How to make tea in a teapot?

While T2’s world class tea blends would taste great even if they were brewed in a laundry bucket, it has to be said that the teapot truly doth maketh the tea. One should always own a teapot and a tea set they love, it’s all part of the tea-drinking experience!

Luckily T2 have a mighty range of stunning teapot designs! The fine bone china teapots will keep the traditionalists’ pinky fingers happily crooked. The crystal-clear glass teapots are perfectly suited to those who are shamelessly passionate tea exhibitionists, and the cast iron Japanese teapots are for the funky retro mob who are firm believers in the benefits of a good, strong cuppa.

Found your perfect teapot with infuser? Now it’s time to put the kettle on…

To make a fabulous cuppa you need the correct amount of tea brewed for the right amount of time at the correct temperature.

For a hot brew the recommended measurement is one teaspoon per teacup, so if yours is a tea party for two you need two teaspoons of tea in a 450ml teapot with infuser, roughly. If you’re a fan of a nice strong cuppa go ahead and add another teaspoon!

Brewing times and temperatures depend on the tea that takes your fancy. Most fruit, herbal and floral tisanes and red teas like Rooibos and Honeybush will be their blooming best brewed at 100°C for three to five minutes.

White, Green and Oolong are a little more delicate and prefer to bathe at 80°C. They will soak comfortably for one to seven minutes – best to follow the brewing guide on the packet for each specific tea.

A teacup of bountiful black tea can handle 100°C for between two and four minutes.

Your tea making ritual should begin with a ceremonial warming of the pot. It’s not really about ceremony – a swish of boiling water thence discarded takes the chill off the pot and helps keep your tea warm for longer.

Your loose-leaf tea goes straight into the infuser, pour the boiling water on top and wait the recommended time, covered with a teapot warmer.

Tea brewed? Time for the tea party to begin!

How to draw a teapot?

Don’t run for your pencils and sketch pads - letting the tea ‘draw’ is an old expression for brewing tea. You may also hear it referred to as infusing or steeping, they all refer to the time the tea leaves spend in the hot water before you pour them into your tea cup!

How to use a teapot with loose tea?

There is always a place for teabags, especially when you’re waiting for the gorgeous T2 teapot you ordered online to arrive! Ok, you can enjoy a teabag cuppa if you’re short of time too. But a cup of tea made with loose leaf tea is like scotch fillet prepared by a masterchef in comparison to a porterhouse whacked on the barbie. Both are fabulous, but a pot of loose leaf tea is just a little more… ooh la la!

If you want to brew up a storm with your favourite tea, your teapot needs a partner in crime, namely a strainer or an infuser. An infuser prevents the tea leaves from escaping and running riot in your teacup. Pouring the tea into your cup through a tea strainer works too.

Can you use a cast iron teapot on a stove?

The humble teapot – even a cast iron one - is a place to steep your tea, where tea leaves and boiling water fuse harmoniously, spending time getting to know each other before they produce a beautiful brew. So no, your cast iron teapot has no need for a stove and truth be known it really shouldn’t go there.

How to clean a teapot?

As our teapots provide us with many hours of nurturing, the least we can do provide them with some tender loving care right back. As treasured kitchen items, T2 teapots each come with a care guide, as their needs are unique to the materials they are made of.

While we think of cast iron as the toughest and mightiest teapot of all teapots, it prefers a handwash without detergent, and to be gently wiped dry after rinsing. A cast iron teapot with infuser isn’t a fan of the dishwasher.

Some porcelain and fine bone china teapots also prefer the gentle touch, but others like the Hugo White Large Teapot feels safe and secure amidst the turmoil of a dishwasher. Go figure!

Our cool and trendy Borosilicate glass teapots also resist the dishwasher, yet the Classier Glassier Large Teapot says ok, I’ll hop in there and take my stainless steel infuser with me!

The moral of the story? Clean your teapot in accordance with the care guide and it will reward you with many happy cuppas.

Where to buy a teapot?

As a treasured trinket with the power to create potions which make us feel alive and well, awake or sleepy, healthy and hydrated, calm, replenished and invigorated – a teapot, tea set or a teapot and cup set is an important purchase.

There is no better place for the grandest choice of top quality teapots and tea sets than at T2. You can teapot shop online with free shipping on orders of $50 or more, or pop into the delightful realms of your local T2 store. But be ready to be dazzled with options ‘cos in our teapot shops the choice is tea-rrific!