Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea: Tea-Zer Tea Tumbler

This nifty little thermos from Pacific Cornetta is designed for maximum time save-age. You don't have to wait for your tea to steep before you dash out the door. Put the tea into the little metal infuser, pour water, secure lid and go.

You do still have to boil the water, and as we all know, waiting for water to boil is a terrible long ordeal.

But there are a few points about this doo-dad that I have problems with.

I haven't had the need to dash off to a meeting, so I can't say I've used it in the car for a real "road test", but I think it will come in handy for such an occasion. The problems I've had are these:

The holes in the infuser are too large for certain types of loose tea. The rooibos I used the first time leaked all out of the holes and into the tea. Larger tea leaves worked better. I also got tea leaves in my mouth when I sipped. Using tea bags instead would solve these problems, I know. But I hate to be limited like that, and since it advertises as "The only loose-tea brewer that travels", this is a considerable issue.
I tried to simulate a "road trip" experience, so I didn't remove the infuser. If I drank the tea too slowly, the water level remained too high, and the tea continued to steep until finally it was undrinkable. And if I drank the tea too soon, it was too darn hot. And if I had been in the car, removing the infuser would have been unworkable, unless I had the presence of mind to carry around a little plastic baggie or some such thing, and doesn't that rather spoil the point of the "gadget of convenience"?
It doesn't fit in the cup holder in my car. If I ever do want to use it on the road, I would have to rig up some kind of holder or brace it, and that's WAY inconvenient.

Other than these little problems, it does do the job. It's a good size for one person: 10-fluid-ounce capacity. And it kept the tea hot for a good long time, much longer than I expected, and I tested it without pre-warming the container.

You can find it online from between $10 - $15. I found it at my grocery store for $8. Most of the sites I found sell this red version, which is pretty, but I like to see the color of my tea.

Comments

I've lost my tea infuser and sipping lid over the summer. Does anyone know where I can get replacements without spending as much as buying a whole new system?

Posted by: p.m. | February 04, 2008 at 05:51 PM