Summer is Not the Only Thing Staying Hot

Light-weight tea cozies

Yes, it is summer and the heat in San Diego this year has kept us all looking for some cool relief but nothing is worse than a cup of hot coffee or a pot of tea that has gone cold even on a sweltering day. For this week’s San Diego Gas & Electric energy-saving invention from the SDCHM collection, we will highlight the functional, beautiful and conservation-minded Tea Cozy.

Tea pots fit perfectly into tea cozy baskets

Tea Cozies were popularized in Britain after the advent of “Afternoon Tea” during the 1800s that made drinking tea a daily activity. Though not a Chinese invention, the tea cozy can credit its existence to the high demand of imported fine Chinese tea and the desire for Victorian ladies and nobles to keep it piping hot during their social functions.

Today, many of us still gather together for morning coffee or tea with desert. To keep from having to continually brew a new pot because it has run dry or cold use a tea cozy to keep a full pot from loosing its heat. If you do not have a tea cozy, you can take any basket or container and line it with thick towels. Put in your coffee or teapot and then cover the top with another towel. This will sustain the warmth of your brew and you’ll have done your small part in conserving energy and saving water.

For more energy-saving tips and ideas check out flexalert.org.