Aroma Clar-i-Tea Electric Kettle Review: Introducing the Product

Basically, the Aroma Clar-i-Tea is an electric kettle with a twist: it is clear. That way, when you are boiling water, you can look through and see each little change in temperature, proving false the saying that a watched pot never boils. It has a capacity of 1.7 liters, which should be enough for about 6 average sized mugs, or more if you are using smaller teacups. In addition, the kettle comes with a mesh tea ball for brewing loose leaf tea, along with a hook under the lid that holds the tea ball in place while within the kettle.

Aroma Clar-i-Tea Electric Kettle Review: Ease of Use

The best thing about the Aroma electric kettle is that it is really easy to use. It boils water very quickly, within just a few minutes, and its dual functionality gives it a huge advantage over other products. The lid can be fully removed by pressing in the two buttons on either side of the grip, leaving a large mouth for pouring water in. In addition, the mesh ball tea brewer attaches quickly and easily to the lid, allowing you to get tea leaves in just a few seconds after automatic shutoff when the water has boiled.

Aroma Clar-i-Tea Electric Kettle Review: Special Features

One of the special features of the Aroma Clar-i-Tea is the strainer built into the lid. It fits perfectly over the pouring spout, preventing any tea leaves that happened to get loose from making it out into the cups. Also, it is fairly common these days, but it deserves a mention that the kettle will automatically shut off when the water has reached a full boil (although if the lid happens to be off, it will keep boiling indefinitely).

Aroma Clar-i-Tea Electric Kettle Review: Complaints

There are only a couple things that could be improved in this electric kettle. First of all, it requires a 0.7 liter minimum fill to operate properly, which is far too much water for one cup of tea. This means that the remainder of the water will either sit in the kettle and get stale, or need to be poured out and wasted.

Second, the switch to turn the kettle on and off is a little bit counter-intuitive, in that you have to press it up instead of down to turn the kettle on. In addition, the light in the switch to show when the kettle is on is a very pale orange, which is not very visible at all in a bright kitchen flooded with sunlight.

Aroma Clar-i-Tea Electric Kettle Review: Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are the kind of person who loves to serve tea to your guests out of a pretty clear kettle, then the Aroma Clar-i-Tea is perfect for you. Plus, even when you aren’t going to brew a whole pot, it works perfectly well to boil your water to brew just a cup of tea for yourself!

In the West, it wasn’t imported until the early 1600s. Familiar to all of Europe by 1700, tea became particularly popular in Britain, spawning a tea ritual nearly as entrenched in British society as the famous tea ceremonies of Japan. The drink spread to the American colonies at around the same time, and became indirectly responsible for the American Revolution when taxation of tea became a focal point for American resentments of British legislation. Though it’s been supplanted to some extent by coffee, tea still does a brisk business in both West and East, with more than 2.5 million tons produced yearly.

All teas come from the same plant

Camellia sinensis, to be exact. There are different varieties in different regions, but green, black, white, and oolong teas could all be produced from a single bush (theoretically, anyhow). Essentially, the difference is in the number of steps involved in the drying process. All types of tea begin with a period of sun-drying, or “withering,” that gets rid of about 60% of the moisture in the fresh leaves. Here the procedure stops for white tea, the most expensive and least processed variety. Leaves destined to become black, green, or oolong tea are rolled mechanically, which damages the leaves slightly and brings out the finer touches of flavor.

Next, oxidation occurs as the rolled leaves are exposed to warm humid air, allowing oxygen to react with various chemicals in the leaf. This darkens the color, strengthens the taste, and produces caffeine, but it also increases the tannin content, giving oxidized tea a more bitter cast. The chemical reaction is stopped by “firing” the tea, or roasting it in a pan; green tea is fired almost immediately after rolling, leaving it only a very short time to oxidize. Black tea is allowed to oxidize fully, making it the strongest and most caffeinated tea, and oolong tea is oxidized somewhere between green and black tea, with the exact stopping point dependent on the manufacturer.

Herbal tea is not tea, really

As you just learned, all tea comes from Camellia sinensis – but what about the tea that doesn’t? What about mint tea, chamomile tea, that gross berry-tea you love and everything else?

A simple answer is that these beverages should more properly be called “tisanes” or herbal infusions, to distinguish them from the products of the tea plant. They are quite possibly older than agriculture itself, and certainly existed in Europe long before the importation of Asian tea. To further the confusion, herbs and dried fruit are also often blended with green and black teas to make a nice flavored tea.

Teabags tend to make bad tea

According to Wissotzky Tea, the teabag was inadvertently invented by one Thomas Sullivan, a New York merchant who used to send tea samples to his customers in white silk bags. The ability to brew tea without special apparatus opened up a whole new market and made mass consumption of tea possible.

However, tea makers soon figured out a way to take advantage of this new custom. The paper filters meant that tea dust and fannings, waste normally discarded as part of the manufacturing process, could now be used in teabags. The leaves didn’t taste as good, but they made a strong and quick cup of tea, thanks to the increased surface area provided by the tiny broken leaves. And so teabags became a haven for low-quality leaves.

Today, the tea that goes into teabags is produced via an entirely mechanical process known as CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl), which dries the leaves and shreds them into minute pieces. This method is a good way for tea manufacturers to get the most taste out of a lower quality leaf, but it destroys the flavor.

Better is cheaper

The good stuff is loose, whole-leaf tea, which is processed by hand in the manner described in the second section. Be careful, though – once you try good loose tea, it’s hard to go back to supermarket teabags. The good news is that high-quality tea doesn’t necessarily mean a high-quality drain on your wallet.

Let’s compare. Twinings, a reputable supermarket brand, sells its basic green tea on Amazon in packs of six boxes of 50 teabags for $30.37. This translates to $5.06 per box and $1.43 per ounce. Not bad, in the grand scheme of things, though you’d probably pay a bit more in-store. However, Adagio.com, a popular web-based tea merchant, sells a whole-leaf Japanese green tea called Kukicha for $1.19 per ounce! Admittedly, Kukicha is one of Adagio’s cheapest green teas; on the high side they go up to 5.56 per ounce. But this cheap loose green is still worlds away from the average bagged tea, and (no lie) you’ll be able to tell the difference from the very first sip.

I haven’t been able to determine how high-quality loose tea could be cheaper than low-quality bagged tea, but I suspect it has something to do with two factors: the amount of manufacturing necessary to make commercial teabags, and the lower demand for loose tea. Whatever the reason, I like it. Plus, the rain forest likes the fact I don’t use and discard paper teabags.

The health benefits are overrated

Various media sources have been touting tea, and green tea in particular, as a cure-all for maladies from obesity to cancer. I won’t cite any sources, since there seems to be a new study every week, but there does seem to be a definite association between tea consumption and lower rates of certain diseases.

However, what the media reports often neglect to mention is how much tea one has to drink to get even these relatively mild benefits. One 2006 study that found significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease in tea-drinkers had its participants drink five or more cups of tea per day. Some other studies had the subjects take a tea extract in pill form instead of drinking actual tea. Now, I enjoy my tea, but on a good day my little Western self doesn’t get above three cups; feel free to draw your own conclusions. And taking tea extract would surely just extract all the fun right out of it.

So, in other words, don’t drink cup after cup of bitter supermarket bagged tea in order to chase after a highly speculative miracle cure. Instead, drink one or two cups of light, sweet, delicious loose-leaf tea, and enjoy it every sip of the way.

“Tea.” on Wikipedia.

“The History of Tea.” Wissotzky Tea.

Kuriyama, et al. “Green Tea Consumption and Mortality Due to Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, and All Causes in Japan.” Journal of the American Medical Association.

It is natural

Loose leaf tea is the most natural form of tea. The so-called tea that lands in a teabag from one of the giants has been processed in a factory. Often, this processing actual ruins the tea by creating a large amount of fanning (known as “tea dust”) instead of large beautiful whole leaves that you really desire. Tea contains natural oils and benefits straight from the leaves and when it is processed those elements are removed. Loose leaf tea is natural, healthy and the best way to go.

It is healthy

Because loose leaf tea is free of fannings and tea dust, it gives you the maximum health benefit from every steaming cup. There is more leafy surface area with whole leaves than in a teabag, so the leaf has retained its oils and natural health-boosting benefits. More leaf means more benefits. Some health benefits that you receive from drinking whole leaf tea are ease in weight loss, a boost to the immune system, and younger looking skin. Additionally, there are arguments stating that the more surface area tea has to brew, the more caffeine it will contain. This really seems to be a topic that just gets hit for no reason. Caffeine only lives about ten to fifteen minutes in a steaming cup of tea and honestly, I do not know what has more surface area: large whole leaf tea leaves or micro particles from a manufactured tea bag.

It has more flavor

Because there is more leaf to steep, more leaf also means more flavor. Plus, whole leaves haven’t been overly processed in a factory, so they aren’t old, dusty, or expired. Most of the tea in teabags has been sitting on a shelf in a warehouse for months and months at a time. Tea doesn’t stay fresh forever. Whole leaves are fresher and far more flavorful. Many tea bag providers simply add artificial flavors and substances to provide a taste you enjoy.. that is not good!

It is more affordable

When you purchase loose leaf tea, you’re getting whole, loose leaves with all of their natural essential oils in tact. These oils produce flavors and the flavors are much more prominent than the bagged products. In fact, bagged tea flavor is simply inferior to properly steeped whole loose leaf teas. You can purchase an ounce of loose leaf tea for $4.00 all over the internet that is of great quality. That tea will provide you with more than the average (12) twelve to (20) twenty tea bags you get from Tazo or Stash.

There, now you know. Ultimately, loose leaf tea is of higher quality, more affordable price, and overall a better product. Stop wasting your time with the horrid tastes you receive from bagged tea and begin using loose leaf tea. If you would like a suggestion as to a tea you should try, simply tell me what you like in a comment and I will check it out for you!

If ginger was made into a candy, I can only imaging that candi-teer would receive a great amount of inspiration from this flavorful pouch of tea.  Ginger Twist contains some of my favorite ingredients: mint, lemon, orange, licorice, lemongrass, and apple; amongst a few others.  This tea blend might have been grown in France, but it tastes as though it was just blended for myself.

Over the recent weeks I have become quite ill, up and down with viruses and just had an operation over the previous week.  Herbal teas such as Ginger Twist have really made an impression on me.  I definitely, definitely recommend you try this tea on your next order with Mighty Leaf, as it will not displease.

This tea tastes like legit ginger with no artificial nastiness coming from it.  I don’t mean that as to any surprise, Mighty Leaf’s teas have all been (to my taste buds knowledge) of the highest quality blends.  I just want you to know if you enjoy ginger tea, this will definitely make your top list!

For some tea consumers, however, the intrigue with specialty tea drinks, using milk as an added ingredient, may be negating any potential health benefits associated with exotic tea consumption. Especially for those individuals who consume green tea and black tea, the use of milk, by specialty coffee and tea shops, may be destroying the healthy biological component of tea known as flavanoids.  Flavanoids have a high amount of antioxidant activity, thus making them healthy for those consuming them. Common green and black tea leaves consist of about 25-30 percent flavonoids, including quercetin and gallic esters. Like the flavonoids in grapes and other fruits and vegetables, they also protect against heart disease.

Flavanoids (flavanoids on Wikipedia), common in not only tea but also in green vegetables, onion and even applies, provide a healthy benefit to the body in that they may play a significant role in boosting natural immune systems and preventing diseases, including cancer. It is because of flavanoid health benefits that many tea consumers purchase and consume exotic teas such as green tea. While the FDA has not officially released recommendations with regard to flavanoid intake, it is a common notion, among nutritionists and other healthcare professionals, that green tea does hold significant health benefits.

Unfortunately, through recent medical research, it has been determined that some tea consumers, when adding milk to the exotic tea, as in green tea, may be biologically changing the way these exotic teas assist the body in fighting off disease. Specifically, this biological research indicates very specific proteins found in milk products work to negate the effects and concentration levels of the flavanoids found in tea, especially in green tea. While this chemical and biological change in tea occurs, and may warrant the tea less effective in warding off disease and illness, it is not unhealthy to the human body. In other words, consuming tea with milk will, generally, not produce an adverse reaction within the human body however, for those tea consumers seeking to boost immune system responses, this addition of milk may be resulting in a mute effect.

Medical biologists indicate, however, that if tea consumers, especially those consuming green tea, must use milk as an additive, the therapeutic benefits of flavanoids should be obtained, naturally, from other sources. Eating green leafy foods, indulging in a variety of apples and strawberries, all provide for a healthy dose of flavanoids. Heavy tea drinkers also benefit from higher blood levels of HDL cholesterol and lower levels of “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol. Additionally, it is thought that heavy tea drinkers have lower levels of certain liver enzypes, suggesting a reduced risk of liver disease.

The flavonoids in soybeans have also been attracting attention. Overall, substituting soy for dairy milk to add to your tea could have benefits all on its own. An 8-ounce glass of soy milk contains 4 to 10 grams of soy protein, 4 ounces of tofu contain 8 to 13 grams of soy protein, and a soy hamburger or hotdog contains about 18 grams of soy protein. Drinking two glasses of soy milk (instead of regular milk) and eating one soy burger daily would provide approximately 30 grams of soy protein.

So when visiting the occasional coffee or tea shop, before ordering up a cup of your favorite exotic tea, consider the health impact of the drink selection, in addition to the impact the addition of milk may play to your own personal health outcome. While milk is not an unhealthy addition to tea, when seeking to boost immune system or reduce the risks of some forms of disease, milk added to the tea may result in a less effective natural health selection.

The full view

1. It was sleek and slender, plain yet styled with the Mighty Leaf branding
2. The lid has a slit that allows you to slide the tea-bag string through to steep your tea while mobile.
3. They offered up an additional mug for me to give to a reader!

First, I boiled some water and grabbed a pouch of green tea I had already decided I wanted to drink the morning I tested this mug.  I slipped the tea-bag’s label and string through the slit of the mug and dropped the tea bag in.  Guess what?  It works!  After about twelve to fifteen minutes I finally took a sip from the mug, the tea was still extremely hot, too hot to drink.  I drove to the office and by the time I arrived, the tea had begun cooling a touch so I could drink it (I had to remove the lid.)

This mug works.  It just flat out-works!  I could not expect any better results from such an item.

I busted out my kettle and heated my filtered water to around 182 degrees (F).  I let the water sit for about 30 seconds to a minute, while I warmed my cup, as to make sure I was prepared for the ultimate tea-tasting experiencing.  I measured out a teaspoon, a nice bulky teaspoon of this White Orchard tea and dropped it into my tea-ball.  I allowed the tea to steep for 4.5 minutes.

A little shaky shaky action

Now, as far as I could tell, I was going to be tasting a tea that had quite the punch of melon and fruity- goodness to it.  I could not have been more incorrect.  The White Orchard Tea is by no means fruity.  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  The back-end of the flavor is quite traditional of White Teas with a hint of Green Tea bitterness.  The major impact and punch came from the smooth, silk-like flavor that crossed my palette.  I was tasting a rich melon and peach blend that was more than relaxing.  In simpler words, Mighty Leaf’s White Orchard Tea was like spring-time, blooming its glorious season against my taste buds.  I could not have been more pleased with this White and Green Tea blend sample.

Additionally, I could not think of a better tea to try iced.  I am a big fan of both hot and cold tea, therefore, I decided to go for the cold, slow, and iced brew approach.  I had the tea hot and relaxing, now why not try it iced and refreshing?  The iced-tea experience from the White Orchard White and Green Tea sample was not weak, as I initially expected.  I did not sweeten the tea with anything, as its natural sweetness was plenty for my dull pleasure.  However, I believe that with a little honey, this tea would definitely go on the “perfect tea list,” for most people.

The whole artisan blend of teas can be quite confusing at times, especially if you do not know or cannot distinguish which tea of the blend is the most powerful.  By appearance, this tea is definitely a more green tea, but their website says a bit different.  I guess I will learn to judge them better.

White tea from China harmoniously blends with mouthwatering fruits of melon and peach in our White Orchard White tea to produce a fruity and light infusion.  The pefect tea to get white tea health benefits along with smooth, rich taste.

Traditional Medicinals uses only organic ginger rhizome in their ginger tea product. Organic ginger tea comes in a box of sixteen individually wrapped tea bags and costs approximately five dollars. Traditional Medicinals Organic Ginger tea is caffeine free and contains zero calories. The tea is supposed to help promote healthy digestion and relieve digestive upsets. The suggested amount to consume per a day is three cups thirty minutes before a meal or after a meal if feeling bloated. The tea is manufactured by Traditional Medicinals located in Sebastopol, California and you can view their website by going to TraditionalMedicinals.com.

When first trying out the tea, I placed a tea bag in a eight ounce mug and poured boiling water over it. I let the tea steep for the recommended 10-15 minutes covered. When trying my new cup of tea I thought the taste was very pleasant, yet strong. I love the taste of ginger and the taste appealed to me right away. I also noticed the pleasant sensation as the tea went down my throat. I didn’t notice acid reflux after drinking this product thirty minutes before a meal.

I enjoyed this tea so much I decided to have another cup right before bed time. I soon found out that this should not be done. I ended up getting a lot of gas pains and could not sleep for hours. Little did I know that ginger when consumed right before sleep can keep some people awake through out the night. So don’t drink the tea before bed unless you want to stay up all night.

After drinking Traditional Medicinals Organic Ginger tea for a week. I came to the conclusion that this product does help with heartburn and other digestive complaints as long as you follow the directions on the box and not drink it before bedtime.

Special cautions on this product are as follows. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding consult your physician before using. Also if you suffer from gallstones you will want to talk to your doctor before consuming this tea. Like with all herbs always consult your doctor before introducing a new treatment for a condition.

Lipton’s pyramid bag is a positive for preparation. The shape is ideal for allowing hot or cold water to flow through all the tea infusing all the flavor into the brew. The tea is black and there are fruit pieces visible in the bag. The first thing you’ll notice when opening the box for
the first time the rush of a pleasing aroma, that literally makes your taste buds perk. As the melange steeps, your nose will tease the palate in anticipation of tasting the brew.

The tea has a nice, smooth blend as there is no extreme tart or bitterness. This tea was prepared hot and was comforting. I also prepared it ice cold and it was deliciously refreshing. I was liberal with the sugar, but also tried it plain and it was still quite tasty. Not only that, but the tea touts having 90 milligrams of anti-oxidants making it a healthy beverage as well. Add some honey and you’re set.

However, I am guilty of tea making sacrilege in that I microwaved the tea in ceramic cup for 2 minutes. Now, if it can taste so good prepared “wrong,”, imagine how good it can be made with hot water from the kettle.

There are 20 bags in the box and the tea has 0 calories. Ingredients listed on the box include black tea, dried apples, rose hip peel,dried fruit pieces (blackberry, black currant, blueberry, raspberry), chicory root, cinnamon bark, licorice root, ginger root, modified corn starch, natural flavor, and orange peel. The package was purchased at a local grocery store for $3.19, not an all bad purchase really.

The green tea is sold in bulk, not tea bags. That means that it does not go through another production process as that found in tea bags. Having the Sen-cha green tea in bulk provides me with the opportunity to make either a single cup or teapot full at a time. In fact, this brand of Yamamotoyama green tea makes a great pot of beverage simply by using my automatic coffeemaker. That is another strong point to this economical beverage.

Sen-cha Green Tea also makes an excellent iced tea, when I am in the mood. All I need to do is make a pot of hot tea, cool it, and place it into another container. It can keep in the refrigerator for about a week, if need be. This tea is also delicious at room temperature.

This green tea is packaged very attractively. The package printing and coloring consist of a pleasant variety of different shades of green and rust. The solid coloring covers the bottom and top portions of the bag. The contrasting rust-colored teapot, package heading, and Japanese language are all perfectly blended to provide an eye-appealing ‘front’ side. Another thing that is nice about the packaging is the fact I can see what the tea looks like due to the center section being clear. There is no clear portion on the backside, though. Here, I can read the nutrition facts, which are in both Japanese and English.

Plus, the package is secured, making it impossible to gain access to the green tea without either cutting or pulling apart.

The Sen-cha Green Tea by Yamamotoyama comes in a 7-ounce size bag. That is a perfect size for my household. It lasts awhile, which is nice. One 8-ounce cup of tea only requires about one teaspoon of this bulk green tea.

The price is on the lower end for all bulk green teas I found. At first I was skeptical, but after tasting it, I am now pleased.

The price provides for a sense of economy, taste, and nutrition.

The taste is on the sweet side, light, and very refreshing. That taste level comes from about a minute of steeping time. When I steep the Sen-cha green tea for longer, of course, the taste is more concentrated and not as sweet. It still is refreshing, though. The salesperson told me that this green tea was “bottom of barrel”, but I cannot complain. It is a good bargain for the price, in my opinion.

For anyone not familiar with bulk green tea, or wanting to experience a reasonably priced one, I recommend Yamamotoyama of America’s Sen-cha Green Tea. Thumbs up.