Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Dishwasher’

Of all the tea ware that I own, my Chatsford remains my favorite. The Chatsford Teapot is an earthenware pot made by the London Teapot Company. I have compiled a list of good and bad points in the hopes it will provide someone valuable information before purchasing a teapot.

Good points about the Chatsford. Let me see, the infuser basket would have to be the best part of this teapot. The infuser is huge, almost as large as the round belly of the teapot itself! The infuser is made of polypropylene with fine mesh to keep any and all tea leaves from getting into your cup. The infuser also has a little tab that you can pull it out of the pot without burning your fingers. I have a two cup teapot, that little infuser fits perfectly into a small butter dish allowing you to save your leaves for a later steep. You can purchase the infuser baskets separately which will allow you to have one for herbals, one for blacks or just to have a spare if one is in the dishwasher. Since the teapot is earthenware, it retains heat beautifully. Your first cup will be hot, but your next cups will be even hotter. I have kept tea hot in my Chatsford for upwards of an hour.

Bad points about this teapot would have to include the limited colors that are available. It comes in a dark blue, dark green, yellow, white and brown. The only other bad thing about a Chatsford would be the cost. You can buy cheaper teapots in more vibrant colors, but would it have that great infuser basket that fits perfectly with the lid of the teapot. I think not.

I highly recommend this teapot. It is charming and makes darn good tea.

You can purchase the Chatsford Teapot directly from the The London Teapot Company website.

I was surprised at the size of this infuser. It is small. When you see it online, it looks really big. Filling it to the brim gets 16 ounces in the infuser. In reality, you are only making 12-15 ounces of tea with this infuser.

Now, I have water and tea leaves in the infuser. I wait the prescribed amount of time depending on the type of tea. A word of caution here, make sure the cup you intend to use is large enough to hold 12-16 ounces of tea and that the brim of the cup is as wide as the bottom of this infuser. When the tea is ready, place the infuser over your cup and gravity does all the work. Thank you Sir Isaac Newton! When you lift the infuser off your cup, the mechanism closes. No drips.

Here are a list of pros and cons to help you decide if the IngenuiTEA is right for you:

Pros
It is clear, you can watch the agony of the leaves as they unfurl. And with it clear, you can easily get it clean.
With it being gravity fed, it is effortless to pour a cup of tea.
The IngenuiTEA is microwave and dishwasher safe. I personally would never put it in either appliance, but you could if you wanted.
This is great for using loose leaf tea to make iced tea. It fits right on top of my iced tea pitcher.

Cons:
It is plastic.
The lid does not come off, so it sits at an angle in the drain board.

I would recommend this to any tea drinker. It makes the using of loose leaves easy and fun. This is great for anyone who travels or wants to make great tasting tea at work. The IngenuiTEA is smart looking. It would certainly start a conversation about tea.

You can purchase the IngenuiTEA directly from the Adagio website.

The Product Description on the Tea Forte Site is:
Our double-wall ceramic tumbler and integrated stainless steel infuser make brewing loose tea by the cup simple. The innovative double-wall construction keeps tea hot and the tumbler cozy to hold. Brews a generous 12 oz cup and is dishwasher safe.

My findings on the products…
First – I would like to mention the tumbler itself…
It’s heavy-duty which I LOVE. I am keeping this at work so I tend to walk around with my WORK mug. I will say that THIS has officially REPLACED my old ‘mug’ completely. I really LOVE the design! Like I said, it’s the GRASS one and it’s “so me” because some people refer to me as a tree hugger or hippie! It’s earthy, natural-looking, and FUN!

I really appreciate the fact that it has a LID. ONE…because it keeps the tea itself warmer than if the tea is exposed while steeping or infusing like I did it before. And TWO because I am a klutz and will really benefit from the usage of this lid!

The double-wall ceramic that the description refers to – is something else I must mention!  I also like this feature because you are still able to pick it up while hot. YES, it’s still warm to touch but I would have to say it cuts down on the ‘holding temperature’ by about half…this is my estimated guess I haven’t officially or technically tested it…but this is just to give you an idea of the ‘heat to hand’ comparison..

As for the “integrated stainless steel infuser” I would give it a thumbs up as well! I did find it a little less heavy duty than other strainers I have used but it also allows for more movement of the loose leaf. Having said that – it’s also easy to remold into the original shape. 

The Strainer PERFECTLY fits the tumbler! While the loose leaf is infusing the leaves stay put regardless. They DO NOT “Jump Over Board” into the liquid…NO FLOATIES!  YAY!

When you discard your loose leaves they do stick a little but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.  Just simple whack or flick the ‘leftover’ loose leaf out or rinse, even.  I have tried this tumbler and strainer with all kinds of teas.  I have found that Green Tea tends to be more stubborn than others, generally speaking.  I have also done Rooibos in the KATI and haven’t had much of a problem with the very thin Rooibos sneaking thru the cracks…that’s a definite PLUS.  Heck I have even tried a teabag (minus the strainer, of course) and the tumbler works well…as a matter of fact, I have noticed that all of the tea bags I have tried in there so far have floated to the top when fully wet so there is no fishing around in your tea for the bag to discard because it’s right there!

The only thing I miss is a handle on the side…but because I am so excited about the actual product and ‘know’ it’s supposed to be ‘different from a mug’ I will certainly look past that!

So far I give the Tea Forte KATI 2 thumbs up! It’s a great addition to ANY Tea Lovers Collection!  I even have non-tea drinkers EYE BALLING it!  By getting this KATI it just might encourage me to get into more accessory hunting/purchasing.  When you purchase this little darling you will receive the Tumbler, Strainer, Lid, and 3 Loose Leaf Tea Forte Samples.  A great deal for the price!

You can purchase the Kati Loose Tea System directly from the Tea Forte website.

On the same trip to Banff, (see this previous post on the Banff Tea Company’s French Blend) I found this cute little teapot. I was resistant to buy yet another tea pot, after all how many does one person really need to own! We’ll this one I was glad I picked up.

I like to make a small pot for myself, instead of brewing directly in the cup every time. The bright, cheery colors caught my eye and I picked up a pretty green with a white etching. It’s dishwasher safe and included the metal tea basket for brewing any one of your loose tea choices. It’s a one-cup pot, but makes about a cup and a half. Another thing I love about this particular pot is that when pouring, it doesn’t drip back down the spout. This would make a perfect gift; it was under $25.00, so very reasonably priced.

You can purchase HuesNBrews i-pot (sunflower) from the Amazon website (this is NOT an affiliate link!).

After all the tea balls that I have broken and battled with over the years it is a relief to find something as perfectly functional and simple as the Finum Basket. Who hasn’t had the unpleasant experience of a tea ball opening up while you’re brewing tea? What a mess!!

The Finum Brewing Basket is a re-usable filter perfect for tea (or coffee) and constructed of a stainless steel mesh in a plastic frame. You simply place the basket in your mug or tea pot, add the loose leaf tea, and pour the water over the tea. When the tea is steeped to your liking just lift the basket out and place it on the lid which doubles as a drip tray. How easy is that? Another improvement over a tea ball is the volume that the tea leaves have to expand in – the tea is able to steep evenly and the flavor to fully develop. The mesh is fine enough that even Rooibos doesn’t escape through the filter. Over time and with regular use the stainless steel mesh does become a bit stained but it is dishwasher safe and I have found that vinegar cleans it up nicely.

This is a Must-Have accessory for anyone who drinks tea and I would recommend buying more than one – it’s perfect to use at the office or when you are traveling.

You can purchase TeaFrog Finum Tea Brewing Basket directly from their website.