Product Description
The Canteen Tea Cup Infuser Set by Bodum is made for design conscious tea aficionados - beautiful see-through simplicity coupled with great functionality! The double wall design of the Canteen glass creates an effective layer of insulation that keeps the tea hot for a longer period of time while the outside of the glass remains cool to the touch, keeping fingers from getting burnt. The Canteen Tea Cup Infuser Set is perfect for all types of loose leaf tea. Additionally, it allows you to view the tea while it brew and develops rich colors and taste. the filter containing tea leaves inside can be removed and used again to re-infuse the same quality loose leaf tea. All parts are made of ultra-light, temperature safe borosilicate glass. The filter ensures that leaves and kernels remain within the filter while brewing, allowing the aroma of the tea to fully evolve without the messy remains of tea leaves escaping into the cup. the lid retains the heat in the cup while the tea brews and also acts as a saucer when the filter is taken out. The glass has a capacity of 0.2l/6oz.
Product Details
* Amazon Sales Rank: #40638 in Kitchen & Housewares
* Brand: Bodum
* Model: K10818-10
* Dimensions: 6.10" h x 4.50" w x 8.80" l, 1.31 pounds
Features
* Canteen Double Wall Glass and Glass Filter
* Borosilicate Glass
* Clear
* Dishwasher Safe
* No warranty
Customer Reviews
Good in theory, some flaws. However, great multitasking device, too.3
First off, this is beautiful. The glass is even more exquisite than it looks in the box. It's really a work of art. It ships well too, and is in a paper carton that's form fitting to the cup.
The idea is pretty nice - a cup with it's own filter for lose teas, that is reusable. I like reusable stuff. I dig recycling. So, I was down with this idea.
As per the picture, this is merely a glass without a handle. I'm fond of japanese and chinese cups which generally have no handles either, so I figured, no big deal here. Again, while you can see this in the picture, some people in my house did not and complained when I gave it to them to use. So, just throwing it out there. It is thermal, and did not get unpleasantly warm during use.
There was one flaw which was a downer for me. The vents on the insert for the filter as reviewers noted, indeed do let finer tea leaves seep into your tea. Again, having drunk it "old school", a few leaves is no bother to me. However... this prompted my examination of the insert, especially for the review.
This appears to be made out of very lightweight glass, like pyrex but far thinner. If you're used to nice hefty porecelain or stoneware, you'll be disappointed. It's almost feather-light - good for people with hand troubles though, I suppose.
At any rate, staring at the filter, I wondered to myself, how precisely did they cut those holes in the bottom? Rather than being formed, they were indeed incised into the bottom. Not generally a big deal, but there are minute cracks and marks around the opening. No, I don't think you'll get glass chips in your tea, but it seems...well, sloppy. Here's this elegant glass, and they incised holes and left cracks there, although minute...the craftsman in me sort of did a double take. Might just be my tea cup in particular, but I've done some crafting with molten glass, and I only ever see flaws like that from cutting it when it's too brittle. I sometimes wonder looking at it, if the filter was actually an afterthought, and it had a metal one instead.
It's really not a bad tea cup. It's cute, has a lid, and looks pretty. Keeps your tea warm, but it's not optimal overall. When most of us die hard tea fans already have other options for lose tea that are reusable, I can't say I'd go out of my way to buy anything like this for myself again, to be really honest with you. I might for a gift, buy one with some swank loose tea. Overall though, it's in practice not as practical as you might think.
Consider that one of the main reasons you get a thermal reusable cup for your tea or coffee is that you are moving around a lot, or even driving. This is glass - durable glass, but glass nonetheless. This won't be the thermal cup you yank for car trips.
As an aside, one thing it works *great* for are tinctures of herbs and making flavored oils. Since it can hold up to heat, I made a flavored garlic and rosemary infused oil for cooking. The lid is great for storing, and the strainer gets rid of large herb chunks perfectly. Perhaps Bodum should make a version for that too? It actually is sort of useful in lots of ways around the kitchen if you're a foodie. It's perfect to keep small amounts of gravy or sauce warm but off heat, as well, like a hollandaise. The cup is great for eating soup, too, and I found it more useful for that since my tea rarely sits long enough to cool dramatically before it's gone. So, don't just limit it to tea if you get this.
If you enjoy getting unique toys for your tea, then this won't be bad for the collection. It will stand out, and get nice comments when you have company. Chances are though if you're looking for practical specialty tea wares, there are better in general. It really depends on your own tea habits, and what you are looking for. I'd suggest using another filter with it though for fine loose teas, or a tea ball, rather than relying on the glass filter alone if tea leaves bug you.
3 stars for the double wall design minus 2 stars for filter slits3
The Bodum Canteen 6 ounce is nice in that it is glass and double walled so no metal to contaminate tea flavor and no burned fingers but the filtering mechanism consists of slits studded around the lower sides of the base of the inner cup that are large enough to allow some tea leaf particles to escape. Some reviewers didn't mention this so perhaps the clarity of the steeped tea depends on the type of loose tea leaves one buys. Also, it makes about one china teacup of tea - OK if you are a china teacup tea sipper but if you want a big mug of tea you will need to perform the steeping procedure twice. This would be nice for loose tea enthusiasts at work who wish to dispense with an extra mug/teacup as you can drink the tea from the outer double walled glass collector.
Have A "Cuppa"! Another Beautiful & Functional Product From Bodum5
The Bodum Canteen 6-Ounce (0.18-Liter) Double Wall Glass Thermal Tea Infuser Set is not only functional but beautiful as well. I own several Bodum pieces from the Assam, Ceylon and their Traditional line but this is the first piece that I have owned from the line known as "Canteen". Bodum has won many reddot design awards in the past and with this new line it's easy to see why. This mouth-blown glass double wall three piece set is just what the doctor ordered when you need a quick "cuppa" for yourself. The Canteen Tea Cup Infuser Set is perfect for all types of loose leaf tea and even coarse ground coffee. I have brewed loose leaf tea, herb tea and coffee in my Canteen and it has yet to leave any sediment in the bottom of my glass. You may pour boiling water over your tea/coffee or you may also microwave the water right in the glass itself. All the pieces in this set are microwave and dishwasher safe which makes for easy preparing and cleaning.
This tea infuser/cup features the cup itself, infuser/strainer and lid that converts into a saucer when the strainer is removed. All parts are made of beautiful, clear, mouth blown, ultra-light, temperature safe, borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass substitutes boron oxide in place of the soda and lime used in traditional glassware. This medical grade glass is the same kind of glass used to make scientific lab glass items, is super light in construction while being very strong, resists scratching and will maintain clarity much better than your average, traditional glassware. It really holds in the heat due to the double wall construction while the outside of the glass remains cool to the touch. After your cup of tea or coffee has been brewed, the glass filter can be removed and used again to re-infuse your loose leaf tea or coffee grounds.
All in all, another SUPER product and beautiful design from BODUM Inc.
