All of my loved ones know that I have an obsession… and that is for all things TEA. I drink tea multiple times a day, and tea drinking is, in many ways, a form of meditation for me. Almost every morning during my medical residency I would wake up extra early (lol I mean it… usually I woke up around 4:30am), so that I could relax with tea by the fireplace or in my sunroom to start the day, always reflecting while drinking tea on at least three things I was thankful for. It has become a practice for me. My tea obsession escalated when I lived in London… shocking right? Or perhaps my obsession has always been genetic. My grandmother, originally from England, had teatime every day, and whenever I visit my parents in the afternoon we have teatime, too. Usually with a cheese board. 😉 I wanted to share my love of tea with you, because every item involved in my tea drinking ritual truly brings me peace and joy.
My Favorite Tea Brands:
I am always trying delicious teas. I tend to prefer loose leaf in general—it tastes fresher to me. I have four favorite brands—
- Damman Frères, from Paris. You can go order directly from France and it ends up being not that expensive believe it or not. I recently bought enough for the entire year! You can also find some of their tea on Amazon though the options are more limited. I really like their Jardin Bleu, which has hints of rhubarb and wild strawberry.
- Mariage Freres, also from Paris. You can also order this from France such that it comes through customs. Neiman Marcus sells a few types too, and so does Amazon! My girlfriend recently ordered me the most BEAUTIFUL gift from here of three different breakfast teas, and it brought me immense joy.
- Fortnum and Mason, from London. I used to shop at this store a lot when I was in London, and I love their tea selection. Williams Sonoma sells it, so if you’re ever near that store, it makes a fabulous gift. If you’re not a big tea drinker but you want to keep nice teas around your house when guests visit, I like this tea bag option.
- La Via del Te, from Florence, Italy. We provided this tea to our guests at our wedding, in the hospitality suite, and I love love love it. That said, it’s way harder to find in the US. I have an incredible friend who keeps ordering it for me via ordering it to Eataly. You can also try to order from their website: I LOVE the Romeo e Giulietta tea (Romeo & Juliette) which is a blend of green tea with papaya, strawberries, and rose petals. You can bet that we gave this love-filled Romeo & Giulietta tea to our wedding guests ;).
My Favorite Tea Kettle:
My husband and I were gifted a Fellow kettle for our wedding, and we absolutely LOVE it for making coffee because it pours slowly and it’s perfect therefore for pour-over coffee. But did you know they make a specific one with a shorter spout that’s perfect for TEA? Add this to my dream list…
My Favorite Tea Strainer:
I have done a LOT of research on tea strainers, lots of fun trial and errors. And I love the one I’ve landed on so much that I have three of them (so that I can make multiple teas at the same time). The Finum tea brewing basket is perfect because I can make a single serving of loose leaf tea directly in my mug. I can also cover it to keep it hot while it’s brewing. And I can easily wash it in the dishwasher. If you ever drink loose tea and don’t have this item, I highly recommend buying this! It makes my tea experience so enjoyable.
My Favorite Tea Thermos:
When I was a medical student, I once went into the operating room to help with a patient’s surgery for 8 hours. I was craving tea when I got out, and when I took this thermos out of my locker, my tea was still piping hot. And that’s when my love story with this thermos began… This thermos is simply the best because it keeps your tea (or coffee) hot hot hot. It makes a fabulous gift for anyone, including, of course, busy doctors (the thermos fits in my white coat pocket!). In fact, I cannot count the number of times I have given this product as a gift—I love it that much. If you don’t have this in your life yet, you should treat yourself, as it is truly the best product of its kind.
My Favorite Tea Spoon:
I was at a super cute and way-hipper-than-me outdoor artisan holiday market in the Hudson Valley when I discovered this talented metal worker named Erica Moody. I didn’t splurge on the tea spoon at that time, because it was expensive and I wanted to spend my money on holiday gifts for others (duh). But I kept thinking about the spoon… for months! The quality of her items are THAT good. So when my teaspoon that I had been using finally broke, I reached out to Erica and ultimately ordered this brass spoon. It’s not a teaspoon, it’s bigger than a teaspoon (she does make teaspoons though… and coffee scoops!), but I tend to put more than a teaspoon of tea in my teas, and this size for my tea… spoon… is PERFECT. It’s heavy and beautiful and every time I use it, which is like at least three times a day, I get a little giddy inside.
My Favorite Tea Set-Up for Fancy High Teas:
These tea cup sets from Fortnum and Mason make wonderful (fancy i.e., expensive though) gifts! Look how cute this tea-for-one Alice in Wonderland set is and how cute this tea-for-two set is!
Happy teatime, friends!!! I hope you get joie and peace from your tea experience, like I always do. xx
