by Hohenheim Allen Ross Mayo
Getting A Great Cuppa Tea with an Infuser with Tea Mug
There are many ways to prepare your tea in the morning. Most people use tea that is already conveniently packaged in its own paper filter. It’s a whole different case for others, having to use a variety of filter accessories to keep the leaves out of your tea.
There are lots to choose from – the mesh ball, the tea clamp, and if all else fails (or you don’t have the first two) there is always the makeshift tea bag poorly made out of a folded piece of thin paper and a toothpick. As creative as all of these solutions may be, my favorite choice is the filtered tea cup, perfect for preparing my favorite tea with little hassle.
The Filter tea cup usually is made out of porcelain, but is also made in many types of materials like steel or glass. This cup usually comes in three pieces, the filter or infuser as some call it, the top or cover, and the cup itself.
Its function is simple, fill the filter with your favorite tea, place the filter inside the cup, pour hot water inside and place the top over it so your tea stays warm. Simple right? That is exactly why many tea drinkers love to have this item in their arsenal.
The filter circumference is as big as the cup so it hangs off the sides of the opening, suspending your tea in the middle allowing for better soaking. The top cover also helps keep heat inside the cup, which allows your tea some more soak time if need be.
This item is perfect for the early bird on the go. If you are anything like me, you’ve got a lot to do and not enough hours in the day to do them. Who has the time to sit down and enjoy an entire cast iron pot of tea in the morning?
Now the dream of enjoying at least one cup of your favorite tea in the morning hours is possible. The filter tea cup makes it possible for a great cup of tea quickly for anyone who is in a hurry, just be careful not to spill.
All of these features are all well, good and no doubt useful, but my favorite part about these cups is the design. Not all of them are creatively decorated, but you are sure to find a few beautiful designs while shopping for this cup.
Most are decorated with an Asian theme, displaying fearsome dragons and elements of nature. My cup, for example, displays colorful flowers and birds, including a male peacock. (What can I say, I am a nature lover).
There are other designs as well so be sure to take some time and look around for something that is uniquely ‘you’. Plain and unadorned cups are also available if you want a more modest look as well. If you want to maximize your shopping potential, your best bet would be to go on the internet and browse.
Before you buy, there are a few things you should be aware of about this type of tea cup. The majority of them are made out or porcelain, steel, and glass. All of these materials conduct heat very easily so make sure you don’t burn yourself. Not to mention that two of the mentioned materials, porcelain and glass, are breakable. Both of these factors are a recipe for morning misfortune if you are not careful. Nothing says ‘GOOD morning’ quite like boiling hot water and brittle, sharp shards all over your kitchen floor. I hope your wearing shoes.
Also, even though preparing tea in this cup is easy, cleaning up afterward may require a little more effort. The tea leaves in the filter don’t like to leave easily, even when most of the leaves are gone. My tip, remove as much of the used tea leaves as possible, then turn the filter upside down and run it under the faucet in the sink. This will quickly remove the remaining leaves, even those that get stuck in the filter holes.
Keep these facts in mind and you will have no problem enjoying your tea routine with one of these simply useful and beautifully decorated filter tea cups.
Filed under Tea Cups by on Aug 10th, 2011. 
A Cup of Wilderness – A Survivalist’s Guide to Tea
By Hohenheim Allen Ross Mayo
This is what I hope to be the first installment in a line of informational pieces about the world of tea that can be found in the wild – wild teas. Many people around the world have fallen under the spell of tea, whether for their health benefits or for the smooth and relaxing taste. Many people like their tea so much, they take it with them on camping trips and day hikes.
But what kind of tea can you make out of the natural flora and fauna, and what health benefits would these ‘wild tea brews’ offer to those who might be camping in the mountains or in a true-to-life survival situation? As helpful as this article may be, it does not take the place of real survival training. Be sure to take to appropriate measures to stay safe out in the wild.
Our first nature solution is actually very common among regular campers and survivalists alike and is very abundant. Pine needles can be used in place of tea leaves to help make a pine tasting brew. Prepare the pine needles like you would tea, place the needles in a cup or bowel full of water and boil for 5 minutes.
I personally find the tea refreshing and unique, but the tea does have a tendency to be a little bitter. Most people, however, drink this tea for its health benefits. Pine needle tea is actually full of vitamin C, giving you immune system the boost it needs to stay healthy during your time in the wild. This mix is used for its health benefits, and it is not suggested that you drink too much in high concentrations.
(Editor’s Note: Pine needle tea can be used to fight off scurvy if you are in a real long term survival scenario due to its vitamin C content.)
Another useful tea that can be found in the wild has actually been used in the culinary arts all over the world for hundreds of years. Wild onions, like pine needles, help the internal body, as in keeping the body healthy. In fact, wild onions may do that job better compared to other wild flora.
The juice gathered from the bulb of the plant would be boiled to make the solution, and to be honest, its texture would be more like syrup compared to tea. But this concoction will do wonders for sore throats. Not to mention that wild onions helps fight against viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. If you find the tea hard to swallow, it will do great for cuts, insect bites, and burns.
Lots of things in nature can be made into unique tasting teas that are healthy for both the body and mind. I say ‘things’ because the creation of wild teas are not limited to shrubs and herbs.
Teas with health properties can also be made of tree bark, mosses, and other things that can be sound in nature that I don’t care to mention at the moment. (You would be surprised to learn what weird things would be good for you if you drink it.)
Through these articles I am hoping to share my loves of the wild, natural chemistry, and tea in a way that tea lovers will find informative and useful in their lives. As most of us know already, tea can do great things in this world.
(Editor’s Note – If a “tea” is not made with tea leaves, it is more properly called a tisane or just an herbal infusion. These days we call just about any kind of infusion a “tea” and so this set of articles will appear in a category called “Wild Teas”.)
Filed under Wild Teas by on Aug 18th, 2011.