Choosing the Right Teaware for Your Favorite Tea Ritual
The brewing and enjoyment of tea is a ceremony that is steeped in tradition. Having a variety of teaware to help you brew and enjoy a cup of tea is an important part of keeping the brewing process and enjoyment of tea fresh. Air tea is modernising the enjoyment of tea by bringing unique teaware that enhances your enjoyment of tea as a medium instead of just a drink. Let’s start by exploring the different types of teaware and where we think it’s headed.
What is teaware?
Teaware is everything that helps you enjoy a cup of tea from whatever you use to store your tea, to tea cups, tea trays for the cups, and a reliable teapot or kettle to brew your tea. This may seem like a lot, but many of these items are reusable and can last a lifetime with proper maintenance. As ways to enjoy tea continue to expand with the introduction of tea k cups as well as new technologies like our Air Tea platform, teacups, trays, and storage will still be great pieces of teaware to have.
Different kinds of teaware
Tea Pots, Kettles, and Other Heating Methods
Tea pots are pots that can hold loose leaf tea. More modern teapots, sometimes called kettles, aren’t meant to hold loose leaf tea. Electric Kettles are usually just used to boil water, and this boiled water is then poured over either loose leaf tea or a tea bag.
Air Tea Vaporizer
Our proprietary tea vaporizer turns tea into a breathable mist that contains all of
the polyphenols found in a regularly boiled tea. Polyphenols are the micronutrients
that exist in plants (including the plants that get turned into tea). Polyphenols are
responsible for the flavor and effects of tea, fruits and vegetables. The air tea
platform allows for fast single use tea enjoyment. We combine the technology of
herbal vaporization with the ritual of tea enjoyment to streamline the process of
enjoying a cup of tea in a familiar but unique way.
Clay Teapots
Clay teapots, such as Yixing teapots, are often preferred for gong fu cha, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. They absorb flavors and enrich the taste of the tea, making them ideal for dark teas like dark oolongs, black tea, and pu-erh. These pots are usually sturdy but can break if you aren’t careful.
Porcelain and Glass Teapots
Porcelain and glass teapots are suitable for various types of tea, including green, white, and lightly oxidized oolong teas. They maintain the high notes and bright aromas of these teas. Be careful, though, glass and porcelain are delicate materials that can easily break.
Tea Cups and Other Carriers
Simply put, tea cups are what you drink your tea from. You can use any cup you like, including a regular glass cup or specialized tea cups. If you plan on taking tea with you to go, its a good idea to have a carrier cup that allows for hot beverages like a thermos.
Specialized Tea Cups
Some tea cups come with lids to allow for easy steeping, and some cups are elongated with a lid to introduce more aeration. While having a special cup just for brewing and drinking tea isn’t essential, it can be nice to have this extra layer of personalization.
Air Tea Cups
Our glassware is an elegant update to the standard coffee mug, we offer a few different types of glassware to imbibe your new daily ritual. The glass connects directly to the vaporizer, which means you won’t need to worry about any of the mist escaping.
Earthenware
Earthenware, like terracotta kulhad cups, offers a high level of heat retention and a very low rate of heat loss. It is excellent for teas that require consistent, high-temperature infusions, such as black, medium to highly oxidized oolong, and fermented teas.
When choosing the right teaware for your favourite tea ritual, consider the material’s ability to retain heat, how fast it cools, and how it affects the final brew of the tea.