Loose leaf tea advice

[pcolbeck]

There is another reason for not reboiling a kettle, though, especially in a hard-water area.  It's bad for the kettle as it increases the scale deposits, compared with boiling with fresh water.  Is that one true?

I don't think so; a given amount of water can only contain the quantity of chalk with which it leaves the tap. Repeated boiling will deposit all the chalk and no more.

Put in fresh water and there's a new dose of chalk.

Is it not to do with the fact that the minerals are dissolved in the water. Boil the water and the some of the water becomes steam and leaves the kettle and you have a more concentrated solution. Each time you boil it the solution gets more and more saturated and it becomes more and more likely that the minerals will precipitate out causing lime-scale. Or something like that.

[robbo6]

The soluble calcium (or sometimes magnesium) bicarbonate in the water converts to insoluble carbonate above a certain temperature, this carbonate pricipitates as scale.

[Fab Foodie]

I'd second the teapot and tea strainer combo, but if you want to make just a cup for one, there are little round metal perforated balls on chains into which you put the tea leaves, then hoik it out when your tea is as strong as you like. They would probably work best with fine-chopped tea, not large leaves.

I just use my small Cafitiere and it works a treat.  No need for strainers, teapots that don't pour or metal ball things to clutter-up my cupboards.... Oh and It can also make coffee too!