Next weekend, I’m having an outdoor birthday party, and my mom sent me some teas that would be absolutely perfect to serve at it. But I’m having a hard time figuring out how. I don’t think there’s a source of electricity available at the location (just outside my apartment building), and my apartment is on the ninth floor, with the elevator out of order. I wouldn’t want to carry a pot of boiling-hot water down eight flights of steps, and even if I did, it wouldn’t stay hot for the whole party. So far, the best I can think of is to boil a big pot on the charcoal grill, but I’m not sure how practical that is. Does anyone have any better suggestions?
Could you heat a kettle on the grill? Or bring a bunch of pre-boiled hot water in one of these?
A little propane camping stove should be just about perfect for this sort of thing. They’re designed to be the lightest and most portable way to cook things. You can probably find a friend or neighbor to borrow one (though you should buy your own propane). If not, they’re not tooo expensive – a basic one should be $20ish, plus another $10ish for a propane cylinder.
Coffee butler, for a cheaper way to transport hot water.
A decent thermos will do the trick.
I’d suggest an airpot - they can hold a lot of water and you can dispense the hot water by pressing a button (easier then trying to pour)
http://www.cateringequipmentshop.com/products/product.asp?ID=2111&title=Elia+Thermal+Flask+%2F+Airpot+BDB&catID=333
It looks like they can be hired
Use one of these with a kettle. Tea always tastes best when made with boiling water and those airpots won’t be able to keep the water boiling.
I might end up having to buy an insulated carafe or something; it’s just that I can’t think of how often I’d use it to make it worthwhile. Borrowing a camp stove might be a better option: There are sure to be a few of those floating around somewhere here.
You could pick up one of these oddball stoves: http://www.rei.com/product/653343
If the weather’s good enough, you could try sun tea. You let the sunlight steep the tea.
Depends on the tea. For a black tea, you want water close to boiling (and pu-erh should be at a hard boil), but white, green, and oolong teas should be brewed with water significantly below boiling (around 170-175F for white tea).
seconded, and then serve it as an iced tea. especially for a picnic!
Reported.