Being a tea enthusiast for some time, I’ve seen lots and lots of gorgeous pictures featuring the Libre Tea Infuser. I’ve always wanted one and was finally granted the chance. We review all sorts of teas on The SororiTea Sisters but sometimes having the right brewing vessel makes all the difference in the world and can amplify the tea experience that much more.
Libre Tea Infusers are gorgeous bottles that have a glass interior for tea steeping with a durable plastic exterior. That way only glass is touching the tea itself, but you are giving that extra layer of protection for the bottle itself. Which for me is a wonderful thing. To say I’m in love with this bottle is an understatement. After having one for just a few days, I bought two more.
Let’s chat about the look of the bottle itself. The look is marvelous-sleek with a side of elegance. The bottle is see through so you can see the tea leaves swirling around while the tea is steeping. The top of the bottle has a screw filter lid where you can easily drink the tea without the fear of a mouth full of leaves coming your way (with an additional lid to screw on top for ease of travel). That being said though, you do want to big careful which teas you brew in the Libre Tea Infuser. I would recommend the larger the leaves the better. I did brew a tea that had smaller and I do mean smaller inclusions in the blend and I did get quite a bit of those inclusions while drinking the tea. But that has only happened once.
What is really cool about this tea infuser is the versatility. You can add in hot water and enjoy a lovely hot brew for some time. Or you can add in some cold water and ice for a cold brew. I’ve done both and been incredibly happy with the results. I was originally worried about the tea over steeping but so far I haven’t had issues with that. I actually have been drinking a lot more unflavored teas and the flavors have been perfection when used with the Libre Tea Infuser.
All in all, this is one of the best vessels available for tea drinkers on the go and even just to have on hand for ease of drinking tea. What I love is I can basically store away all of my other tea tools and instruments to make that perfect cuppa because everything I really need the Libre Tea Infuser accomplishes for me.
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Libre Tea Infuser
Description
Libre is the stylish and convenient solution for all infusions on the go – loose teas, fruit water infusions – in fact any beverage!! No flavour transfer with the glass interior.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**by clicking on the above picture and purchasing the product through Amazon, you will be support the SororiTea Sisters via the Amazon Affiliate Program and will in turn help support tea companies. All monies collected via this program will be used to purchase teas/tea products for the SororiTea Sisters to review.**
My Tea Pot from Minos. . . . .My New Best Friend. . . . .
Sometimes having the right tea pot makes all the difference in the world. I have so many different tea contraptions galore to brew up a cuppa. I have graviteas , those cutesy silicone tea infusers, stainless steel infusers, mesh ball infusers, infusers that fold up and travel along with you. . . .and that doesn’t count the 15 to 20 tea pots I have that I’ve acquired over my 10 to 15 year tea journey.
Recently,I was promoted to a different position in my company that has required a lot more hours. As a result, working from home has become a bit of the norm . This way I can basically start working as soon as I get up and have the ability to work as long as I need to. To give myself a bit more of a work environment, my hubby and I decided to dedicate one corner of our family room to my new “office area”. So a quick trip to IKEA yielded an awesome desk set up along with a marvelous chopping board that could double as a tea tray. I couldn’t be happier with the result.
At about the same time I was working on setting up my new desk, this beauty arrived at my doorstep from Minos.
This tea pot is gorgeous! I’ve had stainless steel tea pots before but not like this one. Being the perfect size, this tea pot fits effortlessly into my new work environment and I’m quite in love.
This 17oz tea pot with a built infuser is now my favorite piece of teaware. I can easily brew up a session of whatever tea I am craving at the time to keep me going long into the night. Being stainless steel, the tea pot does retain heat so the tea is quite hot right at the beginning and I’m not going to lie here, I have burnt myself a few times on the tea pot, but Minos has included three silicone rings that easily sit into the handle- providing a way for tea drinkers not to get burned. I am just incredibly clumsy and filled the tea pot a bit to full-which caused the tea pot to become a bit unbalanced-which resulted in my knuckle getting in the way.
Regardless, this tea pot has stolen my tea loving heart and has actually helped me adult through these long work mornings and evenings I’ve been having. Sometimes you just need that one piece off teaware to up your tea game and for me, Minos’s tea pot has done just that. Along with this brilliant tea pot, Minos also offers a matching creamer pitcher and sugar bowl. Both I’m just in awe over as well, but the tea pot is my favorite piece of the three.
I’ve brewed up oolongs, green teas, black teas, herbals. . . you name it, I’ve used this tea pot and without fail, this tea pot has yielded brilliant after brilliant cuppas to keep me going. The pour is perfection and I’ve actually found that my tea drinking has actually increased. . .something I didn’t think couldn’t happen. I’m just in love!
Here’s the scoop!
Where to Buy: Minos
Description
- BUILT TO LAST: When building a solid, reliable teapot, stainless steel is the only choice. Made of the durable metal, it can easily handle daily cups of delicious tea without showing any wear and tear for years.
- STUNNING SURFACE: The hand polished and mirror-like surface will make the stainless steel surface completely swoon-worthy. It’ll look good with any kitchen decor, from retro to modern, and everything in between.
- SWAPPABLE HANDLES: Each teapot comes equipped with three different silicon handles that can be changed out to suit your mood. (They’re also heat-resistant and keep your hands completely safe while pouring your tea or moving your hot teapot.)
- DESIGNED WITH YOU IN MIND: Not only does the heavy stainless steel deliver reliability and strength, but the streamlined design adds a touch of timeless sophistication to any countertop.
- THE RIGHT FIT FOR FAMILIES: When you choose the 500ml teapot, you’re giving your whole family the gift of a great cup of tea. For the two of you, this stainless steel teapot is perfect for steeping and sipping.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Steeper from Dave and Solomons Tea
One of the ever going battles with loose leaf tea drinkers is how to drink their tea on the go. There are so many options out there now that it is sometimes hard to pick just one. I have a few in my collection and I love them all for different reasons.
This particular tea steeper from Dave and Solomons Tea is unique. Here is why. Most of the steepers that are portable that I own are glass. This particular one is plastic. I’m not going to lie, I really like that. I know. I know. Glass is how tea should technically be drank but there is something comforting to the fact that one slight move won’t break my steeper and I’m left with a mess on my hands.
So this tea steeper works similar to a lot of the different options. Scoop your tea into the bottle, fill with water, screw on the lid and you are good to go. This steeper works great for both cold brewed and hot brewed tea. The bottle does get a bit hot so if you have a cozy for the bottle, I’d recommend it. I have a few I picked up on Etsy and I’ve even made myself a few (with my mom’s guidance of course!)
I have found that even though this tea steeper has a lovely fine mesh strainer at the top that you screw on, fine pieces of tea and inclusions do find there way out. Not a huge deal. Something that is totally normal for most steepers. I have yet to find one that strains every single stray tea out. Nothing that I would say would detour me from continuing to use this steeper at all.
All in all, a great alternative to the steepers out there. I do find that I love this one for cold brewing more than hot brewing but I’ve used the tea ware for both. Easy to clean, easy to use, just an all around easy option. I find myself reaching for this one and another steeper more than the others I’ve had in my collection for years. But really, you can never have too many pieces of tea ware in your collection!
Here’s the scoop!
Tea Ware: Tea Steeper
Where to Buy: Dave and Solomons Tea
Description:
100% BPA Free Tea Traveler 13 oz
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
#FanaticFriday: Monocle Tea Tumbler-Portable Way to Tea!
I’m a HUGE fan of any tumbler that makes my tea easier and more portable. I’ve had several different types of tumblers in the past but I have to say, this glass tumbler from Monocle Tea Products is one of my favorites. Easy to use, durable, lightweight, and the perfect size, this infuser has been wonderful to brew up so many different varieties of teas.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve brewed up different herbals, oolongs, greens, and whites and each time, this tumbler hasn’t steered me wrong. I have found that if I leave the infuser in (as long as its not a tea that oversteep and becomes bitter, etc.), I can just keep adding water and have a consistent delicious brew waiting for me.
Cold brewing in this infuser couldn’t be easier. Scoop a few teaspoons of your tea into the infuser basket or another infuser if you like (I use those fun silicone ones like fish on a fishing pole), add in some ice, add in some water, and you are set for a delicious cold brew in just a bit. Since this tumbler is so conveniently sized, the tea is really portable and perfect for anybody on the go.
Really great way to enjoy tea on the go or at the office. I know there are a lot of different tumblers out there now for tea enthusiasts, but none of them come with this adorable logo!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: Monocle Tea Products
Description
- DOUBLE WALL INSULATED BOROSILICATE GLASS TEA INFUSER – Eliminates the need for coasters with a condensation free glass while keeping your drink hot or cold, however you like it.
- TWO PART STAINLESS STEEL MESH INFUSER – Allows you to steep loose leaf tea in an enclosed basket or leave the basket out for easy and quick fruit infusion
- NARROW CONSTRUCTION AND REINFORCED BASE – With a base diameter of only 2.5″ and reinforced with extra glass, it is easily fits into any cup holder and is easy to carry with you wherever you go.
- ENGRAVED BAMBOO LID – The eco-friendly lid Keeps your drink where it belongs, in the basket. Engraved with the love of New Orleans (mustached “NO”) on the top.
- MORE THAN JUST LOOSE TEA – Perfect for tea, coffee, infused fruit, essential oils, detox, teatox, and smoothies
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragon Well/Long Jing from Teabook
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teabook
Tea Description:
Our green tea comes from Hunan, Zhejiang and An Hui provinces in China. In China today, most green teas are still pan fired like originally done in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368); this helps to dry the leaf in a way to prevent much oxidation to preserve the green color. From a health perspective, green tea is increasingly popular for its content of EGCG (epigallocatechin), an antioxidant which studies show may have a number of health benefits. Green tea flavor and aroma are often referred to as vegetal, mild, cleansing, and sometimes savory or buttery. The tannins range from bitter to sweet depending on the variety.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Teabook is an tea company with a very interesting concept. They provide consumers with individually wrapped servings of loose leaf tea. The packaging looks very similar to that of a tea bag. Each month you’ll receive a box from Teabook with that month’s tea in it individually packaged for your convenience. A very cool idea. To have loose leaf tea packaged in a way that you don’t have to re package it to make it portable makes me want to instantly run out and sign up. Right now it looks like they mainly have straight teas on the site, but I can see this being just a fantastic new way for loose leaf tea drinkers to get their tea.
This tea that I am trying from Teabook is a Dragon Well. I have tried several different types of Dragon Wells from different tea companies and was excited to try out this offering. I brewed this tea up with the water temp at about 180 per the guidelines provided on the package. I poured the contents of the package into my steeper and watched the leaves dance as the water was poured in. I let the tea steep for about 4 minutes and took my first sip.
The major flavor note that you get from this tea is a nice pleasant vegetal note that is rich and satisfying. I took my cuppa into a meeting. As the meeting was progressing, I started to notice that the pleasant vegetal note started to turn more and more into a deeper richer and dare I say darker vegetal flavor.
As much as I love my green teas, I have to say this one may just not be for me. As the tea cools, that seaweed like flavor becomes more and more pronounced. It reminded me of a rich black tea that you allow to cool for way too long and it has become too astringent for you. Similar situation here.
I’m still not sure how I feel about this particular offering yet. I think this would be one to try again later on but I still love the idea of Teabook and plan on checking into it. Such a great concept!