The IngenuiTEA Teapot is an ingenious little 16oz teapot. Simply brew your tea for your preferred amount of time then rest the pot over your mug - the spring-loaded valve will empty the tea into your mug, but leave the leaves behind. Just rinse for next time!

Via cribcandy Tags: ingenuitea, teapot, loose leaf tea, tea, tea pot, brewing

Vancouver coffee and tea chain Murchie’s is under new ownership by a Victoria family, under management of Belmont Management.

Murchie’s is a 113-year-old Vancouver landmark with five metro Vancouver stores and one Victoria store. The chain was facing bankruptcy.

The new managing director, Grant Kuebler, thinks marketing lies at the root of the issue - a good product that has gone unmarketed. Though the name may be well known, it is not top-of-mind in product purchase decisions.

What will this change bring? More locations, modernization (behind-the-scenes and up front), and broader marketing.

"So we see an opportunity there, and within a year our goal is to get a blueprint in place that will allow us to expand."

Via Vancouver Sun Tags: murchies, tea, coffee, vancouver, vancouver coffee

Michael Allen Smith of INeedCoffee has published a great set of reference tips for troubleshooting the French Press and the quality of coffee you can get from it.

We have long used the French Press - it is, by far, the cheapest and easiest way to get high quality coffee.

The tips offered encompass:

• water quality
• brewing temperature (just off a boil)
• fresh coffee
• grind size
• steep time (may vary per coffee and as per your taste)
• dosage

And, as Michael notes, don’t take that last sip of coffee. Unless you feel like filtering it, you’re going to get a mouthful of sediment. Not the yummiest part of the coffee.

Tags: french press, french press coffee, coffee, coffee press, brewing coffee

Can you function without coffee? If not, this is the cup for you! Start up your machine in the morning with this on / off mug.

via swiss miss Tags: coffee mug, on off mug, mug, coffee