The technology of tea may be lagging behind increasing evidence of its health benefits. Where, after all, is the tea lover's equivalent of a bong, vaporizer or coffee pod? One of precious few real innovations for high-volume tea drinkers comes from Ineeka. Inside an attractive metal box are 14 extra-large teabags with arms that fold out to anchor the bag in the top of a pitcher. That makes the bag easier to remove without scalding your fingers, of course, and also allows you to pour the water directly onto the leaves, unleashing more of their flavor and chemical goodness. The product consists of whole leaf, which tea connoisseurs prefer to the low-grade "tea dust" sold in mass-market bags.

Now here are the downsides: Any paper-filtered tea is less flavorful than the same leaf steeped in a larger-pored tea ball or loose in the cup. If you really want to roll your own, as I do, you'll prefer to buy empty bags. The available flavors consist exclusively of Darjeeling and Assam product, though the true home of the best tea is China. Lastly, Ineeka's teabags are expensive — at $10.49 for 14, they're probably the most high-end teabags in existence. Available from Whole Foods stores and Amazon. — Al Boline

Via arghyle