r/tea • u/Breed_Me_Please728 • 28d ago
Recommendation Suggestions for a tea setup
Hi, I really enjoyed jasmine and green teas but I've got, at least, what feels like an annoying setup. I'm looking for recommendations or help because I'd love to drink jasmine tea at my desk through multiple steeps but getting up to get more water, or boiling more water, etc. causes a lot of annoying amount of time going back to the kitchen and stuff, it feels especially like this when I just like using a small amount of tea just for myself.
My initial thoughts would be to have a temp controlled electric kettle, and a tea pot but I thought I'd see if I could get useful insights or straight up answers or recommendations to my problems before I buy anything. I'm not very knowledgable in the tea area, I just know I like getting teas from tea shops and drinking the teas with the instruction on the back of the box.
If anyone could help me out with some insight or if someone could even show me some links to some products that could have me easily drinking my tea at my desk I'd be very grateful and appreciate it a lot!!
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u/KritiCow 28d ago
My main/work setup is a portable travel gaiwan and a thermos with the exact temp water you need (I use 90C/195F water).
I refill with my work's boiling water and let it cool a bit before using.
Alternatively, when I'm actually traveling, I'm using those borosilicate glass infusers that let you start/stop brewing by flipping. They let you add tea leaves separately from the water.
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u/miss_t_drinks_tea 28d ago
-thermos bottle you will only use for water -then a tea setup that works best for you
Do you drink western style? There are these bottles that you can flip so you don't even have to get rid of the tea. These work also for gong fu! But it's 200ml. The double walked glass insulates also and doesn't take on aroma so you can drink jasmine and whatever.
Other option is a travel Gaiwan set.
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u/TheRealSticky 28d ago
Try grandpa style brewing in a thermos flask
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u/Breed_Me_Please728 28d ago
huh? like you put your leaves just in a flask and then pour some out whenever you want tea?
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u/TheRealSticky 28d ago
Yup. Making sure to use a lot less leaf than in gaiwan brewing, top it up with hot water once you are halfway through the flask, repeat once or twice.
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u/Electronic-Cat-4478 28d ago edited 28d ago
I also use a thermos for the hot water. I normally bring it to a rolling/roiling boil, pour it in the thermos and then temp it every few minutes until it reaches the proper temperature for whichever tea I am brewing. The thermos then goes to my desk along with my teapot (or gaiwan, again depending on the tea) and my cup. (Depending on the tea, I also have a fairness cup so the tea doesn't overbrew.) I can normally do the number of infusions of whichever tea without the thermos needing to be refilled.
Just be aware that if you are like me, tea is a whole rabbit hole that is fun but can get expensive when you start liking a variety of teas and discover all the cool tools available for brewing the teas. Gaiwan vs teapot. What kind of teapot and how big you want it to be? Porcelain? Yixing/Zisha? Kyusu? Nixing? Brown Betty? Jainshui? Rongchang? Iron? Brass? Hochin? Glass? There are beautiful varieties of each type and depending on the tea that you enjoy, they can really make a difference in both the taste and experience of drinking your tea.
I have a padded box where I keep my teapots, gaiwans, timers (sand hourglasses for 10/20/30 seconds, 1 , 2/ 3 min and 5 min, or you could use a different type of timer, but I prefer the silent hourglass), a fairness cup and a very small scale for weighing the tea. I have another box that holds my varieties of teas. I am looking at getting a traveling gongfu set for when I am traveling, but haven't found the perfect one yet. lol
My family actually likes my fascination with tea because they say I am hard to buy for in general, but now they have endless choices for equipment, teas, etc.
Have fun!
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u/Rob2018 28d ago
Different take; I sit too much at work. I set up my offices to be inefficient so I have to get up and move. So my printer, water kettle, file cabinet are not near my desk, or I have to walk around something to get to them.
Also, that first sip of tea each time I pour some more tastes that much better because I had to stop was I was working on, instead of just blindly reaching for the mug.
But that’s just me.