Tea Accessories
If you’re setting up your first kitchen, or trying to put together a nice gift for the tea lover in your life, you might be trying to think of what essential tea accessories you need to buy. Really, to enjoy a cup of tea, the only things you absolutely need are a cup and some tea. However, there are a number of tea accessories that can really improve your tea drinking experience.
Teapots
Probably the most important of the tea accessories is a good quality teapot. A teapot can transform a quick cup of afternoon tea to an elegant and almost ritualistic experience. In addition to the joy it provides to pour out a good cup of tea, a good teapot can make tea brew much better because it brews in a covered environment. Using a teapot, you can usually brew a stronger cup of tea with a little bit less tea than you would need to brew it in an open cup.
When you are first shopping for tea accessories, look for a good quality ceramic tea cup that holds between 2 and 8 cups of tea, depending on what you plan to use it for. Teapots are also available in stainless steel, but ceramic does a much better job at holding in the heat. If you plan to use your teapot to brew loose tea, consider getting one with a spout that filters so that you don’t end up with a mouth full of tea leaves.
Tea Infusers
Tea infusers are possibly one of the most varied and ubiquitous of all tea accessories. These are used to brew loose tea without having to worry about filtering the tea before you drink it. Tea infusers come in a variety of shapes and sizes; you can find one shaped like a tea pot, a house, or the more traditional ball. Just make sure you get one big enough to allow the tea to expand.
Lesser Known Tea Accessories
There are some other tea accessories that, while not as crucial, are very nice to have. Most tea lovers would like to have at least one tea towel, which can be used to cover a cup of tea while brewing. Other tea accessories include tea bag holder, tea chest, tea strainer, tea cup warmer, and even a tea bag squeezer.
If you are just starting out in your tea drinking experience, the most important tea accessories are a good cup, a good tea pot, and an infuser. After you have these, start picking up other tea accessories to treat yourself.
Written By The Tea Lady
The Tea Lady carefully tends to The Official Website for Tea and sends an occasional Tea Newsletter to ardent and casual tea lovers around the world.
