Beginner's Tea

[tskitten95]

Oi Vois! I am sooo "tea"otally overwhelmed with information! I am looking for my first tea purchase and am so confused as to what I need ...teapot...teakettle..ceramic, porcelain, stone. Does it matter what kind of cup I drink it in? Would somebody please so kind as to tell me what you would by if you were setting up a beginner? Any green and/or herbal tea suggestions for the beginner?

[Tadiera]

For the type of cup, a mug is usually best, though it doesn't matter overly much.

As for making it: you could get the pouches to make bagged tea that Adagio (and many stores) sells. You could get a tea ball to put the loose leaf in. Or something like the IngenuiTEA. It doesn't take much.

If you have a kettle to heat the water in, that would be good too.

[Marlene]

For the type of cup, a mug is usually best, though it doesn't matter overly much.

Tsk Tsk Tad! I'd recomend the prettiest damn tea cup and saucer you can find.

[RedBus]

I highly agree^^^ I love to see the colour of my tea.

[Snow on Cedar]

I recommend "highly" an IngenuiTEA, and your favorite mug or cup. I personally love the Asian styled tea cups, which are handleless. I'm not sure why, but I'm not a handle fan, nor do I like drinking tea out of a mug that seems more fit for coco or coffee.

[teaspoon]

Definitely go with an ingenuiTEA. Greatest investment ever. I also second the motion for an attractive teacup. I find tea is more enjoyable as an "experience" if you're drinking it out of something aesthetically pleasing. To some this isn't important, which is cool, but I personally like to enjoy the cup as well as the tea . For example, I have a cup that is glazed white with the word "tea" stamped in matte white on each side. It just makes me smile.

Eventually, you may want to save up and invest in a cast-iron tetsubin teapot. I really want one. The reason is that they keep tea hot for quite a while, which is nice. The only reason I don't usually make more than one cup of tea at a time is because it goes cold before I get to the rest (I drink really slowly). So I'm looking forward to someday having a teapot that will stay warmer longer.

Tea-wise, I'd definitely recommend a good Moroccan mint. I'm a big fan, and it's a good starter green because you're getting a good balance of tea and mint. Of course if you don't like mint this isn't going to help, but assuming that you do, it's good to start with something familiar. It's also not one of the more overpowering flavors out there. A good black tea to start with would be something from Ceylon or a good Darjeeling. But I am a little biased towards Darj myself, so of course I'd recommend it.

And one last thing: go for the Sugar Shots! You won't regret it. Don't know what I'd do without my Sugar Shots.

~teaspoon full of opinions