Ceramic tea wear gift help needed

[TeaTom]

Hello Tea chat forum,

As you guys can see from the title I am looking for some help buying a ceramic tea set for my dear grandmother but I'm not sure of what I'm looking at and hoping some of you guys could help me out.

It is my grandmothers birthday coming up in a couple of months and she loves tea more than her grandchildren haha. This year she will be turning 88 so I am wanting to get her something special and being she loves tea it makes sense to get her a teapot and set. But this is where my problem is, looking through tea sets, I have no clue what I am looking for in terms of quality, brand or make if it is real or just some cheap knock off, etc. There are loads all over the internet like here http://www.used.forsale/australia/tea-set but how do you know you're getting the right teaware? Headache haha

If any of you guys could help me ou with some suggestions that would be great. Also if there is any other information that you guys need please just comment below and I will be sure to get back to you ASAP.

Thanks

Example picture of what I think she will like.

[TeaTom]

Is there anyone using this forum anymore? Or have I posted in the wrong place? Would be great to know.

[.m.]

What are your grandma's tea drinking habits? What tea does she drink and how does she make it? How big is her usual teapot? Does she put the leaves directly in the pot and then strain the tea in a pitcher, or does she insert them in some kind of strainer inside the teapot? At her age she's probably not gonna change her habits, so you want to get something that she is comfortable with.
Does she have a favorite teapot or teacup that she's attached to? If she does, she might not have much use for a new thing, no matter how great or nice. In that case giving her some good tea might perhaps be better (for example if she drinks black tea, there is a lot of variety there, such as Qimen, Dianhong, JinJun Mei, Oriental beauty (technically oolong) etc. ), but that would be a different topic.
When it come to porcelain tea sets, they really come in all spectrum of price and quality. One very crucial thing to look at, especially at cheaper sets is the spout, how well is it crafted, so that it pours nicely without dripping. How is it attached to the teapot: you don't want the tea overspill over the top by having to tilt it too much, or the tea spill from the spout without tilting. Also look if there is some sort of filter between the spout and the inside of the pot, such as flat multihole. Another thing, does the lid sit well on the pot so that it doesn't fall off during pouring.
There are many places that carry tea sets. Here is one that popped up in my mind (mainly smaller teapots): https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/shop/pr ... porcelain/

[ethan]

Is there anyone using this forum anymore? Or have I posted in the wrong place? Would be great to know.

You posted during the slowest time of the year. Warning: For the teachatter who told me this is not the place for stories, don't read more, a story is coming.

At the age of 80, my mother was given a porcelain teacup and saucer by her sister. This set became her favorite possession and was used for an evening cup of tea every day. Before getting the cup, my mother had not drunk a cup of tea every night. Somehow a pretty, fragile cup and saucer meant only for her pleased my mother so much. This was quite surprising to observe because she had spent her life seeing to the wants and needs of everyone else when it came to food and drink; and, my mother had always put nice gifts into a cupboard where they remained unused forever or until they disappeared (some of my relatives steal or "borrow" if one wants to be kind about it).

So, your grandmother might have lots of dishes that she could use for entertainment, perhaps too many clutter her cupboards. What can you give her that shows you care about her, not her household?

Welcome to Teachat.

[TeaTom]

Sorry, I just wasn't too sure if it was still working or not I am pretty new to all this forum business but I am over the moon someone has replied.

You two have made some really good points above that I never even thought to take into consideration, Maybe just a finely made tea would go down a treat. Thinking about it, she has a fair amount of unused teaware sitting around, the idea just came to me because I don't think I've ever seen her without a cup haha.

My grandmother likes to drink tea all day every day haha. I believe she drinks some brand of green tea in the mornings for a good start to the day and then she will vary between black and white tea in the afternoons and evenings. As of straining, I'm sure she has a separate little strainer that she places inside the teapot but I'm not 100 on that.

Thanks for the replies guys!