Lymeade Mom Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) My kids love for us to drink literal tea in the afternoons. (I'm talking Rooibos here, NOT a code word, so thanks for using restraint in the comments. :D ) I have a little plain white teapot, but I'm looking at getting some loose leaf tea and maybe a nicer teapot. Right now I am boiling water in a pot on the stove and think there has to be a better way. I do have a electric water cooker thing, but really I don't like the idea of boiling in plastic--we are a stainless steel/cast iron kind of family, so I just use the water cooker to fill hot water bottles. :) So, what kind of pot would be good. There are 3 of us and we like seconds. :) Other accessories? I really think it would be fun to have some nice things to use. I really don't know the "right" way to make tea--I've mostly just done teabags and hot water. I'd like to learn how to make the best quality. As I said, Rooibos is are favorite--can decaf or no caffeine, Also like herbal and variety. I've never tried white or oolong (or whatever that one is.) The idea is to put it on my Christmas wish list. I don't think there is anywhere around here to really go look at tea sets and I just don't know where to start. Thanks! Edited November 10, 2011 by Lymeade Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I bought a French press, usually used for coffee. I don't have to worry about straining out tea leaves and I heat my water using a metal tea pot I purchased at Target. My last teapot lasted me six years until dh left too many pots of water in it and the bottom rusted out. I'd recommend going for a good metal teapot, not too expensive, with the understanding it will need to be replaced every few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Other accessories? A TEA WARMER!!! :) Really, it's the most awesome thing ever. Who knew tea lights served an actual purpose? You just light the tea light, set your teapot on top, and it stays just-hot-enough-to-drink for several hours. I'll often make a pot and it'll last us all morning. My other fabulous, wonderful "accessory" is a bit more involved. I have a hot water dispenser that we put in when we remodeled the kitchen a few years ago. It's so wonderful. ;) Probably you can't add that on a whim. ;) But I love having filtered, hot-but-not-quite-boiling water ready at any moment. As to tea bags vs loose tea and strainers... Well.... I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that there's a reason tea bags were invented. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 My other fabulous, wonderful "accessory" is a bit more involved. I have a hot water dispenser that we put in when we remodeled the kitchen a few years ago. It's so wonderful. ;) Probably you can't add that on a whim. ;) But I love having filtered, hot-but-not-quite-boiling water ready at any moment. As to tea bags vs loose tea and strainers... Well.... I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that there's a reason tea bags were invented. :) I shouldn't feel envy, but I want a hot water dispenser! I keep hoping we'll FINALLY get to renovate the kitchen, but it looks like major changes are going to have to wait another few years. Also, I'd love a tankless water heater. Now that my dc are taking showers, the hot water disappears quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 While I don't like the look of most press teapots, I love that my second (and third) cup aren't overly bitter. Also, you don't need to use a strainer when pouring the tea because the leaves stay in the pot. I just wish the teapots were prettier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 If you enjoy handmade products, I was just looking at teapots on Etsy earlier today, and they have a great selection. Some of them are simply amazing, and you can find them with things like built in strainers for the loose tea leaves. You could also pick up a tea cozy and a set of cups. Heck, you could probably buy the tea there, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 You want a teapot with a tea infuser, to begin with. Bodum makes one; you can find Bodum at many stores and on-line. You can find tea infusers in many stores if you look around (and know what it is you're looking for). I have an Evaco teapot that has an insulated, fitted metal tea cozy, and it comes with its own infuser. You might be able to find it on-line; I bought mine in a store. I can find Lipton loose tea at one grocery store in my area. Turns out that it's pretty good, and much less expensive than the fancy-schmancy teas. But it also turns out that if you use teabags in a teapot, it's much tastier than putting one teabag in a mug. I don't know what that is, but I'm convinced of it. :D Hot water dispensers and microwaves don't make the water hot enough for black tea (green tea is probably fine, but you need boiling water for hot tea). I have an electric teakettle. I will never go back to boiling water on the stovetop. :001_smile: Mine is a Phillips, and it's about 6yo. To make a good pot of tea: Put water in your teakettle (I fill up the teapot, then pour the water into the tea kettle, so I have exactly enough water). While it is heating up, fill tea kettle with hot water and let it set. When the water boils, pour out the hot water in the teapot, tuck in the tea infuser (with 1 tsp. tea per cup of water), pour the boiling water over the tea. Let it steep for about 4 minutes. Remove the tea infuser and discard the tea. (If you're using tea bags, it's one bag per cup, and please...discard the teabags when the tea is finished brewing.) I serve milk and sweetener (sugar, honey, artificial whatever) with my tea, never lemon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lymeade Mom Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Thanks for all the ideas! I looked on Etsy a bit, but honestly searching etsy tends to overwhelm me. SO much stuff but it's hard to find reasonably priced that I like. I do like hand-made stuff and have bought from Etsy before. A tea warmer sounds great. Built in tea-infuser sounds good. I just don't know if I should try to find something for the stove and a separate serving teapot OR something that does double duty, like this "blue squash" pot. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Until you find a nice teapot, just heat water in a saucepan with a lid, add your tea and use a ladle! I do this for a family batch of cider or hot cocoa. I love the teapot my husband brought me back from Germany. It's beautiful and perfectly fits a cup style tea infuser in the hole while still allowing the lid to be placed on. Also, being from Poland where it is very popular to do so, we make tea essence. Basically a pretty teapot left on the counter of very strong tea, to which each person adds the amount they like and top it off with hot water. We drink alot of tea so this works well for our family. We go through one a day at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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