10/7/08

Re-hydrated and Revived

Thanks to the fabulous Amazon and next day delivery, my enforced hot tea drought is over! Behold my lovely new Braun electric kettle. Last time I went for looks over practicality in my kettle, well in the words of Carrie in SATC....could'a, would'a, should'a....gone with practicality. The other might have looked stylish, but it was a bugger to keep shiny, the handle was in the wrong place and it broke.

This one had the top rating on Amazon, was alot cheaper than the stainless versions and is fast and quiet. It also lifts off that base for filling and pouring, it even features a built in filter.

So here I am brewing my first of 2 mugs of Twinings Earl Grey, my tea of choice if it's not my morning PG Tips cuppa. Do you like my antique storage tin? I found it in a little antiques and collectibles store in Cheyenne, it's perfect for air-tight loose tea storage.

The interesting gadget in my mug (sent to me by a friend in the UK who knows me VERY well!) is an individual tea brewer/strainer. We found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it's used more than any other gadget we own. Hubster is a big Earl Grey drinker too, but when it's just one of us drinking, the teapot is just too big for the job. This will easily produce 2 cuppa's of perfect strength brew from one scoop of tea leaves.

And the finished cuppa was delicious, I feel restored having been on an enforced 24 hour tea drought.

I am also feeling alot better. Today I have slept on and off all day long, look human again for the first time in a week, and will return to work tomorrow.

19 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

Wow...sleek new kettle. Now exactly what benefits does this snazzy thing have over my old stove top variety?

Unknown said...

Well Willow, it's faster (boils 7 cups in about 1min 30s). It turns itself off when it has boiled, and has the water filter built in.

Having said that it's a matter of taste and whether you have a gas stove, which I do not. My dad back home prefers his stove-top whistling kettle and they do look cool. Me - I am all for mod-cons, plus my memory is appalling and the 'turn off' aspect is therefore essential!

Unknown said...

I love the brewing basket. I have one myself and use it daily. I could do with another one so I'm heading to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I'm sorry your Cuisinart died. I have a stainless steel Chef's Choice kettle I bought at BB & B last year and it's still going strong with daily workouts.

I'll ditto what you said about electric kettles. If you love drinking tea all day, electric is the way to go.

Gill - That British Woman said...

tea drinkers here as well. I start the day off now though with a cup of green tea, just love it. Which I am surprised about, as I like milk in my tea, but I can drink green tea "Straight!!"

I am forever buying new kettles, they just don't last like they used to.

Gill in Canada

Mojo said...

That basket looked for all the world like it was full of Laspang Souchong... I haven't been able to find that anywhere in years...

*Sigh*

BlogBlast for Peace - 11.6.2008

Rock rose said...

Wot! No teapot! Can't live without my Old Hall.

Sherri said...

Sarah, I have that same electric kettle! I love it. I have a tea strainer for my loose tea and it works great! I'm glad you're feeling better! Enjoy your new kettle and Earl Grey!

Pam said...

Ooooh, it sounds similar to the one we have in that it turns off and removes from the base. Ours has been great. Wish you many many cuppas with this one

Bella Foxx said...

I have a kettle very similar to that. Mine is a Melita but it lifts off the base for easy pouring and turns off when the water boils.

Now I have to go to BB&B to see if I can find a tea thingy like you have.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to hear you are feeling better! I love these types of kettles. When I visited a friend in England she had one... and ever since I have been a convert! I love your antique strainer and tea storage. Adorable!

Anonymous said...

I like that one! And if it does the job--that's the most important thing!

Linda Jennings said...

I like your new kettle and agree the handle was definitely in the wrong place on the shiny one! Only a real tea drinker would know that! Bummer! I didn't see a tea infuser basket like that one when I was in England. It is better looking than the one I use multiple times a day.

Veronica said...

mmmm...my favorite tea!

Anonymous said...

Aah, relief at last!

Stevyn Colgan said...

Hoorah! I have almost exactly the same kettle here at home and am drinking a lovely cup of hot black Twinings Earl Grey as I type.

Ah, civilisation.

Janet said...

Sarah, when I first got hooked on an electric kettle (after first spending time with John in Herts. in '96), I tried to find one in the States. No luck - not in Houston, anyway. A few years later, a very upscale hardware store in Houston (Bering Hardware)began carrying one brand. It wasn't all that well designed, but I bought it anyway. And it was S-L-O-W...hopefully they are a bit faster now.

Congratulations on feeling more yourself again!

Janet

Winifred said...

Great to see you're feeling better and the tea will help.

These plastic kettles are great especially the ones with the filters. Fast and much easier to clean than the stainless steel ones. I received one of them as an expensive state of the art wedding present in 1969. I was glad when it kicked the bucket. What a pain to clean.

Strangely enough the matching coffee percolator which hadn't been used for over 20 years worked when I gritted my teeth and plugged it in last month. Thought I might be electrocuted! I'm a hoarder, can't bear to throw it out. It was my grandad's wedding present to us.

Enjoy your tea times!

Lisanne624 said...

Bah! Kettle, schmettle! Repeat after me: "One Biggie Sweet Tea, Please!" :)

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

That's a great mug!

Victoria x