Reddit mentions: The best tea sets

Sorry, generic tea copypasta coming though here.

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New to Tea? New to loose leaf? Let me help.

Hello, new friend. So you've stumbled your way into /r/tea, you probably though this was a subreddit for the Mr. T, but no worries you're here and you're in good hands. We're all tea fiends and we're all eager to share our fifteen minutes of meditation, our hobby and our little slice of heaven. So why should you consider switching from Lipton to something crazy like leaves some Chinese person picked off a tea bush?

• Loose Leaf tea is often higher quality than your traditional tea bags.
  
  
• Less preservatives or additives.
  
  
• A greater variety of teas that are too delicate for tea bags or can't be effectively brewed that way.
  
  
• Greater access to fine teas, you can't find good premium teas in tea bags.
  
  
• It's more cost effective. You can pick up Twinning's Irish Breakfast tea (20 tea bags) for $2.99 at your local supermarket and that'll make you 20 cups of tea. With loose leaf tea you can buy 125 grams of Irish Breakfast from Upton Tea for $5.60, which will make you 100-150 cups of tea. You can re-brew the same tea leaves two or three times when it comes to loose leaf, but with a tea bag all the water penetrates the "tea dust" the first go.
  
  
• It tastes better. That's 100-150 cups of far better tea than Twinnings. Not to say you can't get good tea out of a tea bag, but you'll get better tea with more control/flexibility when it come to loose leaf.
  
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  So, Where To Start??
  
  ^^buy ^^theses ^^teas ^^first!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  Where | Why?
  ---|---
  GoodLife Tea's $7 for 7 Sampler | Free Shipping! Robb has a fantastic variety of tasty high quality tea important for building up your tea pallet.
  Verdant's Five Teas for $5 | Free Shipping! Again, Verdant sells some premium quality tea. Think of their sampler as a crash course into the rich people's side of tea. But the catch with tea is that it's a lot more affordable than wine could ever hope to be. The sampler is great for building up your tea preferences and giving you a kickstart in the right direction.
  Upton Tea | My personal favorite store, they send a nice little paperback catalog every quater. They sell a huge variety of teas, from traditional English Breakfast to Tie-Guan-Yin. Not only that but they sell their teas in different grades meaning you can dabble in what is traditionally an expensive tea by trying a lower quality (but still delicious and tasty) grade of tea. You can find the grade and variety of tea that matches your wallet and taste. They also sell cheap samplers, if you wish you can take $20 and order around 15 samples and see where your cuppa takes you.
  Adagio | A personal favorite of /r/tea if you can find a store nearby! But don't fret, most of us buy our tea online so no worries if you're in Kodiak, Alaska and can't get down to an Adagio. They sell nice quality tea, their stores people are incredibly informed and helpful (unlike a certain Starbucks owned tea store). They also have Adagio XL which sells tea in bulk.
  Harney & Sons | Amazon Prime Shipping. I love my Amazon account, that's usually by go to place online shopping and being able to two-day ship a simple tin of Harney & Sons tea without the shipping cost is fantastic. They sell lots of teas and they're all very good. Maybe not the premium tea you'll see Chinese diplomats drinking but they in my opinion sell tea that all tastes great.
  Coffee Bean Direct | Who knew a place called Coffee Bean Direct* sold tea too? Again, with Amazon Prime Shipping this seems to be the place to buy tea in bulk. They're well reviewed and their tea seems to be good. If you're like me and cold brew ice tea frequently then this might be the best place to pick up some bulkier tea to last you the season.
  Crimson Lotus | Owned by a frequenter of /r/tea, Puerh_Lover stocks a great store with lots of neat little stuff. Be warned, he caters to pu'er which is a type of fermented tea pressed into bricks or pellets. In other words this is a special variety of tea that needs special equipment and special knowledge to brew. Don't fret if you're not walking out of /r/tea after a day brewing in a gaiwan.
  White2Tea | More lovely pu'er.
  Yunnan Sourcing | Again, more pu'er, but also lots of green and white teas too. They sell teaware for good prices too so if you're looking to pick up a traditional china teacup or gaiwan this is a good place to get that.
  What-Cha | Another beloved store on /r/tea, but they're pretty pricey at times. But you can always expect good quality tea and a looser wallet from here.
  
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  Just How Do You Make Tea?
  
  Traditional Western | Gongfu | Cold Brew
  ---|---|----
  The way you're probably familiar with when it comes to brewing tea, all it requires is a teapot like this one (I highly recommend this teapot). Western or Traditional works well with every kind of tea. It's the universal method of making tea and the best place to start. | This kind of brewing is very specific as it only works with Chinese type teas like pu'er. This method of making tea is hands down the best way to make a Chinese styled tea and does wonders to enhance and bring out the best in the leaves. But this method wont work for a cuppa English Breakfast or Japanese Sencha. To brew Gongfu style you use a gaiwan which is fancy talk for a tiny cup with a lid. The idea behind Gongfu is more leaves, less water and time. You use micro-infusions instead of waiting minutes like Western or hours like Cold Brewing. | Cold Brewing is for those of us who just love iced tea. It's simple to cold brew, a vessel like this will brew a mean pitcher of ice tea. All you have to do is leave the leaves in the filter and wait 5-12 hours for the tea to brew, perfect for leaving overnight. Fair Warning: tea can go bad, the kind of stuff you'd buy at the store has a massive amount of preservatives in it. Keep your cold brewing tea out of the sunlight and don't let it sit for more than 48 hours.
  
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  On Kettles
  
  So you're going to need a way to keep your water hot. A stovetop kettle is probably the most accessible and the biggest no brainer out of everything here. A microwave heats water inconsistently, can leave an odd taste if your microwave isn't properly clean, and you really don't have a good way of knowing how hot the water is. Temperature is important. Brewing a cuppa green tea in boiling water will result in a pretty shitty cup of tea, and brewing some black tea in the water appropriate for green tea will result in a disappointing cuppa.
  
  You also have electric kettles like the Cuisinart CPK-17 which is going to cost as much as a decent coffee machine but if tea is your caffeine fix then it might be worth it. The Cuisinart is a variable temperature kettle meaning you just have to press a button and it makes the water the appropriate temperature for whatever kind of tea you're drinking.
  
  
  Tea | Temperature
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  Black | 212
  Green | 175
  White | 190
  Oolong | 185
  Pu'er | 212
  Herbal | 212
  
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  Where To Buy Tea Equipment? What Equipment Might You Want To Buy?
  
  Umi Tea Sets sells lots of cute tea sets. They also sell pretty much any kind of vessel you can brew tea in, from Yixing to Japanese tea sets.
  
  Mr. Coffee Tea Kettle A simple, $10 stovetop kettle to boil some water. It seems to have a little hole in it for a thermometer to go in if you need to measure your water temperature.
  
  Glass Whistling Kettle I have one of these, you can tell water temperature from the bubbles if you learn to read them well. It’s pretty handy but if I could I would exchange it for the Mr. Coffee.
  
  CPK-17 Electronic Kettle probably the device that makes most of /r/tea’s mouths water (that might just be the tea). This is pretty much the best electronic kettle you can buy, cheaper than a K-Cup Coffee machine. It has temperatures for making all kinds of tea labeled nicely. I have one and I love it.
  
  OTHER
  
  Want to find the right kind of tea for you? Here’s a tea discovery wheel! Try it out here.

No worries at all, I'm more than happy to help as much as I can. I'm super passionate about tea and love seeing new people want to try it out, especially gongfu!

Because you've expressed interest in having a full gongfu set up, below I'm going to give you a couple examples of starter-packs consisting of a tea table, gaiwan, pitcher, strainer, and tea cups (and a tea pet if you're really feeling like going all out).

Nearly everything I'm going to list below is from Yunnan Sourcing's US-based website, because that way you won't have to wait for China shipping. Although, don't get used to US shipping. The deeper you get into this hobby, the more you're going to be ordering from vendors who ship directly from China, which generally takes anywhere from 10-15 business days. It's best to accept that fact up front and just get used to it--honestly, now I don't even notice. It shows up when it shows up.

Okay, without further ado, here's the full gongfu package that I'd recommend for one person just getting into gongfu.

Tea Table: ~$45.00USD (US Shipping)
https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503637708&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=gongfu+tea+tray&psc=1

Gaiwan + Teacup: $10.00USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=1074&controller=product

Cha Hai (Glass Pitcher): $6.50USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=86&controller=product

Strainer: $3.20USD (US Shipping)
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/index.php?id_product=89&controller=product

^That will have all the brewing utensils that you'd need to get started with gongfu (though some would argue you don't need the tea table, just use a cloth or a dish or something, but since you seem interested in the full package, that's what I'd go with...that's actually the table I use now!)

Now...when it comes to tea...

I'd first highly recommend picking up a scale (this one from Amazon is only $9.00USD and works really well: https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-AWS-600-BLK-Nutrition/dp/B000O37TDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503639369&sr=8-1&keywords=American+weigh+scale

As for strong sweet flavor that doesn't need sugar, I'd recommend starting with oolongs, which are typically very smooth, sweet, floral, and somewhat creamy.

Here are a couple of my personal favorites that are extremely budget-friendly, ship super fast, and are all from Eco-Cha.

Four Seasons Spring Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/four-seasons-spring-oolong-tea-1

Dong Ding Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/dong-ding-oolong-tea

Alishan High Mountain Oolong: https://eco-cha.com/collections/all-tea/products/alishan-high-mountain-oolong-tea

If you're feeling adventurous, then I'd definitely pick up some puerh as well. The Basics Puer Tea Sample Set from White2Tea is
one of the best introductions you can ask for. It's $39.99USD for 400g of solid tea (4x100g cakes of Spring, Autumn, Huangpian [large leaf], and 10-year-old tea), and it always comes with a free puerh pick, and ships anywhere in the world for free, which is super nice.


If you purchase everything I listed, you'd spend ~$130.00USD, which would set you up with a tea-set you would grow into, and enough tea to last you roughly 2 months, and that's assuming you drink 10g of tea every day, which is highly unlikely.

If you're on a super tight budget, then I'd recommend ditching the tea table and just getting the gaiwan+teacup, the scale, and the teas. Everything else isn't nearly as important, though if you have the money, it's certainly nice to have the full setup.

From each list?

• Miscellaneous list: High Waisted Pencil Skirt - I've recently discovered how much I love pencil skirts, and it want more. This looks perfect!
  
  
• Books List: Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce - This is the newest book in her series, which I've been reading since I was 12. I still love the series, and am looking forward to continuing it!
  
  
• Cooking List: A Digital Kitchen Scale with Pull Out Display - I've gotten into bread making and more serious baking, which starts to require weighting all your ingredients. I've had my eye on this one in particular because it's stainless steel, and the pull out display is great when your bowl is really big.
  
  
• Tea List: This Tea Mug with Tea Strainer - I'm starting my first big girl job in May, and I'll definitely feel more comfortable there if I can drink my own loose leaf tea. And I love how sleek and easy this mug is, and it just looks so great too! I already have my eye on it being my work mug.
  
  
• Craft List: Ginger Essential Oil - This one was difficult, because this is a multi-part thing. I want to make my own solid perfume, which means I have to get a carrier oil (Almost Oil), beeswax, and whatever I want to smell like. So far I'm thinking I want to smell like ginger, lemon and cloves. Or ginger, lemon, and basil. I plan to make a few different ones and see what I like best.
  
  
  This was fun! I never really thought about what my highest priority ones were.

This one is super highly rated and recommended.

This is nice since it will work with any mug.

Something like this looks really nice and works well.

I had one just like this that I loved.

I had one like this that was cherished until it broke. It worked amazingly well. And there's this if you want to make more than one cup!

You really want to find something large that gives the tea leaves room to expand. The cute novelty ones are adorable, but don't steep the tea very well. You can also reuse the leaves so don't throw them away after one use!!

Also if you have one near you, David's Teas have super cute stuff. There's also a /r/tea subreddit :)

I think you've got the right idea!

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Some additional equipment you might consider getting:

- a mesh strainer: some teas have kind of small particles. you can find strainers at a lot of tea shops. although the pot has a filter, some smaller leaf pieces can still end up in your cup. This one's on amazon just to give you an idea of what to look for. I'd pick a different one though. they don't seem to have a lot of options on amazon. Just search for a gongfu strainer or filter at a tea website/store.

- A fair cup: this is just a pitcher that you pour the tea into before pouring it into the cups. It ensures that everyone is getting the same strength tea. The first cup can be weaker than the last since the water has had a little more time to steep in the last cup. The problem can also be solved by pouring a little bit in each cup multiple times instead of filling them in a single pour.

- a tea pet: they're just cute lol. some of them are supposed to bring good luck and some of them do things like spit water, blow bubbles, pee, or change color. you pour excess tea on them and they get nice and shiny.

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If you're in London, maybe try Mei Leaf? I've never been nor have I ordered from them, but they have a pretty good online presence and a lot of people seem to like them. They're #5 on the Vendor List. They just posted this video about gift ideas of teas that they carry. Some of them sound pretty good. They also probably have the stuff I mentioned above in their store too if you want to get everything in one trip!

My friend has the Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug. She got it recently (about a month or two ago) but uses it every day and loves it. It is especially great on the go since you make the tea in the same mug you drink it from. Its Microwaveable, dishwasher safe, made of BPA-free plastic and has pretty good reviews.

A nice smallish teapot with an infuser basket might be a welcome upgrade and allow her to brew more at once and pour it into prettier tea cups. I like Forlife a lot, and they make a variety of simple teapots in various sizes. They're inexpensive enough that you might be able to pair it with a pretty vintage teacup from a secondhand store.

If she might be interested in gongfu brewing, an easy gaiwan set might be nice, too, since they have a teapot-like feel to them instead of having to deal with the lid, which can be a bit fiddly at first. I have this one at work and love it.

They are a bit of a money sink but I would recommend looking at cast-iron teapots and Tetsubins for college. This one looks pretty cost efficent even though the cups will probably kill your hands. They cost more than porcelain but it is a nice relief to know that they won't break. I don't know much about other kettles but I love Adagio's UtiliTEA. I have had it for a good year and it is still running strong.

this one and this one are both sets that i've liked for their simplicity :3 Teavana in particular seems to have quite a few nice sets, albeit a little more pricey.

what i'd love to find is a cute glass teaset, for making flowering teas and things like that :) all the glass teapots i find are shaped weird though lmao

Stoked you're into drinking multiple styles of tea! If that's the case, and you're starting to move into teas who require multiple steepings to be enjoyed fully, I'd recommend going with a porcelain teapot & using a strainer. If you're not ready to make the leap to a regular gaiwan, you might consider an easy gaiwan-- I have some that I really like :)

Here's a link to one that my friend (also getting more into tea) recently picked up and has been liking: https://www.amazon.com/Vegali-Handmade-Chinese-Traditional-Green-010/dp/B01LZD4TM6/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=porcelain+easy+gaiwan&qid=1572772210&sr=8-6

Hi! If you want to get into tea, I would reccomend starting by watching Alton Brow's episode on tea here. It's a good background on everything involving tea and tea brewing.

If you have a Peet's Coffee near you, you can go and order mugs of tea (brewed with loose leaf). They will give you free hot water refills so you can drink as much as you can handle. You can find a tea you like without having to commit to a huge container.

I prepare my tea in the morning in a tea pot (I have this one, but I don't like it because it's hard to clean) and pour it into a travel mug.

They make travel mugs that are similar to a frech press (here) where you put the leaves and hot water in and just push down a stopper to stop brewing. I'm really picky about the lids on my travel mugs, so I don't own one.

For resusable tea bags, the most popular style is a [tea ball] (http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Stainless-Steel-Mesh-Ball/dp/B00004RIZ7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407090137&sr=8-1&keywords=tea+ball) (although the one I linked is a little too small to allow the tea to fully unfold). They are cheap and fairly easy to clean, but you have to be careful where you store them so they don't get bent up.

They also make tea bags for loose leaf tea. These would be easy to pop into your travel mug. You can also find bags made of muslin that can be washed out, but I don't know where you would do that.

That setup looks mighty fine to me except i would like the gaiwan and coups to be dark though, like yours... But that's alot of stuff for 99.

Aaaand the puer might be good starter puer together with one of crimson lotus teapots :> If only I had 1000 dollors to spend on tea...

I found this tea set on ebay, seems alright to me and I do like the color of it. I think I like the more earthy feeling from the darker colors then the white one you linked me. But all this is fairly new to me so maybe i shouldn't be focusing on the aesthetics this much and just get a decent gaiwan, like you said, and take it from there.

I managed to find a slightly less expensive version of this one on ebay. I still feel I paid too much but I love elephants and it's the only one I came across that was really appealing to me personally. A friend of mine has a really elaborate dragon she got from a local store that has since gone out of business, wish I was around her place to grab a pic and post it here.

I really like the one you've picked. It looks like it's lovely and easy to use.
Personally I'm into weird, vintage and glass teapots, so my personal preference would be the one that is a combination of all that (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012UM1NXS/ref=mp_s_a_1_96?ie=UTF8&qid=1485383020&sr=8-96&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=teapot).
But considering my weird preferences, I can imagine that you like your choice better (which would definately my 2nd choice).

And I would get one of my favourite teas: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005DMBOPU/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485383866&sr=8-3&keywords=dammann+freres+tea

>This might work for you: http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0

>The mug is microwave safe, so all you need is it, a way to measure the tea, and the tea itself. It's worked very well for me so far.

u/BouncingYeti made a good suggestion! It's something I'm looking into. Hope this is what you're looking for as well :)

There's a lot of starter packs on ebay, but typically sets of tea ware come with pot/gaiwan, fairness pitcher, then cups and maybe a tea pick or spoon. I haven't seen any that come with a kettle. But you can look online to find a set. Here's a cheap one I found in a few seconds.

White Snow Chinese Gongfu Ceremony Gaiwan Gift Set (Comprised of 3-piece Gaiwan, Fairness Pitcher and 6 Tea Cups) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MG4QIK/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_av1Qwb236YKNH


This is for gongfu brewing of course. If you want western style, just get them a nice mug and steeper basket. :)

Under $10:
This is so adorable!


Between $10-$20:
This stuff. You will want a lot of it once you try it.

No Limits:
This is pretty and seems to appeal to two of your interests!


Thanks for the contest and I hope your week is going better!

[edit: Also this because it is too cute!]


[Edit edit: Okay, no, you need this

I bought this one from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00X97W2P2/ref=pd_aw_lpo_79_tr_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PJTG6N4SG98AE772EW9Y

It’s great quality. It washes well, pours well, and looks very pretty.

I got this tea set and I enjoy it.

The tea pot is the best tea pot I have out of all my others, however, the cups aren't perfect. They kinda retain a lot of heat, so make sure you only fill them up about half way so you don't hurt your hands. They are Japanese style tea cups, so they are very large, about half way is pretty much the same amount you'd get from your usual Chinese restaurant style cups anyways.

A tray is handy but if you just have anything to hold/collect the water it should be fine. I found my exact tray on amazon

Honestly I’d just start with a gaiwan and a cup. If you’re making it for yourself you shouldn’t need a sharing pitcher, and if small bits of tea dust isn’t an issue then you could almost do without the filter.

I think Yunnan Sourcing has $5-$10 porcelain gaiwans that are affordable (being 60 or 100 ml)

Would you like a falafel with that? awesome tea infuser? My sister is a college student and lives in the dorms so she's pretty limited in what she can do in the way of tea. She got me hooked on tea and I'd love to get her one of these!

EDIT: Check out your college's website. Usually they include a list of stuff to bring. I highly suggest flip flops (crappy ones to wear in the shower), disposable cleaning wipes, a first aid kit, rain boots (seriously. there's nothing like a crap load of rain to keep you from going to class, a nice umbrella or poncho, and lots of tupperware (big and small) to keep things organized. Also, you may want to invest in a small safe to keep your awesome stuff locked up tight. Your roommate might be great, but you never know...

Many of the vendors in the sidebar offer good tea trays. If you like to buy through Amazon they also have a huge selection there, such as this standard style drip tray which offers both a open slat grid for quick drainage and a pull-out plastic tray for easy dumping and clean-up.

The link for the mug on Amazon is here for the people who asked. :)

I personally love it, so give it a try.

https://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Perfect-Infuser-12oz-Chai/dp/B001Q3L9P0/ this one?

I rec this one, Davidstea Tea Press stops the infusion, though the tea is on the bottom. Similar to a french press, but the mesh style stops the infusion. Better leaf expansion and less moving parts. https://www.davidstea.com/us_en/teaware/teaware/travel-mugs-and-tumblers/tea-press-black/902592US01.html?cgid=teaware-travel-mugs-tumblers&dwvar_902592US01_color=101000#sz=24&start=25

There are many like this one https://www.theteaspot.com/products/urban-glass-tea-tumbler where you can flip and pull out the filter from the bottom. Or others with a basket that you can remove from the top.

Yup there's a few of these that look super similar, I really like the cup material and it makes sipping the tea so enjoyable! The exact one I got was this:

OMyTea® Portable Travel Tea Set - 100% Handmade Chinese / Japanese Vintage Kungfu Gongfu Tea Set - Porcelain Teapot & Teacups & Bamboo Tea Tray & Tea https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014XQ97ZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_dnJRQhwJIvwxG

Oh and the gaiwan is this one:

Chinese Style XL Gaiwan Tea Cup /Coffee Cup (250ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NHWWBKK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_41ut2HA6xYNFF

I actually got it on Amazon (here's the link... if it doesn't take you to the model I pictured, just click the little options boxes on that page.)

However, this is a really popular model and you can find it sold elsewhere, sometimes for less. For example, here it is on Dragon Tea House for a few dollars less (also free shipping).

I think I have seen this one on AliExpress before too.

One of these
https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1494108554&sr=1-7&keywords=tea+tray

They have removable water trays and are pretty nice looking / build quality isn't terrible. when i was looking, ones cheaper than this didn't seem high quality/would have issues. I looked around quite a lot and that is the cheapest price for those that I found.

I have this mug! I use it basically every day at work. It's awesome and you won't regret having bought it.

Edit: For those wondering which mug this was.

I just got these 2 sets to get into tea, and they work great!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G1MZD4O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IA8R3RC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thats why i actually like this one better. It lets you put the tea back into the lid after steeping. I bring it to work and use the same earl grey leaves all day re-steeping for a couple minutes with hot water.

I got it from Amazon There are a few different sizes. I really like it and I would highly recommend it. It's the same one the guys at TeaDB use.

Yep! Actually got it on Amazon :)

You might like Music City Tea. They have some good tea sets and tea trays.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00G1MZD4O/ref=psdcmw_367228011_t1_B00Q5DTJQM

This might work for you: http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0

The mug is microwave safe, so all you need is it, a way to measure the tea, and the tea itself. It's worked very well for me so far.

I have 2 tea trays from this seller and I love both of them. I recommend spending a bit more than you'd expect on a tea tray as the quality of the cheaper budget ones really shows (before I bought the second I bought a 20 dollar one from another manufacturer and it fortunately arrived damaged so I sent it back and picked up one that wasn't so awful)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3Y8LNY/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?qid=1463497355&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tea+tray

I use the Aladdin Perfect Cup as my travel mug.

http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Perfect-Infuser-12oz-Chai/dp/B001Q3L9P0/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1451776613&sr=1-12&keywords=aladdin+mug

Amazon!

Ufine Large Tea Serving Tray 19.7 in Large Bamboo Wood Chinese Gongfu Tea Set Table Tray Box With Water Storage Drainage Tray for 6 Adults Tea Ceremory Party in Home Office Restaurant Reception Room https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GZLHPW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_51xODb09HVVH3

First:

Dance bracelet

Maybe some bath products for relaxing/soaking her feet? Philosophy bubble bath, bath salts, arnica pain relief

Gift card for a pedi

​

Second:

Mug and some of her favorite teas

Tea mug

Mini tea packs

Book about tea

Tea infusing basket

China cup and saucer

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Third:

Succulent garden

This planter and purchase a succulent for it

This planter

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Boss:

GoT cutting board

GoT tumbler

http://amzn.com/B00004S1CV

I have that one. It's great, and keeps liquid so warm that I usually have to let it sit open for a while to even make it drinkable. The only problem for me is that the filter is a separate piece and if you want to keep your leaves for a second resteep then that means finding a place to store it in your bag/backpack when its hot and wet. Thats why I'm considering buying the below one.

http://amzn.com/B001Q3L9P0

I have this one from Music city tea that I enjoy. Although you'll want to fly with it in your carry on bag. I've always eyed this one on amazon but can't justify buying it since I already have a travel set.

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I have this one, I like it. It has a little lever thing to lift the basket out of the water so you don't over-brew.

Never heard of it but it has 4 (out of 5) stars from customers on Amazon! Here is a link

I don't own one, but I saw one of these at Argo Tea in Chicago and it looked really cool- the picture doesn't show it off, but the small lever on the right side of the lid drops the infuser basket down- so you can flip the lever while you steep, and flip it back when you're done so the tea doesn't get too strong. This would also let you do multiple infusions on the go.

Have you tried checking amazon? I've found a few that aren't too expensive: this one and this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367864171&sr=8-1&keywords=portable+tea+infuser
You should give gunpowder and sencha a try and see what variety you prefer. Maybe give some oolongs a shot as well

I got it from Amazon.

Edit: This one: https://www.amazon.com/Tasteful-Bamboo-Gongfu-Table-Serving/dp/B00M3Y8LNY

Found it on amazon here

Do you want it portable like a to go mug?

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My wife and I have been using these for a few years now. It allows me to pull up the lever and stop the infusion. We've only had a few issues. We separated the double wall on one of them at one point. I think we just tightened it too much. Also the lever on one is starting to drip the wet tea back into the water.

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001Q3L9P0/

When I'm at work and don't want to bother with hot water, I just use my Travel Mug with the regular amount of tea, fill it with cold water and let it sit for a while.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QFKXHZO/ref=mp_s_a_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487175397&sr=8-7&keywords=moyishi+gaiwan

I have a gaiwan with the same design.

> https://amzn.com/B00X97W2P2

https://www.amazon.com/Moyishi-Chinese-Porcelain-Gaiwan-Tradition/dp/B00X97W2P2/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1491185189&sr=8-3&keywords=gaiwan+porcelain

I believe it's this set. I have that set my self.

We got it from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Sales-HSTS-PMR02-Japanese-Calligraphy/dp/B001RBKD4E

I've had this Aladdin infuser tumbler over a year and I have put it through hell. It still looks new and keep my tea too hot to drink over an hour ands it's not cold after two and a half-ish. I know several people who have them and love them.

http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Perfect-Inufser-12oz-Chai/dp/B001Q3L9P0

I'm looking for the same thing right now. I'm torn between the Libre Tea Glass and the Aladdin Tea Infuser Mug.

This might be what you initially described. It's a go mug where you put your tea leaves into a basket, flip a lever to lower the tea leaves into the hot water, and then can raise the basket when steeping is done.

This is the one I have. I've been using it for the last 8 or so months and I have no complaints.

http://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-10-00753-002-Tea-Infuser-Mug/dp/B001Q3L9P0

Worth the $20! I keep it in my jacket pockets, it falls out of my cup holder in the car, I dropped it and it came apart once but went right back together. You can drop the tea (tea bag or loose leaf) into the hot water and watch it get to the perfect color/taste then you can lift a lever and the tea infuser will go into the lid out of the water.

I bought it for my wife but I ended up stealing it from her.