Teadragon

A while back, I happened across a large box of Twinnings Everyday in a local discount store.  Here is an advertisement for it:

While the video is cute, it doesn't say much about the tea itself.  I've found it to be...

 (More)

You may have read my original glowing review of the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite.  Sadly, it has been non-functional for a while now.

Although it worked splendidly at first, after a while, I got a drop of water in the connector on the bottom of the steeping chamber.  This is a design flaw which the company apparently now recognizes, as they have since started providing plastic caps to cover this connector when cleaning the steeping chamber:

My tea maker was an early one and came with no such cap.  This drop of water killed the tea maker.  If you have a Zarafina tea maker, and it did not come with this cap, contact the company to have one sent to you.

The product was out of warranty, but I tried calling the number included in the packaging.  The phone number was no longer in service.  I went to the Zarafina Tea Maker Suite web site, finally found a different phone number, and called that one, only to then be directed to an e-mail address(apparently at a different company, Margatiaville Cargo???).  It took about a week to get a reply through e-mail, which was merely a list of phone numbers at Sunbeam(Did you all know this product was manufactured by Sunbeam?). My only option appears to be taking my tea maker to the closest authorized Sunbeam repair center, which is several states away!  After this horrible run-around and delicacy of design, I'm pondering whether to purchase a different model of tea maker.  The price has gone down on Zarafina dramatically, but it will have the same design flaw.  This is a splendid device while it works, but fragile. I feel that I should have received some sort of decent customer service for a $150(at time of purchase)device.

If you have this device, be very careful when you clean it, and request a cleaning cap if you do not have one.

This is an old favourite that I have recently returned to after a long while.  Upon encountering Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach again, I remembered why I enjoyed it so much in the past.  This tea envelops the senses in a pleasing manner.  The aroma is a proper preview of the mellow blend of flavours to come.  The peach and ginger are well-balanced, neither overwhelming the other.  More importantly, neither overwhelm the black tea, which is of moderate strength and flavour.  While you may see the word "peach" and imagine some incredibly fruity infusion, here the peach is one of the main players, but does not dominate.  This is an enjoyable tea in the morning, but more so when used as a mid-afternoon or after-work tea break.  It is excellent with anything sweet, particularly chocolate or vanilla-themed baked goods.  Also delightful with just sugar or the addition or milk or cream. 

While only loosely related to the realm of tea, being more of a smoothie type drink containing tea, I still had to explore Bubble Tea simply because I had never encountered it. I must say, this is neat stuff! This one is green tea with soy milk and strawberry flavouring. The tapioca pearls are the "bubbles." A new local Bubble Tea place opened recently, and I will definitely be going back. I plan to try one made with black tea next time.

This tea stick is an interesting looking variation on the common tea-ball. The design is visually appealing in it's way, but I do not see how it could function any better than a tea-ball. The leaves would still have little room for movement, and it would take up a bit more storage space. The possible advantage that I see is that stirring the hot water with the stick might increase the exposure of the leaves.

I had this tea recently at a new coffee shop.  Never having encountered the Mighty Leaf brand before, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised!

In the cup...

The Mighty Leaf Tea Company uses "silken pouches" instead of paper ones. (A nice trend among moderately priced tea companies!)  This is nice, since the tea's delicate flavour does not have to compete with paper.  The black tea used here(a blend of Ceylon and China Black) is a nice mellow, mild one, which balances nicely with the madagascar vanilla used.  Decent sized leaves and vanilla pieces were my first surprise.  The second surprise was the taste!  I beleive that the Ceylon is the source of the mellow character, and the China Black must be present in lesser quantity, to round out the flavour.  This is a lovely tea to sip slowly with your dessert. 

In the cup, this tea has a red tone, which is a moderately light shade.  At first I wondered if it had not been steeped long enough, and expected a weak taste.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a delightful, delicate balance of tea and vanilla.  I am uncertain whether a splash of cream would improve or ruin this one; experiment yourselves, and add comments to let me know.  I would warn against over-sweetening.  If you use honey, take special care to add it in small quantities, so you do not drown out the flavour of the tea. 

I had this tea along with a slice of mild lemon cake, and the two made a great combination. 

Mighty Leaf claims to "hand craft" their teas,  and I must admit that they are a cut above the average supermarket fare.

Have a look at the company web site.  It is quite nice, with teas sorted by type, caffeine level, etc: 

The Might Leaf Tea Company. 

The Sorapot is a bizarre teapot design.  Supposedly, the handle dissipates heat, to keep tea from oversteeping.  Pesonally, I think I prefer to remember to remove the tea myself and have the pot stay warm longer.  The aesthetic, while interesting, personally leaves me indifferent.  However, if you like an ultra-modern look, this may be the teapot for you:
http://snarfd.com/2007/11/17/sexiest-teapot-ever/

Numi Organic Earl Grey is among the organic selections that the local stores have begun to stock recently. 

This tea has a nice full flavour, with a clean bergamot taste.  It acheives this clean clear bergamot flavour without any bitterness, which is the particular weakness of bad Earl Grey teas. 

This tea also brews to a nice amber colour, and is pleasant to drink. 

The taste of the black tea itself is of nice quality and stands up to the bergamot well. 

Definitely a worthwhile purchase. 

** update**For an update to the review below, including the demise of my Zarafina Tea Maker and the poor customer service for this appliance, please read this more recent posting. **end update**

Let me first make the disclaimer that I am not connected in any way with any company making or selling this product. I am merely a pleased customer.

First Impressions
The Zarafina Tea maker is a truly fine device, and I wish all tea lovers could have one. It is an electric tea making appliance that gives the quick convenience that coffee makers have given to coffee lovers for years. The ability to set up a pot and walk off and do other things while the tea is made. This tea maker, unlike many out there, is not a drip-through coffee maker with a tea label stuck on. It is a tea maker and actually steeps the tea at the correct temperature for the proper duration for that type of tea! I love mine. The review continues on the next page...

Opening the box
The tea maker comes beautifully packaged. The contents include the maker, a ceramic tray, the ceramic teapot, tea scoop, and two oversized Asian-style teacups.

Function
The inner chamber of the tea maker is removeable, and you can fill this to the desired level.(one cup or two) After replacing it, you fill the large basket with your tea, pop on the screen covering, and float it in the top of the chamber. This is followed by the lid.

Next, you set the teapot under the dispensing spout, and set the switches. There are several switches on the right-hand side of this appliance. One is set to the type of tea: oolong, black, green, white, or herbal. Another switch can be set to the desired brewing strength: strong, medium, or mild. A third has settings for bag or loose tea. After setting these switches to the desired places, You press the power switch on the left side upward briefly. This begins the brewing cycle.

Daily use/conclusions
This tea maker is small, only holding two cups. It has not replaced my old-fashioned tea kettle and teapots, which I use on weekends or when I have company. I use it on weekday mornings, as I'm getting ready for work. A cup or two of tea, poperly made while I get my breakfast.

This is quite an odd idea for using old teabag labels. I think it might be cuter if it were executed in a slightly different manner. However, I share it for it's uniqueness:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=93189.0

The tea in this photograph is Hot Cinnamon Sunset by Harney and Sons. This tea comes in a nicely decorated tin... Inside, you find Harney and Sons' "silken sachets," which are tea bags constructed of a shimmery material rather than paper. As teabags go, these are actually very nice. Their pyramid shape seems to give the leaves more room to expand as they brew. Recently, I've seen some much cheaper supermarket teas using the "pyramid bag" idea, but I have been displeased by the taste. Harney and Sons seem to have high quality ingredients in their "sachets." You can see identifiable pieces of spices and tea. No fannings here.

Inside, you find Harney and Sons' "silken sachets," which are tea bags constructed of a shimmery material rather than paper. As teabags go, these are actually very nice. Their pyramid shape seems to give the leaves more room to expand as they brew. Recently, I've seen some much cheaper supermarket teas using the "pyramid bag" idea, but I have been displeased by the taste. Harney and Sons seem to have high quality ingredients in their "sachets." You can see identifiable pieces of spices and tea. No fannings here.

This is a nice rich tea, suitable for serving with desserts, such as vanilla cake. The cinamon flavor goes well with anything creamy, and as you can see in the photo, I quite enjoyed it with a splash of cream. It costs a bit more than your average supermarket tea, but is quite nice if you want to treat yourself. The most consistent supplier in my community is Barnes and Noble booksellers.

This is the taste of my childhood. More importantly, it is the aroma. Bigelow is a brand easily available in most American grocery stores. It is very affordable and quite drinkable. This Earl Grey is very aromatic, and it smells so good that it can be a great way to introduce Americans to tea drinking. I've only met two people in my entire life who did not think this tea had a wonderful scent. There is no intricate delicate balance here, as in more refined teas, but Bigelow Earl Grey is simply yummy! The bergamot aroma is so strong as to be heady. This tea is a terrific value for the tea-lover on a budget, and is quite nice served with cream and sugar.

This blog will be an assortment of links to ,and reviews of, tea things
on an irregular schedule. The teas reviewed here will consist of what I
just happen across, so the variety will be a bit unpredictable. Most fo
the time, these reviews will be accompanied by photography. Click an
image to enlarge it.