Name: Tea Top Brew Mug

Company: Mighty Leaf

Type: Teaware

Cost: $12.95 (introductory price)

I know I have said this before, but mornings are never fun for me.  I can barely manage to get to work on time so I definitely don’t have time to sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea before I leave.  Although, that is ultimately my goal.  One day.

To get around this, I prepare tea in a travel mug and enjoy it once I get to work.  I was really excited when I saw Mighty Leaf’s Tea Top Brew Mug. It looks like an ordinary travel mug but looks can be deceiving.  It is much more!  The lid is what really makes this product unique.  There is a slit opposite of where you drink from and this is where you insert the tea bag string which allows the teabag to dangle in the water to steep.  When the tea bag has steeped long enough, simply pull the string then the tea bag is lifted up into its own little dome in the cap, suspending it above the water.  This means the tea bag doesn’t over steep.

The Tea Top Brew Mug works great and my tea was not bitter at all for the entire time it took me to drink it because the tea bag was suspended happily in its dome.   Of course, if your tea bags don’t have strings you are still either going to have to leave it in your mug (please don’t) or fish it out before you start drinking.

A slight downside, however, is that it doesn’t seem to handle tea bags that are not from Mighty Leaf very well.  I tried using a regular, generic teabag and had problems getting it to work.  I think this is mainly has to do with the staples that come on most tea bags.  The staples are hard to get through the little slit and I broke several strings trying to suspend the tea bag above the water.  Other than that this is a great travel mug and a must have if you use Mighty Leaf tea pouches.  I will be on the lookout for other tea bags that might work with it.

Also, please note that this thermos is not leak or spill proof.  I had to set the thermos down while I was doing a sound check before a recent performance because its hard to hold a mic and a thermos at the same time.  It got knocked over and half my tea was spilled out.  Small problem if you’re knocking over your teaware often.

One last point, this mug keeps the tea hot for a good length of time, which I greatly appreciate.  Be warned though, it really keeps it hot so for the safety of your tongue, be careful.  Again, I really like this mug and have been using it several times a week for work.  What a great idea Mighty Leaf and thanks for sending one my way!

The product(s) included in this post were sent to me to be considered for review by the company mentioned or by a PR agency that represents them.

Company: Mighty Leaf

Type: Black

Cost: $9.95 for 15 tea pouches

I continue to be impressed with Mighty Leaf’s products.  Their silken tea pouches are really wonderful.  They provide enough room for the tea to expand and you can plainly see that the tea is not dust.  I decided to try their Orange Dulce flavored black tea despite the fact that I have not always had good experiences with bergamont  flavor in teas due to the horrid Earl Grey teas I have tried.  When I first got a sniff of the aroma coming from the dry leaves I think my heart skipped a beat.  Orange Dulce is made up of Ceylon and China black teas and flavored with bergamont, orange, vanilla, and jasmine blossoms which all make the tea highly fragrant.

I steeped this using boiling water and let it sit for 4 minutes waiting impatiently to take my first sip.  I was pleased to discover that this flavored black tea is quite amazing.  If you don’t like flavored black teas, then stay away from this one.  It is full bodied and flavorful to the max.  The orange and vanilla are strong and mingle together in harmony.  I did not pick out the jasmine blossoms but I am sure it added to the fragrant nature of this tea.

For a flavored black tea, this is about as good as they come.  Couple that with the great silk pouch it comes in and you have a great tasting and convenient tea.  This has not gone bitter on me, has a tea taste, and the flavors are a perfect mixture.  I haven’t found a lot of teas that I truly dislike, but neither do I have a lot of teas that knock me over with love.  This one is darn near the top of that extreme and a tea that I am truly loving which is impressive for a flavored tea.

The product(s) included in this post were sent to me to be considered for review by the company mentioned or by a PR agency that represents them.

Company: Mighty Leaf

Type: Green

Cost: $9.95 for 15 tea pouches

Mighty Leaf’s Green Tea Tropical comes in a lovely silken tea pouch and smells divine.  The ingredients in this tea are Green tea, banana, strawberry, pineapple, guava, and exotic fruit flavors with red, white and blue cornflowers, and pineapple pieces.  All those together provide an intoxicating tropical smell that if you close your eyes could transport you to an exotic island for a moment.  Or perhaps that is just my wishful thinking talking, but it still smells pretty darn good.

To brew this tea I used one pouch for one cup of water which was roughly 180 degrees.  I let it steep for 3 minutes and then removed the tea pouch.  The color of the liquor was a pale green and the fragrance smelled just as amazing as the dry leaves.  I repeated the exercise of closing my eyes and inhaling the tantalizing aroma.  Then I took my first sip and instantly felt pleased. Though the taste is not quite as strong as the fragrance, it is still strong enough to be present.  Some people are of the mind that flavored teas are maybe not as high quality as say a pure sencha, but my taste buds aren’t picky in that sense and so flavored teas have a place right along with all other types of tea.  And when I find a high quality flavored tea, it causes much joy for me.

I’m impressed with this tea pouch and even liked the fact that the fragrance in the pouch does not diminish after it has been steeped.  The tea tastes good, smells good, is clean and refreshing.  The only bad thing I could say about it is that the green tea taste is not as strong as it could be.  If your looking for a simple green tea that tastes…green, this is not what your looking for since it is packed with flavor.  Despite that small flaw,  I have a feeling I will be giving this tea a permanent home in my tea collection.

The product(s) included in this post were sent to me to be considered for review by the company mentioned or by a PR agency that represents them.