Practical Living: It’s tea time

Tea is the number one consumed beverage in the world. In the United States, however, coffee still reigns, but tea is picking up some significant steam mostly because of its much publicized health benefits.

Bonjour has a new collection with a French flair. The Tres Amies teapot collection makes brewing a part of that experience. The three hand blown glass teapots cost $50 - $60 retail.

Because many teas today include berries, other fruits and flowers, the Parisian-inspired collection allows the user to watch loose teas bloom into a brew.

“The trend right now is to actually see the flowering tea flowers. They open up as the tea is brewing,” Stephanie Beck of Bonjour said.

Bonjour’s Odori line of cast iron teapots pays homage to the ancient art of tea making. The pots in this Asian-inspired collection have enamel interiors and a removable stainless steal mesh tea infuser that’s ideal for loose tea. The iron also retains heat and keeps the warm for up to an hour.

When it comes to heat, Jarden Consumer Solutions has a new tea maker called Zarafina that allows the user to control the temperature.

“A lot of consumers in the U.S. don’t know that you have to have a different temperature for light teas. If you steep at the same temperature as a dark tea, it kind of has a bitter, acidic taste,” Lenna Conley of Zarafina said.

Zarafina not only allows the user to control temperature, but it works with both bagged and loose teas. It also brews tea strong, medium or mild into a ceramic pot that’s pretty for serving. It takes all the guesswork out of making tea.

(this article was taken from news8austin.com)