Teavana "perfect tea maker" to replace ingenuiTEA

[febs]

Hello all,

I'm tired of my ingenuiTEA. While the idea is brilliant, I can't stand the filter to be so loose. I wrote to the customer service and they quickly sent me a replacement filter, which after three days is almost as loose as the first one.
Uh, they said that I'm the only one reporting the issue

Anyhow.
I've seen that the Teavana similar product has a metal filter. Who cares if I can't microwave it. But, is it made to stay THERE?

Any experience about it? I wouldn't love to trash other money so if you could share your experience I would be grateful.

Thanks!

[kymidwife]

The Teavana Perfect TeaMaker was the first of this type of steeper I ever owned. I have 2 of the large size and 2 of the smaller one... filters do not come out, and they've held up well for a number of years now. I prop the lids open and wash them in the dishwasher periodically.

For all of their negatives, they do have some good teaware, including this one. I have no reservations on recommending it except for the slight aversion to financially supporting Teavana.

Sarah

[laura99]

I have no reservations on recommending it except for the slight aversion to financially supporting Teavana.

+1. I own both the Perfect tea maker and the ingenuiTEA, and like them both the same, except that the metal filter seems to clean up better than the plastic.

I also had trouble with the filter popping out on the ingenuiTEA. I was lucky that the replacment filter fit very snug and does not come out at all unless I try real hard! Victoria has also posted that roughing up the edges of the filter will solve the problem. You may want to try that out before giving up.

[febs]

Thank you!

Since I'm considering some alternative, I also stumbled across these, somebody tried them?
They all have the same name (!) but they are from different sellers and they definitely LOOK different from each other.

http://www.enjoyingtea.com/smartteamaker.html

http://www.specialteas.com/Tea-Preparat ... 18-oz.html

http://www.stashtea.com/products/Smart+Tea+Maker.aspx

Very curious!

[febs]

Btw, the latter is microwave safe so it must be 100% plastic like the ingenuiTEA (I wonder if it suffers the same issue of it) while the others must have a metal filter.

Being able to microwave it would be a plus but not having the filter floating up issue is a MUST.

Oh and btw, I did scratched my filter with a knife (thanks Victoria), but unfortunately with no effect.

[Seeker]

A couple of issues I've noticed with the teavana 'tea maker'.
1. It may be made of that type of plastic that contains Bysphenol A - known to cause damage/defects in DNA. BPA is released from plastic in the presence of chemicals (exactly those found in dishwasher soap) and high temperatures (like hot water). I would call and ask them if they have switched to the non-BPA plastic. BTW - hard, transparent plastics are usually the type that contain BPA.
2. The plastic used in the Teavana makers tends to readily absorb odors/flavors. I went in to a Teavana and ordered a cup of their gyokuro imperial which they infused in a 'perfect' tea maker. When I got to my car and took my first sip - the tea tasted nothing like gyokuro or even japanese green tea, rather it tasted like super floral, super fruity herbal tea (you know, the kind Teavana is famous for selling) - because of all the tea that had been infused in the maker.
I say buyer be aware.

[Seeker]

I wanted to share something else I thought of - regarding the microwaving of plastic.
Any plastic.
DON'T!
Microwaving plastic forces carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals/compounds out of the plastic and into your food/beverage.
This is well documented. (Tho there has been so much money spent integrating plastics into our daily use, there's a kind of momentum to keeping it there; probably due to the immense expense it would require to replace plastics even if only in our food/beverage products).
If there has ever been a case of any kind of cancer in your family line, you should probably never microwave anything you plan to eat/drink in plastic - I think if you do, you may be tempting fate in a not so favorable way. Even if there has never been a documented/verified case of cancer in your family line - I still think you should never microwave anything in plastic that you are planning to eat or drink - I mean, if there hasn't been any cancer - why start now?
Cancer vs. Convenience. Hmmm. I think if one were diagnosed with cancer - well the choice would be easier or perhaps more obvious, only one can't choose retrospectively in this case.
I apologize if my comments come across too strongly, but I am truly only interested in your wellness and the wellness of our tea community.
May you be ever well.
Cheers.

[Victoria]

I agree. Boil in a glass measuring cup in the micro if you must, then pour into the ingenuiTea. Thanks Seeker.

[Drax]

Well documented indeed.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp

[Seeker]

Well documented indeed.

Just in case anyone follows the link and neglects to read thru the article carefully, thereby assuming that microwaving plastic and possible related risks are complete BS...
Here is a quote from the very article linked:

Dr. Rolf Halden of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health advises:
In general, whenever you heat something you increase the likelihood of pulling chemicals out. Chemicals can be released from plastic packaging materials like the kinds used in some microwave meals. If you are cooking with plastics or using plastic utensils, the best thing to do is to follow the directions and only use plastics that are specifically meant for cooking. Inert containers are best, for example heat-resistant glass, ceramics and good old stainless steel.

Further, the article linked doesn't have anything at all to do with bysphenol-A, which does in fact damage DNA.

[Seeker]

I am not going to post any further on this and don't want to get into one of those blog debates.
My intent is not to mislead or inspire fear or any other kind of either phobic or counter-phobic reactivity, but rather to encourage awareness and wellness.
It's been awhile since I read about the potential risks associated with microwaving in various materials, but I think EWG.org (independent lab), also Dr. Weil, a Harvard trained physician with interests in the exploration of statistical validity in alternative medical treatments.
Cheers, and may you be well.

[edkrueger]

"The NTP, FDA, EPA and European Food Safety Authorities, among other government agencies, all have declared BPA harmless in low doses, with insufficient research to corroborate links to any of these health problems."
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 61950.html

[febs]

Well, at least the perfect tea maker IS bpa-free: http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/Tea ... aMaker.axd

For what matters the plastic in microwave ovens, I would rather trust any article from a scientific source (online/offline) magazine such as nature.com or other scientific and trustable source.

I am among the ones which thinks optimistically, but anyhow. Some science and studies and proven facts and I can change my mind and stop microwaving plastic. But only then.


Ciao!