There is nothing to dislike about this specialty tea mug. It is hefty and holds a solid 12 ounces of boiling water after being in the microwave. The handle never gets hot. It's solid and strong. I haven't dropped it yet, but I get the impression that it will likely take a bad drop.
It works great for loose or bagged leaves. With any variety of green tea, you want to microwave the water before adding the tea, so the metal infuser is fine, since you don't use it in the microwave.
Green tea aficionados will have a second mug of some sort and will pour the water back and forth to air cool it to the desired temperature, called pulling or stretching. (I'm a bit particular about my tea, but I'm by no means an aficionado.) It drops about twenty degrees per pour.
So here is one way to get a controlled temperature with this mug. You only have to do this one time to figure it out. Watch as you microwave your water to see when it just barely starts to boil. Note the time it takes; this is the time you'll always use with this variety. Some people's water is pure enough that it will not boil unless you add something to it like a few tea leaves or some sugar--you only have to do this the first time so you can find the length of time you have to microwave it to get to an almost boil. (I use water that has been filtered in my Pur water filter and is refrigerated and it takes 3 minutes and thirty seconds in this mug with no lid and filled about 3/4 inches from the top.) The beginning of boiling is the maximum time to boil your water. Usually you do not want to use water that has been boiled for green tea, so stay just short of that. At this point, your water is about 212 degrees. If you then pour the water into another container and pour it back into the mug, you are at 170 degrees, which is near the optimal temperature for a great many teas.
What makes green tea taste good and sweet is a chemical called Theanine. Anything above 160 degrees for green tea will get out just about the maximum amount of theanine. However, the chemicals that taste harsh, like caffeine, continue to increase release as you raise the temperature you will steep your tea in. So the trick is to use the lowest steeping temperature you can, to still get a great amount of theanine in your cup. So as a general rule, I say, pour the almost boiling water into another container and then pour it back into your cup, and that should about get you where you want to be.
Then you set the infuser in (or just a bag if you are not using loose leaves--loose leaves are the best because you will see that the leaves expand greatly and allowing maximum expansion will give you the most bang with the least leaves possible) and add a teaspoon or more of leaves, depending upon the variety and the strength you like your tea. There are all kinds of rules for different varieties, but it is all really about your taste, and as a rule, I generally prefer about a level teaspoon of leaves in this size cup, so that is a place you might start and work from there.
Put the lid on and let it steep. Notice the lid has a ridge on the inside that keeps it from sliding off. This ridge also serves a second purpose which I'll get to in a minute.
A note on teas. Japanese green teas are pretty much the undisputed masters of green tea. I order my tea from denstea.com. I prefer the Sencha variety, which is the most popular Japanese green tea. This is a much better tea than any of the pre-bagged crap you can buy in the stores. I also enjoy all the varieties I've tried where they mix green tea with roasted grains. They have a great starter pack you can order. The price will seem high, but when you consider that you are getting premium tea and that you are usually going to get up to four 12 oz. cups from a teaspoon of leaves, it turns out not to be high after all. Den's also sends you some great information that comes along with your tea, giving you suggested temperatures and steeping times for the first cup and then for subsequent cups.
But I'm not that sophisticated. I don't follow a certain steeping time. I know how dark I like my variety of tea, so I lift the lid occasionally, to see if it's dark enough yet. Too dark and you start to get a nasty aftertaste with many varieties, so start light.
With green tea, steeping times are just seconds. Maybe 30 seconds or a minute or so. The second, third and forth cups with the same leaves usually uses hotter water and a much shorter steep time, like maybe fifteen to thirty seconds. This gets confusing between all the different teas and steep times under different temperatures.
If you follow my guide of almost boiling it, pour it twice and then steep it to your desired darkness, you probably won't go far wrong. But check Den's guide first, there are some teas that need to be steeped right out of the microwave--no pouring.
When it's done, take the lid off and place it on the counter, top side down. Notice the inside ridge is now pointing up. Lift the infuser out of the tea and let it drip for a second. Just for fun, notice how the tea leaves have exploded in size--you won't see that in a bagged tea, and that means flavor and nutrients. Set the infuser inside the ridge of the lid. That ridge will now act as a dam, holding all the drippings from the infuser. Set this aside and save for your subsequent cups of tea.
Notice that the super-fine micron sized holes in the infuser have allowed absolutely no tea leaves to escape into your cup of tea. You won't be able to predict your future by reading the tea leaves, but you also will never get a piece of a leaf stuck to the front of your teeth and walk around all day in public looking like an idiot.
Now sweeten and stir and you're ready to enjoy, all from one handy cup. Being diabetic, I try to avoid all sugar and any other simple carbohydrates like honey or juice of any kind. What I have found to sweeten my tea, which has no calories, is totally natural and has no adverse effects is pure stevia. Now, the stevia you can buy in stores is cut with some fillers, because stevia is so incredibly powerful and sweet. The producers of these products will lie to you and tell you that stevia has a weird aftertaste and that they use fillers that will reduce it. That's total BS. It's the fillers that have the weird aftertaste. Pure stevia is pure sweet. I can taste no aftertaste in it, but I can taste an aftertaste in every brand that contains fillers. There may be some people who are born with a gene that makes them taste an aftertaste either a tiny bit or a lot, but I'm not one of them and yet I taste an aftertaste with every store bought brand that has fillers. So I buy pure stevia from Stevita Simply Stevia, which is available on the web. You can cook with it if you want to. It is extremely sweet. I like my tea sweet and I use an eighth teaspoon measuring spoon and only use less than a level quarter of that, so a thirty-secondth of a teaspoon or less. I stir it with a tablespoon to reach the bottom of the mug easily.
This mug does it all for you in a single contained unit. It's the simplest and most space economical way I know to get a great cup of green tea.
Oh, and cleanup is a snap. The tea leaves don't stick to the infuser unless you accidentally let them sit there for days. Even then, they just soak off easily. The mug rinses straight away. I've never had to do more than that. I don't really want to put soap in my tea mug.
I hope you find my tips helpful. I would appreciate your insights and improvements upon them.
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Product information
| Brand | FORLIFE |
|---|---|
| Color | Lime |
| Special Feature | Dishwasher Safe |
| Style | Modern |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Home |
| Included Components | Lid |
| Shape | Round |
| Pattern | Solid |
| Product Care Instructions | Hand Wash Only |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Material Feature | Ceramic |
| Reusability | Reusable |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Item Weight | 605 Grams |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Manufacturer | FORLIFE |
| UPC | 874118002443 |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00874118002443 |
| Size | 15-Ounce / 443 ml |
| Product Dimensions | 5.5 x 3.62 x 5.12 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.33 pounds |
| ASIN | B0017929Z2 |
| Item model number | 386-LME |
| Customer Reviews |
4.8 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #81,693 in Kitchen & Dining (See Top 100 in Kitchen & Dining) #1,299 in Mugs |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | April 4, 2008 |
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This Item  FORLIFE Curve Tall Tea Mug with Infuser and Lid 15 ounces, Lime | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -9% $33.72 Typical: $36.93 | -23% $19.99 List: $25.99 | $20.99 | -7% $25.89 Typical: $27.89 | -10% $18.99 List: $20.99 | $21.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Monday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 31 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 12 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 12 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Hour Loop | YUMKUBiS-US | Mora Ceramics | WENSHUO HOME US | Ceefu | SWEEJAR STORE |
| material | Porcelain | Porcelain | Ceramic | Ceramic | Porcelain | Ceramic |
| capacity | 0.45 liters | 17 ounces | 18 ounces | 300 microliters | 16 ounces | 16 fluid ounces |
| number of items | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| keyword type | mugs | infusion-mugs | infusion-mugs | infusion-mugs | teacups | teacups |
| weight | 605 grams | 1.15 pounds | — | — | 453.59 grams | — |
I love this mug!
I love this mug so much that I purchased a second. I’m a big loose leaf tea drinker and this is a generously sized mug. Similar to any product for loose leaf tea I have to clean the mug and the filter by hand every few weeks to remove the stains from the tea brewing but that is to be expected.
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2016
He thought it was great.
Color: GrayVerified Purchase - Mr. John LovettReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2014
Great Mug
Color: Black GraphVerified Purchase - MelCReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2018
Great design and very stylish
Color: BlueVerified Purchase
