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Style Chicks

Where Nature & Science Meet Skincare, Haircare, Beauty & Wellness

Gear Ultimate Infused Water Pitcher

April 21, 2016 · 1 Comment

This is the second Gear Ultimate Infuser I’ve tried, the first being the Infused Water Bottle. The Gear Ultimate Infused Water Pitcher has many of the same excellent qualities as the bottle, in a larger 93oz size. If you are looking to drink more water for health or beauty purposes, then this is a great product for you.

First of all, the infuser is far better than other fruit infusers I have tried in the past. The infuser has small enough holes that seeds and leaves do not get into the water. It is a generous sized infuser in the pitcher, and a lot of fruit can go into the infuser, which is nice. It also allows for infusion “recipes” of ingredients: you can include more than one kind of fruit/vegetable/herb. I tried out Mint and Strawberry and the result was wonderful. No calories, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, and the water is so crisp and refreshing. The packaging comes with recipes that go beyond your standard one fruit infusion: adding something like strawberries or mint to the typical cucumber spa water really makes it enjoyable. I have a whole Pinterest board of spa waters, but the booklet had some mixtures that I hadn’t seen before.

Once you have infused your water, you can take the infuser out and replace it with the freezable and reusable ice core to keep the liquid cold. This is great for outdoor gatherings or just keeping your beverage cold during the day. It’s great for keeping at your desk at work. I read an article recently that a top derm was saying that it takes two liters a day of water to hydrate your skin. This gives you a little extra, and may end up replacing some not great for you beverages like soft drinks or sugary drinks.

One thing I don’t like is that the lid slips off easily when pouring, even when you hold it in place. I found this out the hard way. However, if you are mindful of that it isn’t that big of a deal.

Gear Ultimate Water Infuser Pitcher

Gear Ultimate Water Infuser Pitcher

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Beauty, Body, Skincare, Spa Economy, Tea
Tagged: Gear Ultimate, Spa Water, Water Infusion

Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle

April 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been on a bit of a hydration kick lately. This is due to the fact that I have been feeling a bit dehydrated lately (the fact that it is allergy season doesn’t help), and a renewed fascination with spa waters. So for on the go and at the gym, I really like the Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle.

It is made of BPA-free Tritan material, so no worries about chemicals leaking into your otherwise healthy water. The cap seals tightly so I don’t have to worry about it leaking into my gym bag (I have had some disasters of the sort.)

The infuser is made of two parts: the generous sized infuser tube and a cap. The infuser cap allows you to pour the liquid out without the fruit getting loose. The holes in the infuser are relatively small but that is a good thing as it keeps seeds etc from getting into the water.

I decided to test it out with some strawberries we have in the house. I sliced each large berry into 4-6 pieces. I was surprised that it didn’t take too many slices to fill the infuser – maybe 1-2 berries worth. I then filled the bottle with tap water and put in the infuser.

This next part is important: be sure to shake the bottle a few times in order to get the full flavor to infuse into your water. Since you are using cold water, this isn’t steeping the fruit like a tea in hot water. So the infusion needs a little movement to mix.

Since I planned on using it during the day, I left it in the refrigerator overnight. When I tasted the water this morning I was amazed: it was incredibly sweet. You would never guess that this was not artificially sweetened, just fruit sweetened. I drank it and then refilled it. Obviously the second batch wasn’t as flavored, but it was still a good, crisp taste. In the future I will probably bring along some extra fruit during the day to make extra infusions and keep my hydration momentum going.

The package comes with a little booklet that gives some ideas for infusion recipes, which I found interesting. The spa water staple, cucumber, can be made more interesting by adding strawberries or mint. I’m looking forward to trying some different fruit mixes.

The pieces all wash out clean and don’t retain taste, which is impressive since I infused it overnight.

I’m really excited to find a travel fruit infuser bottle that keeps the fruit and seeds out of the water and makes such tasty water!

Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle

Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Exercise, Gym Beauty Bag, Skincare, Spa Economy, Tea
Tagged: Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle, Gym, Infuser, Water

Tea Tuesday: Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

April 20, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to say that I have finally found a Chai green tea that is the proper balance of tastes. I have spent years trying to find a tea that has the wonderful spice of Chai, and the health properties of green tea.

The closest I came before was a White Chai Tea, but I could never find a green that I liked until I tried Vadham Premium Green Tea Chai. I like fresh loose leaf green tea, and any chai varieties I tried always ended up a weird blend of a vegetal taste with a vague cinnamon top note. Not a great combination.

Vadham’s Green Chai gets it right, though. The green tea is sweet, not vegetal at all. The Chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom, clove, Black Pepper) blend beautifully to create a delicately spicy brew. I really enjoy that it can be re-brewed a couple of times before it loses potency, so my brewing travel tumbler can just be refilled with hot water through the morning before I have to change out leaves,

What is also wonderful about this tea is that it is truly a full-leaf green tea. Standard green tea bags only contain “dust” of green tea, not the true leaf. By brewing the full leaf, you will get so many more of the health benefits of green tea: anti-oxidants, EGCG, etc. This particular tea has even more anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties since it is a chai tea, and the spices in chai teas are anti-inflammatory in nature. So in addition to tasting amazing, it is really good for you as well!

While green tea is much lower in caffeine than coffee or black tea, it still does contain some caffeine if you are sensitive. But that is true of all green tea (there are some decaf versions out there, but those are more processed than the original leaf, so it is a balance.)

The packaging is also wonderful. To maintain freshness, each batch is packaged quickly. There is an expiration date to assure that you are using fresh tea, and the package seals tightly. There are step by step instructions on how to brew the tea, so if you are new to green tea, you will find it easy to brew!

As a side note on the instructions, it is recommended to brew the tea at a temperature of 194-212 degrees. Usually green tea gets brewed at lower than the boiling point. I tried both boiling and at about 192 degrees, and found the lower temperature produced a better taste.

I am truly thrilled to have found an excellent Green Chai after all these years!

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

 

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Food, Tea
Tagged: Chai, Green Chai Tea, Tea, Tea Tuesday, Vahdam Premium Green Tea Chai

Tea Tuesday: Star Wars Yoda Self Stirring Mug

April 19, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Get up in the morning, you must. With a Jedi Vortex, a Yoda self-stirring mug keeps your tea or coffee stirred. Do or do not, there is no Chai.

Spring is my favorite time of year. The flowers are coming out, no need for a heavy coat, and my allergies make my Yoda impression perfect. Yeah, you already knew I was a nerd girl, but now you are reminded of that fact.

While self-stirring mugs are a bit of a novelty that wears off (especially considering they have to be hand washed), this particular mug actually serves a purpose beyond featuring everyone’s favorite green member of the Jedi Order (though Yaddle has some serious girl boss power.) I enjoy a bit of rock sugar in my tea, and the powerful stirring vortex of the mug keeps the sweetness evenly distributed, not just in an overly sweet sip at the bottom of the mug. If I’m using a strainer and loose tea, pressing the stirring button while brewing leads to a far more robust brew.

I’m sure I’m going to get some ardent matcha drinkers up in arms with the following statement, but it has enough power in the self-stirring motion to create a smooth and frothy matcha tea without a wisk. That is pretty impressive!

This 15oz mug takes 2 AAA batteries to power the stirring motion. I’ve tried other self-stirring mugs that just kind of jostle the liquid, but this mug produces and actual vortex that stirs the entire cup. The mug top secures tightly so it makes for a perfect travel mug: no leaking and the beverage stays hot.

Star Wars Self Stirring Mug

Star Wars Self Stirring Mug

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Food, Gifts, Tea
Tagged: Star Wars, Tea, Tea Tuesday, Yoda

Tea Tuesday: VidaKai Loose Tea and Fruit Infuser Bottle

April 12, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I have a lot of infuser bottles that I quickly disappoint me. The mesh infuser allows loose leaf tea into the water, the bottle leaks, or it is awkward to drink from. But my Infuser Bottle Prince has come with the VidaKai Loose Tea and Fruit Infuser Bottle.

First off: I haven’t tried it with fruit, but the infuser size is much better suited for tea, I think. It is a generously sized infuser, but I don’t think one could get too much fruit in there, and there are better bottles out there for infusing fruit waters. But it is absolutely perfect for allowing full leaf teas to unfurl and brew.

The infuser doesn’t let a single speck of tea into the brew. I tried it with a green chai tea. Chai teas typically have ingredients in the spices that are prone for getting loose, but the mesh keeps them all in without compromising the taste. It quickly brewed a wonderfully full and robust tea without any metallic taste, as happens with some infusers.

The bottle itself is made of BPA-free Tritan Plastic. It really feels and looks like glass. It is certified to withstand 225 degree heat and it comes with a nice looking sleeve so carrying it is no problem. It also retains heat beautifully: it stays hot through my morning commute.

I really enjoy being able to brew tea in the morning and bring it with me. To make the morning easier, I fill the infuser the night before with tea and then just add water in the morning. Since the cap locks air-tight, the tea doesn’t oxidize at all. Then in the morning I just add hot water and let in brew as I head out the door. Since it has a reasonably large sized infuser, I can re-brew the same leaves a few times before having to change them out. Cleaning it is no problem: both the bottle and the infuser clean quickly and don’t leave a lingering taste of the last brew of tea, so I can go from a rich black tea to a subtle white tea with ease. I have been hand-washing it, but it is indeed dishwasher safe.

The aesthetics of this bottle are really impressive. I said to my sister that it is kind of like if Ralph Lauren make a tea infuser. In addition to the Tritan plastic looking like glass, it has a brown loop strap that really looks like leather, and it makes carrying the bottle incredibly easy.

I really am thrilled with this infuser bottle. It is durable, brews well, and is gorgeous.

Find it at VidaKai Tea Infuser Bottle[/caption]

 

VidaKai Tea Infuser Bottle Components

VidaKai Tea Infuser Bottle Components

 

VidaKai Tea Infuser Bottle Components with Brewed Green Chai Tea

VidaKai Tea Infuser Bottle Components with Brewed Green Chai Tea

Posted by Style Chicks / Filed In: Tea
Tagged: Infuser Bottle, Tea, Tea Tuesday, VidaKai Loose Tea and Fruit Infuser Bottle

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