everywhere people drink it steeped alone, spiced, herbed, flowered,
strained, unstrained, powdered, bricked, whole leaf, dried, smoked,
fermented, loose, bagged, salted, sugared, milked, creamed, buttered,
whiskeyed... You name it. It is everyday and once in a lifetime. You can
buy it for pennies or for pounds. Day old or centuried. Take your pick.
Gavin
Cindy on fri 10 dec 04
That's a pretty weird tool, Geoff. For me, the memories are just too
unpleasant to consider working with it. At any rate, it does sound
like it would work well. Here's another method you might be interested in
trying sometime.
I got this idea in a workshop and can't, unfortunately, remember the name of
the friendly potter who shared it with me. He's in MN, I think.
Make a small wooden hammer. Use a short piece of lath or similarly shaped
wood. Maybe 1X1/2X12". Glue and clamp a short piece of dowel to the
end--maybe 1" long. When well-dried, round the end of the dowel. Or you
could just use the already rounded end of a broom handle.
Now decide where on your medium leather hard teapot body you would like to
attach the spout. Outline this location with your needle tool--just a
shallow scratch. Place one hand inside the teapot and use your fingers to
support the wall as you gently tap on the outside. You will form the
strainer area into a fairly deep convex, like half a sphere or egg or
whatever. This thins the walls so they will take less glaze. It also
increases the strainer area so that you will have a much stronger stream of
tea.
You should cover the teapot lightly with plastic at this point, because the
strainer area will dry faster. When the strainer area reaches hard-leather
hard (preferably before the color turns), drill it full of holes. Just use
an old drill bit. I use a fairly small one, because I don't like getting
leaves in my teacup. If you are doing a bunch of them, and have a steady
hand (which I'm sure you do), you can use an electric drill.
This way, when you glaze, you don't need to worry about getting glaze in the
holes. I do generally check them, just to make sure, and sometimes give them
a wipe if the glaze I'm using is really thick.
Hope someone finds this interesting,
Cindy in SD
Subject: Wierdest tool in my studio
> I love making teapots and searched for a suitable tool to clean the dried
> glaze from strainer holes prior to firing. I am a doctor and do Pap smears
> and the small disposable brush used for taking cells from the inside of
> the cervix is just perfect for this task! The plastic stem is flexible
> enough to be bent at an angle and the nylon brisles are radially arranged
> and about 1/8" across. Ask your doctor for a few. They don't pay for them-
> the lab supplies them for free.
>
> Geoff Barst
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
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>
bonnie staffel on sat 11 dec 04
When I glaze my teapots, I just quickly blow through the spout and the holes
clear right away. I have also seen it suggested that one should shave the
strainer area thinner after you have drilled the holes. So that the tea not
poured return to the body of the teapot, it is a good idea to have a hole at
the inside bottom of the spout area. I have a beveling bit (really an
antique I think, as I used it as long as I have been a potter). This then
thins the hole nicely and I also reach inside as it has a short stem, and
bevel the inside of the holes as well. I use this tool when I make
colanders so there is little area for food to become stuck.
Regards, Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
Charter Member Potters Council
Geoffrey Barst on sat 11 dec 04
Cindy
I already use your method of thinning & indenting the strainer area before
drilling but find that if I beat the area with the back of a dessert spoon
I don"t need to support the inside. I still get glaze in the holes though!
Geoff
Hank Murrow on sat 11 dec 04
On Dec 10, 2004, at 9:49 PM, Geoffrey Barst wrote:
>
> I already use your method of thinning & indenting the strainer area
> before
> drilling but find that if I beat the area with the back of a dessert
> spoon
> I don"t need to support the inside. I still get glaze in the holes
> though!
Dea Geoff;
Try sponging just the strainer area well right before gla.zing the
pot........... that area will not absorb glaze as well and you holes
may remain clear.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
claybair on sat 11 dec 04
Geoff,
I wonder if waxing the holes
before you attached the spout
would help?
I used to make the holes but do not anymore.
I haven't had any complaints about their absence.
My last 3 teapots flew off the shelf before I got
a photo!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Geoffrey Barst
I already use your method of thinning & indenting the strainer area before
drilling but find that if I beat the area with the back of a dessert spoon
I don"t need to support the inside. I still get glaze in the holes though!
Geoff
--
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Kathi LeSueur on sat 11 dec 04
cindys@RAPIDNET.COM wrote:
>Now decide where on your medium leather hard teapot body you would like to
>attach the spout...... It also increases the strainer area so that you will have a much stronger stream of tea.>>
>
>
>
I never make a strainer for my teapots. I drink lots of tea and use my
teapots. So, I'd be interested in a discussion of the pros and cons of
strainers.
Kathi
Gene Arnold on sat 11 dec 04
I'll probably get my butt kicked about this one but here goes.
Why put a strainer in a tea pot ????
Why not just cut one big hole ???? No more holes clogging in glaze process,
speed up tea pot build time and make it easier to clean. Seems to me.
Don't most people use tea bags now anyway???
Can you tell I'm not a tea drinker????
Gene & Latonna
mudduck@mudduckpottery.com
www.mudduckpottery.com
Cindy on sat 11 dec 04
Hi, Kathi
You can make thousands of teapots and never make a strainer and probably
sell them all without any complaints. I like strainers because I like loose
leaf tea. That's about it. Not much more to say.
:) Cindy in SD
Leonard Smith on sun 12 dec 04
I thin the area of the strainer with a fettling knife at the leather hard
stage, then cut the holes with a tapered hole cutter. (Mine is an old post
office ink pen with the nib reversed, makes an ideal sized hole very
efficiently.)
After I pour the liner glaze out, first pouring some down the spout and then
the rest out the top I put the teapot down and blow hard down the spout. I
do not put my mouth on the spout just as close as I can. I then glaze the
out side and if some glaze goes down the spout blow again.
This method works also when I raw glaze my teapots, a challenge in itself.
Leonard Smith
Rosedale Street Gallery
2A Rosedale Street
Dulwich Hill NSW Australia 2203
Email: Leonard@rosedalestreetgallery.com
http://www.rosedalestreetgallery.com
bonnie staffel on sun 12 dec 04
I like to purchase loose tea as I find it superior in flavor to the bags
commonly sold now. With the advent of bags use, no strainer is really
necessary. However, I do not like tea leaves in my cup of tea so the
strainer is naturally a necessity.
Living up north, we do not always have the ability to purchase some the
great stuff offered in big cities. Luckily there is a gourmet deli a few
blocks from my place where I can purchase tea from many varieties. They
even let me smell test them before buying. Pricey, yes, but I only purchase
a 1/4 lb. at a time. My favorite variety is Jasmine tea having had that in
China. They were out of it when I went to the store the last time.
Drinking it brings back the memories of that wonderful trip. I am afraid the
deli won't last forever as it is on the edge of town and customers are
probably few during the winter. Being short on the dollar myself, I do not
patronize them for their delicious lunch as it is just too expensive so I
hope that there are enough wealthy customers who still winter here.
cindys@RAPIDNET.COM wrote:
>Now decide where on your medium leather hard teapot body you would like to
>attach the spout...... It also increases the strainer area so that you will
have a much stronger stream of tea.>>
I never make a strainer for my teapots. I drink lots of tea and use my
teapots. So, I'd be interested in a discussion of the pros and cons of
strainers.
I drink my tea in cups or mugs made by the many potter friends I have made
over the years. It brings me closer to them in spirit.
Warm regards,
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
Charter Member Potters Council
Sarah House on mon 13 dec 04
I haven't ever needed to manually clean out my teapot holes. I pour
about a cup of glaze in the pot, roll it around inside, pour a little
through the spout and the rest out the top all in one motion. Then I
give it a shake or two upside down and then blow in the spout to clear
the holes. Then when i dip the outside I hold my finger over the spout
to keep the outside glaze from pouring in.
I tried to make my teapots with one big hole. Wholesale and retail
customers alike would pick them up and head toward the door. Peak
inside, no strainer, turn around and put it back. Doesn't matter to them
that the holes are too big to hold back the most of the tea leaves
anyway.
Sarah House
with pots for sale at
http://www.skhpottery.com
In Little Switzerland, NC
soon to be
In Burnsville, NC
Carole Fox on mon 13 dec 04
Kathi - The Potter's Dictionary by Hamer and Hamer has some comments about
strainers under the topic of "Spouts". They say the action of the strainer
restricting the flow helps keep the tea leaves in the pot. I assume this
must come from turbulence of the liquid, not purely from the seiving effect
of the strainer. They also suggest some techniques for construction of the
strainer that will supposedly help keep the glaze out of the holes, and
have a recommended diameter of 5mm for the strainer holes.
I've also read that the turbulence in the water coming from the strainer
adds oxygen and gives the tea a better flavor.
I make teapots both ways - with and without strainers. I usually make a
strainer if I attach a thrown spout, and usually just cut a open hole if I
attach a handbuilt spout. Why? Don't know. Maybe just habit.
I drink a lot of tea. Used to be 7 or 8 cups a day - have cut down to 2 or
3. I use my own teapots, as well as some made by other potters and
commercially made ones. My personal experience is that those without
strainers pour better, but I have never noticed any difference in the taste
of the tea due to having a strainer. When I use loose leaves, I put them
in a tea ball.
Carole Fox
Dayton, OH
Hank Murrow on mon 13 dec 04
On Dec 13, 2004, at 6:57 AM, Sarah House wrote:
>
> I tried to make my teapots with one big hole. Wholesale and retail
> customers alike would pick them up and head toward the door. Peak
> inside, no strainer, turn around and put it back. Doesn't matter to
> them
> that the holes are too big to hold back the most of the tea leaves
> anyway.
Dear Sarah;
I also abandoned the 'holy' strainer, but I included a stainless steel
strainer/infusor which hung from a lug under the lid. That way my
intentions were clear to all.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
Jeanette Harris on mon 13 dec 04
>
>I also abandoned the 'holy' strainer, but I included a stainless steel
>strainer/infusor which hung from a lug under the lid. That way my
>intentions were clear to all.
>
>Cheers, Hank
>www.murrow.biz/hank
Wow. Now there's a great marketing idea! Thanks, Hank!
--
Jeanette Harris
in Poulsbo WA
John K Dellow on tue 14 dec 04
Carole Fox wrote:
>Kathi - The Potter's Dictionary by Hamer and Hamer has some comments about
>strainers under the topic of "Spouts". They say the action of the strainer
>restricting the flow helps keep the tea leaves in the pot.
>
There is another reason ,which is to blend the steeped tea as it is poured. This requires a lot of small holes to work correctly and a tea pot spout with a scrotum :).
John
John Dellow "the flower pot man"
From the land down under
Home Page http://www.welcome.to/jkdellow
http://digitalfire.com/education/people/dellow/
Ann Brink on tue 14 dec 04
John K. Dellow wrote:
> >
> There is another reason ,which is to blend the steeped tea as it is
poured. This requires a lot of small holes to work correctly and a tea pot
spout with a scrotum :).
> John
>
Aahhhh, Clayart is so wonderful! I now have a precise descriptive to use as
a talking point when extolling the finer points of my teapot construction to
potential customers, as in, "You see, I've even taken the time to make
strainer holes, and made sure the spout has a scrotum." Actually, I may
say, to women (conspiratorily):"You know what this rounded area is called?
..."Yes, really, I learned it from my clay discussion group"...grins all
around.
I'm still making the holes; I've heard over & over again, as someone is
looking inside a teapot, "Oh, it even has the little holes". That's not to
say anyone would expect them if they were'nt there, as Mel has known for
years. Maybe I'll switch to one big hole.
Good firings,
Ann Brink in Lompoc CA
____________________________________________________________________________
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>
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