Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Tea Accessories’

When this tumbler first arrived, I was a bit surprised at how small it was. With the double-walled design, intended to keep your tea hot as long as possible, the interior volume is quite smaller than it appears. After several weeks of use, I have determined that there are three primary ways in which this tumbler can be utilised.

First, the strainer can be removed from the mouth of the container, the tea bag or leaves put inside, water poured into the tumbler, and the strainer replaced. This allows tea to be steeped indefinitely, and tea to be sipped while the leaves are still inside the tumbler. This works well if you are drinking a tea that is unaffected by long or indefinite steep times.

Second, the tumbler can be used as an on-the-go container for prepared tea. Simply remove the strainer and leave it at home, and the tumbler could be used for keeping tea, prepared in a pot or other vessel, hot on the way to another location.

Third, in the case of a lack of another brewing vessel, this tumbler can serve for that job too. Remove the strainer, put in the tea, put in the hot water, replace the strainer, wait for steeping to finish, and then simply pour from the tumbler into cups for serving.

My experience with these three methods was varied. With the first method, I found that, because the leaves or bag float loose inside the container and are not held back from the strainer, they would often float forward with the steeped tea and block/clog the strainer while I tried to drink. The second method worked out fairly well. My only complaint was that it seemed as though the tea still cooled off a bit fast, despite the double-walled design. But the double-walls did insulate one’s hand from the heat of the contents. In the third case, this worked only slightly better than the first method, running into the same issues, yet being a little more controlled for pouring, as I was attempting to pour into a mug that I could see rather than my mouth.

Overall, while I appreciate the design of this tumbler, I am not sure that the functionality is quite at the best point yet to make it worth a purchase. For overall usability, I would rate it a 6.5/10.

You can purchase the Tea Tumbler with Stainless Steel Tea Strainer directly from the Blue Q website.

Through my use of the tea tray, I have come to determine that it is a wonderful product.
At first, the tea trays seem a bit frivolous. The question that initially came to my mind is “Why would anyone spend money on something created specifically to hold used tea bags, when they could just as easily use a small plate, or even just dispose of the tea bag straight away?”
So, determined to answer this question, I prepared myself some tea (Tea Forte’s Orchid Vanilla, as the trays were clearly meant to be primarily used with Tea Forte pyramid bags).
Here were my findings:

Great things about the tea trays:
-They’re small, thus conserving the space used on one’s desk/table/etc. (This was especially helpful on my desk, which has a lot of papers and other items on it, and where a small plate for used tea bags would be a waste of space)
-They provide a drip-free resting place in the chance that you want to save the tea bag for another steeping.
-The tea trays are aesthetically pleasing, making them great to give as gifts or to add a bit of decoration at tea time.
-The size of the tea trays is such that they could just as easily be used with other tea bags as drip trays.
-The construction is really solid. These trays are not going to break easily if they are accidentally dropped.

Not so great things (that might not matter) about the tea trays:
-These trays really are not so special and innovative that one would go out and buy them to complete one’s collection of teaware.
-The shallow indentation in the tray was not deep enough, and the excess liquid in my teabag ended up overflowing the lip of the tray’s depression. (I may not have let the tea bag drip off long enough.)
-Because of the shallow indentation, when I picked up the tray to drain it off and clean it, the smallest tilt caused tea to run off the edge.

You can purchase the Tea Tray directly from the Tea Forte website.

I was excited for the opportunity to review this cup, as I had seen it while browsing the Tea Forte website and appreciated the clever-looking design.
In reviewing Tea Forte’s Cafe Cup, I decided to create a simple pros and cons list. This is not a complete list by any means, merely a list of the things which most stood out to me.
Pros:
-Comes with a lid, to hold the heat in while steeping.
-The lid keeps your tea hot, even when you leave it for some time.
-The cup is quite pretty, in a simplistic way.
-The hole in the lid is perfect for the tag and string from the tea bag.

Cons:
-The construction of the cup is such that, because of the heat emanating through the walls, it is necessary to hold it by the handle alone.
-The size of the cup in comparison to the handle makes for a slightly awkward or unwieldy experience when lifting a full cup, especially because it seems the handle is not meant to be held with more than one finger through it.
-The lid gets quite hot while steeping tea, which can be problematic when you try to remove it to drink.

The biggest improvement I think could be made to this product is if it came with a saucer, to catch any drips, and provide a resting place for the hot tea cup, so that items under the tea cup are not in danger of being damaged by the heat.
Over all, it is a very nice cup, and the wooden box it comes in makes for a very nice gift all together.

You can purchase the Cafe Cup directly from the Tea Forte 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.

Click here to enter the Steepster Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest

We are taking a brief break from reviews to help Steepster in getting the word out about this amazing contest! Why? Because in our opinion the tea community has never been hit with a contest of this magnitude before.

Steepster announced on Monday the Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest – and I have to say, I have NEVER seen such a prize package for tea lovers as this!

Headlined with the much lauded Sorapot by Joey Roth, this prize package contains over $825 worth of tea and tea accessories from companies such as: Adagio, TeaFrog, Maeda-en, Golden Moon Tea, Art of Tea, Pearl Fine Teas, 52 Teas, Teas Etc, Earth Bound Tea, Tavalon, and Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea.

It is simple to enter, just visit the Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest page, and follow the simple directions. No long winded essays to write, no video testimonials, just a simple tweet or discussion reply, and you are in.

Steepster is a site that “helps you keep an online log of the teas you drink”. You can keep track of your teas, rate them, make tasting notes, and share them with your friends and followers. It is a great place to discover new teas, and share your passion of tea.

I personally had a chance to speak with Jason Roos, one of the founders of Steepster, and they are excited to be offering not only this amazing contest, but specials and features of tea companies of all size and shape through their Steepster Select program – a daily showcase of deals and favorites, a new one posted every day.

So head on over and enter the Steepster Ultimate Holiday Tea Gift Contest.