Internet message boards often contain threads on Esbit and ways
to improve its efficiency. Some have suggested that the distance
between the burning tablet and the bottom of the pot is too
close with the commercial stoves and that better results were
achieved by increasing this distance. This appeals to that
kernel of knowledge retained from our high school chemistry
class regarding the Bunsen burner; there was a hot spot in the
flame at which the beaker bottom should be placed. If the beaker
was placed lower than this point, boil times increased.
Shouldn't this same concept apply to Esbit? It's an interesting
idea, but I have always been a skeptic when it comes to claims
made on message boards. Often people test their ideas in very
subjective ways, if at all. In particular, I was not convinced
that Esbit's 'hot spot' was significantly higher than the pot
height on the commonly available commercial stoves. But at heart
I'm a pragmatist and am not married to any particular
backpacking method other than a level