Cat and I just received an new electric tea kettle from Capresso. We had been looking a glass kettle so we could catch the water just short of a boil for those green and white teas that suffer from steeping in 100 degree C water. My mom saw this kettle at her favorite tea shop in Kansas City, MO and shipped one out after rave reviews from the proprietor.

It is a very slick design. You can see the bubbles start to form on the chrome element so you can better guess when the water is just right for your that delicate white peony.

I’m here at my new Synotac home, enjoying the last of a Mao Jian green. Robin Stevens, a contributor to Fresh Cup Magazine, sent some along with her last article. It was made the women of Nanchang Women’s College in Taiwan. The liquor is quite light in color and has a subtle flavor, a little astringent (or is leftover from my yogurt?). Anyway, it’s rolled into tiny strips, around half the length of a silver needle and looks a heck of a lot like it as well—lots of tips. It’s a nice retreat from the (I know, horror of horrors!) machiatto I had this morning. I’m going to try and get a few infusions out of it, as I steeped it for only about a minute—let’s see what it will hold. Glad to be a part of TBD. Thanks Cat and Ben for creating the site—it’s very nicely done. i’ll be back… David