When DAVIDsTea came out with this new Tea Press, I got excited but didn’t pull the trigger right away as I had their Iced Tea Press, which is essentially the same product but in plastic instead of stainless steel. I eventually bought the Tea Press when they came out with a cute purple one.
Then I bought a second one because they came out with a rainbow one. Uggg!
That said, I’ve had my DAVIDsTea Tea Press since March 2018, and have been playing with it for 5 months. I tend to use it a couple times a week, with more use in the summer time for iced tea.
Specs
- 16oz/ 473ml Capacity
- Double Walled Stainless Steel
- BPA Free Plastic “French Press”
- Mesh design block that does not oversteep
- Comes in many seasonal colours and designs
- Not Dishwasher or Microwave safe.
How it works!
This video will explain it better than I can.
In essence, it is “French Press” but the double mesh design on the bottom presses the leaves down, pulling the drinkable tea to the top. Then the mesh blocks the tea from oversteeping in the drinkable chamber. It is really hard to visualize due to the stainless steel model, but here is a photo from the Iced Tea Press, which works the same but is plastic.
Temperature Test
Hot – Instead of just simply testing the heat retention, I treated this test as if I was making tea in it as one would normally do. I used boiling water to start. I left it out for 3 minutes to mimic steeping a tea.
After 3 minutes, the tumbler was 198F. Once I put the press in, it dropped to 195F. I then closed the lid and let it sit.
- starting = 195F/ 91C
- 30 minutes = 172F / 78C
- 1 hour = 164F / 73C
- 2 hours = 148F / 64C
- 3 hours – 138F/ 58C
Cold – I did the same thing, so starting temperature of around 200F, I added a chamber of ice.
- Starting = 36F / 2C (bit of range here due to ice)
- 2 hours = 42F / 5C but no ice left.
- 3 hours = 44F / 7C
Both appear to do very well compared to glass or plastic tea tumblers, but not as good as a 8/12hour hot/cold vacuum double wall stainless steel model. In comparison, most of the time I see plastic/glass travel tumblers hit 135F/ 57C after an hour and the Tea Press lasted 3. That said, The DAVIDsTea Tea Press will give you a hot or cold flask of tea for half of your work day.
Pros of the DAVIDsTea Tea Press
Does Both Hot and Iced Tea – Not sure if you feel like iced or hot tea? This tumbler will do both! The double wall design with the stainless steel prevents you from feeling your hot drinks or cold.
Leaf Expansion while steeping – Very similar to the DavidsTea Iced Tea Press, this design gives plenty of room for teas to expand and release flavor. There is no cramped tea basket, nor need to remove the leaf due to the design.
No slip bottom – There is a rubbery base in the bottom that keeps the tumbler from not moving around from a countertop or desk.
Cons of the DAVIDsTea Tea Press
Cannot Resteep Tea – This is the absolute worst thing about this tea tumbler and I didn’t realize it until I went to resteep a tea.
Like a French Press, the tea leaves are pushed to the bottom. But with the DavidsTea Tea Press, the leaves are separated from oversteeping. That tea in the bottom is still in hot water and continuing to steep. I came back 30 minutes and the tea was fully expanded as it was steeping this whole time.
If I tried to resteep the tea, what I got was either incredibly bitter or flavorless as the tea was steeped out.
Not Leak Proof – I had intermittent issues with this tumbler leaking. Sometimes it leaks out the drinking spout cover when flipped, and there is condensation in between the 2 chambers that will drip out.
That said, this is not a tumbler you put in your bag to roll around. It is more of an office, car, or holding it at all times use. It has good spill prevention and that is it.
Strangely not completely portable / Situational use – This con is the same as the Iced Tea Press tumbler.
First, you have to steep the tea without a lid in essentially an open cup. It doesn’t resteep, so you get one shot at this tea. Once you plunger it, then you can be on the go.
I need a specific situation and tea to want to use this tumbler. I need a western style steeped tea first of all. Then I say leave the house with the dry leaf inside. Hit up a place for hot water to fill, sit down for 2-8 minutes for the tea to steep, find ice if doing iced tea, tea press, then go. Or do all those steps at home, then go. In reality, I could just steep my tea in a teapot/gravity steeper, then pour into a stainless steel flask and not need this tumbler.
Hard to See Fill Line – I find it difficult to see the fill line in the stainless steel body. It is a subtle indentation, which gets lost in the steam of the hot water. There is some leeway at least, especially for iced tea style. If you do overfill it will come out the spout.
Before
After, filled with hot water. Where’s the lines?
Other Considerations
Cleaning – The DAVIDsTea Tea Press is easy to clean, even easier than the plastic Iced Tea press due to the stainless steel. However, after me using this product for months I found you need to keep on top of cleaning it. I found this was a tumbler makes a nice environment of warm tea that’ll fester into really disgusting if you forget to clean it for a few days.
Not Dishwasher or Microwave safe – The DavidsTea Tea Press Tumbler is hand wash only. Be sure to clean well after each use, especially if you use sugars.
Some Teas Don’t Work – I found some teas simply do not press. The teas that don’t seem to work with this tumbler are fine or dusty. My big disasters were CTC black teas, Chaga, and really smashed up mate. The press will not drop with ease and liquid comes out the sides.
Comments
I think the DAVIDsTea Tea Press is best used as a work/office tea tumbler. I often use my DAVIDsTea Tea Press for drinking western style tea at my desk, treating it like a spill-proof tea sippy cup. I have a bad track record of knocking over open mugs at my desk and ruining keyboards, so I found this product handy. I tried taking it in the car and it was okay, but I rather have a vessel that holds temperature better or can resteep.
I have sadly benched the Iced Tea Press as this new tumbler does the same job better and with more options. Due to the Stainless Steel design, The Tea Press has a better lifespan, cleaning, and heat retention. The only upside to the Iced Tea Press is it is easier to see how much to fill it.
