Tea Diva

Total Tea Products

 

January is National Hot Tea month. I was recently contact by Copco, a Wilton Products Company, that designs and manufactures a variety of tea kettles, kitchen products and food preparation tools. They wanted to know if I would be interested in receiving a sample of one of their Total Tea Products to test and review for the Tea Diva blog.

I have a large collection of loose leaf teas, so I'm always looking for innovative products to help me brew my tea into the perfect cup of tea.

Total Tea products

Tea Making Accessories

I received a sample of the Total Tea basket tea infuser and their stainless steel thermal. I really like the stainless steel thermal, it makes a terrific travel mug. It features a twist-to-stop steeping feature incorporated directly into the lid. Simply fill the infuser with loose leaf tea, pour hot water over the tea leaves, let steep, then twist the lid to stop the steeping process.

Total Tea stainless steel thermal travel mug

Top of travel mug removed, showing removable tea infuser

Fill the removable infuser with your favorite loose leaf tea

 

Turn infuser lid to steep, in/out or stop

Suggested Retail Prices

Here's a list of some of the products available in the Total Tea line, along with their suggested retail price.

• Snap open tea infuser - $9.99
• Basket tea infuser - $7.99
• Lily pad tea ball - $6.99
• Twisting stick infuser with lily pad - $8.99
• Soft grip tea thermal - $10.99
• Stainless steel thermal - $14.99

A variety of Total Tea gadgets also available including an infuser ball, tea bag squeeze with stand, a honey/sugar bottle and a stainless steel tea scoop.

Finding Total Tea Products

Total Tea products and accessories can be found at a variety of retail stores including Target, Sears, JC Penney, Kmart, Walmart, Linens & Things and Macy's.

Website: www.copco.com

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA Tea Diva

French Press Coffee

My husband and I are true coffee aficionados. We have a coffee grinder, to grind whole bean coffee, a coffee machine, an espresso machine and a French press pot.

French Press Coffee
When my husband is traveling out of town, on business, I still like to have a cup or two of coffee. I am a freelance writer, and work out of my house, so I usually have a couple of cups of coffee almost everyday. When I'm by myself, I often use our French press coffee pot, instead of the large coffee brewer.

French press coffee, has a smooth and creamy texture, which reminds me of hot chocolate. I tend to put a bit more creamer in French press coffee, then regular brewed coffee, just the way I've gotten used to drinking it I guess.

Christopher Bean Coffee
Although I could use the coffee grinder, to grind up whole bean coffee, I usually use pre-ground coffee with the French press. In addition to being a full-time freelance writer, I am also a sponsored, amateur athlete. Christopher Bean Coffee, based out of Daytona Beach, Florida is one of my sponsors for the 2009 race season. Every quarter, Christopher Bean sends me 6 packages of their delicious, pre-ground coffee.

Making French Press Coffee
To make French press coffee, I fill the electric tea kettle with water and turn it on. While the water is coming up to temperature, I prepare the rest of the items. My French press coffee pot makes 4 small cups of coffee, enough to fill 2 large coffee mugs. I place 4 tablespoons of coffee grinds in the bottom of the French press.

When the water comes to a boil, I turn off the tea kettle, wait for the water to stop boiling, then fill the French press with the hot water. I place the lid on the French press, and let the coffee brew for 4-6 minutes. Then you press down on the lid, which is fitted with a permanent metal filter, until the lid hits the bottom of the pot. Then I pour a tablespoon of flavored coffee creamer in a large coffee mug, and fill the mug with freshly brewed French press coffee.

Additional Brewing Tidbits
Coarsely ground coffee should be used in a French press pot. If you have a coffee grinder, you can use whole bean coffee, and grind it specifically for use in a French press coffee pot. I have a Bodum French press coffee pot, the carafe is made out of glass, while the lid, handle and bottom are made out of red plastic. The plunger/filter is permanently attached to the lid.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Tea Diva

Tea Brewing Methods

Basic Tea Brewing Methods
For each serving of tea you want to make, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a non-metallic pan. An enameled, non-stick or glass pan works well. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of dried or 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs to the pan. Let this mixture steep for between 3 and 4 minutes. This shorter infusion time yields a refreshing beverage, letting the mixture steep any longer may result in a bitter tasting beverage.

Place a lid on top of your container while it steeps to prevent it from cooling off too quickly. Strain the herbs from the water and pour the infusion into your favorite mug or tea cup. You could also use a French press, or tea pot with a built in infuser basket when making larger amounts of tea. Just be sure to adjust the amount of herbs you use according to how many cups of tea you are making. Those little tea balls you find in some kitchen gadget stores can also be used to make a single cup of tea.

Making Iced Tea
If you prefer iced tea, double the amount of herbs used. Don’t double the amount of time you steep the herbs, as the tea could end up developing a bitter taste. Use 2 teaspoons of dried or 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs for each cup of water you are using when making iced tea. The extra amount of herbs used allows for dilution by the melting of ice cubes that you have added to your iced tea.

Additions to Your Tea
I’ve never been a fan of adding milk or cream to my tea. A cup of coffee, definitely, but I prefer to serve my tea with a bit of honey and sometimes add a slice of lemon. You may add any of the following ingredients, in moderation, to help enhance the flavor of your herbal tea:

• honey
• white sugar
• sugar cubes
• peppermint candy pieces (kids love this idea)
• brown sugar
• demerara sugar
• lemon slices
• orange slices
• lime slices
• stevia*

*Read the Tea Diva's article: Zero Calorie Stevia Sweeteners on the Suite101 website.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Tea Diva