Tag: Teaware

Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon by DavidsTea
Ceramic
$10.00

First Impressions

Full disclosure, I purchased this spoon late 2019 and got it for 30% off (at the time of posting, the Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon was still available for purchase at an even greater discount!) – and I got it online so I didn’t even have to leave my living room, which was pretty awesome.

The Ceramic Perfect Spoon comes in a lovely navy box with a gold foil polka dot design across the front. The spoon itself comes in a thin foam pouch for extra padding since it is ceramic and it is fragile. The packaging does indicate on the back that the soon is fragile and may break if dropped, to hand wash, and that the spoon is not dishwasher or microwave friendly – just something to keep in mind if you’re one of those people who loathes hand washing dishes.

Preparation

I opted to wash my Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon by hand prior to the first use. I find it’s a good habit to get into because you never know if things get washed after the manufacturing process or not, or how many people have touched it and if their hands were even clean.

And now that I’m coming off as a complete germaphobe (I work in a hospital, you guys, I clean my hands constantly)…

First Use

First and foremost, the Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon functions well… as a spoon. For comparison, I put it up against the stainless steel Perfect Spoon (which I’ve also reviewed before…). The handle of the spoon is basically the same length when I eyeball it. The bowl¹ of the spoon is a bit larger. The silver Perfect Spoon can nestle into the Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon nearly completely, so it does hold a little bit more tea leaves, which is perfectly fine from a usage point of view.

Interestingly, there is no glaze on the inside of the hole located near the tip of the handle. So if you’re thinking of threading anything through, the inside is a bit rough so it may wear on any ribbons or strings.

¹ I definitely looked up “parts of a spoon” prior to writing this review so I would actually be able to use spoon terminology.

My Overall Impression

I thought that the DavidsTea’s Opalescent Ceramic Perfect Spoon was just okay. It functions fine as a spoon, which is what one would be purchasing it for, and the beautiful shimmery opalescent glaze is really pretty… But it is quite fragile. I found reviews of the spoon online where it shattered after a single drop, which makes me quite hesitant to use it in my regular everyday tea drinking life. It may be a spoon that I pull out for special occasions just due to the fragility of it. Much like the coloured Perfect Spoons that have the coloured coating flake off, I don’t want to be picking stuff out of my tea, which is the reason why I always reach for the silver Perfect Spoon instead.

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

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.