The Teastick

July 22, 2005 1:07 PM

The Teastick. The ultimate infuser for tea connoisseurs.
posted by yoga (29 comments total)

Care Tips
remember to empty tea from cylinder when done steeping
if the sleeve sticks due to dried tea leaves, run under cold water
rinse well with soap and water
safe for the dishwasher
buff and shine to impress friends

My friends aren't that easily impressed.
posted by ColdChef at 1:14 PM on July 22, 2005

Thank God. I'm glad we'll finally have that tea problem under control. I haven't slept for weeks.
posted by voltairemodern at 1:19 PM on July 22, 2005

I don't like the smell of this post. yoga is associated with Designbox, which is in turn associated with Gamil Design.
posted by Galvatron at 1:26 PM on July 22, 2005

PepsiBlue, definitely.
posted by solid-one-love at 1:28 PM on July 22, 2005

Oolong Blue? I want one.
posted by D.C. at 1:31 PM on July 22, 2005

Please don't confuse this with a thai stick.

And yoga, I think to think that you're not shilling, but rather, showing us a thing you thought was nifty.
posted by Specklet at 1:32 PM on July 22, 2005

No! Pre-warmed china pot! One teaspoon per person plus one for the pot! And boiling water in the name of all that's holy! Boiling!
posted by Grangousier at 1:36 PM on July 22, 2005

I'll stick with my bombilla, but this thing is still kinda cool.
posted by 31d1 at 1:38 PM on July 22, 2005

What am I missing? How is it different than one of these?:

Loose Tea Infuser
posted by lyam at 1:38 PM on July 22, 2005

lyam: It appears to be easier to fill, as well as offers more capacity. If what they say about the tea needing room to unfurl, then this is superior. I have an infuser like what you linked to, and it's always packed.

Plus, it looks cooler.
posted by crawl at 1:45 PM on July 22, 2005

True, it does look cooler.
posted by lyam at 1:49 PM on July 22, 2005

specklet, yes I think it's a cool product - up until this thing I was coffee only or tea bags. I like the eco friendliness of this thing, as well as the look - like industrial but elegant somehow. I do know the designers but I do not work for Gamila. Feel free to delete it, moderator gods, if it reads as a shill. It wasn't my intent.
posted by yoga at 1:52 PM on July 22, 2005

Oooh, it's spiffy and nifty. I want one now. And a couple extra for gifts.
posted by Melinika at 1:58 PM on July 22, 2005

Nowhere on the website does it say "For External Use Only".

I predict many lawsuits.
posted by Jos Bleau at 1:59 PM on July 22, 2005

If I drank tea regularly, I'd think it was $20 neat...
posted by Specklet at 2:03 PM on July 22, 2005

I never understood tea infusers- just one more thing to wash. A few loose leaves in the bottom of a cup, add boiling water and they stay on the bottom ready to tell your fortune when you are done. Just don't use too much tea or it goes bitter.
posted by pointilist at 2:10 PM on July 22, 2005

I find tea bricks to be fascinating. All beverages should come in a handy brick format.
posted by Staggering Jack at 2:20 PM on July 22, 2005

Hmmm - waaay too much trouble. We (SO and I) drink loads of tea, always loose, and we use these nifty baskets with bamboo handles we found a the local Asian supermarket (Uwajimaya). They come in about five sizes, and we found the size that fits our mugs perfectly. Loads and loads of room for the tea to "unfurl", and easily emptied into the worm bin when we're done. Also way cheap (under $2.00, iirc).
posted by dbmcd at 2:39 PM on July 22, 2005

"treated right, most teas are good for a second steeping"

What kind of crap is that? The whole reason you steep the tea for a set amount of time is because after a point all you are extracting is tannin, which gives the tea a nasty, bitter, astringent taste (as well as counteacting the caffeine).

How is it that anyone making tea accessories obsteniously for making a better cup of tea not know this?
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 2:41 PM on July 22, 2005

It looks kind of phallic, and it is placed right next to a beautiful model's face - hmmmm, advertising.
posted by caddis at 3:03 PM on July 22, 2005

This will make a nice addition to the 06 Winter Williams-Sonoma catalog. I predict the product will be shot on a oak table and next to a steaming cup of tea, cinnamon sticks and cloves.

Art Director to photographer: Make the shot really warming and inviting.

Photographer to self: (boy I'd love to cram that thing right up the art director's ass and steep myself a cup of Shut the Fuck Up.)
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 3:08 PM on July 22, 2005

It looks kind of phallic, and it is placed right next to a beautiful model's face - hmmmm, advertising.

I was just wondering why the model had such a naughty look on her face. That explains it.

This was posted as its own entry on lifehacker, and I remember thinking "why?" and "$25 for that?" As lyam pointed out, this is something that has existed in many forms for a long time.

So now we've got an fpp on it here, and I'm left wondering if maybe I'm missing something.
posted by blendor at 3:23 PM on July 22, 2005

I'm into my cuppa at least four times a day...so, for something one does so often, superior design for function is looking to be worth it.

*sigh*...just put an old Twinings tin on the kitchen counter and will drop in a quarter each teatime...at a dollar or so a day, there should be enough for one of these useful teasticks pretty soon.
posted by Dunvegan at 4:46 PM on July 22, 2005

"treated right, most teas are good for a second steeping"

What kind of crap is that? The whole reason you steep the tea for a set amount of time is because after a point all you are extracting is tannin, which gives the tea a nasty, bitter, astringent taste (as well as counteacting the caffeine).

Apparently, greens and oolongs can be infused a second time. I'd never do it, though.
posted by Kevin1911 at 5:15 PM on July 22, 2005

Au contraire. Oolongs taste quite good after a second, third, or a even fourth steeping. The key is to pour off the first steeping right away, and then only steep the oolong for a minute before pouing it off. The result? A nice, light cup of tea and a set of leaves that will hold up to multiple steepings. The key, of course, is good quality loose leaf tea, and a good pot. I use a yixing pot for my oolong tea.

The record in my yixing pot is 7 steepings with the same oolong leaves before all the flavour vanished.
posted by spinifex23 at 6:15 PM on July 22, 2005

what spinifex23 said. They say green tea tastes best on the third steeping. They best way to drink tea is definitly just let the leaves float loose in the bottom of the cup. If it's green tea, the leaves actually taste pretty good.

as for the post, i smell shilling...
posted by afu at 10:41 PM on July 22, 2005 [1 favorite]

Well that post made my shopping for my brother's xmas much easier - he's become a real tea snob with his $46 a tin of "jasmine pearls" and such.
posted by Dome-O-Rama at 10:31 PM on July 24, 2005

As a long time tea drinker, I say, great post! And a lift of the lid to all the other tea drinkers with links for me to check out. Thanks!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 5:45 AM on July 25, 2005

I'm not even a tea drinker, but my self-proclaimed tea-snob girlfriend took one look and declared it very nifty, and something she'd like to have. Perhaps a good Xmas present later on (good thing she's not a MeFi reader...).

This amused me, though...

Dunvegan: I'm into my cuppa at least four times a day...so, for something one does so often, superior design for function is looking to be worth it.

Spoken like a true Mac user, whether or not you are. ;)
posted by djwudi at 6:27 PM on July 25, 2005