I promised myself I would do more tea gear reviews, because let’s face it, behind every good tea is some awesome gear to make it. I mean you can just make tea in a mug using a microwave, I did that for years, but once you start getting into the ‘hard stuff’ you notice that you manage to amass a decent sized collection of tea paraphernalia. Since a lot of my goodies come from thrift stores and that makes it hard to review sometimes (no way to point others in the direction of getting said gear if they want it) so when I get tea gear I can review I am definitely going to do it.
This review starts with a tragedy of sorts. I previously had an Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug for my out and about tea times, it worked decently except for the leaking problem (not a toss in the purse and go kinda mug) and over time I found myself want one without leakage. Also one that had a filter so I didn’t have to stuff my teas in the basket. I think the Tea Infuser Mug heard my grumbling because about two months ago the blasted thing broke. So after months of comparison shopping for the cheapest thing that was exactly what I wanted, I stumbled across my new toy.
Meet the Double Wall Glass Thermos With Metal Infuser by Tealux. Actually the brand is Asiatica, but since they are only whole sale and I could not actually find the thermos on the website, we are just going to ignore the adorable teapot brand stamp on the bottom. I went with the middle size of 400ml (13.5oz) because I wanted more tea but not quite THAT much more tea, and I am glad I stuck with the middle size because this thing is quite hefty, any bigger and I would need stronger arms.
It does exactly what it says on the…err…tin, it keeps the tea nice and warm or nice and cool, depending. I have used it for both hot and cold steeping, I found that it started to either warm up or cool down respectively after about three hours. The only reason I know that is because I took a nap and woke up to room temperature tea, usually I have the tea chugged too quickly to notice. Since it is made with nice, sturdy, borosilicate glass it feels warm or cool to the touch, perfect for cooling me off on a hot day or cuddling close when I feel chilled. I may have taken that nap curled around a warm tea infuser earlier, not going to deny it.
The best part of this tea thermos is the not leaking all over me if I knock it over (or decide to nap with it) no more worrying about taking tea on the bus, or in my purse, or to a bookstore, it is awesome! The only time it has leaked in the time I have had it is when I didn’t screw the lid on tight enough. Let us talk about the lid, for those who hate plastic (not me, obviously) there is a little in the lid, but it is BPA free and does not give a plastic taste. I mean maybe, just maybe, if you have it upside down all the time and have it in constant contact with your tea it will? I have not tested that, but so far the contact it has had with my tea did not impart any taste at all.
Lastly is the little metal infuser. It is adorable, it has a cute little handle and convientent little prongs so it sits on the lip of the thermos and does not let leaves escape into your mouth. The holes are small enough that even the most determined rooibos would really have to work to escape, and really if it manages to go through that much trouble it deserves to be eaten. One word of advice, do not be afraid to push the basket into the correct position. My first use of my fancy new thermos (it was with some Long Jing for those curious) I did not push the basket correctly into place because I was afraid of breakage (yes, I am a weenie, it is a sad truth) and a few little dragon blades slipped through and on my final sip the basket fell out and onto my face. It was at this point that I noticed ‘oh, there is a lip for it to rest on, and hey there are little prongs too!’ I suppose having a sweet boyfriend who gave the thermos its first wash might not have been the best thing since I just plopped in leaves and water and went. Silly me for not properly studying my new tea gear!
For blog and photos (cats, oolong, creepers, oh my!) http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/07/tealux-double-wall-glass-thermos-w.html
