Tea For Me!
I love tea. You have no idea or understanding of the depths of my love. I have a cabinet in my kitchen JUST for tea and all the tea accoutrements I've collected.
Over 100 types of tea? Check. Tea infusers? Check. Tea strainers? Check. Tea bags? Check. Teapot? Check. A bazillion different types of honey to go into my tea? Check. I.love.tea. It's kind of an obsession. If you can't think of a good gift for me, think of tea. That's a great go-to and one year for my birthday, Jeff didn't know what to get me- so he literally bought me POUNDS of my favorite loose teas. I was thrilled. Tea is the best, BEST drink for all occasions. Relax? Sleep? Wake up? Lose weight?
Feel cold? Hot tea. Feel hot? Iced tea. I feel like Bubba from Forrest Gump about tea...
It's that bad, and I am not ashamed. Because of my love for tea, I get neat-o tea paraphernalia to review all the time. Raise your hand if you feel the same way about tea and are always looking to get the next best tea fix.
So this tea strainer was sent to me, and it's pretty cool. The mechanism is pretty simple. A black plastic plunger is spring loaded into a stainless steel sleeve with perforations. The plastic piece has a slot cut out inside, so when you push the top of the plunger down, the space is exposed. It is this space that you fill with your loose tea selection. I like this design because it's long and you can swirl it in your cup or glass and stir with it instead of dirtying a spoon too. This is also great for those of you that use sugar cubes or honey granules. Just put them in the slot too. It's really easy to use- just push, fill, release.
The ONLY thing I'm not thrilled about is the size of the holes. This would not be a good choice for teas like the one I mentioned before: Tiesta Immunity. There are tiny flower segments and strawberry powder that would find their way out of these holes. But for larger teas, this is just perfect. I also wish the sides of the sectioned out portion that holds the tea were a little higher- but I understand it is probably designed this way to allow maximum fluid to flow through and penetrate the tea thoroughly. Cleaning is a snap- just rinse it out under hot water and let it air dry. And that's really it. Such a great alternative to strainer cups- it takes up just a small amount of space. It's more Earth-friendly because there's no waste from excess packaging or tea bags. Such a great gift for your favorite tea junkie! Get yours HERE.
Just for kicks, here are a few of my favorite loose teas: -Tiesta Immunity HERE- Mango, orange, pineapple herbal tea blend with no caffeine. Fruity, naturally sweet, and high in antioxidants and Vitamin C.
-Teavana Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls HERE- hand rolled balls of green tea infused with amazing jasmine scent and flavor.
-Tealyra Orange Lemonade HERE- Fruity herbal tea, caffeine free And sweeteners: -Nektar Honey Crystals- HERE US made, no preservatives. Honey granules. (I like this because honey can be so messy!) -Sweet Revenge Coconut Flower Nectar Granules- HERE Sustainable, non-GMO, organic, vegan, low glycemic index -Orange Blossom Sugar Cubes- HERE- Sugar cubes flavored with sweet orange blossom