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I’m always on the lookout for new and different travel mugs for tea. Getting hot water can be a challenge so I was intrigued when Bota shared their new tea bottle with me. It heats water on its own, brews the tea, and keeps it hot. In this post, I’ll be sharing my experience with the Bota Tea Bottle and whether or not I feel it is worth it.
What is the Bota Tea Bottle?
The Bota Tea Bottle is an all-in-one brewing bottle. I received the Apricot Bliss color but it also comes in Forest Green and Pearl White. They also shared their Soothe Tea, an herbal blend of chamomile, mint, and lemon. I don’t review that type of tea here on the blog but it did make a nice bedtime sip.
The specs:
- Holds 10.2 oz. or 300 mL.
- LED display panel with temperature controls
- 110V/60HZ
- 0.98lbs
The upper steeping chamber portion is made of plastic, while the inside of the bottle portion is stainless steel. There is a silicone cap to help protect the plug when it is not in use.
How Does It Work?
The first step to making tea with the Bota Tea Bottle is to place about 1.5 teaspoons of tea into the steeping chamber. Ensure that the chamber is set to the locked position using the indicator arrow. Fill the bottom chamber with water, making sure not to go past the max fill line. Plug the unit in and select the desired water temperature. The digital display will show the temperature as it increases. Once the temperature is achieved the unit can be unplugged.
Invert the unit to bring the hot water into contact with the tea leaves. I find that it helps to do this at a slight angle. Once the tea is done steeping it can be turned right side up again. Switch the arrow indicator to the unlock position to strain the tea leaves. The steeping chamber can then be removed to drink the tea. If using higher temperatures it would be best to let it cool a bit first before sipping.
Is it Worth It?
I love the ability to heat water and brew tea in one device. I tested the Bota Tea Bottle out a lot while traveling for a wedding. It was great to not have to use the questionable hotel room Keurig. It filtered most teas well, but I would recommend fuller-leafed teas that offer multiple steepings to get the most out of each use. It can be used for tea bags but that kind of defeats the purpose of a device like this.
The bottle was fairly easy to clean. I thought the silicone cap on the plug was a particularly thoughtful touch. One thing I noticed is that the ink of the Bota logo started running after just a few washes. This isn’t a huge deal as I was able to wipe the rest off easily.
The concept of this tea bottle is very cool, but some things could be improved. When I was first sent the Bota Tea Bottle, the unit leaked quite badly. Bota’s team was responsive and they assured me that this was not the typical experience. The replacement I received was better but it still does leak occasionally. This isn’t a deal breaker because almost all of the travel cups I have ever used will leak for one reason or another, usually because there are a lot of moving parts.
The temperature settings are in Celsius so that can take getting used to if you are based in the U.S. Its default temperature is around 26 so you have to hit the button quite a bit to get near boiling. Most teas would not brewed at such a low temperature so it might be better to have the default set at boiling so that can be adjusted down from there.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the Bota Tea Bottle. There is some room for improvement but it is still fun and easy to use. Have you tried the Bota Tea Bottle? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments below!
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Bota Tea Bottle was provided for review by Bota.
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