99 kettles of tea on the wall ...

Cortney Wagner, who operates the tea blog 99kettles, was kind enough to review our Top Leaf Green Tea.


And speaking of kettles, ChefsChoice makes some nice ones — electric and cordless, and many with other nifty features.


For instance, the 688 SmartKettle not only heats water to within 2 degrees of the temperature you set it to, but also holds the water at that temperature and is twice as energy efficient as heating water in a conventional stovetop kettle.



Click for an extreme close-up of the mellow infusion.


—Mellow Monk

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Two nice, simple infusers from LifeNow

I have seen this ForLife infuser (which comes with a mug) at my local Pete's Coffee and Teas. It feels very sturdy and well-built, which is important when dislodging sticky wet leaves that have yielded all of their goodness and need replacing.


I also like this infuser: The extended handle means it should fit across all but the largest of mugs, and it comes with a nice little ceramic drip-catching dish.


Which is important when keeping green tea's wholesome goodness off of your desk.





—Mellow Monk

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Aladdin's magic infuser mug

What I really like about the Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug is that it's equipped with a means of removing your tea leaves from the water (to stop infusion and prevent oversteeping): You simply turn the lever near the lid (see the picture below) to lift the built-in tea infuser up and out of the brewed tea inside.


When you finish your first batch of brewed tea, you add more hot water, turn the lever back to the "Brew" position and pretty soon you've got another mug of tasty tea.


Easy, convenient, and neat—now that's mellow.





—Mellow Monk

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The perfect steeper—really and truly

When I first heard about an on-the-go infuser mug called the Perfect Steeper, I thought, Well their marketing department isn't shy. But upon examining how this steeper works, I realize the name may be far more objective than I had suspected.


Here's how it works: After filling the mug—see the photo below—with hot water, you place your loose-leaf tea into the tea receptacle, which contains a permanent filter and sits atop and screws into the mug. You then screw on the receptacle's top and turn the whole thing upside-down, allowing the hot water to flow from the mug down into the tea receptacle. The leaves swirl around in the hot water, yielding their wonderful essence. A brew is born.


This video shows the Perfect Steeper in action:





As you can see, when steeping is done you simply turn the steeper back over. The brewed tea flows out of the tea receptacle, stopping the infusion process. The tea leaves are now high and dry, ready for another steeping later on.


This is an oh-so-elegant solution to an ancient issue in the world of tea-brewing contraptions—how to remove the leaves from the hot water/tea to prevent oversteeping. (This teapot also uses gravity to do the trick.)


Another feature I like is that to drink your freshly brewed tea, you remove the permanent filter and set it down upside down—no dripping, and no need for a separate drip-catcher. Another big plus: the mug consists of a glass liner—because who wants to drink out of plastic?—with a polycarbonate shell to protect against dropping and other unforeseen incidents.


It really does sound like the perfect steeper. I can't wait to give one a test drive.



This really could be the perfect steeper.


—Mellow Monk

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Volcanic earthenware

Futoshi Yamashita is unique in the world of Japanese pottery. Located in the Aso area—where our tea is grown—he uses actual volcanic ash from Mt. Aso in his pieces.


He named his studio Aso Bougama, with the Bou from Bouchuu—the district in Aso where he's situated—and "gama" being the voiced-consonant version of kama, meaning "kiln."


Update: I forgot to mention another clever aspect of the potter's name: Together, Aso and Bou form asobou, which means "let's play."



The same volcano-enriched soil that makes for such exquisite tea also makes for exquisite works of art. But then, tea is a work of art, so it makes sense, no?


—Mellow Monk

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Steeped in tradition

Until November 29 at UCLA's Fowler Museum, you can see tea items "practical and ostentatious" at the Steeped in Tradition exhibit.



I'd like to see this exhibit just to learn what the object in the foreground is.


—Mellow Monk

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A Chicago potter's beautiful pottery

Chris Chaney is a professional potter who creates the most wonderful ceramics in Chicago.


This particular piece shown below is a yunomi with white glaze inside and an outside glaze that's a hybrid of amber celadon and tea dust.


Beautiful and unique indeed.



A beautiful vessel like this enhances the tea-drinking experience.


—Mellow Monk

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Whistling teacup

Have you ever wished you could sip green tea and play the ocarina at the same time?


If so, your prayers have been answered ... by the Teacarina.





—Mellow Monk

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The return of Russel Wright's American tea tumbler

Bauer Pottery has revived the classic drinkware designs of Russel Wright.


My favorite is the American Modern Tumbler, which I have taken to calling the "American Tea Tumbler," because it's shape is so right for tea.


I have ordered one myself, and it's one of my favorite teacups. The white one, in particular, would look very nice with the Mellow Monk logo on it.



The classic returns.


—Mellow Monk

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A lovely mug for green tea

I am always in search of nice cups and mugs for green tea, and this latte mug from Crate&Barrel fits the bill in many ways—it's nicely shaped, fits naturally in the hand, and holds a nice amount of tea (20 ounces).


And with an in-mug tea infuser like this one, the mug also doubles as a teapot.


One caveat about the mug, however—its narrow base makes it a bit too easy to knock over, say, while reaching for your tea without taking your eyes off your computer monitor (as yours truly has done).


Still, isn't it a beautiful mug—especially with the Mellow Monk logo on it?



Isn't she lovely? Unfortunately, she exists only in Photoshop.


—Mellow Monk

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Electric kettle roundup

In the beginning there was the humble iron kettle, and for about a thousand years, that’s about the only option there was for us green tea drinkers: you filled your kettle with water and either let the it reach full boil and then cool, or you tried to cultivate the art of removing the kettle from heat at just the right temperature.


The advent of the electric kettle unshackled us from stoves and other sources of heat, but that still didn’t solve the temperature issue: Your typical electric kettle will keep heating water until it reaches a roiling boil, which is far too hot for green tea.


Now, however, it’s a brave new world, complete with high-tech kettles with temperature-management features.


The Lexus of such kettles is the Breville BKE820XL Variable Temperature Kettle, which even has a green tea button. Unfortunately, in addition to Lexus-grade features, it also has a Lexus price tag to match.


At the other end of the price spectrum, the Sunpentown SK-1717 lacks a preset button, but it does have a temperature display, which allows you to experiment with different water temperatures to find the one that suits your tea and your individual tastes.


The temperature dial of Adagio's UtiliTEA Variable-Temperature Kettle is color coded, e.g., the "green" range on the dial tells you the usual temperature range for green tea. That's quite cool—or, I should say, not too hot for green tea.


Finally, the T-Fal BF6520004 Vitesse may have a plastic exterior but does have a steel interior, to avoid adulterating the water. Another selling point is power: "With 1750 watts of electric power, this high-speed kettle brings 1 cup of cold water to a rolling boil in one minute" [from the Amazon website].


So many choices . . . but if these many choices help entice more people into trying green tea, then I am happy for them. Although it would seem logical to learn the art of boiling water before the art of steeping tea, I can understand if some of you are impatient. After you learn the art of steeping, you will soon become mellow enough to then turn your attention to the art of boiling water.


For the culture of green tea is all about mindfullness and patience, Grasshopper.



The Lexus of electric kettles.


—Mellow Monk

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Shark infuser

Here's a nifty idea—rather than sinking to the bottom of your cup, the Shark Fin Infuser floats on the top as your tea steeps, for easy retrieval after brewing.



The only tea infuser with its own theme music.


—Mellow Monk

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Reese at tea

Watch actress Reese Witherspoon, clad in lovely kimono, learning how to whisk up a bowl of frothy matcha green tea the traditional, tea-ceremony way.


Ms Witherspoon is visiting Japan to raise awareness of breast cancer and domestic violence as an Avon "global ambassador" in a project also supported by the United Nations Development Fund for Women. (Read the full story here.)





—Mellow Monk

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Chic teapots on display

Gump's in San Francisco is having an exhibit titled "Treasured Vessels: The Art of the Teapot" through March 28.


The teapots may be unconventional to say the least (see photo below), but on the other hand, sometimes a new teapot or a new way of brewing is a good way to shake up your green tea time.



Where does the hot water go in . . . and where does the tea come out?


—Mellow Monk

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Teacups with slowly appearing design patterns

U.K.-based designer Bethan Laura Wood has come up with teacups with an invisible pattern inside that gradually appears with repeated use.


So if the pattern takes too long to appear, it means you're not drinking enough tea!


I assume that green tea would produce a different-colored pattern than English black tea would.



The cups look like this new...



... but with repeated use, a pattern gradually appears.


—Mellow Monk

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Over-the-cup tea strainer

Shown in the photo above is a tea strainer I bought at an Asian grocery store. It's actually a strainer for the inside of teapots, but this particular size is perfect for your average-sized mug.

Over-the-cup strainers are, I believe, the most convenient way to brew loose-leaf tea, and this type is an inexpensive alternative to permanent tea infusers. Not that permanent tea infusers are that expensive (especially considering that they're permanent and last for years). But an inexpensive item like this is great as a backup or for camping trips or travel—when space is at a premium or you just don't want to bring your "good" infuser with you.

—Mellow Monk

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A cool tea infuser

... by which I mean a tea infuser that is attractive and practical, not an infuser for cold tea.

Crate&Barrel has a new type of tea infuser with a long handle and a silicone tip to insulate the user's hand from heat. The saucer-like base catches leaking tea between uses.

For more tips on brewing green tea, click here.



The long handle enables use with big, deep mugs of tea. And unlike the chain of some tea balls, you don't have to worry about the stiff handle sliding into your cup.


—Mellow Monk

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A permanent tea infuser for green tea

Amazon.com has a good selection of permanent tea filters/infusers. Click here to check out the one shown below.


Permanent infusers are about the easiest way there is to brew loose-leaf tea. (You provide the cup or mug, and no teapot is required.) You place the infuser (sometimes called a filter) into your favorite cup or mug, drop a three-fingered pinch of Mellow Monk tea inside, pour in hot (but not just-boiled) water, wait three minutes and—voila—tea time!


It's a good idea to have a saucer ready so that you can place the infuser/filter on it when you're done brewing (otherwise, it will drip on your desk or counter or wherever you are brewing tea).





—Mellow Monk

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Glass tea serving pot

Helen in San Antonio found this at Amazon.com: a glass tea serving pot.

As you can see in the picture below, the filter is built into the top. The loose tea leaves go right into the glass pot part, and when it's time to pour, the filter keeps the leaves inside.

—Mellow Monk

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Permanent tea filters: an easy way to brew loose tea

My own favorite way to brew loose green tea is cup-by-cup with a permanent tea filter, also known as the over-the-cup tea filter. These little babies take all of the hassle out of bulk tea.

As you can see in the pictures below, it fits right on top of your mug, with the long filter portion that holds the tea in the hot water.

Cleanup is incredibly easy (unlike when using a more elaborate device). You just turn the filter upside-down over a waste receptacle and give it a few taps to dislodge the wet tea leaves.

—Mellow Monk

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Ultramodern tea bags

As green tea grows in popularity, do-it-yourself teabags are going high-tech.

Tea pouches (also called tea filters) like these are a good solution for enjoying loose-leaf green tea on the road, but at one dollar a pop, using them regularly at home or at the office would get expensive if you're a five-cups-a-day person like me.

As for pre-bagged tea, the problem remains that manufacturers spend more on the bag and the bagging process than they do on the tea inside. In other words, just as great coffee is whole-bean, great tea is loose-leaf.

Incidentally, Mellow Monk's Green Teas offers imported Japanese tea filters as part of our Green Tea Starter Kit (scroll to the bottom of the destination page).





—Mellow Monk

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Simple, convenient filter for loose-leaf green tea

Kitchenware maker BonJour previously marketed its BonJour Smart Coffee Maker as a solution for loose-leaf tea but later renamed it, probably because demand was greater among coffee drinkers.

However, the only change was to the name, and this filter is still an excellent choice for brewing loose-leaf green tea. I've seen it in action at a friend's house, and it's simple, clean, and convenient: You put the tea leaves into the filter and pour in hot water. Once the tea's steeped for 3 to 5 minutes, you simply place the filter onto your mug or cup. The spring-loaded bottom of the filter is pushed up, allowing the tea to drain into the cup by gravity. Once your cup is full, you simply pick the filter up off the cup, stopping the flow instantly, without any dripping. (The only catch is that your tea cup or mug can't be too wide for the base of the filter.)

I highly recommend this to anyone for brewing green tea at home or at the office.





—Mellow Monk

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Review of a glass teacup with built-in filter

In a previous posting, I described a new glass teacup I bought that has its own glass filter, like an all-in-one teacup and teapot. It seemed like it could be the ideal solution for drinking green tea at the office, or anywhere else where a traditional kettle-teapot-and-teacup arrangement would be too cumbersome.

Well, I've been using it for a while now, and I'm not as impressed as I thought I'd be. The disadvantages are...

• Hard to empty. With my over-the-cup strainer, when I'm done brewing all I have to do is bang it against something to dislodge the old, wet tea leaves. Something made of glass has to be handled a little more gently.
  
• (I guess that was my main gripe.)
  

On the other hand, the advantages include...

• Self contained. The lid can even be used to place the filter on after brewing is finished.
  
• Looks. This nice-looking, well-designed item will definitely attract attention in your office.
  
• Practicality. When removing the filter from the cup, the tea drains through more quickly than you'd think, so you don't have to stand there holding a slow-dripping filter, as I worried might be the case.
  

To summarize: If you don't mind rinsing out the filter in a sink after each cup of tea you brew, this is a practical, visually appealing teacup-with-filter that's great for the home or office.

—Mellow Monk

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A really cool tea glass with its own filter

Recently I bought a tea glass with its own glass filter. This somewhat pricey (but high-quality) item is a glass cup with a matching glass filter that fits inside the cup. When you remove the filter element after brewing, the tea drains through slits in the bottom of the filter, trapping the used tea leaves inside.

Until now, I've been using an "over the cup" strainer for making tea in the office, but I'm going to take the Bodum glass tea filter for a test drive for a while.

Stay tuned for my report on how it works out!

—Mellow Monk

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Instructions for brewing green tea with our tea filters

(These are instructions for anyone who received a packet of our imported Japanese tea filters. These packets are free with the Mellow Monk Green Tea Starter Kit, which you can order here.)

Instructions for Brewing Green Tea with the Tea Filters

1. Pull open the top of the filter pouch.


2. Place your Mellow Monk green tea inside.


3. Holding the filter with both hands, insert the tips of your thumbs into the outside flap just above the narrow horizontal strip.


4. Push in the top corners and turn the flap portion inside-out, so that the flap covers the top opening and now lies on the other side of the filter.


5. Tear either end of the narrow horizontal strip on the outside of the filter. (This strip is for pulling the filter out of the teacup or teapot once the tea is finished brewing. If you are brewing tea in a teapot, you can skip this step and drop the entire tea filter, strip and all, into the pot.)


6. Place the tea filter into hot water, leaving the end of the narrow strip hanging over the side of your cup.


7. When the tea is finished brewing, remove the filter by holding it by the narrow strip.


8. Enjoy your tea!

—Mellow Monk

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