Accessory: LibreTea Tea Glass (Libre)

Thursday is Teahouse/Tea Room, Accessory and Brand Review Day!

I don’t know about you… but I love playing with new toys. They could be gadgets or widgets or software or a tea accessory. The LibreTea Glass ‘n Poly tea glass is nothing short of awesome!

To be honest, I was a little trepedatious about reviewing this particular product. As much excitement as I always have when reviewing tea stuff, this particular product has a mesh infuser. Anyone familiar with some of my earlier reviews knows I’m not a fan.

The LibreTea Glass ‘n Poly tea glass however is a ‘break-the-mold’ fantastic accessory. But before I gush about the product too much, let’s look at its construction.

The Glass ‘n Poly has three parts: a top cap (far right in photo), an infuser cap (middle) and the glass itself. The thing which worried me the most about the LibreTea is that it had these multiple pieces. “Wouldn’t that be too complicated?” I asked myself.

To find out, I put the LibreTea through its paces for two weeks at the office and at home. I tested with white teas, black teas, green teas and herbals. Teas of all different liquor hue.

After filling my LibreTea with water of the desired temperature I attached the infuser cap. Then added the type of tea I wanted, put the top cap on and flipped the unit upside down to allow for proper infusion. Of course, I allowed the tea to steep for the requisite amount of time.

What I found was that the LibreTea has replaced my standard infusers. I’m not really sure when this happened… but I’ve mostly stopped using standard mugs or cups for my loose tea. The LibreTea also has enough space in the infuser cap for a teabag, if that’s your thing. Loose tea, as is usually the case, does come out more flavorful.

The LibreTea seems to keep my tea drinkably warm for between thirty and forty minutes depending on what temperature the water was when I put it in. Of course, since I use my trusty Zojirushi water boiler/warmer unit, I always know what temperature that is!

During the course of using the LibreTea I noted a few things which detracted from the experience.

First, was the lack of a “spout” or “straw” with which to drink the tea. Instead, you’re left with having to expose your tea to spills as both caps are required to be removed to drink. I understand this limitation in a 1.0 release, but could easily envision some extra plastic in the infuser cap with a channel for the liquid to flow to a flip straw.

Second, when drinking black teas, pu’erhs and darker herbals some staining is left on the ring at the top of the glass itself. This is easy enough to clean, and the entire unit is dishwasher safe, but it’s a mild inconvenience I haven’t had to deal with before.

Finally, while I don’t consider it a safety issue… it’s a bit disconcerting that some  of the olive green plastic in the infuser cap seems to have faded. I’m not sure if it’s an issue with the materials or if it’s natural wear and tear… but I didn’t anticipate discoloration after only a couple weeks or regular use.

These three quibbles aren’t large enough to keep me from giving this accessory a full five out of five stars. In fact, I’m still so jazzed about the LibreTea several weeks after receiving my review unit that I wrote to the company asking for a couple extra units I could give away in a contest. Which consequently starts today as well!

Obviously, those who drink their teas “gong fu” style or in a more traditional atmosphere wouldn’t use this accessory. But for anyone who enjoys tea everyday using a mug and an infuser or even just teabags, this is pretty much the perfect accessory!

Pros

• Keeps your tea warm for up to forty minutes in practice
• Easiest to clean mesh infuser I’ve ever encountered
• Will replace your standard infuser & mug combo
• Loose tea on the go
• Tea bags work fine as well
• Dishwasher safe

Cons

• Occasional staining on the glass lid
• Some discoloration of the plastics occurs
• Could use a spout or “straw” for drinking on the go