Things I Carry: Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

I was obsessed with tea tumblers

I would keep seeing all these cute tea drinking accessories on the internet. I would come across tumblers to tea balls to infusers. It was tempting to join the ‘loose leaf tea club’ with everything I was seeing, especially when Zack from the Try Guys started his company Zadiko Tea Co. 

So I, a notorious coffee drinker, decided to get a Tea Tumblr.

Introduction to Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

In today’s The Things I Carry post, we’ll discuss how I obtained this my Pure Zen Tea Tumbler and what my thoughts are about it. As I briefly mentioned, on the coffee versus tea debate, I’m on Team Coffee all the way. However, I do realize that coffee is not always a good healthy option and with all the different types of tea available, substituting a cup of coffee for a cup of tea (especially at night) may be good for me. So I began my tea journey with my Pure Zen Tea Tumbler.

What I love about Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

• It’s not just for tea: While my intention was to buy the tea tumbler for, well tea, I love the fact that it could also be used to infuse fruits into water as well. 

• The steel infusion filter: I love that the steel infusion filter is able to be screwed at either the top of the tea tumbler or the bottom. I like having options for how I want to infuse my beverages. 

• The packaging: This tumbler could have arrived in a simple box and that’s it. However, it came in a beautiful cylindrical container that had a ‘wood aesthetic’ and it also came with a sleeve which was cool to use. 

• It encourages healthy habits: This product was made to encourage people, like me, to drink more water and healthier beverages instead of going for sugary drinks. It also is a greener alternative to using water bottles. 

What doesn’t work about Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

• Marketing images: One of the images I saw on Amazon when making my decision, showed the sleeve of the tumbler. It had a small strap pointed upward which made it look like a straw. It’s my fault for assuming that there was a straw, especially because nowhere did it indicate that there was a straw or straw-like accessory, but I did feel disappointed to know that there was no straw available. 

• Drinking: Since there is no straw, as silly as it sounds, drinking was not always a great experience. I’m clumsy and would get some of my drink on my shirt while taking quick sips from the tumbler. 

• The Smell: I’m sure this is a “user-error”, but after several uses, my tumbler started to have a foul smell to it. It made drinking from the tumbler even more uncomfortable since whenever I lifted it to my lips, the smell would ruin whatever pleasure I’d experience from my drink. 

Other thoughts about Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

I still love the idea of a tea tumbler or just a bottle, in general, to encourage me to drink more water. I recently returned the Pure Zen Tea Tumbler on Amazon and currently, I’ve stuck to using normal glasses for my water, while I have a teapot infuser to make loose leaf teas in my coffee mugs. 

Accessories and/or alternatives to Pure Zen Tea Tumbler

• Tealyra: This is an accessory that I have seen in Teavana stores. It’s a tea infuser where the tea gets brewed and then once you place it on top of a mug, you can then strain the tea into the mug without making a mess. 

• Glass Teapot with Infuser: While the one I linked is not the exact one that I own, my friend recently gave me his father’s glass teapot that came with an infuser. I use that now to make cups of tea. It can make 1-3 mugs and looks super cute. It’s also pretty easy to clean too, which is a plus. 

• Steel Strainers: This is another product that I obtained through a loved one. My grandma has a couple of old-school steel strainers that work well enough to brew tea. I recently brewed a gallon worth of tea over the stove and used a steel strainer to help strain out all the loose leaves from the tea. It’s a bit of a clunky method, but it also was the cheapest method since I had all the tools I needed in my kitchen. No gadgets require. 

Would I recommend the Pure Zen Tea Tumbler?

Depending on who is asking me, my answer will change. While I do think it’s a great product and a great investment, there are many other ways to get your loose leaf tea strained or to infuse fruits in your water. The Pure Zen Tea Tumbler is pricey, way too pricey for something that doesn’t have an easy way to drink your liquids or have a convenient handle for traveling. 

However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to give it a try. I don’t regret buying the Pure Zen Tea Tumbler when I did and was able to form my own opinion after trying it for a few weeks. 

What do you use for drinking loose leaf Tea? 

As someone who is trying to improve my overall health and who is trying to make greener choices for the planet, I would love to hear what suggestions you have to drink loose leaf tea. This means that if you have any recommendations feel free to comment below or tweet me your recommendations.

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Otherwise, check out other posts that I’ve written on “The Things I Carry Series”