The art of tea is historical; the variety of tea is infinite; and the scent of tea is relaxing. A cup of tea inspires conversation, relaxation and general well being. I waffle between coffee and tea throughout my workday, but at the end of the day I prefer to settle down with a lovely glass of wine or a flavorful herbal tea. My favorite herbal potion at night is fresh ginger with lemon and mint that I can brew in Squeezmo and pour into my mug.

When my husband, Jim, and I were dating back in the high school days, we’d sit around the table talking with my parents over Lipton tea, Fig Newtons, English Tea Sandwiches or Mint Milano cookies. The cookies changed, but Mom always bought Lipton. Both her parents were born in England, and Lipton was a British favorite. That was back in the 60’s.

It’s ironic that some 30 years later, Jim and I found ourselves spending considerable time in Pushkin, Russia where most conversation takes place around the table over a cup of tea (if not vodka) whether at home, at school or at the cafeteria. It’s usually impolite to have a conversation without offering a cup of tea to your guest.

Russia is known for it’s beautiful samovars that hold hot water to be dispensed into the teacup while brewed tea is poured from the tea pot. Huge brass samovars were not uncommon; they held large amounts of hot water that was dispensed throughout the day. We are fortunate to have several samovars from the 1800’s with badges from Tula where the most famous samovars were made. These beauties hold about 20 liters of water. But my favorite are the smaller, silver samovars that are real classics and perfect for the kitchen tabletop.

During our tea times with friends in Russia, the usual style was to have a box or two of black tea on the table, one Russian and the other English, and some fruit or cookies. Some of the most beautiful and tasty tea time cakes are found in Pushkin bakeries.

Over time, Jim noticed the same routine used by our tea drinking friends: hot water was served from a teapot while the boxes of teabags were available for personal choice; the tea bag was dipped in the cup to brew then placed in the saucer where it always oozed tea while it sat ready for “brewing” at least two or three more cups.

Once the cup was raised for a sip, drips from the cup landed on the table, the cloth or the lap since that soggy tea bag had released a constant pool of tea in the saucer and transferred to the cup. My husband is a true problem solver and designer; so when it came to tea drinking, he the problem was tea “dripping from the cup.” He didn’t see tea extraction exercises like wrapping the string around the tea bag and pressing the bag against the side of the cup with a spoon (a couple of examples) as viable solutions.

I have no doubt that while we were all chatting, Jim was processing the styles and methods for manipulating those tea bags until one evening while we sat in our Pushkin kitchen (drinking a cup of tea), he explained an idea for an overall solution to squeezing, hiding and reusing a tea bag while eliminating dripping! An early white ceramic version bears an eagle design reminding us of the product’s Russian roots in 2003.

The final designs, both silicone and porcelain, do a great job of removing the essence and moisture from a tea bag. The silicone version, Squeezmo, was launched in June 2010 and won the World Tea Expo® New Product Award, Accessory category. That was a lot of fun!

Our Squeezmo™ has proven to be very useful for tea drinkers who brew tea with bags, bringing a different dimension to the tea experience by encapsulating that unsightly soggy tea bag and eliminating the nuisance of dangerous tea drips. Dozens of our Russian friends were amongst the first to test and enjoy our Squeezmo™ product and have them in their kitchens. We have enjoyed watching Squeezmo™ catch the attention of many buyers around the world who share our love for dripless tea drinking experiences.

Enjoy your tea more with Squeezmo!
                                                  Sheryl