Tea tools
February 2nd, 2005It seems that I’m on a roll.
As the last couple of entries make clear, I have a strong preference for loose leaf teas. They are, cup-for-cup, cheaper than tea bag teas and make better tea to boot. However, it is not until I found that right gear that I started drinking loose leaf teas regularly.
My first really useful teapot was the IngenuiTEA teapot from Adagio. I’ve seen this sold at other stores under other brand names, but they all work the same way. This is a plastic teapot with a valve on the bottom that is covered by a screen. You put the leaves in the pot, cover with boiling water, steep for however long you need, then put the pot on top of your cup. The edge of the cup presses the valve, and the tea drains into your cup, and the leaves stay in the pot. It’s extremely convenient to use, especially at work, although the plastic does stain over time.
I like it so much that I have both sizes — I use the larger size at home when I’m making tea for more than 2 people. Some tea conneseurs object to the plastic, saying it gives an off taste to the tea. My palate is not that sensitive — I think it tastes just fine. After a lot of use (1-2 mugs of tea every workday for nearly a year), a bit of tea dust has built-up between the valve and the screen, and I’ve not found a way to clean it out. I suspect this is affecting the taste of my tea, which is why I no longer use an IngenuiTEA at home regularly.
At home, I use a Chatsford Earthenware 4 cup Teapot, which I purchased from Upton Tea Imports. Mine is brown and is cute as hell. It has an extra wide opening at the top, into which fits a wide basket. The basket is held in place by a tab (the red bit you can see in the picture). You put your leaves in the basket, pour the boiling water over them, and when the steeping is complete, you remove the basket and leaves from the pot entirely.
It’s easy, and you don’t have to fuss with one of those little tea balls, which don’t really let the leaves brew properly. The lid fits tightly both with and without the basket. This is now my preferred teapot — the IngenuiTEA is more convenient to use at work (where I must microwave water for my tea), but the Chatsford is my tool of choice at home.
