Company: Copco

Cost: $9.99

Thoughts:

I have a couple of infusers lying around that I do occasionally use when I want a quick cup of tea.  Infusers themselves aren’t bad but I much prefer to use something where the tea leaves have lots of room to move and dance.  That said, infusers do have a place in my tea routine, especially at work.  When I received this Snap Open Tea Infuser from Copco’s Total Tea line of tea products I immediately added it to my work tea area so I could put it to the test.

This infuser has two wings that pop open when you press the buttons on the side.  These wings then allow the infuser to sit on the top of the cup with the basket suspended down into the water.  I will go ahead and state right now that I wish the infuser was a little bit longer and wider to allow the leaves more room to move and more contact with the water.  However, it still works as well as any infuser can.

When it is time to remove the infuser, the wings can be snapped back down so that they now cover the infuser preventing drips.  This is a very nice idea but I have noticed that it doesn’t totally prevent tea from getting on the table so it is important to make sure you let the tea drip out in the cup as much as possible.  The holes in the infuser aren’t overly large but they still allow small bits and dust to escape.  If tea dust bothers you then I suggest you not drink the last couple of sips because with this infuser it is inevitable to get a little bit of a collection at the bottom of the cup.

Clean up is fairly easy and the tea leaves glide out smoothly with an occasional leaf getting stuck in one of the holes.  I think all infusers have a certain amount of annoying cleanup involved but that just comes with the territory of using one.  Again, for some of us there is a time and place to use infusers and so for an easy, modern, and fun looking infuser this one does the trick.

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: Copco

Cost: $14.99

Thoughts:

I am always on the look out for ways to enjoy tea outside of my home so I was really excited to receive this travel thermos from Copco.  They have come out with a line of teaware called Total Tea that is “a collection of solution-based products that address the specific needs of tea drinkers through superior functionality and forward design”.  Upon opening the package I was really intrigued by this tea thermal.  It is quite modern and innovative which might or might not appeal to some people.  As for myself, I was drawn to it.  The first thing I did was take it apart and found that it had 4 main components: the base where the liquid is held, the lid, the infuser basket, and the lid for the infuser basket.

There are many on the go tea products out there that include an infusing basket but this one is really unique.  It features a mechanism that enables you to stop infusing the tea leaves.  I will try to explain this as best as I can, but basically the basket goes into the lid of the thermos and has three options of where to turn it.  ‘In/Out’ is the choice you want when you are taking the basket in or out of the thermos.  The ‘Steep’ option allows the tea leaves to be exposed to the water through the little holes in the infuser.  ‘Stop’ turns the basket so the holes and leaves are no longer in contact with the water.

For the most part I find this thermos easy to use, though the nob on the lid is a little hard to turn and grab a hold of especially if you have long nails.  My major complaint is the size of the infuser basket.  It is tiny!  Take a look at the 1st picture above to see how small it is compared to the thermos itself!  Since the thermos is 16oz you need to use a good amount of tea leaves and I really feel there is not enough room in the infuser to do the leaves justice.  I found myself wishing it was at least longer because it doesn’t seem to go very far down into the water.

I think the idea of this thermos is nice and the design is on the right track.  I have used it several times and even had success resteeping leaves by refilling the thermos with water and turning the infuser back to ‘steep’.  The only other thing that bothers me is I haven’t quite figured out how or even if there is a way to pour water over the leaves which is just my personal preference.  To me it seems the only thing one can do is pour water in the thermos and then insert the infuser basket.

Overall, I think Copco has an interesting product that with a little tweaking could really become a nice staple for those of use that like to take our tea on the go.  I enjoyed using it and will continue to do so because I love tea thermos’ and I especially like that I can stop my leaves from steeping without having to take the infuser out and then trying to figure out what in the world to do with it.

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.

The folks at Thistledown were kind enough to send me a 20oz and 40oz hob as well as a tea wallet for carrying around tea bags.  I was really intrigued when I saw the cozies and couldn’t wait to test them out.  The hobs are made out of 2 layers of high tech mylar batting which encases your entire tea pot with a closure on the side.  The thing that makes these unique is that they wrap around your tea pot instead of just sitting over the top them like traditional cozies.

40oz Hob

20oz Hob

To test the cozy out, I used a lovely glass teapot that I love dearly but which refuses to hold heat.  I made a pot of tea and settled down with a book.  For a solid hour I drank tea and every time I poured a cup, the tea was piping hot and wonderful.  I’m sure I could have enjoyed the tea for a longer period of time, but I ran out of tea in my pot before it had the chance to get cold.

For the next test I used my 6-cup teapot and made Silver Needle which requires a lower temperature of water.  I figured it would be a good experiment to see if it would stay warm enough to drink even though the temperature was low to start with.  I was pleased to discover that my tea stayed at a very nice temperature all afternoon as I catched up on TV shows and relaxed.  Towards the end of the pot I could tell the tea had cooled off a bit, but not enough to make me want to stop drinking it.

Overall I am very happy with the Hob.  I would really love to see one in the typical floral girly looking cozy patterns, but that is because I enjoy anything overly feminine.  I did notice a collection of ‘Hobs for Her’ coming soon and I will be watching for those!  However, I think that the way the Hob’s look currently may appeal to a much more broad audience, including men, and since it actually keeps my tea warm, I can’t complain.

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.

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.

I try to drink a good amount of fluids everyday.  However, where I work there is not a good source of water unless I spend money at the vending machine and purchase bottled water.  This leaves me to bring my own fluids, be that water or my favorite iced teas.

Enter the ‘Green Bottle’.  While this isn’t necessarily a teaware item, there is no reason not to use it for iced tea.  It does a great job at keeping the liquid inside cool, as long as it is cool to begin with.  Plus there is no need to worry about the ‘dangers’ of drinking from a plastic bottle, since this is stainless steel, or an excess of plastic bottles.

I purchased mine from amazon and got the cherry blossom design.  There are a lot of different designs to choose from and I’m sure I will end up getting more.  My only complaint is that the opening is very small and so you need a special long handled brush to get inside to clean it.  I got this one.

I also like that it comes with two different caps.  One that you can clip onto things and the other that you can pop open.  I’m glad that I got it and have not found it to leak yet.  The only thing I have to worry about is opening the screw top to drink.  Sometimes the liquid will drip off the lid and so I need to be careful especially if there is colored tea inside.  Other than that, no issues.  A great water or ice tea bottle!!

The product(s) included in this post were purchased by myself or sent as a free sample along with a purchase.

I am not a morning person.  Period.  End of discussion.  Mornings and I do not get along.  However, I love and greatly enjoy to start my day with tea.  To solve this problem I make a pot of tea last thing before I walk out my door, put that tea in a travel mug and head to work.  Drinking and driving don’t mix with my terrible clumsiness, so I drink my tea once I arrive at my building.

And yet this ritual isn’t perfect.  The travel mugs I own never seem to hold the heat for very long.  I don’t have an extremely long drive so the tea often stays warm but when I get to work I am not guaranteed a moment of solitude at my desk to enjoy the tea.  There have been many times I have taken a sip after running around at work only to find that my tea has cooled off.  And I must say, I like my tea at warm temperatures unless made cold on purpose.

I’ve dealt with this in order to have tea in the mornings but have now found a way around it!  Enter the Travette Tea Maker by Timolino.  I purchased mine from In Pursuit of Tea.  This handy travel teapot/thermos keeps tea warm for me to enjoy during my morning.  It claims to keep the tea warm for 3 hours but I don’t think it keeps it at exactly the same temperature the whole time the liquid is inside.  My tea does stay warm and has not gotten too cool for me to enjoy.

This tea maker comes with a basket type infuser but I haven’t used it yet.  I have been brewing my tea in a teapot and decanting it into the tea maker.  And come to think of it, I’m not sure why I haven’t tried the infuser basket!  I shall experiment with that next week!

Because you can’t really drink the tea straight from the thermos, I keep a smallish teacup with me at my desk.  I have found that I like this a lot better than drinking out of a thermos.  There is something soothing about pouring a cup of tea.  To hear the water and see it pour is quite enjoyable to me and I thrilled that I am able to do that at work now.  It turns my cluttered desk into my own little tea haven for a little while.

The only thing I can really complain about is that this product is way to large to fit in a cup holder.  I ended up spilling tea all over my car the first day I took this to work because I forgot to reach over and hold onto it while it was sitting on my front seat as I turned a corner.  I now place it in a little plastic box thing-a-ma-jig that I believe I once used as a bathroom organizer.  Moving tends to make you forget why you have the things you do!

Anyway.  Enough rambling.  I recommend this product for anyone looking for a travel teapot who may not want to drink out of a thermos.  I have used it everyday since I got it and feel it was a great purchase!

(Haha, I just noticed the water spots in the picture.  Oh well!)

The product(s) included in this post were purchased by myself or sent as a free sample along with a purchase.