Hello, my name is Jess! My pronouns are she/her and I’m a home barista and the coffee content creator behind Slothee Coffee. For the past four years, I’ve enjoyed brewing and drinking different coffees daily, and in the process, I've learned a lot about specialty coffee. As I also appreciate a cup of tea from time to time, I think it’s time to start learning more about it!

Similarly to coffee, there are so many different ways to brew tea and it can certainly feel a little daunting to get started. Join me as I brew tea with a few pieces from Someware’s beautiful teaware collection!

To keep consistency, I used the same type of tea and brewing parameters while testing out the different tea gear. For the tea, I chose to use an Osmanthus Oolong Tea from Treasure Green Tea Company, a perfectly balanced tea that has rich roasty notes from the oolong tea and subtle bright floral notes from the osmanthus flowers.

Brewing Parameters:

• 6g loose leaf oolong tea 
• 400ml hot water, heated up to 92°

For the Modern Traditionalists 

When I think of brewing tea, I instantly think of a teapot that looks a little more like Mrs. Potts from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. For that reason, I was drawn to HARIO’s Tea Pot because it looked like a modern take on a traditional brew method. The tea pot is almost made entirely out of heatproof glass and I loved the idea of being able to watch the tea leaves unfurl clearly inside the tea pot.

Not only is this tea pot modern in design, it also comes with a lid that is integrated with a filter, a spout, and a vent hole all in one component. It was specifically designed to make brewing tea and cleaning up a breeze. No paper filters or additional strainers are required for this tea pot!

The HARIO Tea Pot’s ease of use and simplicity in design make it the perfect office or work from home companion. Its large capacity allows for a few cups of tea to be brewed at a time. A perfect way to keep you and/or your company caffeinated for a while!

Steps:

1. Place a cat in the optimal viewing area (optional).
2. Add 6g of tea leaves to the carafe server (bottom portion of the Tea Pot).
3. Pour up to 400ml of hot water into the server.
   
   
   
4. Place the lid on top of the server and steep the tea with the hot water for 90 seconds.
   
   
5. Pour tea into your drinking vessel of choice. I’m using cups from my TIMEMORE Chuiwen Server Set.
6. Enjoy your tea!
   
   

For the Tea Scientists

If this Conical Tea Pitcher reminds you of a chemistry beaker, it’s because it’s part of HARIO’s Crafts Science line! The conical tea pitcher comes with three separate parts–a glass pitcher, a stainless steel tea extractor enclosed in a rubber gasket, and a stainless steel lid.
 

Steps:

1. Add 6g of tea leaves into the conical pitcher.
2. Place the tea extractor filter on top of the pitcher.
   
   
3. Pour up to 400ml of hot water into the filter to slowly distribute the water.
   
   
   
4. Place the lid on top of the filter.
5. Let the tea leaves steep in the hot water for 90 seconds.
6. Pour into a drinking vessel of your choice.
   *Be careful touching your carafe directly after brewing as it will be hot!
7. Enjoy your tea!
   
   

For The Pour Over Enthusiasts

Since my favourite way to brew and enjoy coffee is by means of a manual pour over, I was instantly drawn to HARIO's Cha Cha Dripper Bouquet, a pour over dripper that was specifically designed for tea!

This dripper comes in three parts that are meant to be fitted together in this order–the clear glass dripper, green rubber holder, and the white plastic holder.

The green rubber gasket has ▲ marks that can be aligned with the ⬤ or ▲ marks on top of the white plastic holder. This changes the alignment of the holes in the bottom of the white holder which changes the speed of extraction from slow (▲) to fast (⬤). 

I really enjoyed using this dripper because it has a unique ability to adjust how much and how long hot water comes into contact with the tea leaves. This dripper works with any type of tea as there are endless variations of ways to brew tea, from simple to more nuanced recipes. This dripper is perfect for those who revel in slowing down while manually brewing their tea and take pride in the beauty of the process. 

And a major bonus? Look how aesthetically beautiful this dripper is! The scalloped edges created by the dripper’s grooves resembles a flower bouquet, making it the ideal holder of delicate and floral tea leaves. This dripper would elegantly elevate any space it's in whether it's in your café or home brew bar!

Steps:

1. Align the ⬤ marks on top of the white holder with the two ▲ marks on the green rubber gasket and place the dripper on a carafe server.
2. Place a 2-cup conical filter inside the dripper and rinse with hot water. Discard the rinse water from the server.
   
   
3. Change alignment from ⬤ to ▲ on the white holder so that you can steep the tea in the dripper.
4. Add 6g of tea inside the filter.
5. Pour 250-300ml of hot water and steep for 90 seconds.
   
   
   
   
6. Change the alignment from ▲ to ⬤ on the white holder to release the water from the dripper.
7. Continue pouring up to 400ml of water.
   
   
   
8. Remove the dripper from your carafe when all the water has finished dripping.
9. Pour into a drinking vessel of your choice. I’m using cups from my TIMEMORE Chuiwen Server Set.
   *Be careful touching your carafe directly after brewing is complete as it’s hot!
10. Enjoy your tea!
    
    
    

Your Tea Gear’s Besties

Whether you are running a café, working from home, or hosting a tea party, a nonslip tray is a great addition to any collection. My favourite trays are made by KINTO and Someware has a great assortment of them in their serveware section. Each tray is covered with a nonslip coating that keeps your delicate gear and hot tea in place while still showcasing the different items it's holding. There are many sizes available so you can pick one that works best for your space.

For your visual reference, KINTO’s NONSLIP Tray pictured on the left is 430x330mm and the UNITEA Nonslip Tray pictured on the right is 265 x 215mm.

That’s a wrap!

Thank you for joining me for this little tea brewing adventure! I hope that it was helpful in making your own tea brewing session a bit easier. Which brew method works best for you and your space? What other tea gear should I try? Let me know! Drop a comment below or reach out to me at Slothee Coffee.