Three ways that I’ve upped my hot beverage game!

Ahh man, it sounds like a bit of a sponsored post title, but no it’s really not! A few neat little gadgets and gizmos have appeared in my life recently and I really wanted to tell you about them.

Our kettle recently died, and I had my eye on a ‘WiFi Kettle’ – the idea sounded incredible, but the reviews and dated app suggested the reality wasn’t. Something else caught my eye though a Breville Hot Cup – the Breville VKJ142 Hot Cup to be exact. The idea is simple, fill up the reservoir, press a button, and in less than 30 seconds you have a mug of boiling water. It’s SO good for someone who smashes through the amount of tea I do, it makes it very quick and easy.

It’s good for the environment and energy bills because you’re only heating the exact amount of water you use. Of course you can just boil a cupful in a kettle, but in such a hard water area like Essex, the bottom of the kettle is largely limescale – bluegh. You don’t have control of the amount of water that comes out, it’s just an average mug amount of water – annoying for larger mugs though. I’m the only tea drinker in the household, so the kettle was only really used for making brews for me so it’s not missed!

Next up is my super cute ‘Tea Bag Bin’ – it’s a teeny little bin, made by Brabantia that you can ditch tea bags and coffee pods straight into. It saves shuffling across the floor to the bin with a drippy tea bag to dispose of it, it just goes into this small bin you have on the worksurface. It’s made with Stainless Steel so cleans up nicely (and can be put in the dishwasher). I use some ‘Value’ sandwich bags in mine as small bin liners, so when it’s full, emptying it is quick and simple.

I’ve actually saved the best thing till last – it actually BLEW my mind, it’s the ‘Tea Tool’. I found it in my local Lakeland store, but you can get them at Amazon for a quid more.

This bad boy grabs and holds the tea bag as you stir with it, then you can give the bag a good squeeze, then you can drop the bag into the bin (or tea bag bin). It makes a lovely strong tea, although you mustn’t squeeze too hard as it can rip into the bag. It’s so painfully simple, and fiendishly clever it makes the humble teaspoon look like a neolithic implement.

I think I’ve hit my top of my hot beverage game in recent weeks!