Tea! The gentleman's coffee.

I know an update has been long overdue, again, because of real life. However, this was just too awesome to ignore.

shirt.woot.com has a tea-related shirt available. I want a wardrobe full of them! "Tea! The gentleman's coffee." So true.

Anyway, I just thought you tea-aholics would be pleased to know.

Tea for One Bird

I want this little set I found on Teaopia earlier today, or its matching glass mug with the porcelain infuser. It's adorable, great for an office or a quick cup, and is at an awesome price! Now to wait until I get some spare change to buy it...



So cute! I love the classic pattern, combined with the more modern glass pot on the top, and pulling it all together with a matching porcelain infuser inside the pot. Well done.

Teafusion

After my bout with the Vintage Castleton having a very short peak of deliciousness, I have realized I need to take the time to invest in a tea infuser.

While tea originated in China, the infuser wasn't introduced until tea became popular in England. The first infusers were silver and became popular in the late 19th, early 20th centuries, but have unfortunately since lost a lot of their popularity with the onset of teabags. However, I would argue that tea infusers are picking up momentum with the rediscovery of good tea in America. Most tea bags are made with lower quality leaf remnants (called fannings) that do not compete with the taste of proper loose leaf teas. For a more detailed and eloquent history on tea infusers, go here!

A tea infuser essentially acts as a holder for tea leaves as they steep. Instead of simply dumping the leaves into a pot or cup of tea, the infuser makes clean-up quick and easy. In the case of finicky teas such as the Vintage Castleton, infusers also make it so you can remove the leaves before the tea gets too bitter.

My experience with tea infusers has been limited. I received a one-mug infuser as a gift a long time ago (it has since been retired). It hung on the side of the mug. Now, I need to investigate either basket-type infusers that rest inside the top of the pot, or little bobble infusers (called tea balls) that have a keychain to fish the bobble out of the water once steeped. There are many many other types as well, with funny shapes, designs, etc, but they all have the same central purpose: to help make effortlessly awesome tea!

Here is one of my favorites that I've found in my searches - a shark tea infuser!


http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/design-shark-tea-infuser/

Tea set

This is my first tea set! It is the brand Bombay (but this means little to nothing to me as of right now.) The cups are a bit small, but I'll figure out what sizes and sets of everything work best for me.



It has three cups and saucers, a pot, creamer, and sugar pot. So cute! I can't wait to break it in.

Tea cozy or not tea cozy?

I have been doing various online searches in attempt to find all the perfect pieces I would need to a proper tea set, including all the extraneous items, like napkins, spoons, filters, and - a knitted hat for my teapot? Wtf?

Of course, I have heard of tea cozies. I always thought of them to be dated, useless items that act as nothing more than a decoration. A lot of people associate tea with older women. A lot of people also associate knitting with older women. Tea cozies seemed, to me, a perfect marriage of these two activities. Being that I have no desire to knit a tea cozy, I assumed tea cozies weren't for me.

Well, in my recent scouring of the interwebs for tea stuffs, I actually read up on the history of tea cozies (yes, I know - it is absurd that tea cozies have a history). The cliffnotes version is: tea time became a staple activity in or around the 1840s in England for dignified women to mingle, converse, and generally gossip. That being said, and as we all know, women can talk each other's ears off with little enough provocation, so logically with all the gabbing, tea would get cold! And who wants cold tea?

Bring in the tea cozy! A sweater for your hot beverages! Have your hot tea and drink it too!

Nowadays, tea cozies come in all shapes and sizes. They're mostly absurd, and I find them to be tacky. But nevertheless, here are a few samples!

This is known as a dome tea cozy. It sits over a tea pot.



This one is referred to as a snuggie tea cozy. (You can keep your teapot's arms warm and still let it answer the phone!)



They can come in boxy shapes...



Or knitted like a beanie!



I have never had an issue with my tea getting cold - and even when it does, I still finish drinking it! Maybe, one day, I will succumb to my desire to have a complete repertoire of tea accessories... but until then, I will remain shamelessly cozy free.