My wife and I just started down the path of loose leaf teas a couple of weeks ago. I know it's not going to be a fad for us because we've always enjoyed both iced and hot tea and we wanted to step up the quality a couple of notches. So, we didn't cheap out on anything so far.
We're about $400 lighter in the wallet after buying the following (this is eating into my big screen TV budget darn it)...
- 37oz glazed Tetsubin with built in Stainless Steel mesh infuser (we bought a large Tetsubin because we frequently drink tea together)
- 2 cast iron matching tea cups with cast iron coasters
- Cast iron tea candle warmer / trivet
- utiliTEA kettle
- large (iced) ingenuiTEA teapot
- 40oz glass pitcher
- An assortment of six loose leaf teas to get us going (2oz each)
- Good storage tins for each of the teas we purchased.
- already had a digital oven thermometer with alarm that I'm using for water temperature.
So, have we made pretty good choices so far? What else do we need? I'm thinking that an accurate scale is all that's left for a good starter set.
Later!
wll wow!!! this IS serious!!!
Ok i will write what i have and what i think of each:
- adagio Trinitea tea maker - i hate it, it works well but the clean up - - means that i dont use it.
- ingenuiTEA - i hate it for the same reason
- Paper Filters for loose tea - i LOVE IT!!! taste free, no clean up just throw it out, and since it is bio-degradable i dont feel bad for using it once and throwing it out.
- Panasonic NC-EM30P 3.2-Quart Thermo Pot- LOVES it. there is nothing like having 208 degree water ready for black and herbal tea 24/7. thats hotness.
- utiliTEA kettle - for work, its in the mail. i will let you know when it arrives.
- plenty of 12oz and 16 oz mugs. having plenty of ceramic 16oz mugs is really important. you always have clean mugs and you know without a doubt how much water each takes.
- adagio Glass Mug & Infuser - also for work, i will let you know how i like it when it arrives in the mail.
- one teaspoon and one 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoons. whats all this if you add the wrong amount of tea
- Tea Bag Storage Container from the container store. This is great for your gourmet tea bags. Stash i think makes some of the best masala chai on the market.
- starbucks classic syrup - this is amazing if you like sweeten tea. i have tried everything honey, sugar, raw sugar, splenda, sugar crystals, ect... and the starbucks classic syrup is the ONLY thing i have found that sweetens without adding any flavors.
- books about tea... great for reading while drinking.
- simple kitchen timer- also for work.
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thats what i have that i can think of.
Ok i will write what i have and what i think of each:
- adagio Trinitea tea maker - i hate it, it works well but the clean up - - means that i dont use it.
- ingenuiTEA - i hate it for the same reason
- Paper Filters for loose tea - i LOVE IT!!! taste free, no clean up just throw it out, and since it is bio-degradable i dont feel bad for using it once and throwing it out.
- Panasonic NC-EM30P 3.2-Quart Thermo Pot- LOVES it. there is nothing like having 208 degree water ready for black and herbal tea 24/7. thats hotness.
- utiliTEA kettle - for work, its in the mail. i will let you know when it arrives.
- plenty of 12oz and 16 oz mugs. having plenty of ceramic 16oz mugs is really important. you always have clean mugs and you know without a doubt how much water each takes.
- adagio Glass Mug & Infuser - also for work, i will let you know how i like it when it arrives in the mail.
- one teaspoon and one 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoons. whats all this if you add the wrong amount of tea
- Tea Bag Storage Container from the container store. This is great for your gourmet tea bags. Stash i think makes some of the best masala chai on the market.
- starbucks classic syrup - this is amazing if you like sweeten tea. i have tried everything honey, sugar, raw sugar, splenda, sugar crystals, ect... and the starbucks classic syrup is the ONLY thing i have found that sweetens without adding any flavors.
- books about tea... great for reading while drinking.
- simple kitchen timer- also for work.
----
thats what i have that i can think of.
What a great list! I'm sure it will serve you well. The scale will certainly be helpful, but you've already got a great start. You might later find that you can get several re-steepings from a round of leaves, so the 37 oz teapot might be a bit large for that--even with the two of you--so you might want to look into getting something smaller--in the 8-16 oz range. That's not particularly necessary at the moment, though. After all, with a little trickery, you'll probably be able to figure out how to use your large pot to make small amounts.
Thats a really complete starter set. When I set out, all I had was a glass infuser. If you think you're missing anything then just drink a whole lot of tea and find out.
Mary is right. I started off with a giant tetsubin. It must have been around 32oz. Today, I am using a 5oz pot. Just goes to show.
Mary is right. I started off with a giant tetsubin. It must have been around 32oz. Today, I am using a 5oz pot. Just goes to show.