Raven wrote about his love of a good cup of coffee, even while camping, in his review of the Aeropress. Well this is my version of that post.
You see, I’ve preferred tea over just about any beverage since I was 5. Seriously. And to start off my day right, well it has to be a good cup of tea, of course! Over the years, I’ve progressed from a love of Red Rose (ugh), to Tetley, to now buying over 80% of my tea as loose leaf varieties from Upton Tea. They have very good tea and a large supply of types.
That is all well and good when I’m at home, where I use reusable cloth “tea” bags. Those are a bit messy and difficult to use while camping. Something about wet tea bags, cleanliness, and mildew while traveling that doesn’t mix well. 🙁
At work, I do resort to a metal tea strainer, but I find the brew subpar. It gets me through work, when I’m distracted from truly enjoying a good cup of tea. Something about constant interruptions, phone calls and deadlines makes it hard to savor anything for more than five seconds. But hey, I’ve already had a good cup at home before heading to the office, so that’s okay. But what about multi-day motorcycle journeys or backpacking trips?
The local outdoor stores had several options. For a first trial, I chose a bright blue insulated mug/tea strainer. That is what I took with me on our 16 day, 3,100 mile trip around the Canadian Maritimes. It worked not only as a loose leaf tea strainer but, with limited space and not many cups along for the ride, it had to substitute as a chocolate milk glass, a wine glass, a cordial glass . . . well a drinking glass!
Yes, it worked for all those purposes, but what was important was how good of a cup of tea did it make? Honestly, not bad – as long as you didn’t follow the instructions. This was the sort of tea strainer where there was a metal basket that set into the top rim. Above that you could screw in a section for sipping and above that a lid. The problem with this sort of arrangement is that a little metal basket in the top 1/8 of a cup does not brew great tea.
BUT, since the whole contraption screwed together, an enterprising young woman could simply insert the tea leaves BELOW the strainer, install the strainer and brew tea to her hearts content while sipping away. Or simply put the tea in its basket and be cautious while sipping not to be chewing on too many tea leaves. The instructions said to never leave in the metal basket. But, once I had a nicely brewed cup while on the road, I completely disregarded that advice. I never really considered why you shouldn’t leave in the strainer. That is until I saw my first crack in the double wall plastic.
The strainer was metal. The cup was plastic. The cup cooled, and thereby contracted, at a much faster rate that the metal held inside a warm water bath. The fluctuation in temperatures and tiny changes in sizes eventually doomed that cup. A huge crack finally split down the length and tea leaked between the two walls. I’m sure jostling around in tank bags did not help its lifespan either. Still, I was very sorry to see my travel tea cup die.
Raven found a wonderful alternative and presented it as a Yule present. Introducing my Thermos Nissan Tea Tumbler. All stainless steel with heavy duty plastic rims and a heavily insulated inner core, this baby brags about keeping beverages warm for 24 hours. That is all well and good, but what about tea darn it?
The Tea Tumbler boasts a mesh basket that fits in the top of the tumbler as well and, unlike my first version, you couldn’t screw the drinking lid over the mesh basket. I was worried about weak tea until I read the instructions. Someone who actually drank tea must have designed the tumbler. Their answer to the mesh strainer only infiltrating 1/8 of the cup: design a tea cup you turn upside down when brewing tea! Viola!
It really works too. The lid fits so tightly that not only can you flip the cup upside down to brew a great cup of tea, but you can also confidently stash it anywhere to open hours later for a still lovely cup of tea. I liked it so much, I ended up buying Raven one as well . . . and occasionally allow him to have coffee in it.
My biggest complaints are that there is no convenient storage for the tea strainer or drinking lid when not in use. I’ve lost track of one or the other on occasion – a black lid is hard to find in a black tank bag. And if you are in a hurry, you are trying to store a WET mesh strainer. Sort of annoying, that.
My last complaint is humorous in its way: the thing stays too bloody hot. Seriously, if you make tea in it to actually drink right then and there . . . Ow! I leave the lid off and try to get the sucker to cool down to something less than scalding. But once it reaches just that right temperature . . . man it makes a good cup of tea. 🙂
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