Adagio Teas triniTea Electric 32-Ounce Tea Maker

An electric tea make specifically designed to brew tea.

The water is heated in the top chamber. Once hot, it is then released to the brewing chamber at the bottom where you place your tea leaves or bags. You set the brewing time and the tea-type setting (black vs. green tea). When the time is up, Adagio beeps 3 times. The brewed liquid is dropped to the carafe down below, ready for your enjoyment. Your tea is kept warm for you as long as you like.

Makes FOUR 8-oz cups of tea at a time for a total of 32 ounces.

PROS:

Small enough to fit into even the smallest dorm rooms.
Separate settings for black (212 F degrees) vs. green tea (180 F degrees).
Brewing time setting between 2 and 7 minutes.
Built-in timer eliminates the need to look at clock to prevent over-steeping.

CONS:

Older units (which had a drippy carafe problem) beep 4 times when the tea is ready. If that is your set, you may consider return it for a full refund or exchange with the new and better models that beep only 3 times.
Some consumers think the tea is not hot enough. This is a personal matter that only you can decide. If you like your tea scalding hot and boiling, this set is probably not for you.
Less-than-satisfactory customer service, should you need it. Best advice: the unit comes with 90 day warranty. If something goes wrong during that period, return it for a full refund. Amazon, for example, has a great return policy for cases like that.

What the reviewers said:

“Over all this is a good tea maker. I love the timer aspect which makes it so much easier to brew the different teas. I just wish it made more than 4 cups...”

“It's the only automatic tea maker I could find that actually steeps the tea for a time you select. A nice feature is the ability to select a lower steeping temperature for green tea. The tea tastes great. I highly recommend this unit...”

“This machine is fantastic. It allows me to brew my tea while I'm accomplishing another household job. The tea comes out perfect both in the green tea cycle and on the black tea cycle...”

“If the pot isn't positioned properly on the burner the tea doesn't brew or if it does, it leaks all over (has only occurred a couple of times)…”

Available at a discount at Amazon.

Insurance company: Drinking tea "may help prevent" tooth decay

© Ugur Akinci

Here is another news story about well-documented health benefits of drinking tea: it may prevent or slow down tooth decay (unless you dump your cup with heaps of refined sugar).

Expatries insurance company released a quote by Dr Carrie Ruxton, a member of the Tea Advisory Panel (of UK), that drew attention to the "antibacterial properties" of tea which " has been known for decades."

The panel confirmed in a study that "compounds in tea, known as flavonoids, are able to disrupt the bacteria in the mouth that cause dental decay."

Excellent news for teenagers since dental decay usually starts in those ages due to poor eating habits, including too much candy and chocolate.

Dr. Ruxton favored black tea over the green for more potent flavonoids that it contains.

"Flavonoids also inhibit the breakdown of starch from our foods whilst we are chewing them. This helps to prevent build up of plaque," the good doctor reminded.

Taylors of Harrogate, Yorkshire Gold Tea

Stash Premium English Breakfast Black Tea

Photo credit Patrick George

Bigelow Green Tea

© Ugur Akinci

Bigelow Green Tea is a reasonably priced smooth green tea that comes in gluten-free tea bags.

Steep it in hot water just 2 minutes and you'll be done. But I don't mind leaving my bag in the cup till the water gets lukewarm. This blend is so light, over-brewing won't make it bitter.

There is no outstanding texture or feel to this tea as you'd have with any STASH blend, for example. It's your average straight-forward and pure green tea that you can jazz it up with a slice of lemon or a drop of honey, for example.

As almost all green tea commercially available out there today, Bigelow Green Tea (names after Eunice and David Bigelow) has zero fat, calories and carbs, and lots of good health-preserving antioxidants.

Enjoy a cup today after meal! Available from Amazon.

Linden Tea -- A Relatively Unknown Help for Chest Cold and Congestion

© Ugur Akinci

My sweet grandma used to put a pinch of linden leaves and flowers into a boiling cup of water, seep it for a minute or two, and then filter out its water and have us kids drink it on those cold winter night to fight off anything from coughing to chest cold. Still to this day I make myself a cup of linden tea from time to time to savor its unique herbal taste and gentle flavor.

In case you've never seen a linden plant before, this is what a linden plant looks like.

And this is how it looks like when it's dried up, ready for brewing.

You can either buy it by weight and then add it your self to a boiling pot of water (keep it in for only two minutes) or use pre-made linden tea bags.

The color of your linden tea should be a medium golden-wheat brown and it should be clear, not cloudy.

It's a great soothing tea for parched throats or if you have a slight cold and want a healing touch from inside.

A Hot-Bodied Invigorating Tea -- CHAI SPICE by Stash

© Ugur Akinci

Stash company is so far ahead in bringing us one high-quality tea blend after another.

Here is my latest favorite: CHAI SPICE.

As its red packaging suggests, this a tangy, spicy, hot-textured blend, perfect to take care of that 3 p.m. afternoon slow-downs.

It's got black tea, cinnamon, ginger root, cinnamon flavor, clove oil, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom oil. It comes in decaff version as well.

You want to give your taste buds a workout? Then this is your tea for sure. But take it easy. If you drink two bags in a row, for example, it may upset your stomach or give you a headache. Don't let your teabag sit in your cup for too long.

I prefer one a day, at most two, sometimes with a slice of lemon for that extra metabolism kick. It's enough to rev up your system a notch or two.

Also recommended: try it with milk for a milder ride late at night.

You can cool it off, save it in the fridge, and try it later cold as well. A few ice cubes will transform this strong cinnamon-clove blend into a delicious ice tea offering indeed. Perfect for hot July and August afternoons.

A delectable tea for waking up from any siesta. Enjoy!

Available (both regular and decaff) from Amazon.