Hi! Eager to Learn More About Making Tea!

[FoxMackenzie]

I personally think 21 oz is too much for me. However, it is a good price, and I will consider getting it. I'm sure your sisters will like receiving them for their birthdays!

You are gonna -love- the ingenuitea. It's so easy to make tea with it, and cleaning is very easy. I forget if it comes with instructions, but generally I fill mine to about an inch under the top with clean, filtered water, and toss in the microwave for about 3 mins...the time may vary with the power of your unit, so mess around with it a bit. Generally I find when tiny little bubbles start showing up on the sides, it's the perfect temperature for the flavored black teas I'm so fond of.

Then dump about a rounded teaspoon of whatever loose you're going to try, and let it sit for about a minute or so. Each little Adagio tin has a proper temp/steeping time on the label, so you can use it as a guide.

Best of luck to ya, darlin! Hope you find one you're exceptionally fond of

-Fox

[TimeforTea]

Hi, Fox!

Thank you SO MUCH for your message!!! This was really helpful, especially since I can be gadget-challenged... actually, more like gadget-impatient...! I'll make sure to have your message handy when I receive my ingenuitea!!

[Mary R]

One thing about the IngenuiTEA...you've got to be very careful not to touch the bottom when there's water or tea in it. I know, because I am a total idiot. And, at the risk of public ridicule, I'm going to share my idiocy.

I was visiting a friend who'd just gotten one of these IngenuiTEAs. He was so happy with it, and so excited about showing it off to me that he insisted I do the brewing honors. So in went the boiling water and the tea. So far, so good. But then we decided to move from the kitchen to the living room, so I lifted the IngenuiTEA to carry it to the sofa. Now, I'm used to supporting things by the base when I carry them, so I took one of my hands to hold the bottom...and my fingers pressed on the release. Immediately tea started pouring everywhere!

I'm not terribly bright, so despite a mild scald, when I went to run to the sink, I put my hand on the base...and I did it again!

Believe it or not, once we'd gotten everything cleaned up and another pot going...I did it yet again.

I'm now banned from using the IngenuiTEA at his house.

[FoxMackenzie]

One thing about the IngenuiTEA...you've got to be very careful not to touch the bottom when there's water or tea in it. I know, because I am a total idiot. And, at the risk of public ridicule, I'm going to share my idiocy.

I was visiting a friend who'd just gotten one of these IngenuiTEAs. He was so happy with it, and so excited about showing it off to me that he insisted I do the brewing honors. So in went the boiling water and the tea. So far, so good. But then we decided to move from the kitchen to the living room, so I lifted the IngenuiTEA to carry it to the sofa. Now, I'm used to supporting things by the base when I carry them, so I took one of my hands to hold the bottom...and my fingers pressed on the release. Immediately tea started pouring everywhere!

I'm not terribly bright, so despite a mild scald, when I went to run to the sink, I put my hand on the base...and I did it again!

Believe it or not, once we'd gotten everything cleaned up and another pot going...I did it yet again.

I'm now banned from using the IngenuiTEA at his house.

Oh Lord Mary...if I had a dollar for every time I've tried to "sit" it on an uneven surface or the corner of a counter or something. Not only that, but I've recently developed a very *headdesk* habit of forgetting to pop the filter in beforehand.

"But...why is the tea not flowing out? I don't understand!"

A big mush of leaves clustering around the dispensing hole will do that, evidently

But yes, I too understand the overeager presentation of an ingenuitea and the subsequent mishaps!!

-Fox

[TimeforTea]

Mary and Fox,

Yikes!! Knowing me, I'll be telling myself "don't touch the ingenuiTEA by the bottom" while lifting it up from the bottom...! Thanks for the warnings!!

[forkyfork]

Are the cups worth it to bump it up to $50? What makes them particularly special?

Well, I wouldn't say they're made from some miracle ceramic or anything, but they are quite nice. They're a little bit larger than a traditional 6 or 8 oz teacup, which is nice for prime sippage (at least in my book), and one cup matches the contents of my smallest tetsubin perfectly...so I find myself reaching for them quite a bit.

I'm a fan of the more modern/contemporary design, which has a touch of Asian influence. The cups are handleless, but feel really nice cradled in your hands. The curves fit well and the glaze has a soft, silky feel to it. The glaze is also really, really, really hard to get tea-stained. I've put the Zarafina cups to some mean abuse (not washing them for a day or so, for instance...I have a lot of cups) and they clean up wonderfully.

Their only real detraction in my book is that if you brew tea directly in them with boiling water, they do become too hot to hold comfortably. If, however, you brew the tea in a pot and pour it into one of these cups, it instantly becomes a great sipping temperature.

They're not miracle cups, but they're pretty darn nice.

I'm also a fan of the offset saucers in the Adagio/Zarafina offer. They'd be handy for holding an accompanying cookie or something, if that's your tea boat. I'd probably use them if a friend was over for a cup. The seem like they'd be good "hostess ware," no?

Wow, thanks for the comprehensive write-up, Mary. That was extremely helpful, and I'm very intrigued that they don't stain easily. I've never had a cup without a handle, though, so I'm a little scared. I would most likely brew my tea in an ingenuitea type-deal and then pour it in the cup when it was finished steeping. But for some greens, that's only a minute.. so I don't know if that will still be too hot.

[Mary R]

I've not had a problem with the Zarafina cups getting too hot if tea is poured into them after infusing...black, oolong, whatever. They'll get warm, but they're still easily hold-able...even if you don't have asbestos hands. It's only when I attempt to use a brew basket in one that they cross into the hot end.

[Chip]

Hahahahaaaaa, Mary you have more klutz stories than anyone on TeaChat. That is really funny though.

I was envisioning you doing this, the designated TeaPro of the moment.



[Mary's Edit: Seriously. My parents' nickname for me is Grace. Why? Because I have none.]

[joelbct]

Welcome, Newbee2Tea.

May your tea journey be as gratifying and stimulating as has been mine

[TimeforTea]

Thanks, joelbct, from lovely Westchester, NY! (driving from 'Jersey, over the Tappenzee Bridge...most picturesque drive ever!)

I am loving my tea journey so far and know it will only get better!! My IngenuTEA arrived yesterday along with green tea samples, and the scent of the teas was absolutely de-vine!! Have yet to actually brew some tea...must be brave enough to use this thing...!

[daughteroftheKing]

Welcome Newbee2Tea!
By now I hope you've had a chance to wash out your IngenuiTea and brew up some of those great little samples that came with it. How do you like it?

I use an electric kettle to heat the water, then pour it into the IngenuiTea, where I've already put the leaves. Water up to the white lettering will fill a 16-oz cup, which is my standard cup. If you like a smaller cup, you might use a sharpie on the outside of the IngenuiTea to note your "fill" line.

Just watching the leaves unfurl to impart their taste ("the agony of the leaf") can easily become a major element of one's personal tea "ceremony".

Oh my gosh, who among us HASN'T pushed on the bottom of that thing and poured tea everywhere except the cup?!

[TimeforTea]

Hi Daughteroftheking,

I am really taking this slowly....! I still haven't washed out the ingenuTEA or the zarifina for that matter although they look lovely sitting on the counter. I still feel guilty for having all that bagged tea in my kitchen.

That being said, I appreciate the reminder about the fill-line and watching the bottom of the ingenuTEA... perhaps tomorrow I will try it...

I don't have an electric kettle yet. I thought about getting one at Target for $19.99 but may buy the UTILITea and tell hubby that could be my valentine's day gift from him. The UTILITea I'm sure will be much better although it is pricey. Sigh. If only I still had all the $ I spent on Starbucks lattes over the years...!

I also spent some time on the adagio tea site reading descriptions and reviews of teas, so I can pick some to sample. I really like that you can sample them for just $2! I'm just day dreaming about sitting outside with a good book and a large glass of iced decaf peach tea once spring is here...

You all have to promise me I won't turn into a TEA SNOB by drinking loose leaf tea!!!

[TimeforTea]

Well I don't know what took me so long...! This morning we had a cup of citron green from Adagio's green tea sampler. It was wonderful! I'm not sure what else to order, so if you have any suggestions for another good newbie tea, let me know. I'd like to stick with green tea for now for its health benefits.

Where can I find fruit flavored green tea? I think my husband would really like that.

[Chip]

Green tea rocks my world...I hope it rocks yours too.

I am an unflavored tea kinda guy, so, I recommend trying some unflavored greens such as the adagio green sampler savant...and try the white sampler too. Whites are supposedly very healthy as well.

[TimeforTea]

Green tea rocks my world...I hope it rocks yours too.

I am an unflavored tea kinda guy, so, I recommend trying some unflavored greens such as the adagio green sampler savant...and try the white sampler too. Whites are supposedly very healthy as well.

Hi Chip!!

Lovin' the green tea!!

Have yet to try the other 3 from the adagio green sampler--just going off of whiffs, the citron green smelled the best. I'm going to try white, too. For now I'm just trying to find ones my hubby's willing to try! I'll add the white sampler to my next order.

Which green tea do you suggest that's similar to the citron green??