I have had the Stainless Steel Tea Infuser Strainer from #bizzonegroup in my possession for a while and just today was able to use it. Earlier this week I received the Premium loose leaf teas gift box from #Vadham and just had to try one. The tea sampler comes packaged in a holiday themed box which means one less package to wrap if you are giving it as a gift.
The tea selection is not what I was expecting. According to the amazon listing I was supposed to get black, green and chai teas. I did get a nice assortment but they were all black teas. I will be contacting the seller to see if I received the wrong box or something else went wrong. Regardless, the teas are nicely packaged in a high-quality food grade pouch that is very easy to reseal. The seal is tight and the scent of the tea, when opened, is very appealing. I chose the Orange Earl Grey to try first.
The strainer is a very well-designed piece of kitchen equipment. They took into consideration the range of mug openings and the red silicone covered piece fits in all my mugs but also covers them completely. This allows for the tea to steep without losing too much of the heat of the water. The lid has enough weight to create a nice seal and the blue silicone adds to the viability of the seal because it is soft enough to mold with the red silicone below.
It was so easy to fill the strainer with a small amount of the tea and then pour almost boiling water over the top. Then I placed the blue lid on top of the strainer and let it steep for 20 minutes. 3-5 minutes is the generally recommended time to steep, but I got distracted (yes, really) and got to it after 20 minutes.
I thought it was easy to use, but I was amazed at how easy it is to just take the strainer out and you're ready to drink the tea. Just watch the quick video! The micropores in the strainer do not let any of the loose tea leaves (or bark, fruit peels, whatever you're brewing) get into the water. The tea, even at a 20 minute brew, was clear and smooth. I was extremely impressed!
One caution or potential issue for the teas. They do not come with instructions. The instructions are on the amazon listing, but that is not the greatest place to have them when giving the teas as a gift. As you can see in the photos there is a large white card with the Vadham name and logo on it. It would be simple to print the instructions on the back of that card before packaging.
On the right you can see the tea as it started to steep. I took the picture within the first minute after pouring the water. On the left is the tea once I removed the strainer after 20 minutes of steeping. Look at how beautiful the color is! The tea is clear and really went down smooth. I did not need to add any sweetener because the flavor was so pure.
I do think these two items work well together. If you plan to get one for the tea noob or the connoisseur, I would suggest getting the other as well. They make a nice gift set and will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.
I did receive both items at a discount or free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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