Damn you, emilyforce! The Adagio tea Ingenuitea thingie was just what I was going to mention. I got one for Christmas last year and it’s pretty neato. Plus it comes with a sampler of loose teas to try - once you try 'em, you won’t go back.
If your office has a coffee maker, those generally have hot water spouts that I find really handy for use with my tea, so’s you can have great tea at work.
That ingenuiTEA looks interesting, but a little scary, like the tea’s going to leak out of the bottom before you want it to.
tremorviolet: The Beehouse teapots are beautiful. Is the infuser easy to remove? I notice the Chatsworth ones from earlier in the thread have a tab on the infuser so it’s easy to grab.
That Zojirushi dispenser looks awesome. I don’t know that my husband drinks enough tea for it to be really useful, but his cousin’s husband would love that. He drinks tea all day.
Green Bean: Is that Wegman’s worth the trip? It intrigues me, but I keep thinking, do I really want to go to Woodbridge for a supermarket?
Perhaps a fluffy bunny tea cozy would be a good gift after all . . .
Here’s pic of my teapot open (please excuse the messy desk). The infuser doesn’t have a tab but after a cup or so the water level is below the infuser so the tea stops seeping. Which is kinda why I didn’t like the Ingenuitea thingy. There’s no way to stop the tea from steeping so my last cup would be very bitter. I never had a problem with it leaking tho’ and some people love it. (BTW, another feature I like with the beehouse teap ot is that the lid and infuser come right off so it’s easy to run the pot through the dishwasher.)
I use tea balls all the time, and I never have to shove stuff in. Just squeeze the handle, fill one side of the scoop, release, dunk and stir. Tea leaves expand to fill the other side and away I go.
I notice no difference in taste between a cuppa made this way or in a pot with a tea leaf basket.
[chanting]Upton Tea! Upton Tea! Upton Tea! They are awesome! Every item I’ve looked at has a sample size available for a buck or so, so you don’t invest $14 in tea you wind up hating. The premium CO2 decaffeinated Darjeeling is the most palatable decaf I’ve found - it actually tastes like tea! They have some guides and descriptions, as well as full color, scaled pictures of each tea, so you can tell exactly what you’re getting. My stuff usually arrives within two days, usually with a complimentary sample of something entirely different for me to try.
I also got my two Chatsford one-cup infusers from them, and they are dynamite. If you’re looking for maximum flavor with minimum fuss, they are it. They’re the size of the whole cup, so the tea circulates, but you don’t have to mess with a pot and strainer, plus a cup - just lift the infuser, dump the tea leaves, give it a quick rinse, and you’ve got a lovely cup of tea. I also adore my electric kettle - they are sooooo much better than using the stove (and useful for all sorts of applications from cleaning out your sink drain to doing a bain marie for custard). Mine is a T-Fal, and it rawks - about 45 seconds to boiling water, and a temperature dial to alter the final temp of the water.
I have a question for those who brew tea loose in a pot, then strain into cups - how do you avoid overbrewing?
Before you go shopping, read and re-read George Orwell’s classic essay, “A Nice Cup of Tea.”
Hmmm. Now I’m thinking about one-cup infusers AND tea pots for when we have company. Damn. That’s a lot of tea. Electric kettle seems to be a must-have too.
UC: Which T-Fal do you have? They’re a quality company–we have their convection oven, which is pretty awesome.
I have this one, which my mother in law gave me last Christmas - dayum, I had no idea it was so expensive! But it is really really nice. If nothing else, make sure you get one where the kettle itself is not plugged in, but stands on a plugged-in base. That way you can carry it around the kitchen, and it’s easier to clean.
Tea bags, you know, the ones you fill yourself?
OMG, Unauthorized Cinnamon, we are totally tea-buddies!
What is this “overbrewing” of which you speak?
My Beehouse teapot is one of my favourite possessions, so another vote for them from me. I have a smaller one - just large enough to pour two cups (well, mugs) of tea.
I make tea with loose tea in a French Press, and it works perfectly. Add the leaves, then the water, and let it steep.
Press down the plunger thing, and it’s ready to go.
Bibliocat, we have a French Press (he bought it for me for my birthday–a metal Bodum that was recommended here, in fact) and I have suggested that, but he mumbles about cleaning it. Since he made coffee in it last night, and it’s still on the counter filled with coffee grounds, I’m thinking a simple infuser would work better for him, maybe with a Beehouse teapot, because they’re really attractive. Why would this be easier? Darned if I know, but I’m thinking he’d find it so.
Thirded. I’ve got two. One for home, one for work.
Kitties! Kitties in the very next picture!
A supermarket? Darling, Wegman’s is THE supermarket.
Never mind all the fabulous food at low low prices. Forget the vast variety of wonderful produce. Ignore the full selection of kitchenware and accessories…
They have a supervised play area where the kids can go when you shop. For free.
The Sprout LOVES it. He considers it a huge treat to go to Wegman’s. He has a great time and I get my grocery shopping done. It’s a true win-win situation.
p.s. The one in Bridgewater isn’t as nice as the one in Woodbridge.
wegman’s is worth a 5 day trek though the woods in the middle of winter with 100 inches of snow on the ground.
go to wegman’s!!!
Hee! That is so cool. Most of my friends just think I’m a little strange, and quietly buy their Lipton bags when I’m not around.
So, BrainGlutton, are you one of those people who likes LOTS of tannin? I hear tell of people actually boiling tea, and I guess hey, however they like it. But to me, tea made in such a manner is only useful for killing dust mites. Four minutes steeping is my general limit - if I forget and leave it too long, I wind up feeling like Sylvester the cat when Tweety fed him alum!
Thanks tremorviolet for that link. Not because of the pot but because their stores are only about 10 miles from my office. I think I have a new place to go Christmas shopping.