The Utlimate Tea Storage Device: The TeaBook #Review #TheTeaBook

Being a coffee and tea drinker, I always found it kind of humorous when looking at kitchen canisters, and the set came with one that was labeled tea, one coffee container, one flour and so forth. I use 4 different types of flours alone, so I usually stick my bread flour in the container because it’s the one most used. I would not be able to do this with my tea or coffee selections. Impossible! We use too many varieties, seasonal flavors and the 3 to 4 stand-bys alone.

In comes a solution for tea drinkers, the TeaBook. I had my teas in boxes, canisters (mini metal ones) to them sort of filed in one of those keepsake photo boxes. Take one out now and it could mess up my “organization”, and worse if you pulled an index card out with it. My process was not working and creating a headache. I even tried having one box for floral and fruity teas, and another for chocolate and spice flavors. No sooner I outgrew one box, I then added a let’s just throw what does not fit in the other boxes in this box….box. Get where I am going? For a person that dislikes clutter and mess, this was an ongoing nightmare for me. I have to admit, I sometimes skipped on tea some nights because I did not want to deal with the boxes. Love the huge collection I have but oh’ my goodness, I am drowning in tea and not in a good way.

Retail Price Point: $21.oo Early Bird Special or $25.00 regular price.  The early bird special ends on May 18th!

Verdict:

The Teabook was created via a Kickstarter campaign. I love when companies actually succeeded in not only creating a campaign, getting support, and yielding an actual final product. The books are simple as can be. You get pages with plastic inserts, each insert holds a tea bag that you can easily see, access, and use. No other tea bags tumbling and the entire book holds a generous 144 individual bags. I don’t like my flavors mixing and this again fixes that. You can create one page for floral notes, another for fruit blends, spicy varieties, black teas and so forth. No rules and you organize to fit your needs and I call that self customization there! The binder has a smooth finish and made of partially recycled and recyclable materials. Environmentally friendly and the cover feels smooth and soft, sort of like leather even though it is not. No dyes that smell off either because the materials are non-toxic and BPA free. Just a clean finish and the book comes in 5 different colors. Again, as your collection and tastes grow, the binders grow along with you. The binder also weighs only 2 pounds when filled. So much lighter than my box method, which failed and was not exactly organized. Now, if you buy teas in bulk or tins, the binder method does not work but those come labeled (or you label the container if you purchase in bulk bags). That is the only flaw if you really want to find one but 65% of my collection is in bags and this is a real solution to the most messiest problem, of keeping them in order and still being able to see each individual bag. Never lose a tea bag in a stack again!

Checkout the TeaBook at:

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from The TeaBook. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

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iCoffee Opus Single Serve Brewer Review

Last year I had the good fortune of being offered a chance to try out Remington’s iCoffee’s SteamBrew multi-cup brewer. At the time, I thought I had found nirvana, bliss in a cup. I have used everything from a $500 German-engineered machine to a $10 French press, and nothing compared to iCoffee’s SteamBrewed cup of goodness. I did not think I would ever find anything to top it.

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I was wrong.

Because iCoffee sent me their newest creation, the Opus Single Serve Brewer. There’s a new sheriff in town, folks. And his name is Opus.

Everything I loved about the iCoffee SteamBrew machine has been miniaturized and put into Opus. It steams, spins and stirs the coffee right in the cup! Everything I dreaded about single-cup brewers was crumpled up and thrown right in the trash. Because iCoffee has the good grace and sense to include a reusable single-serve cup to add your favorite coffee, one amazingly, impossibly smooth cup at a time. The cup will accept all grinds (except maybe powder fine, I don’t grind my coffee that fine so I can’t say for certain), so you can adjust your grind to match the flavor profile and strength you desire. You want loose-leaf tea? The cup will accept any tea from any maker and flavor you desire. Or just heat one cup of water at a time and steep your bagged tea as you please. Iced coffee? Please, that’s not even a challenge. Just add ice and dial down the ounces. Don’t want to bother grinding, measuring or weighing out your coffee? iCoffee’s Opus accepts every K-Cup^®, OneCup™, RealCup™ capsule, and all private label cups. Because only an insecure, inferior machine will limit your experience to just their brand of cups. And Remington’s iCoffee Opus let’s you experience every and anything you want to taste. Opus is packing a 75 ounce water reservoir, a removable drip tray to accommodate just about any size mug or travel cup you can find. Energy saver mode, auto shut off, and a precise Dial-a-Brew system that let’s you dial in your drink size from 4 ounces all the way up to 12, one half ounce at a time. Remington Even includes a six pack of single serve coffees from Tim Horton and Marley coffees, and even an herbal tea! I think it’s the perfect machine for any household. And cleanup? Throw the used cup away, or just wash out the included (Seriously, how awesome is Remington for that?!) reusable cup!

So, let’s address the elephant in the room: How does iCoffee’s Opus stack up to the market leaders with single serve machines? Well, I could go on and on about how superior the flavor is from Opus (and believe me, it is!), and it’s still  just one person’s opinion. But why do that when Remington went to the flavor professionals at Ohio State University. Read the full report here, but with all variables being equal, iCoffee Opus beat Keurig’s best machine in every category, from aroma, to taste, to aftertaste. Spanked them, actually. In fact, almost everyone who tries iCoffee’s Opus agrees. So, then what about that website that claimed the coffee made by Opus was weaker than from another brand of brewer? Poppycock, says I. If you want a stronger brew, grind your beans a little bigger. Here’s another pro tip: Remember iCoffee Opus’s patented Dial-a-Brew system? A little trick I learned is to fill mug 4 ounces at a time. Just pop the top after you dispense your 4 ounces of love, close and repeat until full. What that does is let the grounds steep just a few more seconds each time and be super-saturated by ounce 12. I got so much flavor from my coffees and teas this way, I get to tailor my cup each time I turn it on. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you this is the best cup of coffee I’ve ever brewed at home.

iCoffee’s Opus Brewer is a treat to smell, makes treats to taste, and looks damn fine doing it too. Shiny chrome, bright blue LED lights…the only thing I miss is my iCoffee’s little tune it sung when my brew was done. It doesn’t take up the whole counter, it doesn’t suck up a bunch of electricity while idle, an it goes from cold to piping hot and ready to drink in about 5 minutes (our non-contact thermometer registered 147 degrees and climbing fresh from the brewer!). There is quite literally nothing to dislike about the iCoffee Opus. If you forced me to pick one quibble, it would be the vacuum-metalized plastic cover on the drip tray. Because it will be used so much, the chrome paint will be scratched or worn away quickly, so I may have hubby fabricate a version out of stainless steel. And that’s me being picky. I usually try not to gush over the things I test and review, but I just love this machine. I’ve used it every day since it arrived, and my teapot on the stovetop is turning green from envy. Once the belle of the ball, iCoffee’s Opus just kicked him to the curb. iCoffee’s Opus Single Serve Brewer is available exclusively at Bed, Bath & Beyond (and if you don’t get promos from them already, you really should start here now). I cannot recommend this brewer highly enough, I can’t say enough good things about Remington’s iCoffee Opus. You really owe it to yourself to try the cup of coffee Opus can make for you.

 

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I received the above product free of charge from Remington.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Klout: Fair Trade Moms Make a World of Difference #Perk #FairTrade

Here’s another great Klout perk to share and I list the Fair Trade boxes in my top 10 perks to get. The boxes are filled with wonderful goodies and are always a hit in my home. I have become a fan of many of the brands and have continued to purchase them all, just because of my introduction via these great Klout Perk boxes. This one was smaller but did not disappoint!

Included were 6 items from 4 different manufacturers that adhere to the Fair Trade global practices of delivering goods from workers treated fairly. Fair Trade USA is not a charity but a global organization that helps developing communities improve their quality of life, and also make it possible for us to enjoy the goods they produce. This can range from clothing to foods, but always knowing that the symbol on the package goes beyond just a simple promise. It’s a social movement constantly improving and finding ways to do things not only better…..also, the right way.

 

Numi Organic Tea– An indulgent tea and in a Chocolate Spice flavor. You think chocolate and tea does not seem right and you start associating it to maybe being a light latte or some thinned out hot chocolate drink. This is none of that! It’s a clear and light chai tea, which has nice soft notes of dark chocolate with just a hint of spice. It’s smooth and delightful and kills any sweet tooth craving you may have. The box comes with 12 tea bags and is also non-GMO certified. I enjoyed this blend and found that the chocolate taste is very present but balanced well with the tea leaves, plus you can adjust the strength by letting it steep a little longer. This is on my “buy again” list.

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Alter ECO chocolate truffles– I received my parcel in the start of the hot weather and also that week we got a nice little heat wave. My truffles were hot and liquidy inside and thankfully only one oozed a little outside of it’s wrapper. I quickly put them on a dish and into the fridge they went. I kept hoping the truffle would stiffen up and remain edible. Even though I did not enjoy these chocolates in their prime state, they still held up well regardless of their not so fair arrival. The truffle center that is soft stayed in place, so it seems I was lucky!

I received the Black Truffle and the Velvet Truffle. I can say that both had a very smooth consistency and were velvety soft with the difference pretty much being one was a dark chocolate and the other a milk. The Black truffle was very smooth with no bitter after-notes or a waxy consistency left in your mouth. It melted and dissipated nicely……sort making me wish I had another. The Velvet truffle was pretty great for being milk and had a rich flavor, smooth but not super milky. You taste the chocolate and for being a milder variety, I wished I had 2 more of these after I finished. I can say the truffles peaked my curiosity and Alter Eco Foods has a pretty large assortment of treats that I hope to try in the near future. Their brand goes beyond chocolate and you have Rices to Quinoa and even Sugars to choose from. My opinion is that if a stressed out little melted truffle can taste this good……can you imagine one in it’s prime state? I know, let me just ponder about it a little more 🙂

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Nutiva Virgin Coconut Oil– I was so happy when I saw this bottle and Nutiva did not just include a sample packet, but a full size bottle. There is a reason why you visit the site and the product in the standard size is sold-out. Not all oils are created equal and this non-GMO oil takes the Coconut experience to whole another level. Clean and pure in taste, this comes from using fresh Organic coconuts in production. I baked delicious cookies that were moist in the inside and crisp on the outside and the pineapple chunks just gave them that tropical burst I was looking for. Nutiva makes everything you can get out of a coconut from flours, sugars, oils to you got to check out what an “o’ coconut” is! They also carry Hemp, Chia and Red Palm derived products. I got lost on their site just checking out everything they make!

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Fair Trade pin– I know it’s just a pin but I love this little stuff and I can now take pictures of my Fair Trade certified products with a pin by it! That makes the blogger in me happy and yes, I still have it in it’s plastic so it remains beautiful and shiny 🙂

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Runa Clean Energy– A Guayusa based drink that comes in an array of flavors, I was able to try the Lemon Lemongrass variety. I chilled mine before enjoying it. The product is a natural energy drink without the crash or too speedy feeling. You get a “pep in your step”, with no after-burn, plus it’s refreshing and tastes great. The lemon is nice too…think of a sweet tea that is not super sugary, so your thirst in quenched and you get that extra energy to go about your day. One bottle is only 50 calories and that is something your waist line will appreciate with Summer around the corner. Runa also carries other products made with Guayusa from the bottles to energy drinks and even loose leaf tins.

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I recommend checking out the companies above by simply clicking on the titles and please read on how they grow, make, cultivate, to how they get products to your door via the Fair Trade practices. Many have other advantages to being Organic and using non-GMO ingredients. To a healthier Summer 2014 and better choices!

You can also become a Klout member buy visiting Klout and all you need is a Facebook or Twitter accoount.  Simple and takes less than 3 minutes and you can start enjoying Klout Perks too!

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Fair Trade USA and the above named companies.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.