One of the new toys that I picked up at the New York Coffee and Tea Festival was this nifty tea timer from Tavalon. They had loaned us one for our pre-festival tweetup and I knew that I just had to have it. I loved the simple, clean design. It features two hourglasses, one that runs out after 3 minutes and one that runs out after 5 minutes. Those are generally the most common steep times for tea so this will definitely come in handy. I’ve timed it and it is actually pretty accurate. It’s become a bit of a conversation piece in my house as several people have mistaken the hourglasses for salt and pepper shakers. It’s perfect for when I’m not using a digital tea maker.