Best gift for tea lovers

If a friend or loved one is a true tea fan, I strongly suggest you get them something that will make making tea at the office, or even at home, easy and really good: the IngenuiTEA by Adagio Teas. Price: $19 (order online).

This great invention allows you to steep loose-leaf tea, and then dispense the tea when it's done steeping directly into your mug or teacup. It works like a charm. Since it's made of plastic, it's also unbreakable and really easy to clean.

I have two of these: one for home, and one for the office (I've used them almost every day for about a year and a half). All you need is near-boiling water (like that from a kettle or hot water dispenser on a coffee machine) and your favorite loose-leaf tea. I get questions all the time from people at the office: "What is that thing?" I explain how it works...and then they usually want to buy one themselves!

Downsides: None, really. The mesh that keeps the dregs out eventually gets stained a brown color. I think it adds a little character to it, but some don't like it (and it doesn't wash out). Now Adagio's offering a replaceable filter for those who want their filter to be colorless.

It's really easy. Take a look at the YouTube video to the right.

1. Open the lid, and add your loose-leaf tea.

2. Add the hot water, up to about the level of the logo on the front (for an 8 oz cup of tea).

3. Steep your tea for however long the tea is supposed to steep (typically 3-5 minutes).

4. Place the IngenuiTEA on top of your mug. It will dispense the tea into your mug in about 5 seconds. The tea leaves will stay inside the IngenuiTEA.

5. Open up the lid again to shake out the used tea leaves (dregs).

Assam Harmony: a rich, fragrant black tea. Although black tea is not my favorite, good black teas with a perfumy, slightly smoky, fragrance are really nice when it's cold outside. This one looks beautiful, the liquor is a nice reddish-brown, and it smells fantastic. It has a bit of a malty flavor to it that cream/milk and some sugar complement well. It's also perfect if you want to make chai (Indian spiced tea).

Ceylon apricot: The smoky, pungent flavor of this heady Ceylon tea pairs nicely with the arid flavor of apricot. I usually hate flavored teas--the taste can be overpowering and artificial--but this is subtle and graceful. I prefer to sweeten this one, and it also makes a phenomenal iced tea. Brew it in the IngenuiTEA for about 4 minutes with just-below-boiling water, dispense into a pitcher, sweeten and add ice. Perfect!

Jade Oolong: This is called Tung Ting oolong in Taiwan, where it's harvested. Oolong tea is somewhere in between green tea (unoxidized) and black tea (fully oxidized), and the flavor is somewhere in between. It has a bit of the earthy pungency of a black tea, but with the light crispness of a green tea. This particular type of oolong is my favorite for its vague peachy flavor (I'm serious), and the way the balls unfurl beautifully in the IngenuiTEA. Almost impossible to oversteep.

Silver Needle: Phenomenal white tea! I love this stuff, and drink it almost every day. A light, sweet tea that is impossible to oversteep (and go ahead and use boiling water; it can handle it). For some bizarre reason, the liquor darkens as it cools; it goes from pale yellow to a deep golden as it approaches room temperature. Very high in antioxidants, and you'll never need to sweeten it. It has a vaguely almond-like flavor (very, very subtle). This tea is called "Yin Zhen".

Rooibos: This South African tea ('rooibos' means 'red bush' in Afrikaans) is caffeine-free (an herbal tea) and very high in antioxidants. It also has a great, sweet flavor that's hard to describe. It's a bit like black tea but much less harsh (you really don't need to sweeten it, although honey complements it nicely) or like hibiscus without the earthiness. It's light and refreshing and makes a great iced tea. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't absolutely love this stuff.