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As tea drinkers try more teas, they get more favorites, and their tea pantry grows. Sometimes, that tea pantry can get, well, a tad overly large, to the point of taking over your house.
Decades ago there was a joke about the Hearst mansion being large enough to have its own zip code. Lately, it seems that my tea pantry is nearing that status.
It all started fairly innocently, as most things often do before they turn into obsessions and end up getting totally out of hand. I wanted something a little better than Orange Pekoe tea dust in a bag with a string and tag attached. A local store had Typhoo (still dust in bags but more special than what I had been drinking for years). They also carried PG Tips (unfortunately, also bagged). Then, I saw Twinings English Breakfast, available both bagged and loose in a generously sized tea tin. I bought some of each. These were just the beginning, the proverbial tip of the ice berg, day one out on the ocean for Christopher Columbus and crew, the first step in Lewis and Clark’s great exploration, one small step for man, one giant leap for me, a fledgling tea drinker.
Taking these home, I discovered that the corner of a shelf in the pantry was going to have to be expanded to half a shelf (it’s a small pantry). If only it had stopped there…
Next came exploration into some of the more “exotic” (to this newbie) brands: Mighty Leaf, Numi, Revolution, The Republic of Tea, and Harney & Sons. My half shelf was now a full shelf.
Then, I discovered tea shopping on the Internet. It was like Ali Baba gaining access to the cave of the 40 thieves. I, a rather older Ali Baba (and female, of course), gazed upon Website page after Website page filled with teas of every description as that young lad must have gazed upon the piles of gold and jewels in the cave. One order led to another, which led to posting a blog and then sampling various offerings. My shelf was now three shelves in the pantry, a shelf on a bookcase next to the kitchen counter, and most of a small shelf unit tucked into a corner by the microwave stand.
Organization is the key. I could do it by tea category. Black teas here. Green teas there. And so on. Of course, with this many teas, some sub-categories are needed. Whole-leaf black teas here. Flavored black teas there. Bagged black teas on the left side. Whole-leaf green teas on the right side. Floral green teas up on top. Bagged green teas just under them. And so on.
Maybe organizing by company name is better. A corner for Harney & Sons. A shelf for Golden Moon. A couple of shelves for bagged black teas like Devonshire Tea, PG Tips, Typhoo, and Barry’s. And so on.
Right now, my system is sort of a mix of all of the above.
Of course, having its own zip code could be quite a benefit for my tea pantry. My tea orders could be delivered straight to it. No need for intermediary stops like a P.O. box or the front stoop. The latter is where FedEx and UPS delivery people tend to drop packages, which sit until either hubby or I happen to think to check there, which isn’t often since we hardly ever use the front door. One time a tea shipment sat for two days and got thoroughly soaked from the rainstorms that came through the area. Fortunately, the pouches the teas were in inside the shipping box were air and water tight, so all was well.
Hubby just remarked offhandedly that we might need to put in a loading dock so that the delivery trucks could back up and unload easier. I’m sure he’s kidding — isn’t he?
I’ll settle for my own resident tea butler to keep the growing inventory straight and make sure my bevy of teapots along with all of the tea accessories are clean and at the ready. Meanwhile, where did I put that Japanese Sencha Kyoto Cherry?
A.C.’s tea pantry is so large because tea is wonderful. If you’d like to learn about the wonderfulness of tea, stop by Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
Sometimes basic black is best — an axiom that’s true for cocktail dress, tuxedoes, limousines, and teas to use when you want a brew to “beat the heat.” Just as most hot tea consumed in the U.S. is black tea, most iced (chilled) tea is made from black tea. And most of those are bagged teas.
Time for a chilled (iced) black tea face-off.
The Contenders:
For this comparison, I chose 4 bagged black teas that I’ve tried hot and enjoyed.
- Devonshire Tea
- PG Tips Black Tea
- Typhoo Tea
- Barry’s Gold Blend Tea
Two of them (Typhoo and PG Tips) have been staples in my tea pantry for several years now. The 3rd (Barry’s Gold Blend) has been a favorite of my hubby for a couple of years and is now one of my faves. The 4th (Devonshire Tea) has only recently come to my attention and proved to be a very delicate and flavorful black tea when hot, earning its place as a tea pantry regular. Let’s see how they all stand up to a change in temperature.
The Process:
For each tea, we used only one teabag in 2 cups of boiling water. We steeped each for 5 minutes. They steeped up to a beautiful ruby red color. We let them sit on the counter and cool for an hour or two before putting them in the refrigerator. (If you put something really hot in the ’frig, that heat can make the ’frig work overtime to cool the item.) We did not add sweetener before chilling, since we often prefer our chilled tea unsweetened. We decided when sipping the teas the next day if they needed anything added.
One thing to note: hubby and I use the “chilled” vs. “iced” method of cooling our tea. In the “chilled” method, you can steep the tea up light and avoid adding ice. If you use the “iced” method, be sure to steep up the tea stronger (use 2 or even 3 teabags instead of one per 2 cups of water) since the ice will thin it down.
The Results:
All 4 teas darkened in color from the beautiful ruby red to a rich brown. They all were a bit on the cloudy side. (However, I am not one of those who needs my chilled tea to be clear.)
Devonshire Tea — The mildness of the hot tea carries through to the chilled version. There is no bitterness, just pure tea enjoyment. Hubby and I also tried it with a touch of sweetener just to be thorough in our assessment. We are happy to say that the taste was even smoother and more appealing with only the slightest sprinkling of sweetener.
PG Tips Black Tea — A slight edge was evident as we let the liquid flow over our tongues before swallowing. However, it’s much milder in chilled form than hot, but not as mild as the Devonshire Tea. Again, we added a bit of sweetener to give a complete test. We needed to use slightly more in this tea to get rid of its edge.
Typhoo Tea — Slightly edgier than PG Tips. Darker in flavor, robust. It took more sweetener than the others to smooth out that edginess.
Barry’s Gold Blend Tea — Harsh, astringent, and needing quite a bit of sweetener to smooth out its almost barb-like edges. The caramelly flavor we love in the hot version is a mere echo at the very end in the chilled version. Still a great choice if you like your chilled (iced) tea “sweet.”
As one who prefers to buck the Southern tradition of “Sweet Tea” by drinking my chilled (iced) tea straight, I have to select for my own pleasure the tea that was best when unsweetened. That was, of course, Devonshire Tea. If you prefer yours sweetened, any of these black teas will produce a very suitable beverage.
There you have it — four options for chilled (iced) tea that shows that basic black is a great way to go. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: We received the Devonshire Tea as a sample to try. We purchased the others at a local store.
Make sure to check out Tea Time with A.C. Cargill! It’s a great place to “chill” out!
More and more tea vendors are selling sample sizes of their various teas. For all you tea drinkers out there who want to try new teas, this news should make you feel like…
“Heaven, I’m in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak…”
That Irving Berlin song, sung by Fred Astaire in “Top Hat,” could very well have been written about tea samplers. They’re a great way to broaden your tea horizons, trying teas from various countries and in different tea families. Tea sampler sets are even better, giving you the opportunity to experience a tea grouping.
Sample sizes can vary. I’ve seen them in ½ ounce, 1 ounce, and 1¼ ounce sizes. Depending on the tea, you could get any where from a couple of cups to five or six cups, possibly even more if you do multiple infusions. That’s plenty to give you an idea of whether the tea taste appeals to you.
Of course, tea samplers are also a great way to add variety to your tea pantry. No need to settle on a limited number of kinds of tea. You can purchase small quantities of several different teas, assuring that they won’t go stale before you have a chance to use them.
Shanghai Lichee Jasmine
Explore the wonders of China, motherland of tea and still the supplier of the most varied teas, with a sampler set that includes:
- Keemun Panda
- Jasmine with Flowers
- Pinhead Gunpowder Green
- Lapsang Souchong
- Jasmine Dragon Tears
- Lychee Congou China Black
- Shanghai Lychee Jasmine
Hop on across the China Sea to Japan with a sampler set filled with these classic teas:
- Japanese Sencha Kyoto Cherry
- Japanese Sencha
- Gen Mai Cha
- Gyokuro
- Izu Matcha
Earl Grey Cream
Try the teas that helped give stamina to the men and women who built the British Empire:
- Earl Grey
- English Breakfast Blend #1
- Scottish Breakfast
- Irish Breakfast
- English Breakfast Blend #2
- Buckingham Palace Garden Party
- Lady Londonderry
- Earl Grey Cream
Of course, you could try a bunch of green teas:
- Lavender Butterfly
- Earl Grey Green
- Lemon Green
- Granny Green Apple
- Chai Green
- Bohemian Raspberry
- Long Island Strawberry
Monk's Blend
Or a bunch of flavored black teas:
- Lemon
- Mango
- Peach
- Raspberry
- Vanilla
- Holiday Spice
- Monk’s Blend
- Peach Apricot
Enjoy a special cupful of Estate Teas:
- Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling
- Assam TGFOP
- Oolong Orange Blossom
- Darjeeling Mim
- Nonsuch Estate Darjeeling
- Formosa Oolong
- Kambaa Estate Darjeeling
- Lover’s Leap Estate Darjeeling
Casablanca Herbal
Get a taste as fresh as a skip through a field of wild flowers with a sampler set that includes such herbals as:
- Peppermint Herbal
- Chamomile Herbal
- Lavender Herbal
- Bourbon Street Vanilla Rooibos
- Sunshine Lemon Rooibos
- Casablanca Herbal
- Bella Coola Herbal
- Bingo Blueberry Herbal
Don’t forget those delicate and tasty white teas, including:
- Regular White
- Pai Mu Tan
- 100 Monkeys
- Snow Dragon
- White Eagle Long Life
- Peach Apricot
- Oasis Mango
Have I given you a good place to start? Good! I’m off to try a new tea. Ah, “Heaven, I’m in heaven…”
Make sure to stop by and sample A.C.’s blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
All you diehard tea drinkers know that different teas need different water temperatures. Too hot and your tea ends up being cooked instead of steeped. Too cool and the flavors inside those wonderful tea leaves won’t be unleashed. So, how do you know when it’s right? Tea thermometers, of course!
Some tea aficionados say they can tell when the water reaches the right temperature by listening to it. I can buy that. The sound changes as the water heats. Of course, you have to be heating your water either on a stove or over an open flame to do this. Heating in an electric kettle and in a microwave makes this method of detecting water temp a bit impractical.
There’s always eyesight. You can actually watch the water as it heats. The molecules get rather active, and this activity can be seen with the naked eye. Bubbles will rise to the surface. How many and how frequently they rise is an indicator or water temp. To use this method, though, you need to count fast or have quite a bit of experience watching the water and then determining the temperature.
Both methods are a bit lacking in precision, something your fine teas need. Green teas need a water temperature of 160-175˚ F and a steeping time of 2-3 minutes. Black teas need 200-212˚ F and steeping time of 4-5 minutes generally speaking. And so on.
Thus, the tea thermometer is quickly becoming an essential tool in the serious tea drinker’s arsenal. Fortunately, there are new ones devised every day. You can go high-tech or low key.
The high-tech options are digital thermometers with or without timers. Some features to look for:
- Waterproof and shatterproof (for those “Oops!” moments)
- A digital temperature display for better accuracy (large enough for those of us with glasses to read even without them)
- Able to display at least from 50-212˚ Fahrenheit (a wider temperature range is even better)
- Option of displaying temperatures in Centigrade, too
- Pre-programmed with settings for different types of teas and herbals (I saw one with 18 settings) and brewing strengths (no more guess work)
- A timer with a digital LCD display
- An alarm, preferably both visual and audio
- An on/off button with an auto-off feature (in case you get so caught up enjoying your tea that you forget about turning the thermometer off)
- Depending on the style, a storage sleeve or case is good to have
A low key option is your basic glass thermometer (if you can only find them marked in Centigrade, you can easily convert to Fahrenheit at this Website). Of course, breakage is always a danger here, but you don’t have to worry about batteries running low.
Got your thermometer ready? Great! Let’s get steeping!
Find out what’s steeping over at A.C.’s blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
Not all breakfast teas are created equal. Some are pure Assam, with a malty allure that makes your senses of taste and smell go on high alert. Others are blends that can start with Assam and expand with the addition of Darjeeling, Keemun, or other black teas. They dance around on your tongue with happy feet of flavor that defy you to climb back under the covers and spur you to a vigorous start to your day.
For this tea showdown, I compared two loose breakfast teas: English Breakfast Blend No. 1 versus Scottish Breakfast.
Here’s the blow-by-blow comparison:
The dry teas:
The pieces of the teas are quite different. The English Breakfast Blend No. 1 is made of tiny tea leaf pieces (fannings) but large enough to be caught by a strainer and kept out of your cup, and they have a dark, hearty aroma. The Scottish Breakfast consists of much larger pieces (typical size for a good quality black tea) with a fresh, malty, oaky aroma.
The process:
For this controlled steeping of each tea, I used 2 heaping teaspoonfuls in 16 ounces of water. The water was heated to boiling (212˚ F), and the teas were steeped for 5 minutes. They were then poured through a strainer into the cups.
In the cup, plain:
Both teas steeped to a beautiful reddish brown color, but the English Breakfast Blend No. 1 was a couple of shades darker than the Scottish Breakfast. For both, the aroma of the dry tea carried through in the liquid and each was strong with a bitter aftertaste (the English Breakfast Blend No. 1 was a bit more so).
In the cup, with milk and sweetener:
Both took milk and sweetener well. The English Breakfast Blend No. 1 remained strong, earthy, and hearty; it’s a cup that really wakes you up. The Scottish Breakfast was smoother, maltier, yet strong and hearty; it, too, is a great wake-up tea but slightly more mellow.
I always steep my loose teas floating free in the teapot, but you could use an infuser basket if you don’t want the mess. Whatever way you choose, and whichever of these teas you choose, you’ll have a “cuppa” that will stimulate and satisfy, making you ready to face any challenge that comes your way. Don’t forget the “go-withs” (scones, muffins, or other goodies). Cheers!
If you’ve got questions about tea, A.C.’s got the answers. Check out her blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill, for tea info galore!
I’m full of infusiasm for tea, and there’s more than a few reasons why. For one, if you want to keep your teatime neat while still enjoying fine loose leaf teas, an infuser is your best friend. For another, as a tea lover who prefers to let those lovely tea leaves float free in the teapot or cup, I recognize that sometimes it’s just not practical, and again an infuser is the answer.
For the purposes of this article, I am talking about basket-shaped infusers. They are that happy medium between “floatin’ free” tea leaves and “smothered in a bag” teas (usually containing tea dust). And they make those teas that consist of wonderful tea leaves (large pieces) trapped in a nylon sachet totally pointless. (I just cut open the sachet and dump the pieces in the infuser.)
Basket-shaped infusers (sometimes called “strainers”) have a lot of advantages over other infusing devices, such as tea “sticks,” tea balls, and infuser spoons. This type of Infuser is mostly larger. They don’t, therefore, cramp you tea style. They’re a great way to get the most of your tea dollars without the mess of loose tea in the teapot.
Fortunately, these infusers are plentiful and come in a variety of shapes and sizes (the bigger, the better). Their popularity among tea lovers who want something more than “office tea” on the job is quite understandable.
Some infusers are made of stainless steel, and others of nylon. Some are clear plastic, while still others are ceramic. Some are even glass. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
The ceramic and glass infusers, usually included with a teapot or mug, can be used with full leaf or large piece teas. However, they are breakable, and teas made of fannings or dust will flow through the holes and end up in your cup. Some of the plastic ones have larger holes like this, too. Further, they often don’t allow enough interaction between the tea and the water to give you a full infusion of the tea.
Finer mesh strainers are needed for teas made of tiny tea leaf pieces. Stainless steel infusers not only have this fine mesh but stand up to high temps, can be put in the dishwasher, and are less likely to absorb tea tastes. Most nylon strainers do, too. Plastic and nylon strainers become stained by the tea, and you can only unstain them with bleach (be sure to rinse very well so that you get off all the bleach). Better yet, have a bevy of infusers on hand.
Just as having a bevy of teapots (one for each type of tea as a bare minimum) to keep the taste of one tea from overwhelming the taste of another, a bevy of tea infusers and strainers is a great idea. This isn’t just because of the tea staining, but also so that you can dedicate them to various tea types. 
Remember that some spices and flavorings added to teas are very strong and enduring. Cinnamon is a prime example. Once your nylon or plastic infuser has been used to steep a tea with cinnamon in it, you could have cinnamon tea thereafter when using that infuser.
If you’re using your infuser in a cup, mug, or glass teapot, get ready to enjoy the show. You can watch the action as your tea leaves open in response to the hot touch of the water on them, giving you a visual experience to make your tea enjoyment complete. An infuser large enough to fill the cup or mug is a good idea, since it will give your tea leaves plenty of stretching room, resulting in a more intense and flavorful infusion.
I hope this has given the tea lover in you good guidance on how to enjoy loose teas in your place of work. You don’t have to settle for “office tea” ever again, thanks to basket-shaped infusers. Yay!
For more tips on preparing a delicious cup of tea, visit A.C.’s marvelous blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
What’s a cup of tea without a teatime cookie? Lonely. And with all the options out there, you have no excuse for it. Even those watching their intake of fat and sugar can find tasty choices. In fact, those choices are so numerous that you could have a teatime cookie extravaganza!
Your cookie selection can be based on the tea you are having. A nice green tea with Lemon Tea Cookies, for example, their lemony goodness coated with snowy white powdered sugar. So decadent that no dunking is needed. You could always go with another citrusy-flavored cookie, such as Key Lime Tea Cookies, Lemon Tart with Pomegranate Cookies, or Key Lime Coolers (thin, crisp, and tastefully tart).
Chocolate and mint are classic companions, especially when it comes to cookies. They can go with just about any tea you choose. I like them with a strong Assam. Triple Chocolate Midnight Truffle Cookies are also good “go-withs” for this tea or just about any black tea blend. Of course, classic Chocolate Chip Cookies and rich Chocolate Fudge Cookies are always welcome.
Try some fruity cookies. There are Georgia Peach Cookies, Apricot Jam Filled Cookies, Strawberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, Raspberry Tea Cookies, and Blueberry Jam Filled Cookies, too name a few. Try some with a Darjeeling tea or even a delicate white tea. How about a mixed plateful with a cup of Keemun with milk and sweetener?
Rich, buttery shortbread is always a welcome addition to your teatime cookie extravaganza. A platter full of chocolate, fruity, nutty, or coconut delights is never complete without the shortbread, whether plain or with nuts. As long as you watch how many you eat, these cookies can be the crowning jewel of your spread.
Cupcake cookies are virtually irresistible and available in several varieties: yellow cookies sprinkled with chocolate cream cheese frosting and powdered sugar, Dutch chocolate cookies sprinkled with cream cheese frosting and powdered sugar, Dutch chocolate cookies sprinkled with banana frosting flavored and powdered sugar, and red velvet cake cookies inspired by a traditional southern-style recipe.
Wanna share these goodies with the special people in your life? Go for a gift pack with a special card attached. “Birthday,” “Thinking of You,” “Get Well,” and “Thank You” are some options. Show your child’s teacher your thanks for unlocking the mysteries of the ABC’s (reading is one of life’s greatest 
treasures and pleasures). Tell your Administrative Assistant that her/his taking care of all those tasks that help you focus on the big picture is very much appreciated. Surprise your best friend with a birthday box of chocolate decadence, shortbread, or raspberry or lemon tea cookies. Include a package of tea to go with each so they can have a great teatime.
Personally, I like the cookies that come in the cookie jar shaped boxes. But, then, I was born with an extra “cuteness affinity” gene that makes me automatically gravitate to anything even the least bit cute (such as my hubby, who’s more than just a little bit cute). Add that to my cute teatime accessories, and the cute meter will hit an 11 on a scale of 1-to-10.
Time for a another pot of tea and another platter of teatime cookies. Cheers!
For more on making your next teatime more enjoyable, visit A.C.’s outstanding blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
There are lots of green tea groups out there; two are Chinese and Japanese. They have similarities but also some distinct differences, which as you start to explore each kind you will see quite clearly.
Both Chinese and Japanese green teas start out as tea plants (Camellia Sinensis), verdant in the sun. The intensive labor to tend these plants and then harvest the tender leaves and buds at the tips of each branch are pretty much the same.
Now for the differences:
Processing
Chinese Gunpowder
Stopping oxidation, the key step in producing a fine green tea, is done differently. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
Chinese — mainly roasting (with some exceptions), a method that imparts a nice smell and enables makers to shape the teas; also oven dried and sometimes steamed. Often, methods are combined. Examples: Houkui (wholly ovened); Biluochun (roasted then ovened); Zhuyeqing (all three methods).
Japanese — mostly steaming, making the tea greener and thus more attractive but grassy tasting; also some pan-roasting.
Varieties
Without a doubt, there are far more varieties of Chinese green teas than Japanese. They come in about nine shapes, including rolled into tight balls (Gunpowder) and looser balls (Dragon Pearls), or gently curled to then uncurl in your cup or teapot while steeping (White Monkey Paw). Some have Jasmine added, while others have flowers and fruits in them.
Chinese Dragon Pearls
Teas vary by the location where they’re grown. China grows tea in 15 provinces and so is more geographically diverse than Japan, with the taste varying accordingly. Chinese teas are also more likely to be hand-processed instead of made in a factory. The top Chinese green tea is Dragonwell, so popular that fake Dragonwell has entered the market (made from teas not grown in the Dragonwell area of China).
Japanese teas come mainly in two types: needle-shaped pieces (Gyokuro and Sencha) and powder (Matcha). Some of these teas can taste fishy, especially if not properly processed. Not an issue if you like sushi. Some (pan-roasted) can taste nutty and go well with stir-fried foods. Sencha mixed with roasted rice is one of the most popular teas in Japan (Genmaicha), with good reason. It’s toasty tasting yet smooth and slightly sweet. Houjicha is a roasted green tea that is nutty in flavor with a brown liquid.
Here’s where the differences end:
Health Benefits
Both Chinese and Japanese have been shown in various studies to be good for you. Loose teas are best, versus the green tea dust in a bag available in most grocery stores.
Japanese Matcha
Start with a substance called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), one of several in these teas. It’s an antioxidant and can help prevent cancer, along with other benefits. Add Theanine, an amino acid in high-quality Chinese and Japanese green teas that relaxes you, countering the stimulating effects of caffeine. That caffeine can be beneficial in moderation and, in excess, can make you jittery (fortunately, these teas contain only a fraction of the caffeine in coffee). Vitamin and mineral content is also high, including C, B2, E, calcium, manganese, and phosphorous, all of which help your body be its best. There are also saponins and GABA that help lower blood pressure, fluorine that helps prevent cavities, and chlorophyll to fights bad odors.
[Note: Always verify health claims and check with your doctor before starting a regimen of green tea or other homeopathic remedies. More health benefits.]
More Info
Green teas come from other countries as well, including India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam. If the tea you are thinking to buy just says it’s “green tea,” see if the vendor can be a bit more specific. It does make a difference.
Well-known brands like Golden Moon, Twinings, Harney & Sons, and Stash create a variety of blends mostly based on Chinese and Indian green teas. Some are combined with vanilla, jasmine, mint, cherry blossoms, citrus, and other fruits. Lemon in green tea is one of the most popular, especially for chilled (iced) tea. The bleaching effect of the citrus doesn’t adversely affect your visual enjoyment of the tea.
Time for a cuppa green tea. Which one? Eenie, meenie, minie, moe…
Learn more about the fascinating world of tea at Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!
Teapots at 20 paces — march, turn, steep! Wait a minute. This isn’t a fair contest. Different teapots steep differently and are, therefore, suited to different teas (all the more reason to have a bevy comprised of at least one teapot for each type of tea you have). Case in point: metal teapots vs. teapots made of either porcelain or bone china.
Centuries after tea became a well-established beverage came porcelain teapots, expensive and used only by the wealthy until recent years, where modern production methods brought the price down within reach of us mere mortals. A refinement of the process by Josiah Spode in 1733 resulted in bone china (bone ash, china clay, ball clay, flint, and feldspar). It’s lighter in weight than regular clay china/porcelain, and translucent with a glass-like surface.
Metal teapots have been around a bit longer, starting with cast iron teapots that came into use in Japan in the 1600s. Silver, silver-plate, and pewter (the poor man’s silver) teapots were first used in England and Scandinavia in the 1700s to “brighten up” teatime with their shiny surfaces. Stainless steel teapots are becoming popular now, in restaurants as well as homes, with their shine and the variety of designs ranging from classic to futuristic.
So how do these two types of teapots compare?
Metal Teapots
Some benefits:
- Less likely to break, so you don’t have to handle them with kid gloves.
- Keep the tea hotter longer, making them suitable for dark Indian teas.
Some drawbacks:
- Can absorb the taste of strong teas and carry them over to other teas or impart a metallic taste to your tea.
- Can oversteep the tea, since they stay hotter longer, so are not suitable for more delicate teas like Japanese Sencha.
- Require special cleaning:
- Cast iron should be thoroughly dried to prevent rust.
- Stainless steel can be rinsed out with hot water and a bit of salt and de-stained with boiling water and vinegar (avoid using soap).
- Silver and silver-plate need a bit of de-tarnishing now and then.
Porcelain and Bone China Teapots
Some benefits:
- Visually decorative, with lots of designs available, including floral prints and gold edging.
- Work well with white and green teas as well as herbal infusions, since they don’t absorb odors.
Some drawbacks:
- Breakable — Oops! — so people with butterfingers like me have to handle them with care, plus the bone china ones can’t go in the dishwasher (not a good idea with any teapot, though, since soap residue could build up inside it and taint the tea).
- Tend to cool fairly quickly, so a cozy (a special cover) is a good idea.
Pick your tea, then pick your teapot, and let the steeping begin. Enjoy!
If you need help picking out a new tea to go with your new teapot, check out Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews.
Teabag holders are handy devices, ready and waiting for that used teabag. For those of you using teabags (instead of steeping loose leaf teas), the last thing you want is to leave one in the cup too long. It could result in oversteeping, bitterness, and a big just-sucked-on-a-lemon pucker when you take a sip. (These days a photo or video of you doing this could wind up “going viral” all over the Internet.) As one who lives the “tea life,” I tend to favor loose teas and avoid bagged teas for this and other reasons. So, why do I need teabag holders?
Sometimes you get things as gifts that you may not particularly like or need or want, but they remind you of the giver and it happens to be someone really special like your best friend, or your mom or dad, or your hubby, so you can’t throw the item away or anything like that especially since they might come over and visit and want to see the gift, so you’re, like, well, you know, stuck with it.
Thus, I have teabag holders — yes, several, not just one. Friends and family know I like tea. They give me gifts of tea (actually, tea dust in bags from grocery stores and places like Trader Joe’s) and tea accessories, including teabag holders. They are wonderful people and mean well. Sigh.
Ever seeking that silver lining behind the dark cloud, I have found other ways to use those teabag holders. Here are a few:
- Spoon rest (rather obvious)
- Strainer holder (also obvious)
- Tea tin stand (slightly quirky)
- Place to put the teapot lid while you pour in the water (practical)
Of course, just because these are teabag holders it doesn’t mean that they have to be used for something tea-related. Some non-tea ideas:
- Candle holder (adds a bit of romance)
- Paperweight (keeps things in place)
- Candy dish (how sweet!)
- Leaning-tower-of-erasers holder (just being silly)
- Potpourri dish (a bit of common scents)
- Something to balance on your nose and impress party guests (more silliness)
Teabag holders come in lots of shapes and sizes. From the ever popular teapot shape (handle carefully or the spout might get broken off), to ones that are more like small bowls, to the cute and whimsical, there’s a style to suit every taste. Let’s just hope that the person buying one to give you and that you’ll be stuck with — uh, I mean “enjoy” — for years and years and years and years to come has pretty good taste.
If you’re one of those tea drinkers, like me, who prefers loose tea, don’t despair. I’m sure you’ll find some use for that gifted teabag holder. Of course, if you use teabags, you’ll be well-equipped. But then, you can use other things as teabag holders (but that’s another article). Happy gift unwrapping!
Like teabag holders, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill can be employed in a number of ways, not the least of which is as a blog. Check it out today!
