Completing the Tea Service

There's more to serving tea than just the leaves.

by Mary Finn Shapiro

When Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyric describing tea as a "drink with jam and bread" he didn't get it quite right. More accurately put, tea is a drink sometimes had with jam and bread, accompanied bydepending on your preferences and budgeta teapot, teacup, tea infuser, tea press, tea strainer, thermometer, disposable filter, tea sack, cozy, trivet, sugar swizzle stick, and/or demarara sugar. And that's far from the end of the list!

Pots

For many tea drinkers, a teapot is the first tea accessory that comes to mind, especially as loose-leaf tea becomes more and more popular in this country. Teapots come in all shapes and sizes, materials and prices.

The Metropolitan Tea Company offers German glass teapots from Jena Glass, a company that has been at the top of its industry since 1898.

The Metropolitan Tea Company offers a wide variety of teapots, from glass to ceramic to stainless-steel. Teapots from the famous Jena Glass, Germany's premier glass company since 1898, come with infusers, are heat-resistant (they can be used on stove tops), and microwave- and dishwasher-safe. Styles range from the Mikado, based on classic Japanese designs, to the Luna, a teapot with more modern lines.

Available in 15 colors, The Metropolitan Tea Company's ceramic teapots offer retailers nearly every possible color combination.

Henley stainless-steel teapots also have their own infuser, and according to The Metropolitan Tea Company's catalog, "provide a 'no-hassle' way to deal with loose tea. Simply scoop the required amount of tea into the fine mesh basket and when you're finished, dump the spent leaves into the garbage."

With offices in Toronto and Buffalo, N.Y., The Metropolitan Tea Company sells a colorful and reasonably priced line of ceramic teapots modeled after the classic Brown Betty design. The sizes of these teapots vary from two cups to six, with the exception of a one-cup "tea for me" being the smallest of the group. Available in 15 colors, the pots lend themselves to being color mixed and matched within any one size.

Simpson & Vail teapots appeal to all tastes, from the whimsical to the traditional.

Simpson & Vail, a specialty food, coffee and tea company located in Brookfield, Conn., offers traditional teapots in a wide range of patterns and designs, including Poland's famous cobalt blue Bunzlauer stoneware. The Majolica teapots offer whimsical variety in the shape of a frog or a bird. Irish rose chintz patterns appeal to the traditionalist, as do classic Blue Willow sets. There's even a Brown Betty, "touted as making the best tea in the world because they are made with red clay which retains heat better than other clays." Simpson & Vail's Brown Bettys are made in the only Brown Betty factory remaining.

Some of Cardew's most popular designs come from its line of Disney-themed tea accessories, like these Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh teapots.

For those tea lovers who collect both decorative and functional teapots, Cardew Design North America offers teapots of exceptional uniqueness and design. According to Guy Williamson, president and CEO of Cardew Design North America, the two areas that the company does best as far as what sells are its functional tea products, such as the Alice in Wonderland set, and the collectibles line, where everything (Popeye, Brutus, Olive Oyl heads, miniature furniture, stoves, and sewing machines, for example) is made as a teapot. The collectibles line is more ornamental and not intended for everyday use. The typical customer for this line is older, and is willing to make a more discerning purchase for themselves, their children, or grandchildren.

Williamson, whose business doubled last year during difficult times, offers 200 or so items in the Cardew product line, which completely changes over the course of three years; in other words, each year brings approximately 70 to 80 new pieces across a wide range of designs.

Walt Disney designs on Brown Betty teapots are the strongest sellers. Alice in Wonderland, which is a 10-piece set, is also an extremely popular item. These functional sets are dishwasher- and microwave-safe. They're also fun; children and adults can actually serve tea and "tea foods" with the set.

Bodum's Assam tea press has a stainless-steel filter and is available in 17-ounce, 34-ounce and 51-ounce sizes.

Bodum Inc., with a U.S. sales office in Sturtevant, Wis., offers an elegant and functional tea product line, ranging from glass/stainless-steel teapots, tea infusers and tea presses, to tea warmers, tea glasses and tea clips. Many are named after teas, such as the Assam, a globe-shaped glass tea press with a stainless-steel filter. A metal warmer is also available (a candle is the heat source) to keep tea at the right temperature once made.

The Ceylon, from Bodum, comes with a removable filter, which enables the iced tea jug to be used for other types of beverages.

Additionally, Bodum makes a versatile iced tea jug, the Ceylon, which comes with a filter that can be removed, thus transforming the iced tea jug into a container for other beverages, such as juice or milk. The company also offers a series of glass filters with lids, and tea glasses with filters.

And the Rest ...

Beyond teapots and cups, there is a whole world of other accessories available for the tea lover who wants to do it rightand also loves to shop.

An important part of the tea-making and serving process is using the right equipment. For instance, use a long-handled infuser for a single cup of tea, and a mesh tea ball for brewing a whole pot.

Tea infusers are perhaps one of the most useful accessories, as they complement the sale of whole leaf loose tea. The Metropolitan Tea Company offers more than three dozen different infusers, and suggests that retailers stock different types. According to the company, consumers typically buy different infusers for specific applications. For example, long-handled infusers work well for a single cup of tea, while mesh tea balls are great for making sun tea.

One hint for your customers: tell them not to pack the infusers too tight; the tea leaves need room to expand. Strainers are for those who wish to place loose-leaf tea directly into the pot. Simpson & Vail carries silver-plated strainers and bowls (to catch the drips and protect table surfaces), as well as china strainers. Strainers are available in sizes to fit both individual cups and teapots.

Simpson & Vail offers strainers to fit both cups and teapots.

Many other devices--useful, frivolous, and whimsical--are available for tea. Specialty coffee and tea retailers can decide which products suit their shops' space demands and customer needs. A short list would contain the following items: measuring devices, lemon squeezers, dripless teapot gadgets, sugar tongs, timers, disposable and reusable filters, tea tins, tea bag holders, and tea linens.

Shopping Guide

• Bodum, Inc.
• Sturtevant, Wis.
• (262) 884-4650
• www.bodum.com
  
  
• Cardew Design
• North America
• (908) 696-1982
• www.cardewdesign.com
  
  
• Simpson & Vail, Inc.
• Brookfield, Conn.
• (800) 282-8327
• or (203) 775-0240
• www.svtea.com
  
  
• The Metropolitan
• Tea Company
• Buffalo, N.Y. and Toronto
• (800) 388-0351
• or (416) 588-0089
• www.metrotea.com

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Originally published - December 2002
Specialty Coffee Retailer.
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