Suggestions for thermo pot

The Breville lists for $250 everywhere. My husband found one for me at $190 on Black Friday with a coupon at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It is the most awesome tea appliance ever. Now I don’t think I could live without it. :D

Ditto on the Breville. It’s one of those things where at first you think, do I really need all of this? But it doesn’t take long to convince you. I have a Zojirushi as well and I use it for very low temp water heating (it has a 140 setting and the Breville doesn’t go that low) and also for times when I want to steep the old fashioned way.

;)

With most things in life, “The quality is long remembered after the price is forgotten.”

I have no experience with Panasonic water boilers.

I added one of the 5 Panasonic models that’s been reviewed on Amazon to the Steepster Teaware database:
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/43509-panasonic-electric-thermo-pot-3-dot-2-qts-nc-eh30pc

Panasonic Amazon reviews:
- http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NC-EH30PC-3-2-Qt-Electric-Thermo/product-reviews/B00133WML8/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
- http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NC-EH30PC-3-2-Qt-Electric-Thermo/product-reviews/B00133WML8/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
- http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-NC-EH30PC-3-2-Qt-Electric-Thermo/forum/Fx1WHPDDHDDTSSM/-/1/ref=cm_cd_sarp_reva_ql?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B00133WML8

You may wish to check with the Steepster members who have posted reviews of the models you’re considering: http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/28510-zojirushi-champagne-gold-3-liter-water-boiler-and-warmer.

Also, Garett http://steepster.com/Mandala at Mandala http://steepster.com/Mandala%20Tea

Lol… I had to laugh justnord… I love my Honda too!!

haha, awesome. yes, i want a civic in tea terms too.

I should clarify that I have a Pilot :)
I’ve been the proud owner of 3 Civics before I graduated to the Pilot.. Love it!

justnord “… my question was whether the Panasonic, which costs half as much, might be just as good.”

“Imitaion is the sincerest form of flattery.” – Charles Caleb Colton

“There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man’s lawful prey.”
― John Ruskin

“It’s the old adage: You can make a pizza so cheap, nobody will eat it. You can make an airline so cheap, nobody will fly it. – Gordon Bethune

Panasonic products used to be of high quality. Our first Panasonic consumer-grade microwave lasted 25 years. However, our 2nd one only lasted about 3 years. Our current microwave is now a more expensive commercial model.

“From the brief research I’ve done, it looks like the zojirushi is the Mercedes of water boilers, and I’m more in the market for a Honda Accord. Any thoughts?”

“What do you call a $4000 Mercedes? Answer: A Yugo.”
http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658533_1658529,00.html

“Zojurishi only has 3, 208F, 195F, 140F.”

The following Zojirushi models may be of interest:
CV-DSC40: 175°F, 195°F, 208°F & Reboils to 212°F
CD-WBC30/40: 140°F, 175°F, 195°F, 208°F & Reboils to 212°F

http://www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/how_and_chart/comparison_pdf/Zojirushi%20Electric%20Water%20Boiler%20Chart.pdf

Excelsior, How long have you been using your Panasonic and Zojirushi?

I’ve been using the Zojirushi for about 4 years and the Panasonic for about 2 years. I had a previous Zojirushi and used it for 10 years. Go to any households in Japan, and more likely than not, they will have a Denshi Pot (electric water heater).

No experience with the panasonic, but I have a zoji with 4 temperatures (208, 195, 175, 140). I’ve noticed that I’ve never used the 175 / 140 temperatures. I usually keep mine at 195F. What I do is pour in cool water if I need it to get to 175F and if I need it boiling, I just hit the reboil button. I’ve had my zoji for 4+ years now.

Can you tell the Zoji what volume to dispense? And how quickly does it reboil? I like the idea of an electric pot, but if I still have to fiddle with it a lot, I might as well spend the money on more tea, and keep fiddling with the kettle directly, you know?

No way to tell it to dispense say 8oz of liquid. There is a slow dispense and a fast dispense so you can control it pretty easily. The reboil depends on how much water you have in it. I have a 4L one and it takes about 20minutes? It’s far more convenient than a kettle for boiling water in my opinion since the water is always readily available to you.

What’s better for gongfu brewing, a Zojirushi or a variable-temp electric kettle such as http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39130-bonavita-1-liter-variable-temperature-digital-electric-gooseneck-kettle?

See also: http://steepster.com/looseTman/posts/218789#comments

looseTman, in my opinion a water heater is far more preferable for gongfu brewing than a kettle because the water is always ready, which is a huge plus when you want to resteep a lot (there are kettles that claim to keep the water at the right temp waiting for you to resteep, but the more open/less sealed design of a kettle is such that you waste a lot of water in steam that way and, in my experience, inevitably have to take a break to refill the kettle and reheat properly…a water heater is specifically designed to keep water at a desired temp at all times with no waiting and relatively little waste). I’ve got a Breville (and have had an array of cheaper variable temp kettles too) and now a Zoji, and to my mind the Breville is suited for Western, “you want to make larger pots of tea all at once with the kind of strong ‘all at once’ cheaper legacy-style teas that are suited for that” tea making and the Zoji is ideal for “you want to enjoy straight premium Chinese-style tea gongfu so you can appreciate the transformation process of the leaves” brewing, or any individual-style tea making where you want one cup of tea resteeped a few times/where resteeping without waiting is desirable.

ifjuly,
Thank you for sharing the wisdom of your experience with the various types of water heating/brewing appliances.

Another tea lover on another forum wrote:
“I have a zojirushi boiler. It has worked fine 24/7 for the past 12 months and I find that the displayed temperature is fairly accurate. Yet, I have been thinking about getting the Bonavita Gooseneck kettle or something similar for 2 reasons:

1) I find that using the zojirushi boiler directly to fill the gaiwan or teapot during gong fu tea is awkward and inelegant. But it is certainly fine for a quick cup of tea.

2) An alternative is to first fill a pitcher from the Zojirushi boiler and then fill the gaiwan or teapot with the pitcher. Using this method, however, I find that the temperature of the water can sometimes be much lower than the boiler’s temperature by the time it hits the leaves. So by using an intermediate vessel between the boiler and brewing vessel, you lose all the benefits of having preset temperatures on the boiler."

What do you think of these comments? Thanks!

honestly, i haven’t had the problem some are describing with the water dispensing being clumsy/violent or too splashy or any of that. but that might be because i don’t hold the gaiwan/drinking vessel right up to the spout—i let it sit on the table the heater’s on, so it’s relatively low, and the force hitting the gaiwan is probably reduced.

i do know the bonavita gets props from people—manual pourover coffee people in particular—because the gooseneck spout makes for fine, even pouring.

i should note too my zoji has a button on it for “cafe drip” which i’ve yet to try out but i’m assuming is meant to make for a gentle, slow dispensing, ideal for manual pourover coffee or any situation you want the water to be incorporated gradually and gently.

(BTW, thanks for the kind words! you know i love chattering on about these sorts of things, ha)

It’s good to read your experience relating to the above comments. Please let us know about the “cafe drip” function. Which model Zo do you have? Thanks!

I’ve got the champagne gold CD-WBC40 (the 3L is the CD-WBC30 and as far as I can tell is identical except for capacity). I am madly in love with it; like darby upthread, I think for me personally it’s going to be a much better investment than the Breville One Touch or any kettle I’ve tried. It has a timer function too (6-10 hours from when you set it the water will be ready), so that when you go to bed at night, you can wake up with the heater full of the right temp water so you’ve got hot water at the touch of a button all day.

model here: http://www.zojirushi.com/products/cdwbc

Yes, the timer function is appealing and Bonavita currently doesn’t offer that feature.
- Zo doesn’t currently offer a variable-temperature control. It features preset temp. choices.
- Bonavita doesn’t currently offer an insulated design like Zo.

the less fine-tuned variable temp control was what used to turn me off of the zoji, but it heats up quicker than i was expecting (even all 4L) so it’s worked out well, and the worst case scenario—water’s 10 degrees off at most as the presets are pretty well picked for a variety of tea types—is not hard to deal with by just pouring and letting cool quickly. honestly though so far i’ve just had teas that fit within 5 degrees of one of the presets (which is most of them) and used the water straight from the heater. haven’t been super picky about it, and have enjoyed it nonetheless.

yappychappy, How long have you been using your Panasonic?

4 months now? why?

I was wondering about the long-term reliability given our experience with Panasonic microwaves.

i’ve had absolutely no problems with it so far. very happy with the 60$ purchase

It sounds like a great value. I hope you find it to be very reliable.

I wouldn’t blame anyone for being leery of it for sure (it seems like we learn of a new danger to materials people have been using all the time), but supposedly it’s safe because, as far as studies indicate so far, it would take a temp of, IIRC, around 400F for it to break down/become a probem, and the heater and water never get anywhere near that hot.

Per Amazon Q & A
Is the inside of the heater stainless steal? Sep 17, 2013
“The inner container of the water boiler is stainless steel with nonstick coating, the inner lid is stainless steel, and both are BPA-free. Some gaskets and the outer lid that may come into contact with water are silicone or plastic, and also do not contain BPA.”
Sep 19, 2013 by Gioella
http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-CV-DSC40-Hybrid-Warmer-Stainless/forum/Fx2JA3PQDV1IRCL/-/3/ref=cm_cd_ql_psf_ql_next?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B000MAFJRM&cdAnchor=B000MAFJRM&cdSort=newestdoc

Yeah – that was something I noticed today practicing gongfu with my yixing. But if the water temp is maintained under 212 and never actually boils, I don’t think it would be a problem. Also if it were topped off with fresh water after ever withdrawal, so to speak.

i troubleshoot this—if it’s an issue even, not sure—by dispensing the water with the cup down low on the table the heater’s on—the zoji’s kinda tall (about 1 foot if i recall) and that gives some room for the supposed “reoxygenating” people talk about (i don’t know if that’s an old wives’ tale or not, but i do know i’ve taste tested doing that vs. not doing it with reheated water and i can tell the difference, it does help somehow).

If you are keen on the lack of oxygen in the water affecting the taste of your tea, then maybe the water boiler is not for you. For me, it makes little or no difference. Even when brewing my expensive Darjeelings or High Mountain Taiwanese Oolongs or the Green Teas my wife buys from Japan. The Zojirushi and the Panasonic will bring the water to boil and then let it cool off until it reaches the preset temperature. If you do not want it to boil in the Zojirushi pot, keep an eye on the LCD temperature monitor. When it reaches the preset temperature, un plug the pot for 5 seconds then plug it back in. It will then maintain that temperature without the ever water boiling. However, it will lose oxygen as time passes with water at high temperatures.

The questions I have are. . . How do you measure the amount of oxygen in water. How much oxygen does water lose at boiling as opposed to 195F or 170F? Does tap water contain more oxygen than bottled water? Since air has a higher content of nitrogen (78%) than oxygen (28%), does nitrogen affect the taste of water? I am fanatical about tea but not that fanatical to need any type of answers to the question above.

Sorry. Felt kind of cynical. must have been the lack of oxygen in my tea.

Happy Steeping!

Well, I keep fish and so I worry about the oxygenation of water alot… but tea wise — I’ve noticed that after water has been boiled up to 212F 3 or more times, the tea I make with it has a very marked flatness to it that I don’t like. It’s easily avoided by not letting the water come to a full boil if I am brewing under 212F, or by adding fresh cold water to the kettle between boils.