Ask any tea lover what they have to have when they sit down for some Tea Time and they will be able to list of a few of their favorites without skipping a beat. Whether it is a tea product or a specific type of tea, we all have our go to’s when it comes to our tea.

Since January is Hot Tea Month I thought it would be fun to find out what tea product and tea other Tea Bloggers MUST have at their tea tables!

My Tea Time Favorites

Must Have Product: Tea Kettle

I can not imagine sitting down to make tea without my Cuisinart PTK-330R PerfecTemp Porcelain Enameled Teakettle. I purchased this kettle when I worked for Teavana around 2009. At the time it was a Teavana exclusive. I LOVE that it allows you to measure the temperature perfectly for Green, White, Oolong, Black, and Herbal teas! There is even a temperature setting for Coffee! I have recently purchased a grey one because after 9 years of use my beloved red kettle began to crack on the inside. I was so excited to find them available on Amazon.
While I love an electric kettle for ease and convenience, I love hearing the whistle of a kettle heating on the stove.

Must Have Tea: Black Dragon Pearls

I am a lover of black teas. Black teas provide the caffeine boost I need in the morning and keep me going throughout the day. Black Dragon Pearls in particular has a permanent place in my tea cabinet. Not only are they beautiful to watch open and expand, their deep cocoa flavor brings an earthy sweetness to my cup. Black Dragon Pearls are wonderful on their own, with a little sweetner or honey, and even as a black tea latte! So many options!
Blag Dragon Pearls are my go to when I can’t decide exactly what I want but I know that I need a pick-me-up for the day!

Michael from Modern Teaist

Must Have Tea Product: Tea Tray

Having a tea tray really changed the way I thought about tea.  What was once just a beverage became a nice ritual.  The tray made it so I had a space for a nice teapot or gaiwan, I could brew whole leaf teas without worry of spilling, and even purposefully overflow the cups and pots to learn and experiment with gongfu style tea.  Not to mention it looks great on the shelf displaying teaware when not in use.At Modern Teaist we offer a variety of tea trays for a new generation.  We believe tea should be able to be enjoyed anywhere, in style.  Pictured: The Square, $35. Free Shipping on US orders.
Get Yours Here!

Must Have Tea: Sencha

Sencha has always been the tea for me to start a great morning.  The inherit grassy, bright, and vibrant green color of the liquor just sets a perfect tone for the day.  This is easily a daily drinker, and has a vegetal yet sweet taste with almost no bitterness whatsoever when brewed with care.  These Japanese teas are delicate, so be careful not to use temperatures too hot which burn the tea.  If you don’t want astringency, low temperatures are your friend here.  And that’s perfect so you can drink it right away. At Modern Teaist we offer what we believe sets the bar for how a Sencha can taste, and supports an independant, ethically sourced, organic tea farm from Yakushima Island, Japan. Sample sizes start at just $5, and always entirely free shipping to the US.  Try some today. Link: https://modernteaist.com/products/sencha

Nazanin from Tea Thoughts

Growing up in an Iranian household means lots of tea. Tea is an unspoken curtesy when you visit someone. I remember the tea needed to get started way before anyone showed up because as soon as a relative walked through the door they wanted tea. As I’ve learned more about tea, I’ve discovered different variations that I love. Although I’ve especially come to love pu’er and oolongs I think that the tea I couldn’t live without is the tea that I grew up drinking. There have been different types depending on the household favorite but I’ve always favored Ceylon.

Must Have Tea Product: Glass Tea Cups

Glass tea cups are an important part of tea time for me. I think being able to see your brew helps you connect to it and it is more visually pleasing. Not only did I grow up drinking tea in glass but in comparison to other materials I think that the flavor comes through better. The glass tea cups linked above are similar to the type I grew up with, they are smaller and often have beautiful designs! For drinking Ceylon I prefer a much larger cup mostly because. I like to use smaller glass cups for gongfu style brewing when I brew pu’er, oolong and green teas! For me, glass tea cups and teapots enhance tea time visually and emotionally, bringing peace and calm.   

Must Have Tea: Ceylon

Every morning and evening I have a big glass of Ceylon with some honey. The Ceylon that I favor is from a brand called “best tea” which I think suits it perfectly! The blend is full leaf Ceylon with bergamot oil. This aroma triggers happy childhood memories of having tea with my family every single time I take a sip. When I’m on vacation, I take this tea with me because my days are better with it and I know it will be hard to find a good substitute! This is also the only tea I put honey in, the brew is much stronger and the honey cuts it a little bit to make it a nice treat in the morning or evening. In the evening especially, a cup of this tea settles the stomach so nicely after dinner.

Elaine from Contemplative Tea

Must Have Tea Product: Navy Rose Tea Set

The Navy Rose Porcelain Tea Set from the English Tea Store. When I’m at home enjoying a cuppa, this is the set I use. I adore the classic blue and white design. Procured with the intention of only occasional usage, mostly for hosting tea for friends and neighbors, I’ve found I turn to this set anytime I have a few minuets for a quiet cup. Surprisingly, the porcelain pot holds the heat of the tea significantly longer than I expected (I don’t even use a cosy, y’all). And don’t worry about shipping china when you order from The English Tea Store. Every item came individually wrapped, inside it’s own box, and each box was wrapped in bubble wrap. My shipping box arrived severely damaged, but because of their outstanding packing job, every item arrived in perfect condition. My Navy Rose tea set truly makes every teatime special. After all, life is short, so use the good china. 

Must Have Tea: Harney & Sons Paris

My number one, when in doubt, go-to, grab-without-thinking-too-deeply tea in my hoard has got to be Harney & Sons’ Paris. With its black and oolong base, this fruity tea won my taste buds with the first sip. The light body of the tea is perfectly balanced and has the most amazing aroma of stone fruit (think black currants) with hints of caramel and vanilla. The addition of a wee bit of bergamot oil rounds it out and makes it akin to a more floral Earl Grey. It is an absolute delight and a wonderful treat. Quite frankly, I think Sunday afternoons were created with this tea in mind.

Daniela from Tea Cachai

Must Have Tea Product: Electric Kettle

I might as well drink tea from a paper cup, but I can’t live without my electric kettle with temperature control. It’s the single most used item in my kitchen. For someone who drinks tons of tea and different tea types this is a must-have item.
Get yours Here!

Must Have Tea: Matcha

A tea that I can’t live without is Matcha! At the moment, my favorite one is MM03 from Material Matcha. It has a smooth, sweet umami flavor and it’s super creamy. I drink it on its own because it’s a great quality Matcha, but for lattes I also have a lower grade, but still good quality one. I always store them in the fridge once they’re open to keep their freshness and to last longer!

Traci from @teainfusiast

Must Have Tea Product: Tea Strainer Basket

Growing up, I always thought *fancy* tea people must use those little tea “egg” or “ball” strainers. I struggled with those for years! Experience has taught me that for quality, the environment, steep, versatility and convenience, an essential tea accessory is a good “open-top” infusing basket (AKA a strainer basket or infuser). To improve the quality of the tea you drink, the best first step is to buy loose tea and something to help you steep the leaves. Even though some good teas are sold in sachets, there are far fewer choices of high quality tea sold that way. By replacing (or reducing) your use of tea sachets and infusing with a stainless steel strainer instead, there are fewer things to send to the landfill, too. Also, did you know that many “silky” sachets are made with plastic? (Who wants to steep their tea with plastic?!) As for “egg” and “tea ball” strainers: they are typically far too small to allow loose tea leaves to open up so they can optimally steep, and generally very annoying to clean. A strainer like the one featured in my photo, “Stainless Strainer Basket w/ Drip Bowl” (purchased from Zen Tea in Atlanta via their online store), is the most versatile. It’s narrow enough at the bottom to sit in a teacup, mug, or a small teapot, yet wide enough at the top to stay securely on a large teapot. A basket strainer is also conveniently adaptable: you can use it to make tea for one or for many. In other words, this type of infuser ticks all the boxes.

Must Have Tea: Masala Chai

What is my must-have tea, you ask? I always have dozens of teas on hand and these vary by my mood, the season, and my developing tastes. One constant: I must always have a great masala chai blend on my tea shelf! Although I occasionally make masala chai from scratch, finding chai blends that I love makes it that much easier to enjoy one of my favorite ways to drink tea! I repeatedly restock the Punjaban Party and All Chai’d Up blends from The Chai Box and the Bombay Chai blend from Trudy Ann’s Chai. Both tea companies craft blends that are brimful of fresh spices and good tea. Lately, I am enjoying a newly discovered chai, too: the Fortify blend from Dupi’s Chai. I never thought I would like a green tea chai, but Fortify is really good. And, as my tea friend, Dani, put it: it feels like a (tasty) “tonic” when you drink it.

Michelle from One More Steep

Hello Tea Time, Me Time readers! I’m Michelle, and I’m the blogger behind One More Steep. I was super pleased when Erica asked me to participate in this because I love all things tea, so it was a fun activity!

Must Have Tea Product: Tea Cup and Saucers

My must-have tea ware items are my tea cups (and saucers). I am a very strong believer in using the “fancy” stuff no matter the occasion, because I think it’s better to appreciate something every day than to keep it stored away for that special occasion that might just maybe happen sometime in the future. I have several sets of vintage bone china tea cups and saucers that I received from my boyfriend’s mom when she was destashing, as well as some fancy cups that I have collected along my tea journey via thrift stores and gifts. My “day” job as a registered nurse makes me really cherish the idea of living in the moment and being appreciative of what I have in terms of time, health, and the privilege of being able to have some nice things to call my own. Being able to slow down and appreciate a cup of tea is something that I really enjoy doing and it brings me joy to be able to have impromptu tea parties when I have guests over because I just always have cups and saucers on hand and ready to use. 

Must Have Tea: Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle)

When I first started my tea journey, my tea staples were Earl Grey and Orange Pekoe, and while I still have a lot of both of those teas, one of my tea stash staples today is Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle). It’s a classic Chinese white tea and the leaves are gorgeous. The leaves are covered with delicate down that makes the tea leaves look fuzzy and they are soft to the touch. Bai Hao Yin Zhen is the tea I use to introduce people to loose leaf tea when they ask me about trying teas beyond grocery store tea bags that are filled with tea dust because I want them to know what a good tea looks, feels, and tastes like. I frequently resteep my teas, and think that any good loose leaf tea worth having around should hold up to being resteeped and Bai Hao Yin Zhen is one of those teas. I’ve resteeped some Bai Hao Yin Zhen upwards of a dozen times, and the process of steeping the same leaves over and over again unlocks different flavours, shows you to subtly in the flavour profile, and it just gives you more bang for your buck. I’ve had some people tell me that they can’t afford loose leaf tea or that some of my recommendations are expensive (which, lets face it, they sometimes are…) – but I do point out that the expense may be more, but when you can get more than one infusion out of the same leaves, it showcases the quality of the leaves and you get more tea out of it. At the end of the day, it’s a classic tea for a reason and it’s a delicious cup of tea to have… in that cup and saucer.

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