video tea review and tea tasting blog
For the longest time, having tea at the office or away from home has involved compromise. In most cases, the compromise came in the form of a teabag. Even when teabags have high quality tea, it rarely compares to a well-steeped cup of quality loose leaf.
This compromise on quality often comes at greater convenience. Or at least that is the prevailing logic.
But the Finum Brewing Basket offers a middle path that comes closer to achieving Tea-At-Work-Nirvana.
…
It would seem that right after building a better mousetrap, mankind has striven to build a better kettle that would bring the world a-knocking at the door. Despite all the bells and whistles, everything from the Breville 800XL Tea Maker to the Keurig is still, at its essence, a kettle that heats and distributes water.
So how does the Bonavita BV3825B stack up?
…
Introducing one of the heavy hitters in the tea-making arena.
The Breville BTM800XL tea maker packs a combination of powerful features:
Overall, it isn’t the cheapest teapot out there- but you’d expect that from a dependable tea kettle made of the highest quality materials available. Its automation also allows for hands-free operation when making a larger volume of tea. This tea kettle is definitely worth considering if you are a regular tea drinker seeking greater convenience in preparing larger volumes of tea.
On the other hand, if you are the type who prefers to use a gaiwan or yixing teapot, the Bonavita Gooseneck Kettle will give you the precision pouring you’re looking for.
There will likely be a never-ending cycle of new concepts and devices for making tea at home. Walker Tea Review covered a few of these in a 2012 comparison. Now it is time to look at the realm of 2-stage infuser tea pots. Sometimes they are called gongfu pots or tea infuser pots.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of infuser/strainer teapots.
…
Summer’s warm days and vacation activities invite visions of fresh harvests from gardens and reading lists for lazy days. So when a tea book comes along that talks about growing, processing and enjoying your own tea, it just may create the perfect marriage of pastimes. Cassie Liversidge’s Homegrown Teas: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes invites you to read, garden, and drink tea made by your own hands.
…
In New York City’s East Village there exists a haven for Chinese tea lovers. Tea Drunk offers an escape into a retreat of gaiwans, quiet conversations, and artisanal teas from across the Middle Kingdom.
2 elements make Tea Drunk stand out from so many tea shops in Chinatown and other cafes: the ambiance and the selection of teas.
…
You have to be on your toes when reading articles about tea. The recent Men’s Health article earns a few tips of the hat and a few finger wags.
Some Things They Got Right
It was good to see companies like Camellia Sinensis, Tea Trekker, and Seven Cups getting the press they deserve.
Also good to see more people can learn about relatively undiscovered teas like Tie Luo Han, Sencha Ashikubo, and Tung Ting.
Some Things Could Have Been Better
Recommending Mighty Leaf Longjing. Though it has been some time since I reviewed a Mighty Leaf green tea, I’d be wary. There are very likely many other dragonwells of better quality available.
My recent encounter with Teavana’s Golden Dragon left me wondering about the authenticity of its yellow tea character.
Finally – I realize its a men’s magazine, but what is it about these teas that is special to having men try? Tea doesn’t care about your sex, and good teas are meant to be enjoyed by men and women alike.