So You What to Make Some Tea: Part 2 Teaware

So you acquired your tea, but what do you do now?

Storage
First thing's first. You want to start thinking about how you are going to store your teas. The best way is with a tea tin, but don't feel obligated to purchase the ones from Teavana with your tea. They do have bags they can put them in, but it's not recommended for long term storage because it's not air tight. With that being said, you want something that's airtight and not see through (there are a few exceptions). Tins are perfect for this and come in a variety of shapes and colors. I personal like the ones from David's Tea that are $2.50

each or free if you buy about 3.5 ounces of tea. Teavana's are nice, but I always have a hard time opening them...unless they found out that I keep some of their teas in Adagio tins. Speaking of Adagio, their teas are the exception to the light rule. The tops of the tins are clear, but they are a UV protective type of plastic that will not let UV rays seep through and shorten the shelf life of you tea. The metallic packets that you get with your tea most of time with the ziplock top is fine. I usually transfer mine into tins, but that's just a preference because I hate strangling to get the last bits of tea in the corners of the packet. Just squeeze the extra air out before resealing it.

Infusing
This part can be as simple and as complicated as you want. At the moment I use the filter bags that you fill yourself and typically come in packs of about 100. David's Tea has the best prices for them where you can get 100 medium bags for $2.50. Another inexpensive option it a tea ball with fine mesh. Do not buy the ones with the large holes. Tea leaves with escape and will be found in your cup. While I do not mind the stray tea

leaf, the tea continues to steep and will become bitter. If you're concerned that your tea doesn't have enough room to float around and 'breathe', go with the tea infusers that you place over your cup. Adagio, Teavana, and David's Tea all sell them and Wegman's carries Adagio's version. These can be obtained for around $20 which is not bad it your drink tea a lot, but I find that a pack of paper filters last me several months and is a little cheaper. The bottom line is just go with what's best fits your lifestyle. The filter bags are easy to take with you and to clean up while the bigger infuser require you to clean them and drink the tea in them immediately.

Drinking
There is absolutely no need for dainty little cups to drink your tea in. I personally love heavy mugs and reserve the dainty cups for when I have tea parties. If you want some dainty cups, yard sales and thrift stores can turn up some great finds. I bought a nice dish set with pieces missing from the thrift store for $3 and other cups run around $2.50

From here you can make your teaware as simple and as complicated as you want. Even though I've been drinking tea for a little while now, my steeping methods and accessories are kept simple. I do own a few nice teapots, but nothing fancy and expensive such as Royal Albert bone china. No matter how much you wish to spend on accessories, remember that no amount of money can teach you the skill of making the perfect cup. The cheapest teapot can pour out a better cup than an expensive one.

Part three will be discussing how to brew your tea. So stay tuned!