Author: Michelle

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DavidsTea’s Thermal Tea Carafe

Thermal Tea Carafe by DavidsTea
1.9L (64oz) capacity
BPA-Free Plastic & Stainless Steel
$45.00

I purchased the Thermal Tea Carafe during one of the site-wide sales and got it for 30% off.

First Impressions

I bought the Thermal Tea Carafe partly because I wanted a hot water jug for my countertop so I could just heat up a lot of water at once in my kettle (review here of the IQ Kettle by Breville) and have it keeping warm without having to keep my kettle on, and also because I thought the holographic colour was gorgeous and necessary in my life (which it is).

The Thermal Tea Carafe comes in one size – 1.9L capacity (64oz for my American friends). The tag states that it holds 8 servings at 240ml or 8oz per serving. The Thermal Tea Carafe has a double-walled, stainless steel body, with some BPA-free plastic (most noticeable in the handle, spout, and around the metal parts in the included infuser inside).

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends washing the Thermal Tea Carafe before the first, and each, use. This item is not microwave or dishwasher safe – I imagine that gorgeous holographic coating might not stand up well with dishwasher aggressiveness, and the double-walled stainless steel part might not fare so well either. If you do forget, it is mentioned on the bottom of the carafe on the rubber bottom that keeps it from slipping on smooth surfaces.

The lid comes out quite easily, and it comes apart in quite a few pieces. I wasn’t able to fully take apart the entire thing, so I imagine it may be difficult to clean properly if you’re steeping a tea that has any oily components (e.g. Earl Grey with bergamot oil, any blend with chocolates or sprinkles). I was personally planning on keeping this for plain hot water since I often use a small tea pot for my tea steeping (it gives me greater control over steeping time as I can see it), so it’ll be alright for me.

First Use

The first clean of the Thermal Tea Carafe went smoothly, and so did putting it all together again. I ended up filling the carafe with hot water (100°C/212°F) water from my kettle and using it throughout an afternoon of just refilling my teapot, which worked quite well! The water was hot and steaming each time I poured water from it.

While the Thermal Tea Carafe isn’t marketed as being leak proof, I did turn it upside down over my sink and found that no water came out – which is a good sign, as if water can’t escape, the heat will take longer to dissipate as well!

My Overall Impression

I love DavidsTea’s Thermal Tea Carafe. I really love the colour, the functionality, and the large capacity – although I think that 1.9L is really more like “enough water for one serious tea drinker” than anything else. I am glad that I was able to get it on sale though, I don’t think I would have necessarily paid $45.00 for it otherwise, but with the sale pricing and the colour, how could I say no? Luckily it works as it should, and it definitely makes for more comfortable nights when the power is out and I filled it up in advance of a storm.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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The First Sip of Tea’s Crème de la Earl

Crème de la Earl by The First Sip of Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$9.99USD for 1.3oz (37g, 16 tea sachets)

The First Sip of Tea has provided me with Crème de la Earl for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Crème de la Earl came to me from The First Sip of Tea in a gorgeous matte cardstock box – it feels lovely and some of the prettiest artwork I’ve seen on tea packaging in a long, long time. The box itself is recyclable, according to the print on the bottom, and contains a silver foil pouch inside. The pouch itself is sealed, not resealable – so keep that in mind if you’re not the type to binge drink a tea repeatedly over a short period of time. I don’t know many people who don’t have resealable zip bags on hand or  mason jars (just keep in a dark location!), so it’s not too much of a bother.

The Crème de la Earl tea comes in individual pyramid tea sachets with a string. The packaging states that the sachets are made with biodegradable material. Fun fact, the packaging also states that The First Sip of Tea is a women owned company as well. The Crème de la Earl has a lovely Earl Grey aroma to it – I can smell the bright citrus notes of the bergamot and the vanilla. It’s quite pleasant and inviting. Crème de la Earl consists of organic: black tea, bergamot, vanilla, cornflower petals, and natural flavours.

Preparation

The First Sip of Tea recommends steeping Crème de la Earl in boiled water (100°C/212°F) water for 3 to 4 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Crème de la Earl steeps to a lovely dark orange colour. The aroma is primarily bergamot with those vibrant citrus notes, and the vanilla is in the background but still noticeable. I find that it’s quite inviting, especially with the strong bergamot notes. There’s a nice level of creaminess with the vanilla notes that balances really well against the strong malty and full-bodied flavour from the black tea base that really make it a comforting cup of tea. I did find that it wasn’t as sweet as I would have liked. For Earl Grey blends, I tend to add a bit of sweetener and evaporated milk (which I did do with Crème de la Earl and found that it worked very well!).

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Crème de la Earl and found that the bergamot and vanilla flavours just weren’t as strong as I would have liked. If you’re a fan of a nice strong bergamot in your Earl Grey-inspired blends, I would stick to the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved The First Sip of Tea’s Crème de la Earl. I love Earl Grey as much as the next girl, so having a blend that really brings forward a good amount of bergamot and vanilla flavour is important. I found it tasted lovely on its own, but even better with the addition of a sweetener and evaporated milk (so I think it’ll take quite nicely to being made into a London Fog). Having the tea portioned into tea sachets already makes it a great candidate for a tea to take when you’re out and about, which is always a nice feature for work and travel.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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Herbal Teas: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Herbal teas (tisanes – if we want to be technical) have been beloved and steeped for a long, long time. From the calming chamomile before bedtime to ginger root to soothe an upset stomach, there are many fantastic and wonderful plants that can be steeped and enjoyed. Steeping and drinking an herbal tisane isn’t without its worries – especially if you are pregnant, take any medications, or have any health issues.

While many herbs are safe – if you can properly identify the plant – there are some ones that should be avoided, under certain conditions. A lot of people will argue that herbs are natural and therefore safe – but the plague are natural too, but nobody is lining up to lick a Petri dish colonized with it. There’s a bit of good with the bad, after all!

There’s no way that I can go through each and every single herbal ingredient there is – there’s just too many! So here are some of the highlights of ingredients that you may find in some of your favourite herbal tisanes:

Ginger root is one of those herbal ingredients that I love. It has a great warming sensation when you consume it (in either tisane or food), with some great spicy notes. Ginger root traditionally helps a lot with digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties. It can also interact with anticoagulants, some antibiotics, and cardiac medications.

The most popular one to avoid is St. John’s wort. While it’s considered a medicinal herb that may have some anti-depressant properties, St. John’s wort is also highly interactive with many medications that include, but not limited to, cancer medications, contraceptives, antivirals, and anticoagulants. There’s a very long list of medications that it can interact with, so really it’s just best to avoid St. John’s wort completely if you take any sort of medication.

Another digestion aid, hawthorn, is popular in traditional Chinese medicine and indigenous medicine (although, they do use different species of hawthorn). Hawthorn is actually an ingredient in a popular Chinese snack (haw flakes), but hawthorn consumption has been known to interact with digoxin (a cardiac medication), and can also cause hypotension (low blood pressure) and cardiac arrhythmia (where your heart is either beating too fast, too slow, or irregularly). It’s an ingredient I’d definitely have a chat with your health care professionals about, especially if you have any heart or blood pressure issues.

Valerian root is used as a sleeping aide – it is frequently an ingredient in sleepy time teas. But valerian should be avoided if you have any liver issues, or with alcohol and some prescription medications (best check with your friendly neighbourhood pharmacist!).

For those who love licorice root, you know that it’s found in a variety of candies – and can be delicious, I personally don’t think that licorice root tastes like the candy at all. Licorice is one to avoid in pregnancy, and it can actually cause hypertension (high blood pressure) as well as hypokalemia (low potassium) and edema (water retention). Which, if you’ve ever been pregnant, you already know you’re going to have some water retention, so why would you want to exacerbate it?

When in doubt about an herbal ingredient in your tisanes, I would recommend following up with your physician or pharmacist – especially if you are pregnant, taking any medications (prescription or otherwise), taking supplements, or have any health concerns.