Tea, as a beverage, was discovered in Assam in the early 19th century. Assam is.the rich, green land of rolling plains and dense forests is the gatewayto the north eastern part of India. The mighty Brahmaputra river that has its origins in Tibet charts its majestic course through this state. This mystic land of eternal blue hills and beautiful rivers is renowned for its tea, rich flora and fauna. In Assam, tea is grown both in the Brahmaputra and Barak plains. Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur are the districts where tea gardens are mostly found. Assam produces 51% of the tea produced in India and about 1/6th of the tea produced in the world. Almost equally reknowned, Bodum Assam 2-Cup Tea Press 1842-01GVP was originally designed for the British Tea Council and the British really take their tea seriously. Using a similar mechanism found on Bodum's popular French-Press product, the Assam gets more flavor from the tea leaves than an ordinary tea pot. The secret is in the plunger mechanism which squeezes the tea leaves down, retaining their presence at the bottom of the pot, to infuse all their properties into the hot water. There are so many teas on themarket, and many are or can be blended for particular qualities. Whether you choose black, green white, herbal, or medicinal tea, the Assam teapot is the best and easiest way to get a really delicious tea. So whether you're British or not, this teapot from Bodum is personifies the best.
Who knows more about tea than the British? When the British Tea Council asked Bodum to develop a new way of brewing tea, the result was this unique press that's almost as much fun to look at as it is to use. Simply fill the strainer with tea leaves and add boiling water--a slow process, but well worth the time. (You could also use tea bags, but why would you want to?) The clear jug lets you see the tea as it's steeping, allowing you to customize its strength to your taste. When the tea is strong enough, slowly depress the plunger to stop the brewing. You won't have any tea leaves to read at the bottom of your cup, but there's no mess and no need to remove the strainer before you pour. But be forewarned: the Bodum press doesn't retain heat quite as well as a traditional teapot, so you might want to use a tea cozy if you're not drinking the whole pot in one sitting. It's a shame to cover up such a beautiful design, but that's the way the tea leaf tumbles. --Mary Park
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Good intro teapot for looseleaf tea:
My husband likes tea and he uses this whenever we don't have coffee. You have to boil water in another pot for use in this teapot since it is a French Press teapot.
Poor value:
I have owned this tea press for a considerable time; I had put it back for a while. I just now began using it again, and I now remember why I had shelved it. It is impossible to pour tea from this pot without spilling it. This is very annoying - annoying to the point that I am finally going to put it out of my misery. Oh, also, I am not pleased with the plastic strainer that has holes way too big. I wish I had my money back.....
Boudum-Assam 4-cup Tea Press:
This tea pot works well for us. We can have better tea for less money by buying loose tea. No bags, no teaball, just fill the press. Brewing is fast, and you vary the time by instructions on the tea or matte. Leave the press in as lid after brewing - the tea leaves are isolated by the press. Clean up is easy. We use the Bodum double wall tumblers to serve the tea so it stays hot longer. We consider tea better for our health than coffee. We plan to keep warmer this winter by burning less fuel and... more info
No warranty for cracked strainer:
I purchased this product recently, and have hand washed the plastic strainer maybe 3 or 4 times. It was getting tea stained, so I checked their website to make sure that it was dishwasher safe. When I saw that it was, I put it into the top rack of the dishwasher. It came out with a piece completely cracked off. I emailed them twice with no response, so today I called and they said that ONLY their electrical items are warrantied. Nothing else - no exceptions. This is the last Bodum product I will buy. What... more info
