Libre Tea sells unique reusable thermal vessels and organic loose leaf tea for taking your tea wherever you go. We received one “glass ‘n poly” vessel and 15 individual serving packs of Organic Ming Mei Green Tea to put to the test. After brewing several cups, here’s our tried and true review:

We were turned on to Libre Tea about a year ago, and we loved the concept. This sleek vessel holds about 9 ounces of water; it’s durable, easy to clean and leak-proof. What’s new this time around: a new filter with screw-on top, and individually wrapped servings of organic loose leaf tea.

how to use – As explained on their website, you can brew your tea a couple of different ways. I fill the filter with tea, fill the vessel with hot water, screw on the cap and turn it upside down so the brewing takes place in the vessel itself. With a finer screen, the filter is surely an improvement – it definitely lessens the amount of loose leaves or fine sediments that may make their way into your cup. I did, however have great difficulty unscrewing the top once the tea was brewed. I’m not a weakling, but I’m on my third refill and my husband has had to unscrew it for me every time. What’s up with that? After more use, I’ve found that once the tea cools off a bit, it’s easier to unscrew the top.

taste test – On the other hand, as far as the actual tea goes, it’s quite nice. With my first sip I was magically transported to a Chinese tea garden. The fine flavor of organic green tea from this far away land is a real treat. The instructions say that you can reuse the tea leaves from your first full glass 1 or 2 more times. I re-steeped the leaves only once more to enjoy maximum flavor. The second time around, the tea takes longer to steep, it’s much milder but still tasty.

overall – In my opinion, Libre Tea has done a swell job of catering to the true aficionado of loose leaf tea – making it super convenient to always have freshly brewed tea on hand – for those always on the go, or those on the go for an extended period of time, like a vaca or biz trip. It’s an affordable luxury designed for true tea lovers.

Aiming Higher:

1) Brewing the tea is easy, learning how to do it basically follows common sense. The video on the site does an excellent job of showing how to use it. However, the printed instructions are a little confusing.

2) Packaging should be either biodegradable or at least recyclable.