Tea Makers

To the untrained eye, serving tea is as easy as dunking a tea bag in hot water. To a connoissuer, however, this is akin to drinking wine out of a sippy cup. One of the great pleasures of drinking tea is the ritual that goes into making a perfect pot.  Coffee people have coffee gadgets; not to be outdone, the last few years have seen a considerable increase in the number of tea gadgets on the market.

There are three main components to serving tea: heating the water, brewing the tea, and serving the tea. Heating the water is done in a kettle, either electric or stovetop. Tea cups and saucers come in a wide variety of styles, from the elegant simplicity of Japanese tea service to resplendantly baroque English-style tea cups. The middle bit is the trickiest -- once you have your hot water, you have to brew the tea for the right amount of time and remove the leaves if necessary. You don't want to steep the leaves for too long or have lots of them floating about in your beverage. You need a tea maker.

Tea Makers

Eva Solo Tea Press  This sexy little number can either remove leaves (when you're brewing something tanniny) or let them float freely (when you aren't). Comes with a "tea-shirt" to keep your hands from getting burnt. Oh my!	Brown Betty  The Brown Betty is the classic English teapot. You can't deny that chocolate brown is a fantastic shade -- she fits in with any decor. You can put leaves directly into the pot and use a cup-top strainer or use a filter basket to remove the leaves all at once.	French Tea Press  Looks a lot like a French coffee press, oui? The principle is the same -- hot water plus tea leaves, then press the leaves to the bottom when they've brewed long enough. Keep in mind that if you don't pour out the whole thing, you'll have some very potent tea at the bottom.	Teavana Perfect Tea Maker  It really does make a perfect cup of tea. Put leaves in the cup and add hot water. After it's brewed long enough, put the tea maker on top of any cup or mug to drain the tea. Pefect tea, every time. Easy to clean, too.	Mugs with Infusers  Another option is to use a mug that comes with its own removable diffuser. This has the advantage of the attractive looks and easy use of a perfectly fitted, coordinating set; however, the infuser may not fit any other mugs, meaning you'll need at least one of these for every regular tea drinker in your house. Good for the office.

Steepers and Strainers

Tea Balls  Some tea balls are shaped like tongs so you can stir the tea; others are just a hollow sphere on a metal chain. Either way, the premise is the same: open ball, insert loose leaves, close ball, pour hot water over ball.	Tea Strainers  If you brew in the pot, you'll need to get those leaves out before you drink. Put a tea strainer over your cup before you pour to catch the leaves. The simplest look like a tea ball cut in half with a handle, but they can also be ornate. They also need a stand if it isn't included; otherwise you'll drip all over the table.	Tea Sock  A tea sock is basically a large tea bag made of cheesecloth -- instead of throwing it away, you can wash and reuse it. Also great as a home-made bath tea bag or a custom-made sachet for your closet.	T Sacs  T Sacs are paper tea bags without the tea in them -- so you can make your own blends, use your private stash, and escape your office Lipton supply.	Tea Filters  Although they're usually used with a pot, there's no reason you can't use a tea filter with your favorite mug. Some companies are even putting out single-serving sized filters.

Related Products

Tea	Tea Kettles	Electric Kettles	Honey Pots	Tea Cannisters