tea! yes.

i have always been a coffee drinker and when i say always, i mean i started drinking coffee in my 3rd year at UCLA.  coffee was a must.  i've never been into energy drinks (or drugs) and having a hot coffee in during the early morning or late night study/cram sessions was essential.  i love coffee, i do.  everything about it - the aroma, the body, the texture and flavor. my favorite ice cream is ben and jerry's coffee heath bar crunch and my favorite dessert is tiramisu.  that being said, i have been diving into the world of tea (hot tea) head first.  iced tea has always been on my radar, and i love it.  hot tea, not so much.  its tastes too much like water - its practically hot water, but i guess iced tea is just cold water? hmmm.

anyhow, i talked to a few tea lovers i know - one of them being the coffee/tea buyer at work.  she was so full of information and enthusiasm, definitely making me excited about tea too!  after trying a few of the samples she gave me and taking her suggestions on things to try and learning about proper tea preparation and tasting - i stocked up!  went to the store and bought one of every thing!  well, not really, but i bought some green tea, some black tea, some white tea, some loose tea.  WOW! so many selections. 

i also went to tea forte dot com and purchased a kati tea brewing system shown above in "tree top."  its a double wall ceramic tumbler with a stainless steel mesh infuser basket for loose tea.  there are 8 different color/pattern options.  i love it and keep one at home and one at the office!  its never hot to the touch and i like the versatility of being able to use both loose and bagged teas.  this brewing system was featured in O Magazine, so use the coupon code: OPRAH at check out and this super cute tumbler is yours for only $9!  

oh, and their tea isn't too bad either, haha.  i love their cucumber mint and mango peach green teas.  i got the cucumber mint bagged and the mango peach loose.  let me know what you think!

at work, i just use our hot water dispenser for my tea, but at home i currently use the microwave to heat my tea water and would like to get away from doing that.  i am debating between a traditional stove-top tea kettle or an electric kettle.  i like the idea of getting a cute green whistling stove-top kettle - its pretty and functional but maybe not so practical.  the electric kettle is much more efficient/quicker.  maybe i will just get both?  meh, thats not really necessary.

le creuset whistling tea kettle. kiwi.

 

bodum electric kettle. green.

sooooo, which one?