Tea Duckie

Rubber ducks aren’t just for bathtime any more – not unless you’re planning to take a big mug of hot tea into the tub with you because the Tea Duckie is a rubber duck and a tea infuser all in one. This miniature rubber duck serves as the lid of a metal mesh basket that holds the tea of your choice and also keeps the basket floating as it infuses your tea. You can leave the basket out if you want to keep the duck as an accessory for your mug after your tea has steeped, if you want to keep up the cute factor of this little tea gadget.

Coffee Beans Soap

There is nothing like waking up in the morning to the heady aroma of a fresh pot of coffee. Folgers even made it their slogan – and they’re not overstating the truth there. But that first cup of coffee comes at a price. You need to grind your beans and start your machine. If you brew a full pot, it is very likely that you might save some time by taking a shower and getting dressed while your java brews, then pour yourself a cup afterwards. If you happen to have some Coffee Bean Soap, however, you can wake up with a refreshing shower and the aroma of coffee at the same time. This soap is shaped like giant coffee beans (each about 2-inches long) and is also coffee scented. Like most soaps, the smell should wear off fairly quickly and won’t leave you heading to work smelling like you just stepped out of a coffee roaster (not that there is anything wrong with that), but it will perk you up a bit while you clean up.

Keurig Special Edition Brewing System, review

I remember when single serve coffee makers first came out. The coffee was terrible and I just couldn’t see the value in the machines when it took so little time to brew a pot of real coffee. Time passed and the coffee in those one-cup machines got better. Not only did the coffee get better, but the technology behind it improved to the point where I was very impressed by how much a Keurig machine impressed me the first time I used one.

This special edition brewer is the first Keurig I’ve had in my kitchen, and it is earning its spot on the countertop beside some of my other coffee makers. It is very fast, reliable and is especially handy when I don’t want a whole pot of coffee. The Special Edition is special for a couple of reasons, many of which I outlined in a previous review on Baking Bites. The machine has a large water reservoir and brews coffee (or tea, actually) in three sizes: 6oz, 8oz, and 10oz. I tend to stick to 8oz for most coffees. All of the Keurigs have similar coffee brewing abilities and can brew cup after cup rapidly as long as the basins are filled and will perform consistently over time. With the special edition, you are able to program water temperature and choose an Auto On/Off. The machine also has chrome accents and blue back-lit screen that Keurig says – and I would admit that I agree when I compare it with more basic models – gives the machine an “upscale” appearance. This model isn’t that much more expensive than other models, so it’s all a matter of personal preference when picking one out and I have had no complaints about the basic models (although I do like the chrome on this one) I’ve used in terms of basic functionality.

Steepware Tuffy Tea Steepers

The worst problem you can have with a tea steeper – apart from winding up with one that has overly large holes which allow tea to escape into your cup – is having a metal steeper that is prone to rusting after use. You won’t have this problem with these Steepware Tuffy Tea Steepers. These steepers are made of silicone, so they are durable, flexible and rustproof. They have a plastic frame that gives them their shape and allows them to sit on the rim of a mug, but the silicone cones of the steepers have a unique collapsible design so that they can fold up flat when not in use. This makes for easy and convenient storage – not that tea steepers typically take up a huge amount of cupboard space, but a flat kitchen gadget always fits in better than a bulbous one!

Cheonji Dew Tea, reviewed

It’s been too long since I reviewed a tea, but since I’ve been traveling to Seoul, South Korea this week, I’ve had a chance to try a few new ones. This one is Cheonji Dew Tea, which I bought from a shop in Insadong, although I did see it at several other stores. The name of the tea itself, according to the woman at the shop, was Iseul Cha, or Dew Green Tea. The tea is a green tea that comes from one particular mountain area. The tea doesn’t look like leaves. It actually resembles small, soft branches or sheets of bark, each piece of which can be used for several pots.

The “ah-ha!” moment here comes when you first taste the tea. It is very, very sweet – almost like someone has stirred a lot of honey into your tea without changing the consistency of it at all. And all that sweetness is completely natural! It is absolutely delicious and the tea is also caffeine free.

The woman at the shop told me that it’s very popular with children, especially children who don’t normally care much for plain tea.