I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
same way to anyone else?

--crymad


crymad wrote:
>
> Michael Plant wrote:
>
>>
>> Can I impose upon your good nature, and that of your wife,
>> and ask the full meaning of the word "kyuusu"? I thought it
>> was a word reserved for those side handle things -- so the
>> geisha can serve us without intrusion -- but others it to be
>> a thoroughly generic Japanese word for teapot. So, who's
>> right here? The extension questions: What is the Japanese
>> word for "teapot," and what is the Japanese word for side
>> handled teapot?

I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
same way to anyone else?

--crymad


crymad wrote:
>
> Michael Plant wrote:
>
>>
>> Can I impose upon your good nature, and that of your wife,
>> and ask the full meaning of the word "kyuusu"? I thought it
>> was a word reserved for those side handle things -- so the
>> geisha can serve us without intrusion -- but others it to be
>> a thoroughly generic Japanese word for teapot. So, who's
>> right here? The extension questions: What is the Japanese
>> word for "teapot," and what is the Japanese word for side
>> handled teapot?

Calculon:
> >When using an infuser basket, is it ideal to have the water level so
> >high that the entire basket is filled to the brim, or is it simply
> >enough to make sure that the tea leaves themselves are covered in water

Mike Petro:
> I would say that you need 2-3 times the height of the expanded leaf.
> If you barely cover the leaf I suspect that it will not get as
> thorough of an extraction. The leaf needs to move freely and not be
> encumbered. This is based on experience not science.

Hamilcar:
> If the water isn't moving, does it really make a difference?

As usual, I agree with Mike. In my sinentic opinion, there are two
first-order considerations: local equilibration and convection. Assuming
that the leaves are at temperature, extraction for a single-steep tea may
still be influenced significantly by local concentration of the main
solubles. (After two or three full steeps, I'm guessing that the
infinite-dilution approximation applies.) So that "agony" stuff, beyond
aesthetics, may be important for boundary-layer mixing. Much better, per
Mike and Hamilcar's points, would be enough open space around the leaves to
permit thermal convection. Personally, I swirl my pots a bit during
steeping, and there is still often a strong conentration gradient in the pot
when pouring. In a glass pot, the effect of density-driven convection from
both heat and dissolved solids is quite apparent.

Derek:
> If one wished to be a real snob about it, one would not use an infuser
> at all. One would use two pots and a strainer.

A REAL snob only uses whole-leaf teas that don't even require a strainer.
Though perhaps some of the smaller ones like Mao Feng still need a bit of
technique to keep in the pot. Of course, if you're going to shell out for
fancy tea, it's nice to show a leaf or two - like "accidentally" leaving the
price tag on a Ferrari.

-DM

Calculon:
> >When using an infuser basket, is it ideal to have the water level so
> >high that the entire basket is filled to the brim, or is it simply
> >enough to make sure that the tea leaves themselves are covered in water

Mike Petro:
> I would say that you need 2-3 times the height of the expanded leaf.
> If you barely cover the leaf I suspect that it will not get as
> thorough of an extraction. The leaf needs to move freely and not be
> encumbered. This is based on experience not science.

Hamilcar:
> If the water isn't moving, does it really make a difference?

As usual, I agree with Mike. In my sinentic opinion, there are two
first-order considerations: local equilibration and convection. Assuming
that the leaves are at temperature, extraction for a single-steep tea may
still be influenced significantly by local concentration of the main
solubles. (After two or three full steeps, I'm guessing that the
infinite-dilution approximation applies.) So that "agony" stuff, beyond
aesthetics, may be important for boundary-layer mixing. Much better, per
Mike and Hamilcar's points, would be enough open space around the leaves to
permit thermal convection. Personally, I swirl my pots a bit during
steeping, and there is still often a strong conentration gradient in the pot
when pouring. In a glass pot, the effect of density-driven convection from
both heat and dissolved solids is quite apparent.

Derek:
> If one wished to be a real snob about it, one would not use an infuser
> at all. One would use two pots and a strainer.

A REAL snob only uses whole-leaf teas that don't even require a strainer.
Though perhaps some of the smaller ones like Mao Feng still need a bit of
technique to keep in the pot. Of course, if you're going to shell out for
fancy tea, it's nice to show a leaf or two - like "accidentally" leaving the
price tag on a Ferrari.

-DM

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 05:41:15 -0800, crymad wrote:

> I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
> diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
> lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
> previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
> quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
> same way to anyone else?

Nope. But then, I'm not using Thunderbird, I'm using Dialog.

However, I'm a complete Thunderbird junkie for my email, so I was very
annoyed by this "feature" in replying. But there is a solution.

Have you tried the AutoReWrap extension?

http://autorewrap.mozdev.org/

Don't sent replies without it!

--
Derek

The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures.

On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 05:41:15 -0800, crymad wrote:

> I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
> diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
> lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
> previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
> quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
> same way to anyone else?

Nope. But then, I'm not using Thunderbird, I'm using Dialog.

However, I'm a complete Thunderbird junkie for my email, so I was very
annoyed by this "feature" in replying. But there is a solution.

Have you tried the AutoReWrap extension?

http://autorewrap.mozdev.org/

Don't sent replies without it!

--
Derek

The secret to success is knowing who to blame for your failures.

Crymad,

That's actually me extending way off into the distance. It's where I live.
The lines themselves though appear normal in every way.

Michael


12/20/04


> I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
> diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
> lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
> previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
> quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
> same way to anyone else?
>
> --crymad
>
>
> crymad wrote:
>>
>> Michael Plant wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Can I impose upon your good nature, and that of your wife,
>>> and ask the full meaning of the word "kyuusu"? I thought it
>>> was a word reserved for those side handle things -- so the
>>> geisha can serve us without intrusion -- but others it to be
>>> a thoroughly generic Japanese word for teapot. So, who's
>>> right here? The extension questions: What is the Japanese
>>> word for "teapot," and what is the Japanese word for side
>>> handled teapot?

Crymad,

That's actually me extending way off into the distance. It's where I live.
The lines themselves though appear normal in every way.

Michael


12/20/04


> I've started using Thunderbird for mail and news, and I
> diligently re-wrap all messages before sending them out so the
> lines don't extend way off into the distance. And yet, my
> previous message shows up on my end with one line from Michael's
> quote extended way off into the distance. Does it appear the
> same way to anyone else?
>
> --crymad
>
>
> crymad wrote:
>>
>> Michael Plant wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Can I impose upon your good nature, and that of your wife,
>>> and ask the full meaning of the word "kyuusu"? I thought it
>>> was a word reserved for those side handle things -- so the
>>> geisha can serve us without intrusion -- but others it to be
>>> a thoroughly generic Japanese word for teapot. So, who's
>>> right here? The extension questions: What is the Japanese
>>> word for "teapot," and what is the Japanese word for side
>>> handled teapot?

Mike Petro > writes:
>
> On 20 Dec 2004 03:15:21 -0800, cast caution to the
> wind and posted:
>
> >[...]
> >
> >I had seen that ingenuitea pot. It certainly makes brewing easier, but
> >I have read some of the reviews at that site and some say that there is
> >a price to pay -- cleanup is even more irritating than when using a
> >regular pot with loose leaves in it.
>
> I haven't found cleanup to be that bad, however I took the lid off of
> mine.

Sorry to think of this only after pulling in miles of this thread, but
Mike's post brings up an issue I sometimes wonder about. Most
teapots, especially those with a screen embedded in the spout, make it
nearly impossible to clean the interior of the spout. Admittedly, the
liquor doesn't contact the spout during the steep, but it sure does on
the way out. Maybe a gaiwan's the only choice for a cleanliness
freak?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Mike Petro > writes:
>
> On 20 Dec 2004 03:15:21 -0800, cast caution to the
> wind and posted:
>
> >[...]
> >
> >I had seen that ingenuitea pot. It certainly makes brewing easier, but
> >I have read some of the reviews at that site and some say that there is
> >a price to pay -- cleanup is even more irritating than when using a
> >regular pot with loose leaves in it.
>
> I haven't found cleanup to be that bad, however I took the lid off of
> mine.

Sorry to think of this only after pulling in miles of this thread, but
Mike's post brings up an issue I sometimes wonder about. Most
teapots, especially those with a screen embedded in the spout, make it
nearly impossible to clean the interior of the spout. Admittedly, the
liquor doesn't contact the spout during the steep, but it sure does on
the way out. Maybe a gaiwan's the only choice for a cleanliness
freak?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On 20 Dec 2004 10:34:35 -0500, Lewis Perin wrote:

> Mike Petro > writes:
>>
>> On 20 Dec 2004 03:15:21 -0800, cast caution to the
>> wind and posted:
>>
>>>[...]
>>>
>>>I had seen that ingenuitea pot. It certainly makes brewing easier, but
>>>I have read some of the reviews at that site and some say that there is
>>>a price to pay -- cleanup is even more irritating than when using a
>>>regular pot with loose leaves in it.
>>
>> I haven't found cleanup to be that bad, however I took the lid off of
>> mine.
>
> Sorry to think of this only after pulling in miles of this thread, but
> Mike's post brings up an issue I sometimes wonder about. Most
> teapots, especially those with a screen embedded in the spout, make it
> nearly impossible to clean the interior of the spout. Admittedly, the
> liquor doesn't contact the spout during the steep, but it sure does on
> the way out. Maybe a gaiwan's the only choice for a cleanliness
> freak?

You could always change your definition of cleanliness.

--
Derek

"...we know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. My
concern is that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." --
Abraham Lincoln

On 20 Dec 2004 10:34:35 -0500, Lewis Perin wrote:

> Mike Petro > writes:
>>
>> On 20 Dec 2004 03:15:21 -0800, cast caution to the
>> wind and posted:
>>
>>>[...]
>>>
>>>I had seen that ingenuitea pot. It certainly makes brewing easier, but
>>>I have read some of the reviews at that site and some say that there is
>>>a price to pay -- cleanup is even more irritating than when using a
>>>regular pot with loose leaves in it.
>>
>> I haven't found cleanup to be that bad, however I took the lid off of
>> mine.
>
> Sorry to think of this only after pulling in miles of this thread, but
> Mike's post brings up an issue I sometimes wonder about. Most
> teapots, especially those with a screen embedded in the spout, make it
> nearly impossible to clean the interior of the spout. Admittedly, the
> liquor doesn't contact the spout during the steep, but it sure does on
> the way out. Maybe a gaiwan's the only choice for a cleanliness
> freak?

You could always change your definition of cleanliness.

--
Derek

"...we know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. My
concern is that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." --
Abraham Lincoln

Hi Lew,

On this particular pot the screen covers the entire bottom. There is a
small space in between this screen and the valve that opens. This space
is very difficult to clean. I have found that a periodic soaking of a
mild bleach slution takes care of any residur that builds up there.
Mike

Yes, water must be boiled separately and poured into the top. I would
not consider it an Ideal travel method. It is great for around the
house. If you remove the lid it is easy to clean, and an occasional
soak of mild bleach solution will take care of any stains around the
valve. I like the stainless steel French coffee press mechanisms for
travel.

Lewis wrote:
> ... Most
> teapots, especially those with a screen embedded in the spout, make it
> nearly impossible to clean the interior of the spout. Admittedly, the
> liquor doesn't contact the spout during the steep, but it sure does on
> the way out. Maybe a gaiwan's the only choice for a cleanliness
> freak?

Well, there are other options: gas-dynamic boundary layer, electrostatic or
acoustic levitation, etc. Or work in orbit...

Seriously, for someone with ultrasensitive taste and smell abilities,
working in glass with regular caustic cleaning is probably the answer. Where
I live and at my low level of discrimination, random hours of inferior
tap-water are the main threat. That, and random scents from the kitchen -
amazing how a bowl of fruit or a toasted muffin can alter the senses.

-DM